Pan-American Formula Renault V6 - Page 7

Net-Ranger · 13 Apr 2005, 16:27 (Ref:1277286)

Quote:

Originally Posted by e12

Net-Ranger-

What are some of the teams that compete in the FR2000 in the Corona Cup?

Cannot remember all of them, but the most important are Dynamic Motorsports, Unico Competition, Nextel(former Herdez Competition Team), Hidalgo racing and Fomauto Corona/Samsung

From Dynamic came Memo Rojas Jr(race on the F-3 era of Corona Cup) and thge first FR champ, David Martinez, both race last year in Formula Renault V6

Nextel, is the actual Champion with Homero Richards

Fomauto Corona/Samsung is the team of the owner of the series, Alfonso Toledano, maybe they don't remember him but Senna use to say that in the same conditions only two people can beat him in the wet, Toledano was one of them

Many of this teams had also an operation in the Clio Cup series as well

here are some pics from the last year season

this are from Clio Cup:

As the pictures show, the sponsorships presence, their size and their variety show the success of the series and their philosophy of contain costs

Mike.ca · 14 Apr 2005, 00:09 (Ref:1277667)

A couple of interesting exchanges, or rather non exchanges from the PanAm website forums:

In this one, Alex Popow, one of the people on the site's list of drivers with a declared interest in the series, tries to find out if the series is still on. He posted his question on March 26 but no one from the PanAm organization has bothered to respond. BTW, at least two of the drivers on the list of drivers "with declared interest" in PanAm, Legge and Bessette, already have Atlantic rides.

On the PanAm2000 forum, Canadian driver Brandon Thomas asks who what the car count will be and who will be participating. Six days after he asked his question, still no response.

At least they haven't deleted the messages this time.

You would think that the PanAm people would be doing more to reassure potential drivers, teams and sponsors. Or is this series already dead?

Net-Ranger · 19 Apr 2005, 22:24 (Ref:1282560)

Does anyone has fresh news about what is happening???

Gelles Racing · 19 Apr 2005, 22:57 (Ref:1282581)

I would expect the PanAm Racing organization monitors this forum and obviously you have been answering your own questions for some time now.

SALEEN S7R · 20 Apr 2005, 00:07 (Ref:1282603)

So u are saying the series is dead. At least for 2005, right? Would be a crying shame if thats the case but thats the way it looks from my side of the pond.

Gelles Racing · 20 Apr 2005, 01:19 (Ref:1282624)

I never said the series was dead. Please do not mis-quote what I wrote.

SALEEN S7R · 20 Apr 2005, 02:10 (Ref:1282637)

Sorry about that, no offence. Does anyone here now think that the series will go ahead for the 2005 season? I dearly hope Im proved wrong on this, but I really cant see it happening. The series has a lot of potential, indeed to take over the spot Toyota Atlantics has occupied recently, lets hope we do see these cars running this year.

Mr Jinxx · 20 Apr 2005, 08:30 (Ref:1282752)

There is still no news to date, unfortunately

foreversideways · 20 Apr 2005, 13:36 (Ref:1282999)

No news may be good news !!. But prompted by the success of the Silverstone shoot out i think i will buy two old FF1600 cars and advertise drives in a new low cost championship. It will be truly nationwide and only be open to drivers with no motor racing experience (or karting). That should attract the boy racer types !!.Of course the drives in my team will be free to the chosen ones. I will then hire Anglesey Trac Mon for the day (can,t think of anywhere cheaper) for the shoot out. I think to get to the shoot out you should have to fill in an application form to bring it down to manageable numbers (£50.00 sounds good). Then shall we say £500.00 for a run in one of my old Formula Fords (Most aspiring drivers should be able to scratch that together). Oh and if we hired the circuit for a day before the shoot out i am sure some people would pay for a bit of tuition (get a well known name involved) to help their chance. Well all thats left to do is run the shoot out, cancel the series, lay low for a while and count the money. Oh and while laying low could write a "how to get rich quick book".

Mr Jinxx · 20 Apr 2005, 18:40 (Ref:1283246)

A little harsh, peut etre?

Mike.ca · 20 Apr 2005, 23:58 (Ref:1283452)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gelles Racing

I would expect the PanAm Racing organization monitors this forum and obviously you have been answering your own questions for some time now.

First the series cancels its one GP supporting race (is it wrong to say that it was the biggest date on the Panam calendar?). Then it cancels its first big North American event. There hasn't been any news from the organizers since March 18th and questions from prospective drivers have, it seems, gone unanswered. Are you surprised that some people are wondering if the series is going ahead? Yes, people on this thread are asking questions. They wouldn't be if there was any information coming from people connected to the series. I don't think there's anyone on this forum who doesn't want NA FR2000 to survive and thrive and for FRV6 to make it.
Do you know if Panam is a go this year? Does Gelles still plan to race in the FR2000 and FRV6 this year? If so, have you picked all your drivers? Where is Brandon Thomas racing, in FR2000, Star Mazda or both?

Gelles Racing · 21 Apr 2005, 01:07 (Ref:1283478)

Gelles Racing had (4) drivers scheduled and committed to race the PanAm Racing Hometead-Miami event. They are as follows:
1)Brandon Thomas raced with Gelles Racing last weekend at the Road Atlanta Star Mazda race and will continue the full season in Star Mazda.
2)Gustavo Sondermann is not racing at the moment, is considering his options but most championships have already commenced leaving many outside observing.
3)Darin Marcus has recently completing all the Formula BMW USA official test days with Gelles Racing and will continue the full season in Formula BMW USA.
4)Josh Davis is currently at the workshop preparing for testing tomorrow with Gelles Racing in anticipation of the 2006 Formula BMW USA Valencia scholarship and race a full season in Formula BMW USA. He is competing in 125cc the full season this year.
That rounds out the disappointed drivers that were gunning for the PanAm Racing 2.0 liter season.

Mike.ca · 21 Apr 2005, 01:53 (Ref:1283488)

I'm sorry about Sondermann. He seems pretty talented. I'm glad that the others have landed on their feet after what must have been a difficult few weeks. I hope that Gelles and its drivers all have a good season this year.

This is a difficult time for feeder formulae. There are some very talented drivers whose careers have come to a halt because they couldn't afford to go on. Formula Atlantic, the top feeder series for Champ car is in the worst shape it's been in for years (maybe ever). Professional teams can't work on a shoestring, the people who work for them need to earn a living. But the return on investment for sponsors doesn't seem to justify the costs of racing. The economics of formula car racing seem to be totally out of whack. I really don't know what can be done to fix the situation.

Net-Ranger · 4 May 2005, 02:09 (Ref:1292514)

I know this is not good news for Panamerican Formula Renault V6 but...

Today Corona Cup Series make the presentation of their season, FOMAUTO, the company owner of Corona Cup series announce officially the expansion of the championship beyond Mexico frontiers to Guatemala and Costa Rica, and right now talks are in place to see possible venues in Venezuela and Colombia, all this with the direct support from Modelo Group (Corona brand Owners), Renault Sport Europe/Mexico, the logistics support from OCESA (Champ Car & NASCAR mexican races promoters/organizers) and the direct recognition/rule from FIA, with this the Mexican Formula Renault, Clio Cup and the new Formula Renault 1600 championship have right now the base to step from a national to a international-panamerican oriented series, always keeping the key that made Corona Cup Series so successfull at this time, keeping cost contained, a good TV package for Central/South America, being a promoting asset for Renault image where YOU CAN FIND AND SELL RENAULTS !!!!!!!!!, good comunication between promoters/teams, being a proved asset for companies such as NEXTEL, CORONA, LG, etc. to promote themselves in the Panamerican market

By the way, Corona Cup series start their season this weekend in the new El Aguila racetrack in Morelia, Mexico

I know is in spanish, but i leave you here the link to the complete note.

Here is the link

Redracer77 · 5 May 2005, 15:13 (Ref:1293765)

I would expect team AKA to give all the drivers from Silverstone there money back? As they didn't do what they said they would. Drivers paid good money with the chance of a free drive and that did not happen???

StefGi · 7 May 2005, 01:09 (Ref:1294765)

The organization of the Trois-Rivieres Grand prix as declared in "Le Nouvelliste" (our local newspaper), that the serie will not run this year. In fact, this serie seem to be born-death. Meanwhile, the organisation will try to present an invitational race of formula Reneault 2000 this year. Apparently, many teams have expressed interest in this race.

The PanamV6 was supposed to be the main serie of this year edition of GPTR, replacing Trans-Am (last year) and ALMS (2002-2003).

This year GPTR's main serie will be the Grand-Am Cup with split races (GS, ST).

GPTR website :
http://www.gp3r.com

Gelles Racing · 7 May 2005, 01:22 (Ref:1294768)

I was just on the Grand Prix de Trois Riviers website and the schedule is Preliminary (subject to change). Does that mean Renault is on the way in or on the way out?? What is the official word from the organizers??

StefGi · 7 May 2005, 02:13 (Ref:1294779)

This is a free translation (with the help of Alta-Vista translator) of the article that appear in "Le Nouvelliste" last april 26 :

The Pan-American championship of Renault formula, which was supposed to constitute one of the centres of attraction of the next edition of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, will not born in 2005. Informations collected from various sources, since a few days, converge all in this direction. The ambitious concept of a championship for single-seaters Renault V-6, put before by the British billionaire John Jakes with the support of Renault Sport, will have been victim of the lack of interest of the pilots and a too tight schedule.

Already, the series had to cancel its first event, in Homestead Florida, last March. Since, the tests envisaged last week were also cancelled, just as the first two races of the season. In short, the series is death-born, and places the Grand prix of Trois-Rivières, which had announced the arrival of this series last month, in a difficult situation.

"They still have us! Deplore the vice-president, Robert Gauthier. I believed in this project, which had the support of Renault Sport. I believed that they was serious "Recall that, last year, the promoter of then had made false jump with the organizers the day before of the Grand Prix, forcing them to spend thousands of dollars to meet their obligations with the teams and pilots.

Several factors contributed to the failure of the project this year, according to Gauthier "the two previous promoters have killed the name of Renault in North America, so that the teams hesitated to buy cars and are implied in other series", explains it. The intransigence of John Jakes after the failure of the event of Homestead would have finished burying the series, according to him "I tried to contact it on several occasions, but it does not answer! How can one negotiate with somebody who does not present himself? ", wonders Gauthier who, in despair of cause, applied directly to Renault Sport, without much success" They cannot oblige the promoter (Jakes) to bring his cars to Trois-Rivières, but I know that they were to meet it Friday, in Europe. "It always waited, yesterday, to have news of this meeting.

(...)

The contract signed between the organization of the Pan-American Championship of Renault Formula and the Grand-Prix of Trois-Rivières envisaged important financial penalties in addition.

"We will transmit that to our legal aviseurs if the situation of is not regulated, because they are clearly in infraction”, considers Gauthier, extremely disappointed by the turning of the events. "The attitude of several people in this project disappoints me much. That misses the serious one".

Mr Jakes · 7 May 2005, 08:07 (Ref:1294919)

There are number of inacuracies contained within the above statement. It's probably due to the translation, which we know can lead to misunderstandings but I think they should be clarified.
Allen Berg, PanAmRacing's Managing Director has been in regular and continious contact with Mr Gauthier. I personally have received only 1 email from him, which was replied to by me within the day.
PanAmRacing, presently have no contract with GPTR, their announcement was premature.
The V6's running at Trois-Rivieres would be spectacular and I understand their desire to have us there, unfortunately there is a cost for us to race there. I believe we should be paid to appear.

Intransigence...........where's my dictionary?
Billionaire........................................................I wish.

StefGi · 7 May 2005, 12:30 (Ref:1295033)

I just report an article that appears in our newspaper (for the translation, i try to do my best with the tools i have).

I'm happy to have another point of vue of the situation. But something let me thoughtful; If PanAmRacing have no contract with GPTR and if the announcement made by GPTR was premature, why the PanAmRacing website report that annoncement ?

It’s official - PanAm series at Trois Rivières Grand Prix!

Daisy · 7 May 2005, 13:03 (Ref:1295043)

So how many cars will the V6 race have? 2, 3 or something like that?

Mike.ca · 7 May 2005, 16:10 (Ref:1295144)

1. Will there be a PanAm2000 series this year?

2. Will there be any FRV6 races this year?

3. If the answer to either of the previous questions is "yes", what are the confirmed race dates?

4. If the answer to either of the first two questions is "yes", can you name any of the confirmed teams or drivers?

Boro · 9 May 2005, 23:50 (Ref:1297114)

LMAO now even the website is gone

Marcel ten Caat · 10 May 2005, 06:47 (Ref:1297256)

I guess that deleting the website says enough.

Sad

jondownunder · 10 May 2005, 21:58 (Ref:1297867)

At least those jokers could put a message on the front page by way of explanation.

So what went wrong? At first this looked really promising, with some quality teams seeming to sign up or show strong interest.