Astromega "highly likely" to leave F3000

[jondownunder]

According to Mikke van Hool in Autosport this week, Astromega are "highly likely" to leave International F3000 at the end of the year.

The team are likely to enter the new Formula Super Renault (3.5 litre V6) series instead, blaming the rising costs for the F3000 team. van Hool also said Astromega came close to quitting FIA F3000 at the end of 2001 to move to the Euro 3000 series.

Another big blow for F3000, and disappointing as Astromega have always been one of my favourite teams. With Red Bull Jr/Marko leaving, that leaves only 16 cars for next year, assuming no new team enters and the rest continue.

With two F3000 series, the Nissan World Series and Formula Super Renault, there's surely too many championships above F3 competing for driver budgets...

I wonder what the FIA are planning to boost interest & cut costs in F3000?

[bart_jacobs]

I hope not!I don't understand?why woul dthey take up a junior team in Renault Monza,if F3000 itself is too expensive??I'll have to ask them...this is bad news...

[Russfeld]

I dont see Formula Renault Super taking off. Formula Renault was needed, it replaced its own aging series. Its not like there are tons of funded drivers walking around that can just go do EuroSuperRenault.

I dont think F3000 is *that* expensive. You get a Grand Prix crowd and you used to get a pretty good TV deal, if they have any intelligence they should be able to put together a decent marketing package.

Atlantics here in the states is over a million and our attendance and TV figures are like 1/10th of F3000 and we have full grids.

[jondownunder]

I wasn't aware they had/are setting up a junior team in Formula Renault Monza, that does seem strange...

Here are Van Hoole's quotes for the record:
"We came close to pulling out of International F3000 at the end of last year, with the idea of going to do Euro 3000 instead. We carried on but it's too expensive. Unless something dramatic happens, and someone offers us a seriously big budget, we're not doing it anymore."

"We're very likely to do something else, and we'd like to make a move into the new Renault V6 series."

[bart_jacobs]

Well,They are participating in Formula Renault Monza,they are going to prepare 2 cars,it's part of a program from the RACB (the cars are in Renault F1 co;lours),to guide talented drivers to the Renault F1 team...kinda like the program from Red Bull US driver search...we had to drive fast laps on a indoor track...the fastest drivers are going to the finals tomorrow...I'm also in it!Some mechanics from Team Astromega are going to see it...I'll ask if they know abt it,or that it is a false rumour...I really hope that they stay in F3000...btw,Mikke said that the program was to guide talents,but there main thing would still be F3000...I guess that something has gone wrong...

//Bart

[bart_jacobs]

Take a look at www.f1academy.be I must say...it's only in Dutch or French...but you can see the cars...

[jondownunder]

Thanks a lot for the info Bart, and good luck!!

I hope it is a false rumour, but it's worrying that Mikke van Hoole was quoted with these words. Anyway, you are in the best position to find out whether the story is true!

[jondownunder]

Originally posted by Russfeld
I dont think F3000 is *that* expensive. You get a Grand Prix crowd and you used to get a pretty good TV deal, if they have any intelligence they should be able to put together a decent marketing package.

You'd expect that as an official F1-support series sponsorship would be easier to come by than for other series, but I guess budgets have simply escalated too high, compared to Atlantics over there for example.

Anyone know what F3000 teams currently charge for a year? Last time I heard budgets quoted it was something astronomical considering the media profile F3000 gets.

[Russfeld]

Its in the 800,000-1,200,000 sterling range last time I heard, its not much more than Toyota Atlantics is.

[jondownunder]

Cheers, that's pretty much the price range I remember hearing. I'm surprised Atlantics have such similarly high budgets, seeing as they're racing on one continent & the lesser power. And also as you say, interest a fraction of that of F3000 (except maybe in Canada?).

[Russfeld]

Yeah but the United States and Canada are still pretty big so there's lots of travel.

[jondownunder]

That's true. But at least you guys have cheaper fuel! I wonder what effect the Brazil trip has on F3000 drivers budgets, don't know if travel costs are subsidised like they are for CART's UK trip?

[Daisy]

This will be the end of F3000, only when F1 teams decided to enter the series (Jaguar with Courtney and Lotterer, BAR with Fukuda and Manning/Davidson, McLaren with Paffet and Turner) they maybe can survive. F3000 will excist in 2003, but no longer I think...

[Team Astromega]

Just to let you know there is nothing official about leaving the Fia International F3000 championship.