Formula Renault BARC - budget

[Mak]

I think if you intend to compete in this series your focus should be on commercial backing so that you can attract a good driver with a subsidised drive. If you cannot do this then you will be left with the drivers which the top experienced teams don't want which will make it impossible to acheive the results neccessary to attract drivers in the future. FR is not rocket science and the biggest advantage you can get is behind the wheel. Best of luck with this, but its going to be a hard task, with even the established teams concerned about getting budgeted drivers hence their involvement in BARC series.

[flatbroke]

Originally Posted by REALIST

When we ran we had two RedBull F1 guys, and one guy with A1GP and F3 experience.

We were nowhere near the experienced FR teams.

I say nowhere near. We were generally abot 6/8 tenths away, 2/10 at brands when we managed our only podium, though we were probably 15-20KG heavier than some of the very young prospects coming to learn with the teams.

Go for it but you will need to learn about FR. You may be just as well off in TOCA, if you can raise the budget because, with a new car, at least you won't be years behind in data.

What do you reckon your budget per car will be?

where these ex Red Bull Mechanics or current ones?

I would be surprised if a current F1 man would have the time and interested to do a club level championship at the weekends.

plenty of Ex f1 guys out there now!!

also lots of ex formula Renault people out there that will have set up info

[REALIST]

Originally Posted by flatbroke

where these ex Red Bull Mechanics or current ones?

I would be surprised if a current F1 man would have the time and interested to do a club level championship at the weekends.

plenty of Ex f1 guys out there now!!

also lots of ex formula Renault people out there that will have set up info

1 still with RBR, one at Brawn, A1 guy still doing F3 and other stuff. Designers and engineers not mechanics.

[REALIST]

Originally Posted by Mak

I think if you intend to compete in this series your focus should be on commercial backing so that you can attract a good driver with a subsidised drive. If you cannot do this then you will be left with the drivers which the top experienced teams don't want which will make it impossible to acheive the results neccessary to attract drivers in the future. FR is not rocket science and the biggest advantage you can get is behind the wheel. Best of luck with this, but its going to be a hard task, with even the established teams concerned about getting budgeted drivers hence their involvement in BARC series.

Read this and do the opposite. this is sooo wrong.

[Mak]

Originally Posted by REALIST

Read this and do the opposite. this is sooo wrong.

How many races have you won whilst in charge of a team in FR team then?

[ianpearson]

Originally Posted by Mak

I think if you intend to compete in this series your focus should be on commercial backing so that you can attract a good driver with a subsidised drive. If you cannot do this then you will be left with the drivers which the top experienced teams don't want which will make it impossible to acheive the results neccessary to attract drivers in the future. FR is not rocket science and the biggest advantage you can get is behind the wheel. Best of luck with this, but its going to be a hard task, with even the established teams concerned about getting budgeted drivers hence their involvement in BARC series.

to say this is completely wrong is a little harsh Peter, near impossible would be more accurate great if you can.
Every name i've seen on a car has normally come from a driver, short of maybe Apotex on the scorpio cars. To say the driver makes the most difference in FR is not correct in my experience, a decent setup is key with constant use of new tyres. Just look at Duncan Tappy in UK renault, one year he struggled the next he won, what was the difference??? he changed team.

[Mak]

Hi Ian, Maybe in Duncans successful year the team knew what was important, getting his mind right. I can assure you that if a car is pointing in the right direction and a little attention to detail plus the driver has full confidents in the car then its going to be quick. In most championships the top driver would be competetive in most cars, and anyone telling you differently is just looking for excuses. Not sure what is impossible, even Manor last year knew they needed a star driver and had to offer a special deal to get Smith into the seat.

[ianpearson]

Originally Posted by Mak

Hi Ian, Maybe in Duncans successful year the team knew what was important, getting his mind right. I can assure you that if a car is pointing in the right direction and a little attention to detail plus the driver has full confidents in the car then its going to be quick. In most championships the top driver would be competetive in most cars, and anyone telling you differently is just looking for excuses. Not sure what is impossible, even Manor last year knew they needed a star driver and had to offer a special deal to get Smith into the seat.

You hit the nail on the head there with the confidence in the car bit, the car has to be working right to have any confidence though.

[Redracer77]

Originally Posted by ianpearson

You hit the nail on the head there with the confidence in the car bit, the car has to be working right to have any confidence though.

Duncan came from Formula Ford to Renault with a new team and they both had to learn the ropes at the same time with no data. He then went to Fortec who had the data and duncan then knew the car so good driver + good car = Championship done

Experiance is everything

[Mak]

Originally Posted by ianpearson

You hit the nail on the head there with the confidence in the car bit, the car has to be working right to have any confidence though.

Ian, a couple of examples of what needs to be working right.. When working in a top team who had a confidential agreement to assist with setups another team, We ended up testing the other teams struggling driver, running the same setup, the driver commented how much better our car felt after a few laps?? A driver kept complaining about his engine.. We eventually changed it and he was happy again for a while. A few months down the line and a bad weekend his complaints started again. We again changed the engine, putting the original engine which had sat in the belly locker for two months in. It was the "best engine" he had ever had and he was winning again??

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Derek Daly will tell you that finding external sponsorship for a driver in junior series is a fool's game. There's nowhere near the ROI that's needed for them to consider sponsoring a car in say FRUK. BARC, even worse. Derek's system is to get a benefactor to get emotionally invested in the project, that they feel like they are a part of bringing a young driver on to greater things, and when those greater times arrive, they can say, "I was there, I was a part of it". Many rich men in the world can affoard to fund a car, but they won't do it on a whim.