formula palmer audi?!

[jiggly_puff]

this might just be me being stupid - but didn't formula palmer go under a few years ago???? or has it still been going??? i saw an advert in autosport for seats in the championship this year, i didn't realise it had come back?!

Am i being stupid????:confused:

[SALEEN S7R]

No not being stupid just - badly informed, European Formula Palmer Audi did fold at the end of 2000 I belive but the national series still exsists today and they are the same cars as the European Series used. FPA has always advertised in AUTOSPORT magasine although the ads are quite easy to miss unless u pay proper attention.

[Super Tourer]

Yep, now called 'Club Palmer Audi' and seemingly mostly populated by older club drivers, not that there is anything wrong with that, in fact it's an ideal set up for them. I believe they have included some more European circuits on the new calendar though.

But, it no longer really figures as the progressive step on the career ladder that Jonathan Palmer orginally envisaged and created it for.

[Russfeld]

Which is a shame actually because the car itself is fine.

I think this year's calendar is
Silverstone International
Snett
Monza
Brands GP
Spa
Castle

[jiggly_puff]

has it got a website??

[Russfeld]

http://www.clubfpa.co.uk

Also power change to 275/325overboost

[Daf_Loz]

FPA has never 'gone under'. It's status was changed a few years ago and was temporarily re-branded Club Formula Palmer Audi when it was felt that professional race drivers were no longer interested in a equal status championship and the lack of sponsorship money in racing in general made filling a grid with cash poor drivers a lot more unpredictable.

After a season of club/amateur and ex-professional drivers which was extremely successful the championship relaunched itself as the most affordable series for all drivers. It has the great advantage that amateur drivers can fit the races around their working life and international professional drivers can fly over for the weekend racing without disrupting the rest of their training - as seen with F1 potentials Joel Nelson and Roman Rusinov last year.

It has found itself a great niche in the market and is now oversubscribed for the places available.

It is once again visiting Europe with rounds at Spa and Monza and therefore also requires a National A licence to compete.

As far as easily missing the ads I think that all ads FPA has run in Autosport in recent times have been a minimum of a full page ad and nearly always a double page spread - quite often the centre pages. Autosport are also publishing a double page spread with the full results and reports after every round for the 2003 FPA season.

Formula Palmer Audi can also be found on the website:

www.formula-palmer-audi.com

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally posted by Russfeld
http://www.clubfpa.co.uk

Also power change to 275/325overboost

That means the cars are faster than F3, considering F3 only produces about 250-260bhp at most. There are some young drivers in FPA, just not as many as there was. But still FPA is cheaper than F3 and with the more power may lure some young talent to the series once again like it did for Damien Faulkner and Justin Wilson and Robbie Kerr..

[Russfeld]

Not even close to F3, they might get close to Renaults though. Last year F3 was doing 1:01/1:02 at Snetterton, FPA was doing 1:08. 25hp isnt going to give them 7 seconds

[SALEEN S7R]

I woudnt be so sure, after all the power can go up to 325bhp, in qualifying Im sure they will use the turbos.

[Russfeld]

There's no overboost in qualifying, and even with it 50hp isnt equal to 7 seconds a lap. At 325hp it would go as fast as the Formula Renault pole though.

[verglas]

Hmmm, is it just me or does anyone else get the feeling that Daf_Loz might just be somewhat involved in Palmer Audi......??

[Russfeld]

I think he's the series webmaster, but I dont disagree with anything he's said

[windup1]

Ok Daf_Loz, When are you going to tell these good people about the
Palmer Sportscar Championship.

[Alan]

It was a series that I enjoyed although towards the end of its original status the races I saw tended to be processions. To be expected I suppose - same cars and drivers of similar ability.
Saw one of the later status races at Donington and the racing was great.

[Chris Gray]

I agree with Alan; I never bothered going to watch FPA before, but last year I saw it three times (Croft, Donington and Snetterton) and they were all pretty entertaining; generally better than the F3 races I saw. And the cars look quite nice aswell.

[Daf_Loz]

There is no Palmer Sportscar Championship.

[jiggly_puff]

thanks everyone for the info!

[windup1]

So the Sportscars I saw with the name" Jonathon Palmer" on it has nothing to do with Jonathon Palmer then. Silly of me!

[Russfeld]

Ever stop and consider they might be for the Palmersport corporate hospitality?

[Stephen Green]

Or Promosport as it's known!

Daf_Loz let me be the first to welcome you to Ten-Tenths and to thank you for your informed comment. Please enjoy the hospitality of the forums and join in with the discussions.

As for FPA, I have marshalled at many FPA meetings at Brands since it's inception and have found them to be good races on the whole, probably offering more overtaking than the last few years of F3 which does tend to be a little processional.

[Daf_Loz]

Thanks for your welcome Stephen,

(PalmerSport was known as Palmer PromoSport about 3 years ago before it simplified its name)

As for the Palmer Sportscar, Ross you are correct -
Visit www.palmersport.com and click on the Motorsport Sensation button - it is the Palmer Jaguar JP1 that has been designed for their driving days. It is an awesome car that allowed PalmerSport to provide a bigger range of different types of cars on their latest event.

[Superliner II]

That means the cars are faster than F3, considering F3 only produces about 250-260bhp at most.

I believe they are quite heavy so no they aren't

[RLewis40]

The fpas lose out to the Renaults and F3's on corner speed. We run flat bottom cars with a very basic rear wing with only 3 elements,that u cant change greatly. Also last year we ran 1 set of tyres for 2 meetings, meaning we needed very hard rubber, not like f3 or renault,and thecars are a aluminium honeycomb construction, much heavier than the carbon renaults and f3's. This year though we get a new set of tyres each meeting and 275 bhp standard and 325 on he boost so I think atplaces like snett you could see us dropping a seond or two but we wont be near to what the others do. Butwho cares youcantdrive a high down force car on the lockstops like you can a Palmer, you have too manhandle it to be quick,hoonarific.

[Cole Trickle]

Just as a reminder, in 2000, the FPA cars were at there best, even if BEST is a to strong word for this ****achit:
Cars were newer, 310 bhp and 360 with overboost(wich can only be used during the race, and for 6 seconds x 5 times, 30 sec in total), and real drivers...well at that time the car was already a lot slower than F3's, u can imagine how good is the car nowing as well that an F3 car has around 21Obhp and not 250!!! who told u that?
With 100 bhp it was slower than an F3!!! just realized that.

I have to admitt one thing, the concept was good. The way it was run wasn't. After 2 years JP, was loosing money and drivers started to be anoid by running cars wich were rebuilt from old pieces (invoiced at the price of new pieces) wich were not giving them equal chances on the track.
Any more precisions on the FPA...just ask...
AH as well it was fixed, own thought.