A1 GP Car design is ready.

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=21728

The A1 GP car will be displayed at the Farnborough Airshow - 19th to 25th July.

The car looks to have retained some of the distinctive features shown on the launch model, the 'batmobile' style rear wing being one, which is reminiscent of some of the mid 80's F1 cars.

Interesting rear wing.

I don't see this series having any effect on F1 or existing series - as it's very much Middle-East based and during the traditional racing "winter"

The front wing supports look quite bulky.

I wonder if we're going to see the usual "amateur aero guys" here, who can look at a car and make pronouncements about performance!

Just remember it's a one make series, so that doesn't matter so much!

Originally posted by Kicking-back
Interesting rear wing.

Indeed - a touch of the Toleman '83/'84 car, to my mind.

I wonder if that design of rear wing will promote getting a good tow and help overtaking...

Originally posted by Kicking-back
I wonder if that design of rear wing will promote getting a good tow and help overtaking...

Certainly plenty to put a rope around.....;)

:laugh:

Looking at the pics again, that's one hell of front wing endplate too!CART meets Roman Chariot!

Looks promising - if the racing does happena dn involves a lot of overtaking, it might be an idea for F1 to reguate for similar wings. There was definately more overtaking when F1 had that style.

Looks like IRL car.

thje car actually looks rather cool...

i'll go and hide now for saying that......

I think the car looks rather cool myself!

This series sounds like it could be interesting to. Anyone have any idea what kind of drivers, teams, and sponsors will be drawn to it, and do you think it will get decent media coverage? There web-site doesn't give away much info right now.

Any racing I can see during the winter, would be appreciated!

We should find out more in the next few weeks.

hey more motor racing can only be a good thing and the car looks great but will 10 show it here in Oz and more to the point will they even show it in Perth, I won't be holding my breath

It isn't too surprising that the car takes many tiny details off modern F1 cars then? :p

Boy..that front wing looks like it can withstand some hard knocks!

Originally posted by 429CJ
Looks like IRL car.

I disagree, to say the least. The A1 car actually looks good! :laugh: Good job done by Lola.

As for the series having any impact on other series, it sure doesn't seem like it will immediately, but maybe in the future. At any rate, it gives me something to watch through the winter, provided it's televised here. I suppose you could take the creation of A1 as a direct indication of the problems that face F1, as someone diecided to try to fix them. Of course, the reults remain to be seem, and F1 will continue to be the pinnacle of motorsports pretty much until the end of time.

Hopefully the existance of A1 doesn't lead to the problems of a divided open-wheel racing, as it did in North America with the split between the IRL and CART.

I like it :)

except for that big thing sticking out of the cockpit , it looks rather sleek :)

Why this thread in the F1 forum?

The rear wing actually reminds me of IRL cars.
However when a 1:1 car is displayed, we'll be sure it's the final version.
The WT model doesn't give us any guarantee

The sidepods look similar to those of an IRL car, but they are smaller. The front wing resembles an F1 car and the wing endplates resemble a Champ Car.

Well, at least they got rid of the V6 engine concept.

Originally posted by climb
Why this thread in the F1 forum?

Maybe one day we'll have a seperate "A1 Forum" here at 10/10ths climb, and you can be the moderator! :laugh:;)

It should probably be in NISS, to be fair.

Originally posted by ASCII Man
Well, at least they got rid of the V6 engine concept.

Yes, as all I could think of when I heard the langford v6 was the engine was barber dodge.

I haven't been following all things motorsport for a while, is this by any chance an evolved version of "formula football" which I believe was supposed to start in 2002?

Oh that was Reynard wasn't it? I suppose the whole thing died after that nail in the coffin.

It's nothing to do with P1GP, which is dead in the water, as far as I know.

Well, that's got some of you interested, why not continue in National & International Single Seaters (http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&forumid=26)

For those of you who haven't visited them meet AndyF, bella and DanFlag. :beer:

Looks like the front wing end-plates are designed with sponsors in mind ;)

Originally posted by Kicking-back
I wonder if we're going to see the usual "amateur aero guys" here, who can look at a car and make pronouncements about performance!

Just remember it's a one make series, so that doesn't matter so much!

Exactly. The A1GP car has to look like a proper racing car to appeal to new (and not necessarily expert!) audiences. As long as it's safe it doesn't matter how good the aero is!

Personally I think the car looks a bit cartoony with the dorsal fin, the stylised air intakes and the gills (Something out of Fireball XL5?!) but it sure as hell looks more exciting than an F3000!

Originally posted by nicholaswhite
I haven't been following all things motorsport for a while, is this by any chance an evolved version of "formula football" which I believe was supposed to start in 2002?

Oh that was Reynard wasn't it? I suppose the whole thing died after that nail in the coffin.

FFooty had a deal with Reynard and then later one with Dallara, the mockup of which was seen once I think... who knows what happened to the Dallara tub, it may now be racing in the IRL? ;) Engines were going to be 4.0 Judd V10s weren't they?

Originally posted by mountainstar
Yes, as all I could think of when I heard the langford v6 was the engine was barber dodge.

Could've been worse -- could've been that Reynard-Chrysler V6 series (ISSC, I think?) that was going to take the world by storm about 4 years ago - you know, rival to F3000, going to run on ovals and road circuits, yada yada yada..... I think it ran for a season and a bit on a couple of Mitteleuropean circuits supporting three men and a dog in national sports car series.... (I exaggerate slightly) - but it was a clear example of yet another formula for which there was no demand.


The car looked smashing though - like a chunkier F3000.

Why does the car shown at the air show have larger diameter wheels and lower profile tires as compared to most other open wheelers? Looks good IMO.

Because the organisers wanted big wheels and low profile tyres.

Originally posted by Kicking-back
Because the organisers wanted big wheels and low profile tyres.

Why do most open wheel cars have the smaller diameter wheels and tires with larger sidewalls? Does a thicker tire allow the tire to get warm and melt to the track surface easier for more grip?

Because single seaters have to always have 13 inch rims. Supposedly to not make the breaking way too effective and have more overtaking and more exciting racing. That is why F1 are complaining now, they have hit a wall with breaks, the only way to improve them is to increase the size, but it's impossible in a 13 inch rim. On top of that, it's my own personal opinion that running larger rims and breaks just adds unsprung weight that single seaters don't really need unless it's for show. So like previously said,larger rims is more for those who want looks and don't understand much about racing.

It's a known fact that a lower profile tyre than current F1 reg would provide more grip + better suspension movment. When a Bridgestone tyre engineer was given the question what whould happen if they rim size was increased he simply said: The drivers would not last.

About unsprung weight, a large rim with a low profile tyre weighs less. The weight is in the tyre, not the rim.

Suspension. In a modern aero car they're so stiff a lot of the road handling is in the tire flex, so you want some bigger sidewalls. The reason touring/gt cars have so much smaller tires is because there's a lot of inherent roll in road cars, or road car based race cars; so you need not have as much movement in the tire.

At least thats the explanation that seemed to make the most sense

Interesting...but I can assure you, the tyre flex is an engineers worst nightmare because they cant controll on the dampers and setup. Its something they have learnt to cope with and would be better of without.

Thanks guys.:)

To quote the ludicrously coiffured James Allen:
"Tyrewise it's getting absolutely fascinating down here, Murray"
Great technical discussion, folks!

A!GP car is rumoured to be out testing at Snett next week

Is Robbie Kerr rumoured to be driving in the series this winter?

I wish

will have to spend time buttering up mr watson.
he owes me £50, so anythings possible.

News from todays 'Daily Express' business pages;Sky TV have bought the rights to show A1GP series including practice. British team franchisee will be anounced on Sept 30.

The car is being tested again next week, with Ralph Firman at the wheel.

Originally posted by Rob29
News from todays 'Daily Express' business pages;Sky TV have bought the rights to show A1GP series including practice. British team franchisee will be anounced on Sept 30.
Bugger. I was really looking forward to watching this series.

The Sky deal should be good news, they're putting a lot into it because, football aside, there's not a lot of live sport over the winter.

Oh, goody. More motorsport inaccessible to us mere terrestrials.

Can I tease you with my blackmarket Sky hookup here in Italy?

I've never understood the moaning about Sky.

The simple fact is the motorsport they carry would likely not be seen on TV at all if they didn't screen it.

If you want to see it, get a subscription.

If you can't afford it, then that's life!

It ain't always that simple.

But I'm not moaning about Sky, as such, but about the general uselessness of terrestrial TV - and all the channels on Freeview - when it comes to motorsport. It's the same argument as Ferrari in F1. It's not Ferrari or Sky that are evil (necessarily), it's just that everyone else is so ****!

That's true.

But, F1 aside, motorsport tends to research as a relatively niche interest.

Therefore specialist channels are usually the way to go.

What does the Tour de France research as?

Originally posted by Kicking-back
I've never understood the moaning about Sky.
My "moan" was simple - I'd like to watch it, and probably won't be able to unless I find a pub that'll show it, which won't exactly be that easy as these races will be early on Sunday mornings 'cos it's all in the Far East.

Motorsport is the ONLY thing I want Sky for. I have no interest in any other sport (except the Tour de France, which was on ITV2 anyway and only lasts 3 weeks of the year) and I don't want to pay for all the other cr ap that come in their channel packages that I'm not interested in. With a bit of luck, when Sky's new freeview package comes out later this year, Motors will be available on it, I'd go for that and therefore would have preferred Motors to get the deal.

It's obviously better that there's a Sky TV deal than no TV deal, I just really hope it takes off and gets on something else. Or that I get a really well paid job and can afford Sky!

i kinda looks nice really- a bit narrow
Racer magazine rumors it is an option for Champcar when the current lola's are retired...
hmmmm a Winter series is a good i dea though

Paul, the time difference is not the issue as it is only 3 hours ahead at the moment and 4 in the winter so a 3pm race would be midday here or at worst 11am.

Your biggest issue is that the arab weekend is Thursday, Friday so most people will be in work unless they do what F1 does and runs for the rest of the world on Sunday.

But LG Super Racing Weekend has to run on a Friday so I would guess that A1 GP would as well - so you will have to invest in Sky +!!!!

Thats something I bet few have thought of,though the Bahrain GP was on Sunday! Do moslem countries have sport and entertainment on Fridays,rather than spending the day in the mosque? I have been to Israel where sat & sun are reversed compared to western practice.