Ireland - New Car and back on the pace.

[Point-5]

Ireland made a formal approach to A1 GP for a new chassis for the Shanghai race and immediately raced from 17th to 5th over the two races..

Seems that there was some major flaw with the chassis they were provided with over the course of the season.

While its good to see them back nearer the front questions must be asked as to how this happened..I'm sure the Irish franchise owners will be looking for some form of compensation if they were supplied with faulty equipment

Shanghai, China, 15 April 2007; A1 Team Ireland surged to 5th place in today`s Shanghai A1GP race, driver Richard Lyons making the most of a new car built overnight by the team`s mechanics after the A1GP organisers allowed the team to swap chassis.

Lyons, who had qualified a disappointed 17th yesterday in the car with which Team Ireland has struggled all season, finished 12th in this morning`s Sprint Race to determine the starting grid for the main event. In the Feature Race he moved into 10th at the start and then overtook teams including Italy and Australia as a result of his speed on the track and the Team Ireland mechanics executing a fast and faultless pit stop. As the Irish A1GP car moved up through the field it closed on Team Netherlands for 4th and held off a challenge from Canada, Italy and last year`s Champions France.

The decision by A1GP to provide Team Ireland with a spare car was made after team drivers John O`Hara and Richard Lyons had endured another series of uncompetitive performance throughout practice and qualifying. The Team made a formal request to A1GP to be given the opportunity to demonstrate that the car with which it was provided this season had an underlying problem, and so it proved.

Richard Lyons, Driver; “I am absolutely delighted and would like to thank team bosses Mark Kershaw and Mark Gallagher for showing faith in me during recent months while the team was trying to find the problem with the car. Also the mechanics did an amazing job building up the spare car for me to race last night. It was fast and reliable, so I had the tool with which to do the job. It was a really good race and we showed our ability.”

Mark Gallagher, Team Principal; “Having been uncompetitive since the beginning of the season, with the exception of either wet conditions or slow stop-go tracks, it was evident in Mexico and here that there was something very wrong. We`d had our race chassis checked out by A1GP after Brno, which did not show up anything untoward, but there is no doubt that car did not work in higher load corners whatever we did. Our mechanics have worked brilliantly, our current drivers John and Richard have been loyal, positive and encouraging, and today the evidence of Team Ireland`s situation was clear for all to see. This is a long overdue and well earned result for the team.”

[av8rirl]

Originally Posted by Point-5

I'm sure the Irish franchise owners will be looking for some form of compensation if they were supplied with faulty equipment

I'm sure they'll also be wondering "why the F" it took one weekend with John Booth to get the use of a new tub. What has Gary Anderson been farting about at? Why hadn't he requested it a long time ago? Surely theres a few question marks on the engineering side after this?

[Point-5]

I would imagine there is more politics involved than simply just asking for it..

The fact that John Booth was the engineer for the weekend I would think is just coincidence.

Although, having another proven person, be it driver or engineer to hit a brick wall with the car would have added strenght to the idea that the car itself was flawed

[go-jordan]

I think it is an absolute disgrace that this was allowed to happen. I mean the team have been complaining about it since the first round. The A1GP organisers could have distroyed the career of micheal devaney and drove a1 team ireland out of the championship because of this. There is no doubt the car was a dud and I reckon the team should be compensated considering they wasted their whole season competing with a car potentially 2 seconds slower than the front runners through no fault of their own.

[strider]

There are many ramifications. Don't forget that the original race engineer, Andy Miller, was fired earlier in the season. It now looks as though the car was at fault, not him.

[TWRv12]

Originally Posted by av8rirl

I'm sure they'll also be wondering "why the F" it took one weekend with John Booth to get the use of a new tub. What has Gary Anderson been farting about at? Why hadn't he requested it a long time ago? Surely theres a few question marks on the engineering side after this?

Bit rude that. Think thats one that Gary couldn't be accused of. Nearly all his cars run win. Wasn't John Booth working closely with Gary?

The biggest questions have to be asked of Lola and A1GP. How many teams got a 'Golden Chassis', and how many got a steamroller? Even Lola failed to sort out their problem, when the car was sent back to be fixed in the factory.

[Kiwi3]

Raises questions about Australia's tub?

[ISPL]

This is the latest in a number of issues over equipment. I seem to recall that the GBR drivers and team at the beginning of the season reported repeated misfiring and engine problems but that A1GP wouldn't accept that for race after race.

[Point-5]

There will always be strange circumstances where mechanical objects will fail or have a flaw, I don't think thats the problem...and I'd be surprised if Lola were to blame, especially considering the company is owned by an Irish man!!

The real question to me would be why the organisors of A1 GP don't have a couple of spare chassis/engines/gearboxes that can be used by special request of a team... Putting in a refundable cost to the team should the new equipment be no better than what was perceived to be the faulty item.

[TWRv12]

Anyone know why the race car is heavier than the spare?

[Point-5]

Where does it say that TWR??

[TWRv12]

Originally Posted by Point-5

Where does it say that TWR??

Autosport quoted Mark Gallagher as saying: "...for whatever reason it (race car) is one of the heaviest in the paddock."

Switched cars and they were 1 sec quicker straight away!

Hope they can hang onto the spare.

Gabriel

[Point-5]

So Irelands car was heavier than the rest of the field aswell as being flawed?!!

They will have the 'spare' chassis for Brands Hatch, apparently the difference was noticable on the out lap for race one at Shanghai.

Will be interesting to see how quick they can get on the pace with set-up!