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NEWS
MOTORSPORT: New wings-and-slicks formula from mid-2015
The new Formula 4 will run at V8 Supercar Championship rounds, with the open-wheeler cars to be owned by CAMS and leased to competitorsThe introduction to Australia of the new international wings-and-slicks international junior open-wheeler category, Formula 4, has taken a step forward this week.
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) announced that Formula 4 will begin in the middle of next year with seven rounds to be run at V8 Supercar Championship events.
Motorsport's world head, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) president Jean Todt, was in Melbourne for the announcement and said that "the object is to make Formula 4 the first indisputable step for single-seater racing drivers".
For almost half a century the traditional step from karting has been into Formula Ford, for which the last Australian championship was held last year – although the category, without either aerodynamic wings or slick tyres, has thrived this year despite the loss of championship status.
Australia's F4 cars will have a French-made Mygale carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, a 160-horsepower engine – the make not yet confirmed, but the word is Toyota – as well as a paddle-shift gearbox and the wings and slick rubber, with the tyre supplier not yet confirmed either.
This week's announcement included the news that CAMS will buy 20 Mygales, which then will be rented to competitors to prepare themselves. CAMS claimed to have had 49 expressions of interest from individuals and teams.
The cost to competitors has been estimated at $170,000 a season per car.
The seven rounds next year will have three races each, with six test sessions allowed before and during the season.
CAMS said that being a support category to V8 Supercars would "bring with it the widest possible appeal and exposure through the extensive television coverage it provides as Australia's premier racing category".
That coverage will be primarily on pay TV network Fox from next year.
Before deciding on what it has called the "teams format", CAMS had contemplated operating the cars – via a category manager – as well as owning them. Dialogue with the open-wheeler community on the method of operation of F4 delayed this week's announcement several months.
Many within the sport question the wisdom of CAMS becoming the owner of a fleet of 20 race cars rather than devoting more of its energies to matters such as averting major calendar clashes – the Bathurst 12-Hour and the V8 Supercar pre-season test weekend on the same dates next February, and Rally Australia and the Sandown 500 in mid-September.
CAMS president Andrew Papadopoulos said the "framework" chosen for F4 "is the most popular model of those who have expressed interest in the new formula".
Details of the engine, tyre and oil suppliers are to be announced "soon", with registration to enter the Australian championship to be accepted from September 24.
Todt said F4 was "a great initiative because this discipline represents the missing step which exists between karting and Formula 3".
"Secondly, Formula 4 creates a synergy between the FIA and its national motor sport associations through training the talent of tomorrow in a championship which controls costs and maintains the highest levels of safety," Todt said.
"With Formula 4, young drivers from every country have the chance to put themselves in the spotlight from the start of their career.
"It will offer a new breeding ground of drivers for Formula 1 but also other top-level disciplines.
"Italy was the first to phase in Formula 4, but CAMS is amongst the world leaders when it comes to introducing the FIA's new open-wheel pathway.
"The object is to make Formula 4 the first indisputable step for single-seater racing drivers and it's great that CAMS and Australia have embraced this very interesting and exciting phase for motor sport."
Papadopoulos said CAMS was "committed to the development of Australian motor sport talent" and "delighted" to align with the FIA's new open-wheel pathway.
"We believe that the Formula 4 Championship will provide a compelling new format of racing and offer the best possible learning experience for young drivers in this country," Papadopoulos said.
"We believe it is in the best interests of Australian motor sport and young Australian drivers to embrace the opportunity provided by a tightly-controlled entry-level championship endorsed by the FIA and in line with similar championships in other countries."
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Written byGeoffrey Harris
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