ARWS '18 - Vote for ROTY!!

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 25 Mar 2016, 04:34

With the results of AR 3.5 in, Blokkmonsta decides to allow Jordan Davies to participate in the Young Drivers' Test alongside F3 driver Malik Zidan. (Don't know if I need Salamander's permission for this or not, since Davies is his driver and Salamander disabled his Private Messaging)

Blokkmonsta's other FR 3.5 driver Anu Vosu remains open for a seat in the YDT as well, Both Davies and Vosu have shown promising pace and are both looking to get a taste of top-tier machinery. (Depends on what Nuppiz would want to do with her)

Post by **Nuppiz** » 25 Mar 2016, 08:51

CaptainGetz, I prefer handling the affairs of my own drivers (Anu Võsu) myself...

With that said, Võsu and Tommi Hämäläinen will form NRE's lineup for the YDT.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 25 Mar 2016, 11:13

MRT will run T. K. Wolf and Gianluigi Pazzini in the young driver test

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 25 Mar 2016, 13:13

Toronto race tomorrow - saturday - afternoon

Peteroli34 · Post by **Peteroli34** » 25 Mar 2016, 14:20

Jones AR3.5 driver Luke Gilson-Clarke would like the opputunity to test their ARWS car.

F5000 front runner Thomas Wren would like to offer himself as avaible for the test

Post by **tommykl** » 25 Mar 2016, 14:48

Gillet would like to enter Alexandre Dorval and Laurent Seron in the YDT.

Normal32 · Post by **Normal32** » 25 Mar 2016, 15:51

Venturi are of course interested in the Astro offer.

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 25 Mar 2016, 15:54

Nuppiz wrote:CaptainGetz, I prefer handling the affairs of my own drivers (Anu Võsu) myself...

With that said, Võsu and Tommi Hämäläinen will form NRE's lineup for the YDT.

Whoops, my bad. I'll fix the post

SeedStriker · Post by **SeedStriker** » 25 Mar 2016, 16:43

Union Saver Developments will field in-house driver John D. Sullivan and would like to offer Marjolein Postma the second seat for the YDT

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 25 Mar 2016, 20:03

peteroli34 wrote:F5000 front runner Thomas Wren would like to offer himself as avaible for the test

Team Mecha will take that offer, while looking for another driver for YDT.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 25 Mar 2016, 22:10

SeedStriker wrote:Union Saver Developments will field in-house driver John D. Sullivan and would like to offer Marjolein Postma the second seat for the YDT

Sold.

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 26 Mar 2016, 10:22

Kamaha is offering a seat to any young driver in a junior series.

Post by **Miguel98** » 26 Mar 2016, 13:50

SuperAguri wrote:Kamaha is offering a seat to any young driver in a junior series.

Rafael Martins is available to drive for Kamaha.

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 26 Mar 2016, 16:34

2018 Canadian Grand Prix -- Toronto -- 3rd June 2018

VENUE: Toronto Exhibition Place
Length: 2,824 m
Laps: 113

Weather:
Pre-Qualifying: Dry
Qualifying: Wet - 75%
Race:Wet - 30%

PRE-QUALIFYING

1.Carter Simpson (Rosenforth) -- 59.532
2.Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- 59.576 (+0.044)
3.Wouter Lamberigts (Blokkmonsta) -- 59.619 (+0.087)
4.Andrej Kremnicky (Revolution) -- 59.694 (+0.162)
5.Shinobu Katayama (Venturi) -- 59.701 (+0.169)
6.Nicolas Steele (Blokkmonsta) -- 59.787 (+0.255)
7.Shane Walsh (Gillet) -- 59.794 (+0.262)
8.John Bean (Mecha) -- 59.984 (+0.452)
9.Miko Fäkkinen (RLR) -- 59.992 (+0.460)
10.Daniel Martins (Aeroracing) -- 1.00.171 (+0.639)
11.Aurelien Moll (Gillet) -- 1.00.201 (+0.669)
12.Jean-Vincent Albertini (Venturi) -- 1.00.203 (+0.671)
13.Marco Bizzarri (Revolution) -- 1.00.320 (+0.788)
14.Akira Yamamura (Tassie) -- 1.00.422 (+0.890)
15.Gregor Pascal (Rosenforth) -- 1.00.959 (+0.927)
16.Tomo Kazama (Tassie) -- 1.00.537 (+1.005)
17.Ashley Watkinson (Aeroracing) -- 1.00.701 (+1.169)
18.David Neuberg (PORE) -- 1.00.789 (+1.257)
19.Hansuke Shioya (RLR) -- 1.01.039 (+1.507)
20.Quentin Reatherson (PORE) -- 1.01.040 (+1.508)

** Blokkmonsta will avoid Pre-Q from Round 8

QUALIFYING

1.Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 1.03.960
2.Alberto Cara (MRT) -- 1.04.092 (+0.132)
3.Diego Alvarez Torrente (Jones) -- 1.04.961 (+1.001)
4.Alessandro Lucarelli (Kjellerup) -- 1.05.016 (+1.056)
5.Mark Dagnall (Jones) -- 1.05.086 (+1.126)
6.Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen (Gauthier) -- 1.05.134 (+1.174)
7.Nick Nurmester (Kjellerup) -- 1.05.174 (+1.214)
8.Naoki Shinjo (USD) -- 1.05.257 (+1.297)
9.Shinobu Kartayama (Venturi) -- 1.05.388 (+1.428)
10.Phillippe Nicolas (MRT) -- 1.05.426 (+1.466)
11.Carter Simpson (HRT) -- 1.05.546 (+1.586)
12.Jean-Vincent Albertini (Venturi) -- 1.05.553 (+1.593)
13.Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- 1.05.796 (+1.836)
14.Daniel Melville (Kamaha) -- 1.05.798 (1.838)
15.Wouter Lamberigts (Blokkmonsta) -- 1.05.802 (+1.842)
16.Alexey Buyvolov (Simpson) -- 1.05.848 (+1.888)
17.Martin McFry (NRE) -- 1.05.892 (+1.932)
18.Gregor Pascal (Rosenforth) -- 1.06.103 (+2.143)
19.Danny van Rijkens (Gauthier) -- 1.06.139 (+2.179)
20.Dan Greenlaw (Voeckler) -- 1.06.229 (+2.269)
21.Thomas de Bock (Voeckler) -- 1.06.261 (+2.301)
22.Fredo Mestolio (Fusion) -- 1.06.266 (+2.306)
23.Jean-Luc Schiller (Simpson) -- 1.06.680 (+2.720)
24.Rosco Vantini (Kamaha) -- 1.06.800 (+2.840)
25.Marko Jantscher (NRE) -- 1.06.884 (+2.924)
26.Jari Kekkonen (USD) -- 1.07.054 (+3.094)
DNQ.Nicolas Steele (Blokkmonsta) -- 1.07.432 (+3.472)
DNQ.John Bean (Mecha) -- 1.07.935 (+3.975)

**NRE drops to Pre-Qualifying for Round 8

RACE

1.Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 2h 01m 40.929
2.Diego Alvarez Torrente (Jones) -- +44.378
3.Alessandro Lucarelli (Kjellerup) -- +1 Lap
4.Nick Nurmester (Kjellerup) -- +1 Lap
5.Phillippe Nicolas (MRT) -- +1 Lap
6.Thomas de Bock (Voeckler) -- +1 Lap
7.Fredo Mestolio (Fusion) -- +2 Laps
8.Jean-Vincent Albertini (Venturi) -- +2 Laps
9.Alexey Buyvolov (Simpson) -- +3 Laps
10.Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- +3 Laps
11.Gregor Pascal (Rosenforth) -- +3 Laps
12.Daniel Melville (Kamaha) -- +3 Laps
13.Wouter Lamberigts (Blokkmonsta) -- +3 Laps
14.Jean-Luc Schiller (Simpson) -- +3 Laps
15.Rosco Vantini (Kamaha) -- +3 Laps
16.Danny van Rijkens (Gauthier) -- +4 Laps
17.Jari Kekkonen (USD) -- +6 Laps
DNF.Martin McFry (NRE) -- Engine
DNF.Dan Greenlaw (Voeckler) -- Transmission
DNF.Carter Simpson (Rosenforth) -- Transmission
DNF.Alberto Cara (MRT) -- Water Leak
DNF.Shinobu Katayama (Venturi) -- Engine
DNF.Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen (Gauthier) -- Transmission
DNF.Naoki Shinjo (USD) -- Transmission
DNF.Mark Dagnall (Jones) -- Transmission

DOTR Alessandro Lucarelli; Stunningly drove (and didn't choke this time) in difficult conditions to get that podium
ROTR Jari Kekkonen; What was he trying to do?????
Fastest Lap Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 1.02.248

Achievements

Prison Break Blokkmonsta
By the skin of their teeth Gillet, Revolution
Cameo: Jones
Ohai Manfred: Venturi, Kamaha, Fusion

Peteroli34 · Post by **Peteroli34** » 26 Mar 2016, 22:57

FMecha wrote:
peteroli34 wrote:F5000 front runner Thomas Wren would like to offer himself as avaible for the test

Team Mecha will take that offer, while looking for another driver for YDT.

Thats fine by me

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 26 Mar 2016, 23:38

Jones' AR3.5 drivers Luke Gilson-Clarke and James Jones will do the YDT.

As for the Toronto race results...

Sammy Jones wrote:The transmission failure for Mark is a real kick in the balls. With MRT and Voeckler dropping the ball again we needed a good strong two-car finish but Diego's podium is a welcome return to form for him. That's two points finishes in a row for him now so I'm hoping there's more where that's come from. He's stepping up to the plate after a slow start and I'm delighted for him. Clearly our reliability is costing us and we'll be focusing on some solutions at the test coming up at Silverstone.

Terry Hawkin wrote:Another win! Not really sure what I can do except win at the moment, what a fantastic run of form! As usual the car was fantastic and I've got a buffer over Nicholas now which is a nice luxury to have considering how good the MRT is. People might say I shouldn't be thinking about the championship at this point in the season, but why not? Everything is looking good, so I'm going to aim for the top! Let's see what happens!

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 27 Mar 2016, 00:34

AndreaModa wrote:Jones' AR3.5 drivers Luke Gilson-Clarke and James Jones will do the YDT.

As for the Toronto race results...

Sammy Jones wrote: (...) Clearly our reliability is costing us and we'll be focusing on some solutions at the test coming up at Silverstone.

Wait, what test??

AxelP800 · Post by **AxelP800** » 27 Mar 2016, 07:30

Vanuatu driver Iolu Natuman is available as he is looking something to drive in his vacation

Post by **tommykl** » 27 Mar 2016, 10:00

Aerond wrote:
AndreaModa wrote:Jones' AR3.5 drivers Luke Gilson-Clarke and James Jones will do the YDT.

As for the Toronto race results...

Sammy Jones wrote: (...) Clearly our reliability is costing us and we'll be focusing on some solutions at the test coming up at Silverstone.

Wait, what test??

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7534&start=320#p356150

Post by **Ataxia** » 27 Mar 2016, 10:37

Jacques Couteau wrote:We're coming back to Europe on top of the world. Our team is a big mix of British and French people, and for the first time in about 400 years we go together and dominate in North America! Terry was absolutely outstanding, and I think over the three races he only failed to lap four cars. He comes into work every day, does more than what is expected, he knows everyone's birthdays and reaps the benefits of that. We're very very lucky to have him.

Autosport wrote:Astro-Venturi deal set to be blocked

Astro Racing Group have been forced to withdraw their offer to provide funds to a rival team in exchange for drivers next season.

Astro were advertising a lucrative deal in which they would pay another team to run their current AR3.5 duo Nathanael Cameron and Nino Barlini in 2019, and it appears that Venturi Formula had agreed to this to be announced after the Canadian Grand Prix.

However, several other members of the AutoReject Teams' Association have suggested to the ARWS commission that this deal is prohibited under the current regulations.

"We misinterpreted the rules" said a Fusion spokesperson. "We didn't intend to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, we just did what we thought was a good business decision. Apologies have been made to Venturi, as well as to Nate and Nino as well since they are now without drives again".

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 27 Mar 2016, 12:40

tommykl wrote:
Aerond wrote:
Wait, what test??

http://www.gprejects.com/forum/viewtopi ... 20#p356150

Everything okay with that Aerond?

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 27 Mar 2016, 12:49

AndreaModa wrote:
tommykl wrote:
Aerond wrote:
Wait, what test??

http://www.gprejects.com/forum/viewtopi ... 20#p356150

Everything okay with that Aerond?

Yep, I was a bit confused because it wasn't in the wiki

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 27 Mar 2016, 13:03

tommykl wrote:
Aerond wrote:Everything okay with that Aerond?

Yep, I was a bit confused because it wasn't in the wiki

It is now...

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 27 Mar 2016, 14:14

First Top 10? That was likely rain-assisted given it was 3 laps behind, we can do better next time.

SeedStriker · Post by **SeedStriker** » 27 Mar 2016, 15:32

Naoki Shinjo wrote
A weekend that could've ended way better. In the rain, just as was the Monza qualy, the car responded very well, lots of traction, which I used to make it into the 8th spot on the grid. A slow start got me backwards into 11th, and just as I felt more secure, another transmission problem put me out of contention, just in the fastest part of the Toronto track. But well, this is racing, this things happen.

Jari Kekkonen wrote
From bad to worst, that resume my race. While I got enough grip to qualify the car, I just couldn't go any faster, which got me to run some 2 secs slower than (Naoki) Shinjo and some 3-4 secs away from the lead pack. Worst of all, I couldn't even get the car out of the wall, even though the damage wasn't serious. And seeing how well Shinjo was before his transmission issues, that puts me in a real bad spot inside Union Saver Developments.

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 27 Mar 2016, 16:35

Aerond wrote:
AndreaModa wrote:
Sammy Jones wrote: (...) Clearly our reliability is costing us and we'll be focusing on some solutions at the test coming up at Silverstone.

Wait, what test??

I also scheduled a test that has yet to be posted to the wiki: viewtopic.php?p=356729#p356729

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 27 Mar 2016, 23:56

Budgets have been updated.

Also, here's the Pre-Q Cup standings for anyone that's interested.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 28 Mar 2016, 00:54

Speedcafe wrote:Depault: MRT Title Challenge at Crossroads

MRT Team Principal Pierre Depault was rather downbeat after another disappointing showing for the team at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The team's two drivers, Phillippe Nicolas and Alberto Cara, have been hereunto the title favourites, but with a lapped 5th place finish for Nicolas and a DNF for Cara, the team runs the risk of being overrun by form team Fusion Motorsport.

"This is the first time all year we haven't had a car on the podium which in itself is a worry", said Depault after the race. "After the early success, we've come back to the pack somewhat, and it's very hard to keep up when you have Terry (Hawkin) winning three on the trot. We're trying to push through developments on the car, but we're probably close to the maximum we can extract from it at this stage. I'm not saying our title challenge is over, but it's at a crossroads at the moment, and if Fusion keep this run up, we'd need to seriously evaluate where we go from here."

When asked about the Terry Hawkin-Fusion combination, Depault was highly complimentary of the British rookie.

"The last time I've seen someone with so much latent talent as such a young age, he went on to be a Four Time F1 World Champion by the age of 25, which says something about how good this kid is gonna be", said Depault. "He's already got 4 wins in the bank and he could very well be the ARWS champion come November. While our two drivers are exceptional in their own right, I would always be open to the opportunity to work with Terry should it ever arise."

With the series returning to Europe in 3 weeks time at Brands Hatch, the team leaves North America with a slender 4 point lead in the constructors championship over Fusion.

AutoFiction wrote:ARWS WRAP: Medicore Mestolio - The Fusion Dilemma

With Terry Hawkin claiming a clean sweep of the North American segment of the ARWS championship, all eyes are now turning on underperforming teammate Fredo Mestolio. Having been publicly warned by the team to pick up the pace after the recent drubbings at the hands of teammate Terry Hawkin, Fredo responded with arguably his worst drive of the season, finishing 2 laps down in a pointless 7th place in the tricky Montreal conditions. With word that the ARWS Commission is in the process of cancelling entries for a number of midfield teams, there could be a lot of drivers banging on the door at Fusion HQ to try and get their hands on a competitive car, including Dutch rookie Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen, Russian superstar Alexey Buyvolov and German ace David Neuberg. With many potential names to choose from, Mestolio's days in one of the best cars on the grid could be numbered.

ARWS WRAP: Get the Kek out, Jari

After what was one of the most appallingly worst performances ever to grace the AutoReject World Series, Jari Kekkonen has allegedly used up his last chance in the team after what has been a disappointing campaign thus far. Having been upstaged by rookie teammate Naoki Shinjo for yet another weekend, the Finnish journeyman has reportedly received his P45, and will not be making the trip back to Europe with the rest of the team. While there's no word on who his potential replacement would be should the reports prove true, there would be no shortage of candidates for the Austrian team to choose from.

ARWS WRAP: Money Talks, Shioya to Walk?

The woes of the Rob Lomas Racing team continued in Canada, as their weekend was over by Friday afternoon with another Pre-Qualifying failure. Coupled with the fact the team is in dire financial straits, and team owner Rob Lomas is now reportedly considering the prospects of hiring a second paydriver alongside incumbent Miko Fakkinen.

The decision might be made for him however, with whisperings in the paddock that Hansuke Shioya is about to quit the team for greener pastures. Having been lured by the promise of a potentially competitive car at the end of 2017, the team's gross mismanagement has left them mired at the back of the pack, and the driver's manager, former F1 World Champion Chris Dagnall, fuming at the situation. With several seats potentially opening up in the next few races, it's believed that Dagnall is in the process of engineering a move for his Japanese client in the near future.

ARWS WRAP: Gillet mulls over Moll

As the disaster that is Gillet's 2018 season continued in Canada, the team's lead driver, Aurelien Moll, has started to come under increased scrutiny from sources both within and outside the team. As rookie teammate Shane Walsh continues to extract the maximum out of the lamentable Gillet package, Moll has retreated further and further into his shell, which has cost the team dearly in recent races. The team is also in need of extra funding to push development of the 2019 package, which has placed further pressure on Moll to lead the team forward.

The looming grid reshuffle offers some hope for the team however, with former Gillet F2RWRS driver Gregor Pascal allegedly looking for a way out of his current Rosenforth deal. The Swiss driver brings significant backing from Swiss HR firm Adecco with him, which would make him a prime candidate as a stop-gap replacement for the balance of the 2018 season as the Belgian team looks to rebuild for the future.

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 28 Mar 2016, 04:04

Aeroracing are looking for young talent for the Young Driver Test. Apply now!

the Masked Lapwing · Post by **the Masked Lapwing** » 28 Mar 2016, 09:10

Rosenforth will run Iakopo Fuamatu and Manon Blanchett in the YDT.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 28 Mar 2016, 09:34

Mattias Kjellerup wrote:Congratulations Alessandro! To score our first podium in our first season is more than I expected when we started setting up this team in late 2017. The last few races were really a bit frustrating, we were running well in the midfield, but the top teams were too tough to crack. Today, the rain gave us a great opportunity. Alessandro, Nick and the entire team did a perfect job, and we were rewarded with a great points haul.

Jean-Marc Hadamard wrote:I wasn't too optimistic ahead of this weekend, considering our lack of grip at the start of the season, but our drivers proved me wrong.

We've got a lot of aero updates coming for our return to Europe. At Brands Hatch, we're going to debut a new nose, and new sidepods and rear wing will follow soon.

Also, Renault will make their newest engine specification available to us from the German Grand Prix onwards. I hope the combination of these upgrades can help us fight for points without needing to rely on rain or attrition.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 28 Mar 2016, 11:46

Alessandro Lucarelli, after crossing the finish line wrote:YES! YES! YESSSSSSSSSSSS! INCREDIBILE! GRANDE RAGAZZI! Kjele, JMC....damn guys, well done, the car was fantastic today, we are pushing further every race! First move onto the podium, now for the top!

L'Equipe wrote:Voeckler in crisis after another mediocre result

The works ARWS Renault finds itself in crisis, following another disappointing result where reigning champion Thomas de Bock could only muster a single point, while rookie team-mate Dan Greenlaw dropped out through a broken transmission.

"We said after Italy, that if we just fix the reliability, we should recover our position," said team principal Frederic-Maxime Voeckler. "This is no longer the case. We have fallen back alarmingly. Fusion have bolted, gone into the distance. MRT remain ahead. Jones and Kjellerup have caught and passed us in the development race. We are stagnating. We are only the fifth best team now, and to be in such a position only months after winning the championship is an alarming decline."

Despite a mixture of car pace and driver error contributing to the team's fortunes, the Frenchman refused to lay the blame at the feet of the drivers, instead focusing on what his team should be doing better.

"The chassis is not good enough, simple as that," he said. "We tried a new philosophy with this year's design, and it has not worked. But it is too late now to go backwards, we can look only forwards on improving our situation."

"We have the same engine as Fusion, and they are winning everywhere. Renault is doing a fine job, yet we are not maximising our chances with this gift they have given."

"The drivers? No, there is not much to improve there. Maybe Thomas [de Bock] can do better in quali still, but it's only a minor point of contention. Dan [Greenlaw] has been fantastic, has done equally as good a job as Hawkin at Fusion - maybe better even, seeing as Hawkin has not had to deal with a difficult situation like Dan. In the one occasion this year where the two rookies were head to head, Dan drove faster, with a level head and left Hawkin behind, while Hawkin buckled under the pressure."

"With a car as good as Fusion, we would beat them, no question. Now, we must go to the factory, improve the chassis, and we can be back near the top once again. But that is a big question mark - we must show our mettle and our skill off the track."

De Telegraaf wrote:Concerns in BvN camp after Gauthier decline

Chatter coming from the BvN camp at Gauthier has questioned the Dutch star's short-term future at the team, after the French squad has quickly tumbled down the ARWS order in the last few races.

Gauthier have failed to score a point since van Nieuwenhuijzen's podium in the season opener in Adelaide, and they have been increasingly swamped by rapidly improving rivals in the intense upper-midfield battle like Kjellerup, Jones, Simpson and even Venturi.

"The situation is starting to look pretty dire in all honesty," said one insider. "Development on the car seems to have suddenly stopped. There is no talk of new parts, of improvements, the factory seems a bit quieter in the last few races...alarm bells are ringing."

While the Dutch driver has performed far better than his team-mate Danny van Rijkens this season, his pace has generally ebbed in the wrong direction over the past few races, and with the team's future looking increasingly uncertain, is said to be considering abandoning ship in as little as a matter of weeks.

"There are some options out there for a lad as talented as Bastiaan," the anonymous source continued. "The lad doesn't want to leave Gauthier unless it's necessary of course, he is eager to repay the faith shown in him, but if the team can't deliver on the basic requirements, he has to consider other options. Without a dramatic turnaround in the coming weeks he may have to look elsewhere immediately."

Rejectsport wrote:Vultures circling around lead USD seat after Kekkonen disaster

A swathe of drivers have suddenly been put on high alert following a catastrophic performance for Union Saver Development's lead driver Jari Kekkonen last time out at Toronto.

While not exactly one of the most coveted seats on the grid, the lead USD gig is certainly looking a much more secure ride at present than several others elsewhere in the field, and a number of drivers whose futures look uncertain beyond the next few weeks, never mind the entire season, appear to be clambering over each other to be first in line to replace their Finnish counterpart.

With Rosenforth heading into a swift decline, Gregor Pascal is understood to be making enquiries up and down the grid, and given the Swiss driver's standing in the paddock at present, USD would be a good move for him.

Andrej Kremnicky meanwhile is already having to think further ahead, his Revolution team announcing it will wind up at the end of the season. With no development on his team's ageing chassis design forthcoming, and a team-mate anchoring him in PreQ, he may look to escape early and see the USD seat as a safe long-term bet on top of solving his short-term worries.

On the other side of the coin, there could be drivers which could present a great catch for the budding Austrian team, whom could fall in their lap from the folding of a number of struggling rivals. Plus One have been on the brink of folding for some time now, and their highly rated lead driver David Neuberg would be an excellent choice, should they be able to convince the German driver to come onboard rather than take other offers he would likely receive.

Another team that unexpectedly looks in trouble is Gauthier, and while Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen may look for opportunities further up the grid, van Rijkens may well see USD as a viable fit.

There are even rumours that Nathanael Spencer may dovetail his Voeckler testing duties with some race appearances in the second half of the season. While some may question if he still has the level of pace that won him the championship many moons ago, his experience alone would provide a valuable asset to a newcomer like USD.

Kekkonen is understood to have a stay of execution until the half-way point of the season, but after that, all bets are off.

Motorsport wrote:Shioya in for Watkinson at PAE?

In what may well be seen as a deal of convenience for all parties, it appears well travelled Japanese pilot Hansuke Shioya will find himself hopping from one struggling team to another, with a move to Peak Aeroracing on the cards.

Rumours have indicated Shioya and Rob Lomas Racing have already terminated their contract on mutual terms. RLR are in the depths of despair and need extra pay-driver money to dig themselves out of the hole they've ended up in, while Shioya is looking for a move to a team that at least has a semblance of an opportunity to progress from PreQ.

Daniel Martins is doing a good enough job of leading the Peak Aeroracing team since replacing Renaldo Jimenez, but team-mate Ashley Watkinson has struggled to find his feet on his ARWS comeback. Shioya - for whom qualifying has always been something of a strong suit - appears a reasonable stop-gap solution for finding a way out of PreQ and into the races once again.

None of the parties involve responded to a request for comment, but it appears a question of when, rather than if, Watkinson is demoted or leaves the team entirely.

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 28 Mar 2016, 21:25

Peak Aeroracing press release wrote:Regarding rumours about driver lineup
Peak Aeroracing Engineering would like to formally respond to recent rumours regarding the make-up of our driver lineup heading into the next few races of the season.

We can confirm that talks have been had with Mr. Shioya regarding his availability for the rest of the year. We are currently unable to comment if any discussions were had about Mr. Shioya possibly joining the team. Mr. Watkinson is still currently on contract and it would be improper to do so. However, if Mr. Watkinson wishes to leave the team, he will be allowed to do so, as per the terms of his contract. We look forward to a successful test at Silverstone next week.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 28 Mar 2016, 21:45

Autosport wrote:Van Rijkens blames loss of form on personal tragedy
South African driver also declares his loyalty remains with Gauthier team

The alarming loss of form for Danny van Rijkens in the 2018 season of the ARWS has finally been resolved, thanks to an exclusive interview from the South African with AUTOSPORT.

Danny has been comprehensively beaten by teammate Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen so far this year, but the South African driver, backed by resources giant Sasol, says his loss of speed is down to a personal tragedy - the death of his beloved pet rabbits. The rabbits travelled with Danny to every race of his prior to this season, until they got ill over the winter months. Their condition worsened, and they sadly died shortly before the first race of the year. For Danny, it's a trauma that's been tough to come to terms with. "They were my best friends" he sobbed, "I could confide in them, they never gave me any lip and more than anything else, they were just so soft and snuggly. I miss them terribly. My focus has just gone out the window since they've been gone."

Having finally come public with his struggles, Danny is hoping his season will now pick up, but that remains to be seen, as the Gauthier team's future may well be in doubt. Car development has ground to a halt and the team are quickly falling back. Danny however has emphasised where his allegiance lies - with Gauthier. "I'll stick by Gauthier and the boys, they've given me a fantastic chance and I have faith that we'll get through this tough patch and come out the other side as a better, stronger set of guys. We had a great time last year and I know we can get back to that point again. Bastiaan can do what he wants, but for me, I'm a Gauthier driver until the very end."

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 30 Mar 2016, 20:41

Rob Lomas wrote:The rumors regarding the teams driver line up are absolute nonsense. Hansuke Shioya has a contract with Rob Lomas Racing and that contract is for the full season.

HawkAussie · Post by **HawkAussie** » 30 Mar 2016, 23:09

Autosport wrote:Saoea saying quiet after another shocking performance
Tassie Racing manager Matthew Saoea is staying quiet after anther DNPQ in Toronto. It has come to the head with Tomo Kazama saying that he is removing himself from the team as of the next round which will be in Great Britain.

Talks though are starting to appear that their test driver Hans Einhrin will be brought into the team with a test being held at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 10-11 with Hans Einhrin and Akira Yamamura improving on Downforce.

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 30 Mar 2016, 23:20

Shioya increasingly unhappy at RLR

Chris Dagnall has done absolutely nothing to stop the rumours of Hansuke Shioya leaving RLR in the near future, but instead, added more fuel to the fire when, asked about a possible change of team for the Japanese driver the British ex-driver answered "Hansuke is not very happy with the current situation at RLR. Don't get me wrong, Lomas is a good man, but the team hasn't done any work in the car so far this season. If you don't put any resources on improving the car performance and the cars have repeatedly failed to get past Pre-Qualifying, you can't expect to stay positive permanently, it simply doesn't happen. We are running out of patience." Shioya has been linked with a move to Audi's powered Aeroracing. The team is struggling to qualify after the change of ownership and the apparent lack of power of the German powerplants, but Shioya has experience with these and could provide very valuable input

Mark Dagnall upbeat despite being forced to retire

After another disappointing afternoon for Mark Dagnall at the Canadian Grand Prix, one could think the British Jones driver would be fuming, but Mark appeared positive after the race "It's clear we still have loads to do. The engine is not very powerful, and that's forcing us to run it at its very limit, so problems like today may happen more often than desired but despite this, we're quite there in terms of pace with the leading teams. I'm really looking forward to test the car at Silverstone and find out where the problems are, I'm sure the team has more things coming to improve the car, and once we do that, we'll be in the mix again." Despite the positive message, Mark couldn't leave the press area in the paddock without a warning message, "we can't afford to lose much more time though, we must score podiums on a regular basis if we want to win the championship"

MinardiFan95 · Post by **MinardiFan95** » 31 Mar 2016, 10:51

Simpson will run in the Young Driver Test with Rick Simpson and (if Nuppiz approves) Daniela Anger.

Post by **Nuppiz** » 31 Mar 2016, 12:05

MinardiFan95 wrote:Simpson will run in the Young Driver Test with Rick Simpson and (if Nuppiz approves) Daniela Anger.

I approve.

Thomas Yorke is also available for the YDT.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 31 Mar 2016, 17:18

Nuppiz wrote:
MinardiFan95 wrote:Simpson will run in the Young Driver Test with Rick Simpson and (if Nuppiz approves) Daniela Anger.

I approve.

Thomas Yorke is also available for the YDT.

Team Mecha is interested to have Yorke as one of our YDT drivers, partnering Thomas Wren.