ARWS '18 - Vote for ROTY!!

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 05 May 2016, 18:25

Oh, before I forget: Blokkmonsta will set Mechanical Sympathy to Level 5 for the next race at Norway.

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 06 May 2016, 14:14

Autosport Extra wrote:Akira Yamamura to take seat with Kamaha
In a press conference, Barii Mori for Kamaha announced he was stepping out of the Kamaha seat to concentrate on winnning F5000 and to talk to teams to defend his SANDWICH title, and to give the seat to Akira Yamamura who was driving for Tassie before then went bankrupt. Mori said "Akira was talking to DGN management and I quickly had talks with DGN management offering Akira a seat for the rest of the year with an option for next year. Akira did have other offers but none were for a drive this year so he signed with DGN and then came in for a seat fitting. I signed Akira as he showed some flashes of brilliance, if just qualifying the Tassie, which is something Kazama failed to do. I know that he would give 110% racing for us and working with Daniel [Melville] he will do the best to score points. We have told him that he can test with Jones if his management let him during the season but we are looking to keep both Akira and Daniel for 2019. As for me, my ARWS career is not dead and I hope a F5000 title to go with my Sandwich one will get me a ARWS seat for next year.

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 06 May 2016, 15:38

Autosport Extra wrote:Lamberigts extends contract with Blokkmonsta

Wouter Lamberigts confirmed that he will be racing for Blokkmonsta for next season at least, the exact length not fully known. The German team escaped per-qualifying for most of the year thanks to the Belgian's exploits, so the early move to extend his contract is certainly one to ensure that he would continue to help the team try to stay out of Pre-Q.

"Wouter has done a fantastic job this year getting us on the grid." Said Blokkmonsta's team owner Andrea Schnass. "We look forward to his exploits in seasons to come and getting our little team steadily up the grid."

(Also, I wish to switch Nicolas Steele to a test driver role if possible)

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 06 May 2016, 15:52

Mattias Kjellerup wrote:I can't express how happy I am with our result. I'd never have expected us to win a race before the season was over. Well done to everyone in the team, but most of all to Bastiaan, who drove brilliantly today to score our first race win, and in very tricky conditions. Yes, he made a mistake, but he kept the car going and continued to push.

I'd like to thank everyone in the team. The guys at Dijon have been working overtime over the last two months to get the car where it is now, and really deserve their well-earned summer break.

Bastiaan has expressed this already, and I can confirm, that while I'm already very happy with fifth, our new goal for the constructors' championship is to take the fight to Jones and Voeckler for third. It won't be easy, but I think we can do it.

Without a race in Denmark, the upcoming round in Norway is a bit of a home race for me and the Danish part of our team. We'll have another small upgrade package ready for the race, and we will continue developing our car so that we can hopefully soon contest for wins more regularly.

ARWS-INFO wrote:Tassie Racing is no more

Tassie Racing has folded after not even a full season in ARWS, in which the Australian squad often appeared to be hopelessly out of their depth. Compared to their fellow newcomers Venturi, USD, Blokkmonsta and Kjellerup, Tassie had a far more obscure background and their entry came as a surprise.

Despite signing the highly talented Japanese lineup of Tomo Kazama and Akira Yamamura, it became soon evident that the Matthew Saoea led team had no idea what they were doing. The 2017 Gillet ENB was considered a massive failure, but that didn't stop Tassie Racing from purchasing it and combining it with the gutless new Audi engine, even though they were given access to dyno figures of all manufacturers.

The results were as expected. Tassie failed to pre-qualify for all but one Grand Prix, and even that single qualification was a miracle, given the uncompetitive car and the hapless crew preparing it.

Things quickly spiralled out of control after the controversial sacking of Tomo Kazama, who was blamed by the team for the poor performance. She was replaced by the highly surprising choice of Hans Einhrin. The German driver received a temporary ARWS license courtesy of his one single Formula 5000 win, but that was quickly revoked after one pre-qualifying session in which he proved to be even more out of his depth than the rest of his team.

While Tassie were left without a driver once again, Tomo Kazama accused team members of sexual assault. At the same time, the team were running low on money. Even though Hiroto Tojo could pay the bills for another race, the Tassie story was coming to an end. Rumours were spreading that the team was about to be banned for bringing the sport into disrepute, but Saoea was faster than the commission and shut the team down.

Few will be sad to see the ill-fated attempt of a racing team gone from the ARWS paddock. The big losers from the fiasco are Tomo Kazama and Akira Yamamura, who lost half a year of their careers.

Kazuki Fushida set to retire from single-seater competition
Kazuki Fushida's stint at Mecha was no success, that much is clear. However, the fifty-seven year old Japanese driver doesn't regret his brief ARWS career.

"I've driven in Formula One, in CART, later in IndyCar, I've driven in our national series, and I really wanted to try ARWS too before the end of my career. I wasn't as fast as I wanted to be, but I still don't regret doing it. I enjoyed the experience of driving an ARWS car.

However, to be honest, I think this was my last year in single-seaters. I'm not getting any younger, and I have to accept that I'm no match against the young talented ARWS field any more.

I love motorsport, and I want to be active as long as possible. But I also don't want to waste my last years as an active driver at the back of the field. There are many GT series for pro-am lineups, and I'd like to challenge for class wins agains. A return to Le Mans would be great, it has been thirty-five years since I took part there.

ARWS paddock to shrink in 2019?
ARWS has lost three teams over the course of 2018, losing Revolution, Gauthier and most recently Tassie. However there are reports that the ARWS commission has decided to reduce the amount of entries for 2019, which could lead to only one team receiving a new entry for 2019.

One new entry, which is presumed to be Belgian-Portuguese team Lotto Racing, is reported to have received an entry before the ARWS commission decided to scale down the number of entries, but the long-term goal is to reduce the number of teams to seventeen.

Backmarker teams in recent years struggled to make the grid in recent years, often making no more than one or two race starts, which presumably has prompted this decision.

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 07 May 2016, 16:22

www.sportschau.de wrote:Kay Lon: "BITW Turned Kamaha Around"

In an interview with Tropico News Today, former ARWS star Kay Lon talked about Alberto Cara and the influence of his motorsport group Best In The World on Kamaha Engineering, making interesting comments regarding both.

The German confirmed that investing in Kamaha was purely a purchase of passion: "All of our other motorsport and entertainment endeavours are significantly more profitable than this one. This is nothing I am going to become rich with."

He also commented that the team was a "trainwreck" before some staff from Best In The World Uster and Best In The World UK came in. Lon claimed that Kamaha would not exist anymore if not for him.

"As I said multiple times during my times as an active driver, [Barii] Mori's personnel management is simply not good enough to be successful in any major motorsport league," Lon stated, "so we at BITW came in and fixed that."

Regarding his hopes for the Japanese team, the ARWS race winner expressed his hope to be competing for podiums within the next three seasons. "Rebuilding a team is a tough process and you cannot expect success soon when the situation is like it is," he said.

When asked about the successful season that Alberto Cara has enjoyed so far, Lon praised the Tropican driver. "The only thing Alberto ever needed to succeed was money. He is a star for years to come," Kay praised the MRT driver.

"It is helpful that the situation at Melrose Racing Team has become a lot more stable," Kay Lon commented when asked about reasons for Cara's success, "but, really, it's all down to his amazing talent, especially over one lap.

www.sportschau.de wrote:Christian Horner Claims Norisring Race Proves ARWS is Not a Sport

In the wake of a controversal German Grand Prix won by Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen, several famous figures of the paddock, such as Andrea Schnass and Pierre Depault, have complaiend about one of ARWS's perhaps most traditional tracks.

The chairman of Formula One Management, Christian Horner has also commented on the race: "I sat there at home, watched the race on tape, and was left wondering whether Daniel Prieto and the yes-men surrounding him have any shame."

"You risk the health of your drivers, who are already poorly paid when they are uninjured, on a track unsuitable for open-wheelers without any thought or reasoning," Horner accused. To him, this GP shows ARWS is "run like a slaughterhouse [and] not a sport."

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 07 May 2016, 19:14

Daniel Prieto: "Christian Horner is f****g stupid"

ARWS chairman Daniel Prieto has been very vocal about recent comments made by F1 supremo Christian Horner: "He's f****g stupid, isn't he? What he said is bullshit, specially when he's had drivers injured in F1 cars in recent years at lower speeds than ARWS accidents. What in ARWS ends in a broken suspension in F1 ends at hospital, talk about saftey, huh?. All the Norisring criticism is nonsense; yes, there's a bump in that final corner, but if drivers are not smart enough to keep pushing it to the limit and sliding into the wall is not my fault. The attendance was excellent as always, the city was great and at the end of the day only team mechanics were unhappy because the extra work load, but the tecpro barrier there resisted perfectly and nobody was near being injured, so I don't know what all the fuss is about. Christian, next time you want to talk about safety and about a slaughterhouse, you better look at your own ass"

Post by **Ataxia** » 07 May 2016, 19:21

www.fusionmotorsports.co.uk wrote:Welcome, Tomo!

Coca-Cola Fusion Infiniti would formally like to welcome Tomo Kazama to the team, and she will drive for us in our assault on the 2019 AutoReject World Series championship.

Tomo will replace Fredo Mestolio, who leaves us after a year with the team and will begin a new challenge within the ARWS next season.

Our team principal Jacques Couteau spoke highly of Tomo, saying: "Tomo is a fantastic driver, and her tenacity and flair on the circuit should translate into a successful partnership with us."

"We originally spoke to her last year about a drive for this season, but ultimately we signed Terry after negotiations became drawn out. After a horrible time at Tassie, who are thankfully no longer with us, we believe that Tomo will deliver some fantastic results. If Terry stays, which we are hoping will happen, then we will have a hugely strong partnership on the grid."

"Everyone at Fusion would also like to thank Fredo for all of his efforts; his feedback has been invaluable, and we hope to see him in a good team on the grid next year."

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 07 May 2016, 21:03

Autosport wrote:Mestolio out of the picture at Jones

Recent speculation has linked Fusion driver Fredo Mestolio with a Jones drive next year with the Italian being replaced by Tomo Kazama at his current team.

Sammy Jones however has emphatically stated this to be untrue, saying to reporters,

"The rumours about Mestolio are a load of horsesh*t. When we kicked him out at the end of 2016 after filling in for Vantini I vowed never to hire such an average, boring driver ever again. He's the living embodiment of a 4th place finish and that's not the sort of driver I want to be giving a second chance to. There are far more exciting drivers both on the grid at present, and also trying to get onto the grid. We know who they are and we're working on some very exciting deals. Mestolio is categorically not part of those plans, so pack it in with these bullsh*t rumours."

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 08 May 2016, 09:53

L'Equipe wrote:Voeckler considering ARWS future after Prieto outburst

Jérémy-Étienne Voeckler, group CEO of the Voeckler racing empire, has made overtones of his eponymous team turning their back on AutoReject World Series, as a direct reaction to the ARWS Commissioner, Daniel Preito, and his outburst following criticism of the sport's Norisring round from rival seris Formula 1.

"We are a professional outfit, so to see the person in charge of the entire sport reduce himself to a petulant child is hugely embarrassing for everyone involved in ARWS, and puts us in a bad light," he said. "A team that cares about its reputation and perception cannot continue in a sport where the lead figure presents themselves in such a manner."

The former F1 driver refused to wade into the arguments surrounding the suitability of the Norisring for the AR World Series, despite both his drivers retiring on the first lap from accidents caused by the confined nature of the street circuit.

"The result for us was unfortunate, but they were errors of judgement on the part of our drivers," he said. "Sometimes you will have a bad day at the office, and just need to learn the lesson, put it behind you and pick yourself up for next time. I know as much from my own silly mistakes when I was in F1."

"Dan Greenlaw is half the age of our commissioner Mr Prieto, but has shown about ten times more maturity than him. When someone is critical of the job he has been doing, he has not resorted to playground insults, he has turned around and proved them wrong with his actions."

Voeckler fell short of demanding Prieto resign and a successor found, but laid out his expectations of what was needed to rectify the situation satisfactorily for his own team.

"Prieto needs to apologise," he said. "Horner attacked the integrity of the sport, and all Prieto has done is verify his attacks to be correct. Prieto needs to apologise to every member of the sport for his outburst. The paddock one large racing family, as a sport we are all in this together, and he has let us down massively with this reaction."

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 09 May 2016, 08:59

motorfiction.com:

Prieto: "Some people take things too hard"

ARWS chairman Daniel Prieto played down Voeckler's threat to quit the sport when we asked him to answer a few questions at his arrival at Norway for the inaugural Scandinavian Grand Prix at Ås Fartway "That Voeckler guy... he obviously didn't like my words the other day... huh? [...] well, I apologise if anyone felt bad about what I said, what I basically meant is we have a fantastic championship; we have the best teams, the best tracks, the best drivers and the best fans ... do we have as much money as F1 does? Of course not, do we need it? We have shown everyone that you can have the greatest championship with much less money in your pocket. You don't have to exercise greed to be the best" Asked about the forthcoming round he said: "The track is amazing, it'll be a big challenge for the drivers, it's a track for true drivers"

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 09 May 2016, 10:42

Autosport Extra wrote:Shinobu Katayama slams Prieto over sexist comments.

Shinobu Katayama was furious with Daniel Prieto over comments he made about the Ås Fartway tracks saying it was "it's a track for true men.", she told Autosport exclusively "We got rid of that sexist pig Rosco Vantini from ARWS and now Prieto wants to set womens rights back hundreds of years by calling a track for men. We would like to point out to Mr Prieto that women have done well in F1RWRS and ARWS with myself winning races and getting a triple crown to boot, Tomo Kazama winning races and Pippa Mann being a champion and hope he apologises and says that Ås Fartway is a track for true drivers. With Tomo saying that Tassie had sexist employees we really need to show the sport is the number one when it comes to equal opportunities and that that Daniel Prieto sets up an inquiry into sexist attitudes in the sport and finds ways to stamp them out.". Strong words but we at Autosport support her and we will be helping changing attitudes within the sport.

SeedStriker · Post by **SeedStriker** » 09 May 2016, 14:12

Autosport wrote
Shultz: "Keep your political BS aside and race for the love of the sport"

After a week when the political forces of ARWS and Formula 1 had been attacking each other, Union Saver Developments bead boss, Karl Lichter Shultz has heard enough for both sides to be left aside.
"Is this an ego match? We're not in motorsports just to make sure, and I apologise if my words offend anyone, we have the bigger one. Be Formula 1, ARWS, Indy World Series or any touring car series or rally series around the world, we're here because of our love, passion and desire for speed and motorsports in general. So this kind of discussions are really just plain BS."

About ARWS owner's alleged sexist comments, Shultz say: "Well, Shinobu Katayama got things out of proportion to be honest, but Daniel Prieto should've used proper words. Motorsport should never discriminate, period"

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 09 May 2016, 22:42

arwsnews.com published

Exclusive! ARWS'19 provisional calendar

1. 3/17 -- Australia - Adelaide
2. 3/24 -- Australia - Bathurst
3. 4/7 -- Japan - Suzuka
4. 4/28 -- Morocco - Marrakech
5. 5/12 -- United States - TBC
6. 5/26 -- Canada - Montreal
7. 6/16 -- France - Magny-Course
8. 6/23 -- United Kingdom - Brands Hatch
9. 7/7 -- Austria - Red Bull Ring
10. 7/14 -- Germany - Norisring
11. 7/28 -- Norway - As Fartway
12. 8/25 -- Belgium - Spa-Francorchamps
13. 9/8 -- Monaco
14. 9/29 -- South Africa - Phakisa
15. 10/13 -- Brazil - TBC
16. 10/20 -- Argentina - Buenos Aires
17. 11/10 -- Japan - Fuji
18. 11/17 -- China - Macau

Post by **Ataxia** » 10 May 2016, 19:30

Autosport wrote:Fusion to make 2019 announcement; new identity to be revealed?

Fusion Motorsports will make an announcement about their full 2019 lineup after the Scandinavian Grand Prix, and rumours are abound that the team will reveal their new identity to the paddock.

Want to read more? Subscribe to Autosport Plus and get a free cocktail umbrella!

AxelP800 · Post by **AxelP800** » 11 May 2016, 14:57

Aerond wrote:
arwsnews.com published

Exclusive! ARWS'19 provisional calendar

1. 3/17 -- Australia - Adelaide
2. 3/24 -- Australia - Bathurst
3. 4/7 -- Japan - Suzuka
4. 4/28 -- Morocco - Marrakech
5. 5/12 -- United States - TBC
6. 5/26 -- Canada - Montreal
7. 6/16 -- France - Magny-Course
8. 6/23 -- United Kingdom - Brands Hatch
9. 7/7 -- Austria - Red Bull Ring
10. 7/14 -- Germany - Norisring
11. 7/28 -- Norway - As Fartway
12. 8/25 -- Belgium - Spa-Francorchamps
13. 9/8 -- Monaco
14. 9/29 -- South Africa - Phakisa
15. 10/13 -- Brazil - TBC
16. 10/20 -- Argentina - Buenos Aires
17. 11/10 -- Japan - Fuji
18. 11/17 -- China - Macau

blackflag.jalopnik wrote:My Opinion for ARWS 2019 Provisional Calendar

Let's go straight to the point: After problems ARWS had in Norisring and concern about safety at the upcoming As Fartway, ARWS Commissioner now decided to put a sabotage on Indy 500 one-offs, after their two drivers Thomas De Bock and Shinobu Katayama did Indy 500 this year while racing full time in ARWS. What makes the sabotage more convincing is the fact on 12th May there'll be a race held on United States, but they decided to give a two weeks gap to Canadian race. I mean what is the point in that. Also shame on Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve owner to agree to hold a race on Memorial Day weekend.

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 12 May 2016, 12:57

arwsnews.com published:

BOMB! AutoReject buys Indy rights for name use

Oslo, 26th July;

In a press conference held today in Oslo, representatives from AutoReject and Hulman & co. have announced an agreement for the sale of the Indy trademark to AutoReject for an undisclosed ammount. The agreement will be effective from 1st January 2019. Hulman & co. will continue to operate the Indianapolis Speedway, although it's understood that the agreement includes preferential right of use of the Speedway by any AutoReject sanctioned series. ARWS chairman Daniel Prieto was there along with other AR and Hulman & Co. representatives and talked to us: "It's a historical day for AutoReject. We want to grow in America, and relating the Indy brand with our brand can only be good for both parts. I am really excited and will have more news to announce very soon". When asked if ARWS would go to Indianapolis he replied vaguely though; "I don't know yet what's going to happen next year ... Phoenix are in financial trouble, and we'll have two races in Australia and another two in Japan... we're very big in those countries and I don't think there's room in the calendar for another country hosting two races... we'll see". IWS representatives were not available on request by this magazine.

Post by **tommykl** » 13 May 2016, 16:22

Auto Hebdo wrote:Tony Gillet delighted at first prequalifying in over a year

The owner and team director of Gillet Ecurie Nationale Belge, Tony Gillet, has expectedly released a statement expressing delight at Gillet clearing the hurdle of pre-qualifying in Germany and for the first time in 2018, therefore competing in a main qualifying session for the first time since the 2017 New South Wales Grand Prix.

To continue the team's good run of form, both Shane Walsh and Aurélien Moll qualified for the race, the team's first double start since 2016. Walsh was running in a solid midfield position, which could have been converted into a points finish, but he retired early on when he suffered an unfortunate accident at the exit of the final corner. In contrast, Moll finished the race, but in eleventh and last place.

Following the German ARWS Grand Prix, Gillet find themselves leapfrogging Tassie, Lomas and Kingfisher in the team standings and are now in 17th position.

Auto Hebdo wrote:De Bock disappointed after lap 1 crash; on the way out of Voeckler?

Defending ARWS champion Thomas de Bock had an early end to his race weekend at the Norisring when he retired in a lap 1 collision, having been squeezed into the wall by a slower driver after a mediocre start. De Bock took the accident in his usual gracious manner, accepting that he had "no business being that far back in the first place".

This accident comes after weeks of criticism from the Voeckler team, who seem to be increasingly favouring American rookie Dan Greenlaw, especially after he scored his maiden victory in Austria. This has prompted rumours that no only are Voeckler planning to let de Bock go at the end of the year, but de Bock is himself already looking for other options.

He has been rumoured to be returning to Gillet after the team's gain in performance, or going to Jones to replace one of their current drivers. Another rumour has him considering a return to Formula One, where he has not driven since 2010. At 32 years old, the Belgian is still on the lookout.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 13 May 2016, 17:27

Autosport wrote:Dagnall signs two-year contract for Kjellerup

Three-time ARWS champion Mark Dagnall has signed a two-year contract with Kjellerup by Ecurie Prenois for 2019 and 2020, the Danish-French team announced on Thursday afternoon before the Scandinavian Grand Prix.

"We're incredibly proud and happy to announce Mark Dagnall as our driver for the next two seasons," Mattias Kjellerup said. "We're still a young team, and I'm really proud that Mark puts trust in our team to challenge for the championship next season."

The Kjellerup team took its first win in a chaotic race at the Norisring two weeks ago with Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen driving.

"We're clearly exceeding our expectations this year," Kjellerup said. "Winning a race is incredible, but as a racer, you always want more. Next year, we want to challenge for the championship together with Mark, and I'm confident that we will have the car and drivers to do that."

"But we aren't underestimating Voeckler, MRT and Fusion. They will be strong opponents once again next season, and we're still a new team. We've improved the car considerably since Bathurst, but we're working very hard to keep introducing upgrades to keep up in the development race."

The second driver for 2019 remains unannounced. While van Nieuwenhuijzen is considered Kjellerup's first choice by paddock observers, other names mentioned are young Canadian AR3.5 ace Gary Pacer, as well as veteran and reigning champion Thomas de Bock and Italian journeyman Fredo Mestolio. Nick Nurmester's future at the team meanwhile appears to be in jeopardy after failing to match his teammates' performance in recent races.

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 13 May 2016, 21:58

Autosport Extra wrote:Kay Lon has head in the clouds. Barii Mori speaks to Autosport

After an article on sportschau where Kay Lon talked about his involvement with the Kamaha team, a FURIOUS Barii Mori was quick to bring Lon to earth. Saying that most of what was said was complete trash, Mori said "Yes BITW did purchase 10% of Kamaha in the form of non preference shares, what this means is that although they do own 10% of Kamaha, they have no voting rights or say in how we run the company. Kamaha has never been a train-wreck and we have always be solvent.", this is indeed true as we checked the finances that Kamaha post every year as a limited company in the UK and they are not rich but are in no danger of folding.

Mori added "We spent probably far too much time getting Yamaha into the sport and helped them with testing and we got the engine working great, which has helped Simpson and Venturi more then us. We found the chassis had some major downforce and handling flaws.", the Yamaha engine has been deemed the best engine after the Renault and we covered the team as they helped Yamaha engineers with the engine development, a lot of people in the paddock are surprised on how compact the engine is. They spent so much time on the engine that the chassis did end up being flawed, however after a poor start the team fixed some issues and qualified and have stayed out of the bottom to not fall into PQ again.

Mori talked about his relationships with Revolution, "We have been close to Revolution and helped them form the team, they had some money issues with sponsors and Hagane Shizuka called it a day, however I came in and helped clear their debts and we agreed to merge, Kamaha is still the parent team but we had a good staff boost and the Revolution chassis which is showing the power of the engine with some excellent qualifying.", we do agree as things are looking brighter at Kamaha.

However Mori finished off in a bit of a rant, "All this without the help of BITW or Kay Lon. The only staff member we got from BITW was an junior marketing guy, who is doing okay but we could get rid of him and nothing would change. BITW did not have any decent drivers, hence me coming back to replace that bastard Vantini, who is going to court soon. They gave us a cash boost which helped and frankly I am quite ready to buy the shares back. If that little bastard says anything slanderous again then I will sue the bastard.", we are sure Mori would not sue but it is clear that BITW will probably cut their loses.

Mori did have some praise, "We have signed Akira Yamamura, again something that I did with the help of Chris Dagnall and DGN management, we believe the young driver will put his Tassie days behind him and properly race the car. People said we were nuts to keep Daniel Melville, but he has been the better driver in the team. We think he will keep improving and next year we might even pay him.", the signing of Yamamura was a shrewd move as the driver was in demand, but by offering him a seat gave Kamaha an advantage. Melville is improving and the team is spending a lot of time and money on the driver to get improvements and we believe Kamaha will score a hat full of points before the season is out.

Lastly Mori had a dig at Fusion, "Fusion are a KERS short of a package signing Kazama, she had horrible mood swings when she was at Kamaha and since then she has done near bugger all, even I beat her in SANDWICH and people keep calling me a poor driver, so either I am a great driver or Kazama is rubbish. I hope she gives them hell in 2019 and they come to me and tell me that I was right all along.", we think Mori is being quite hard but Kazama is a strange choice and we hope Fusion know what they are doing.

BREAKING NEWS - Rosco Vantini jailed for 2 months.
Rosco Vantini was at court today and after a 30 minute hearing was sentenced to 2 months in prison, the magistrate wasted no time in finding him guilty of ABH and criminal damage, Vantini originally only got a month but called the magistrate, "A stupid woman who should be at home, I demand a real judge." and got an extended sentence and was dragged away. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 13 May 2016, 22:55

Autosport wrote:Jones calls Dagnall's commitment into question

With the contract signed that will see triple champion Mark Dagnall jump ship to Kjellerup in 2019, reporters have been clamouring to hear Sammy Jones' side of the story. 2018 marks the third season that Dagnall has gone without adding to his championship tally after a lacklustre spell at MRT has been followed up with inconsistency in his time at Jones. His boss though was clear on why the sought-after driver has failed to hit the jackpot since 2015.

"Mark is an outstanding driver, of that there is no question" said Jones. "It's been a real pleasure having him at my team, the talent at his disposal is a huge asset and our 2017 season was one to remember. That said, clear opportunities over the last 18 months have been wasted. There were too many errors last season, and this year he's missed two races because of stupid decisions. Whether or not he's guilty and thus deserved his race bans is another matter entirely. The fact is, he should never have been in that position in the first place. I've no doubt in my mind that this idiocy will cost him, and us as a team, a chance at either championship this year."

Jones also questioned Dagnall's commitment in his second year with the team as it's emerged the car is no match for the MRTs and Fusions:

"Look, we all know the Ford engine is holding us back big time. I'm not happy with it, no-one in the team is happy with it. But we've made an agreement, we'll honour that agreement, and at the end we'll make a decision on what to do. Until then we shall make the best of it, keep investing in improvements and attempt to recover the gap to the front. I wanted Mark to lead that development, but it seems he's only interested in jumping in a fast car and sidestepping any meaningful hard work. He hasn't put the effort in this year and I dare say if Kjellerup end up in a similar situation in two years' time, we'll be seeing this scenario all over again. It's a shame that he's not prepared to work with us, but we all know form is temporary, it's class that's permanent and I think it's fair to say Mark's class tends to rub off rather easily when times get a little tough."

With Diego Alvarez Torrente seemingly on the way out of Jones as well, there will be two new faces in the blue cars in 2019. Sammy wouldn't be drawn on who his new drivers would be, only that a decision will be made before the end of the season.

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 14 May 2016, 11:10

Dagnall comments con Kjellerup move, but wants to focus on 2018 only

Mark Dagnall didn't want to let the chance pass to speak about his move to Kjellerup for 2019; "I'm very excited to join such a young team, I think they have the ideal project to place the highest bid to win next season." When asked about what motivated his decision: "You know, Jones is like that girlfriend thats getting fat yet still holds some elegance, while Kjellerup is that new hot girl in the building. I like my girls hot. However, I want to win this Championship and will fight to exit Jones in the best possible way. Let's give the fat girl a last banquet"

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 15 May 2016, 09:08

2018 Scandinavian Grand Prix -- Ås -- 29th July 2018

VENUE: Ås Fartway
Length: 6,680 m
Laps: 48

Weather:
Pre-Qualifying: Wet -- 35%
Qualifying: Dry
Race: Dry

PRE-QUALIFYING

1. Danny van Rijkens (NRE) -- 1.48.135
2. Jesús Plaza (Mecha) -- 1.48.901 (+0.766)
3. Marko Jantscher (NRE) -- 1.48.982 (+0.847)
4. Hansuke Shioya (Aeroracing) -- 1.49.102 (+0.967)
5. Wouter Lamberigts (Blokkmonsta) -- 1.50.446 (+2.311)
6. Shane Walsh (Gillet) -- 1.50.855 (+2.720)
7. Aurelien Moll (Gillet) -- 1.51.615 (+3.480)
8. Daniel Martins (Aeroracing) -- 1.51.864 (+3.729)
9. John Bean (Mecha) -- 1.52.812 (+4.677)
10. Gregor Pascal (Blokkmonsta) -- 1.52.971 (+4.836)
11. Quentin Reatherson (PORE) -- 1.53.455 (+5.320)
12. David Neuberg (PORE) -- 1.53.939 (+5.804)

QUALIFYING

1. Alberto Cara (MRT) -- 1.40.667
2. Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 1.40.778 (+0.111)
3. Phillippe Nicolas (MRT) -- 1.42.067 (+1.400)
4. Alexey Buyvolov (Simpson) -- 1.42.113 (+1.446)
5. Nick Nurmester (Kjellerup) -- 1.42.548 (+1.881)
6. Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen (Kjellerup) -- 1.42.696 (+2.029)
7. Mark Dagnall (Jones) -- 1.42.700 (+2.033)
8. Fredo Mestolio (Fusion) -- 1.42.860 (+2.193)
9. Diego Alvarez Torrente (Jones) -- 1.42.868 (+2.201)
10. Thomas de Bock (Voeckler) -- 1.43.026 (+2.359)
11. Dan Greenlaw (Voeckler) -- 1.43.066 (+2.399)
12. Naoki Shinjo (USD) -- 1.43.100 (+2.433)
13. Akira Yamamura (Kamaha) -- 1.43.182 (+2.515)
14. Danny van Rijkens (NRE) -- 1.43.784 (+3.117)
15. Jean-Luc Schiller (Simpson) -- 1.43.786 (+3.119)
16. Daniel Martins (Aeroracing) -- 1.43.824 (+3.157)
17. Shinobu Katayama (Venturi) -- 1.44.062 (+3.395)
18. Marco Bizzarri (USD) -- 1.44.189 (+3.522)
19. Alessandro Lucarelli (Venturi) -- 1.44.346 (+3.679)
20. Miko Fäkkinen (RLR) -- 1.44.695 (+4.028)
21. Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- 1.44.709 (+4.042)
22. Shane Walsh (Gillet) -- 1.44.862 (+4.195)
23. Hansuke Shioya (Aeroracing) -- 1.45.022 (+4.355)
24. Daniel Melville (Kamaha) -- 1.45.226 (+4.559)
25. Aurelien Moll (Gillet) -- 1.45.337 (+4.670)
26. Marko Jantscher (NRE) -- 1.45.580 (+4.913)
DNQ. Jari Kekkonen (RLR) -- 1.45.696 (+5.029)
DNQ. John Bean (Mecha) -- 1.45.813 (+5.146)

** RLR drops to Pre-Q from Round 12

RACE

1. Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 1h 26m 09.926
2. Alberto Cara (MRT) -- +22.851
3. Thomas de Bock (Voeckler) -- +59.457
4. Fredo Mestolio (Fusion) -- +1.29.898
5. Diego Alvarez Torrente (Jones) -- +1 Lap
6. Bastiaan van Nieuwenhuijzen (Kjellerup) -- +1 Lap
7. Mark Dagnall (Jones) -- +1 Lap
8. Danny van Rijkens (NRE) -- +1 Lap
9. Shinobu Katayama (Venturi) -- +2 Laps
10. Marko Jantscher (NRE) -- +2 Laps
11. Aurelien Moll (Gillet) -- +2 Laps
DNF. Alessandro Lucarelli (Venturi) -- Engine
DNF. Miko Fäkkinen (RLR) -- Oil Leak
DNF. Daniel Martins (Aeroracing) -- Engine
DNF. Alexey Buyvolov (Simpson) -- Transmission
DNF. Marco Bizzarri (USD) -- Suspension
DNF. Naoki Shinjo (USD) -- Transmission
DNF. Phillippe Nicolas (MRT) -- Accident
DNF. Dan Greenlaw (Voeckler) -- Accident
DNF. Jean-Luc Schiller (Simpson) -- Water Leak
DNF. Akira Yamamura (Kamaha) -- Electrical
DNF. Jesus Plaza (Mecha) -- Engine
DNF. Daniel Melville (Kamaha) -- Electrical
DNF. Shane Walsh (Gillet) -- Accident
DNF. Hansuke Shioya (Aeroracing) -- Accident
DNF. Nick Nurmester (Kjellerup) -- Accident

DOTR Daniel Martins -- Was taking the Aeroracing into the points when the car let him down. A great display of skill.
ROTR Track Marshalls -- A bit of disorganised, the RLR of Miko Fäkkinen ended at the bottom of the lake
Fastest Lap Terry Hawkin (Fusion) -- 1.44.996

Achievements

Prison Break NRE
Start n' Parked PORE
Cameo Kjellerup

** Thomas de Bock receives a one race ban, and a two race suspended ban for taking out of the race Phillippe Nicolas in an avoidable collision.

Race video:
https://youtu.be/0kINJFy0pG0

Post by **Ataxia** » 17 May 2016, 15:47

This might be the most pretentious thing you'll read today!

ast.ro/racing wrote:From 2019 onwards, the name Fusion Motorsports will be consigned to history.

The Fusion name has seen much success across its short time in motorsport, but it’s time for the team to embrace a new image as we strive for long-term success in motorsport. Our new identity is fearsome, exciting, and is an homage to a once-great empire who took the world by storm. Whilst our fight is on the track, not the battlefield, there are parallels between both. With enough ambition, support and knowledge, we too can become an empire.

We are Victrix Racing. Named after the Roman army Legio VI Victrix, who were victors in many conflicts across Europe and eventually settled within Britannia, we intend to take our winning ideals across the world. Below is our new logo, complete with an iconic Roman helmet motif.

Furthermore, we also bring the identity into AR3.5. Nebula Grand Prix will become Victrix Auxilia from 2019, and will strive to bring some of the brightest talents through the ranks to stand on the top step of the podia across the world.

Our new livery, which brings our vision to life on-track, will be revealed along with the brand new 2019 car, the CA1/19.

SeedStriker · Post by **SeedStriker** » 17 May 2016, 16:23

RejectSports wrote
Shultz: Questioning the Common Parts

There were long faces on the Union Saver Development camp after the ARWS race at Norway. After bringing updates that were helping the team to improve, a double DNF put an end of the effort of the Austrian squad, and USD's boss Karl Lichten Shultz weren't a happy man.

"One thing is to deal with out own equipment failure, but when it's an equipment given by the series itself, the situation turns suspicious. With today's that was 3 times where Naoki Shinjo has to retire from 8th position with gearbox and transmission failure, previous failures being at Long Beach and our own race at the Red Bull Ring. This is the failure of a component that is given by the ARWS racing comitee. We're struggling against teams with more equipment, money to develop and even more experienced drivers, and with this kind of failures, we're completely at full disadvantage."

Still, the Austrian was gutted with Marco Bizzarri's retire for a different reason. "I'll admit that we didn't expect that a piece of the front suspension that we already tested prior to the race at Norway to break at that moment. The whole package was working as we expected, but well, this only means that we should keep the effort to make the car not only faster, but more safe."

Naoki Shinjo wrote

This is becoming rutine. Every time I get to 8th place, with good pace and an oportunity to reach points, the gearbox and transmission just gave up the ghost. I've nothing against X-Trac, but I think that the ARWS comitee should revise the common components before letting us race, because this looks more like sabotage to improve racing at midfield to me. I hope to be wrong in this, but with the car being finally developed to be the real monster that it is, every time we could get to the points, something that's not our responsibility will take our efforts and toss them away.

FMecha · Post by **FMecha** » 17 May 2016, 16:26

Another race, another failure to finish. :facepalm:

Is there any other way of immediate development given summer break testing ban?

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 17 May 2016, 16:37

FMecha wrote:Another race, another failure to finish. Is there any other way of immediate development given summer break testing ban?

Spending credits directly on upgrades

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 17 May 2016, 16:43

Daniel Prieto: Schulz should know that the transmission is not common

Daniel Prieto seemed quite annoyed at USD's team manager Karl Schulz. Schulz publicly attacked the quality of the common parts in ARWS cars, citing the transmission gremlins his team has been suffering, but Prieto answered back quickly: "Schulz should already know that the transmission is made in-house by every team. This is a constructors championship and there're really very few parts common for every car; this is the mirrors, the cam support and the electronic switchboard for data logging, that's about it" Prieto also said we'll send a memo to every team again reminding them not to speak unfairly of the governing body: "ARWS doesn't need any bad publicity, and this is exactly what these team managers do with their inaccurate moaning"

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 17 May 2016, 17:49

Aerond wrote:
Daniel Prieto: Schulz should know that the transmission is not common

Daniel Prieto seemed quite annoyed at USD's team manager Karl Schulz. Schulz publicly attacked the quality of the common parts in ARWS cars, citing the transmission gremlins his team has been suffering, but Prieto answered back quickly: "Schulz should already know that the transmission is made in-house by every team. This is a constructors championship and there're really very few parts common for every car; this is the mirrors, the cam support and the electronic switchboard for data logging, that's about it" Prieto also said we'll send a memo to every team again reminding them not to speak unfairly of the governing body: "ARWS doesn't need any bad publicity, and this is exactly what these team managers do with their inaccurate moaning"

(I assume this will change with the new parts rules next year? I would assume that for no chassis development includes the transmission)

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 May 2016, 18:30

L'Equipe wrote:Exclusion from Spa is punishment enough for De Bock, says Voeckler

In the latest of a string of errors from the reigning ARWS world champion, Thomas De Bock has found himself excluded from the next round of the championship, at his home event in Spa-Francorchamps. Despite this being just another incident in the Belgian's long list of disappointments this season, Voeckler sees no reason to chastise his driver further.

"Of course, Thomas is experience and should really have known better, but there's no reason for me to intervene," said team principal Frédéric-Maxime Voeckler. "The governing body excluding him from competing at his home race is punishment enough. Let's face it - it's been a poor season from him, and the one thing more than any he had to look forward to, now his chance to defend the title is gone, was a top performance at his home event, in front of all his fans. Which now won't happen."

As for a replacement, Voeckler would not be drawn into whether De Bock would continue with the eponymous team beyond the end of this season, but did at least announce his replacement for Spa-Francorchamps.

"We have two test drivers, but only one opportunity for them, so we decided to be fair and go with the driver who had set the faster times of the pair more often that not during their testing sessions this year."

"Pippa Mann will be replacing De Bock in the #1 car at Spa. It's a fitting replacement for such a car, given she is a former series champion herself. Though of course, Nathanael Spencer is too, so therefore had nothing to do with the decision!"

"If we need another substitute towards the end of the season, Spencer will get called up. But Ms Mann has earned first rights thanks to being the faster driving in testing this season."

CaptainGetz12 · Post by **CaptainGetz12** » 17 May 2016, 18:37

I noticed that Rosenforth didn't participate at the last race. Is it because they did not have 2 drivers ready?

Since I played a part in this I'll help them find a driver if they need one.

Post by **Ataxia** » 17 May 2016, 19:08

Jacques Couteau wrote:We are delighted with Terry's performance here this weekend, he was back to his best and it made it a nice weekend to make the Victrix Racing announcement on our website.

We would also like to tie up the final pieces for next year, here, live. We can announce formally our driver lineup, and we are delighted to mention that Terry Hawkin will be remaining with us for 2019. Everyone here at the team wanted him to stay, and we think that Terry really buys into what we are doing. With Tomo Kazama already announced for Victrix, we have two drivers with some of the best junior results around.

Our focus remains on both championships this year, but 2019 will be hugely exciting for us with our new brand and new team-mate partnership.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 17 May 2016, 19:14

Can anyone explain to me why the supposed best driver on the grid finished a lap down in 7th?!

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 May 2016, 19:16

AndreaModa wrote:Can anyone explain to me why the supposed best driver on the grid finished a lap down in 7th?!

Two front wing changes. Time spent in the pit will do that to your finishing position :pantano:

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 17 May 2016, 19:23

Biscione wrote:
AndreaModa wrote:Can anyone explain to me why the supposed best driver on the grid finished a lap down in 7th?!

Two front wing changes. Time spent in the pit will do that to your finishing position

Gawd. I'm almost glad he's going! Still, at least Torrente bagged some points...

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 17 May 2016, 20:00

Autosport Express wrote:Barii Mori - "Jacques Couteau tells world that the sky is blue"
After Jacques Couteau announced the new drivers for 2019, Barii Mori said "It's not exactly the world best kept secret and not really worthy of print as a extra news story, the man is trying to tell the world of his new horrible pretentious team name. Next the man will be announcing that the sky is blue, the grass is green and cows go moo to get some more column inches.", although Autosport do not endorse Mori's views we won't publish news stories unless they have merit, which is why we have not covered the story.

EMS issues plague Kamaha
The Norwegian GP was not a happy weekend for Kamaha, during practice a faulty EMS caused Daniel Melville to be well off the pace, diagnostics did not pick up the EMS fault and the team and Yamaha worked on the engine and Melville was lucky to qualify. If the race the EMS units failed big time as first Melville retired due to a complete systems failure and Akira Yamamura was told to park the car after the car showed signs of EMS failure. Barii Mori said "It has been a frustrating weekend, the EMS units which are supplied by Yamaha had a fault which meant Melville had acceleration issues and ultimately failed, Yamamura told us he was having issues with the engine revs and we parked him before the EMS damaged the engine. We will be working with Yamaha to fix these issues.", a Yamaha spokesperson said "We are investigating the issues and will be correcting them before the next race, we believe that the failures that Simpson and Venturi had were down to the faulty EMS units, Shinobu Katayama said the car felt down on power and ended well down the field. We apologise to Kamaha, Simpson and Venturi for our failures."

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 17 May 2016, 20:37

Biscione wrote:
L'Equipe wrote:
"Pippa Mann will be replacing De Bock in the #1 car at Spa. It's a fitting replacement for such a car, given she is a former series champion herself. Though of course, Nathanael Spencer is too, so therefore had nothing to do with the decision!"

"If we need another substitute towards the end of the season, Spencer will get called up. But Ms Mann has earned first rights thanks to being the faster driving in testing this season."

Well, me being without any driver in this series didn't last long - 2 races...!

Aerond · Post by **Aerond** » 17 May 2016, 22:41

Dagnall hopes disappointing result is a wake up call

Mark Dagnall was not a happy man after finishing 7th and out of the points at the inaugural Scandinavian Grand Prix today; "I'm disappointed. Honestly, I don't know what happened in the first half of the race. First, a piece of the wing flought after riding a kerb in the same way I had been doing all weekend, and then it seems the mechanics didn't do their job properly at the pitstop, because the wing detached itself!!!. I know Sammy has to look for a replacement, but he should be looking more at what goes on when they build the cars!!! It's exactly the same problem Diego had in Australia." He also critisized the overall pace of the car: "It's obvious my hands alone are not enough! Diego only finished in the points because Greenlaw and Nicolas crashed. The performance of the car needs to go up. It handles pretty well, it's very consistent to drive, but we lack speed, we need more speed because it's impossible to defend against Renault powered teams in a straight"

Post by **Ataxia** » 18 May 2016, 08:19

SuperAguri wrote:
Autosport Express wrote:Barii Mori - "Jacques Couteau tells world that the sky is blue"
After Jacques Couteau announced the new drivers for 2019, Barii Mori said "It's not exactly the world best kept secret and not really worthy of print as a extra news story, the man is trying to tell the world of his new horrible pretentious team name. Next the man will be announcing that the sky is blue, the grass is green and cows go moo to get some more column inches.", although Autosport do not endorse Mori's views we won't publish news stories unless they have merit, which is why we have not covered the story.

Jacques Couteau wrote:We reserve the right to announce our drivers whenever the hell we like, and our new team-name is certainly more aspirational than Monsieur Mori's. I mean, Kamaha-Yamaha, what is that? A children's nursery rhyme? "Kamaha-Yamaha sat on a wall, Kamaha-Yamaha had a big fall..."

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 18 May 2016, 10:00

Sammy Jones wrote:A wake up call for who? You keep walloping the same kerbs every lap of course the front wing will fail, that's fatigue for you sunshine.

Post by **Nuppiz** » 18 May 2016, 10:48

SRMP wrote:Nurmester's future plans still open; slams Nicholas again

Kjellerup ARWS driver Nick Nurmester has admitted he is uncertain about where he'll be driving in ARWS next season. "I've heard from the Kjellerup management that while they've been somewhat happy with my rookie season, they're looking for a more experienced driver to help their title push with Mark Dagnall next season. It's still early days so I can't be sure which teams are interested in my serivces, but I believe I've shown enough talent to be considered a good choice for most of the teams on the grid."

At the previous race in Norway, Nurmester retired early due to a collision with Philippe Nicolas for the second time this season. "I'll try to be diplomatic, but of course it's pissing me off that yet another race where I could've scored points ended because of a mistake by a certain driver. I won't deny that I was happy to see Nicolas himself being taken out later in the race. I can only hope that we don't clash in any of the remaining races, otherwise I might not remain so diplomatic..."

When asked about his summer break plans, Nurmester commented "I'm going back to Finland to enjoy some of the last proper summer days there, and try to relax for a bit so I'm ready for more challenges in the last third of the season. In Belgium you'll hopefully witness a completely different me."

Niko Nurminen wrote:Well at least our reliability is in order. Now we need to work hard during the summer break to see if we can extract more speed from the car as well. If there are any further races with this high attrition we'd prefer to be in points.