2017 RWRS Universe Silly Season Thread

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 15 Feb 2014, 23:07

Aston Martin are "amateurs", says Linari

Il Barone Rampante CEO Alessandro Linari has launched a scathing attack against Aston Martin Racing, after the squad made a very public approach to Salvatore Miccoli, managed by the Italian consortium.

"Aston Martin have proven time and time again to be complete amateurs," Linari quipped. "I don't understand their management at all. They come to me in private and ask for Alessandro [Lucarelli], then instead declare in public they want to hire Miccoli without even asking me first. What is this idiot Johnson doing? It's not even close to the first time I have seen this stupidity from him."

"He tried this with Andrej too. He let him slip out of his grasp and then started hounding us to sign him back. Well, he can have him now, but the point is, this team runs around like a headless chicken all the time. There is no order, just chaos."

"After this fiasco, I can confirm there will be no IBR affiliated drivers racing for Aston Martin in the forseeable future."

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 16 Feb 2014, 00:13

Johnson 'disappointed' in Linari - cites media as cause for confusion
After IBR boss Alessandro Linari rejected Brett Johnson's quest to hire Alessandro Lucarelli and Salvatore Miccoli for Aston Martin in 2017, Johnson was saddened by Linari's abrupt rejection.

"We're all disappointed," says Johnson, "they are all great drivers, and it's a shame that the difference between a seat for them is a loopy owner who doesn't know what he's doing."

When questioned why he asked Linari privately about Lucarelli but not about Miccoli, Johnson said that the media approached him about Miccoli (and his IRFC championship contender, Terry Hawkin) and he had to reply.

"I had to say what my feelings where about the two," said Johnson. "I can't say I didn't want him or I didn't know, I had to keep the connections there. It made sense when I said I'd like to hire them. I thought I was doing IBR a favour by inquiring one of their drivers so they can put another talented driver in their house team, but I don't know what his rationale is."

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 16 Feb 2014, 00:38

RejectSport wrote:Jordan Davies to switch Aeroracing for 2017 F2RWRS season
In the latest news in the RWRS silly season, it has become apparent that Jordan Davies will be departing Aston Martin's F2RWRS effort to join Aeroracing in the same category. This comes following a disappointing season for the British driver, who has had several promising runs scuppered by either mechanical trouble or driver error. Said the ever-cheerful Davies of his impending move,

"Yeah, I'm really sad to be leaving Aston Martin because we've not really been as good as I think we could have been. I really wanted to win the championship for them, but the car's here are really hard to control and it's taken me a bit too long really for me to get used to it, and now that I have I think it's a bit too hard for me to catch Torrente. I really like working with Aston Martin, but I started talking with Mr. McAllister one day and he said he was looking for a driver for his F2 team, and I said I didn't have anything in place really, and then my manager came and talked a lot of words I didn't really understand, and then Mr. McAllister said I was on his team! Which is great because I think he's done a really good job with his F1RWRS team the last couple years and I think now that I really know what I'm doing I should be able to help them win a lot! "

This news comes shortly after Equipe Gauthier announced a testing contract with Davies.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 16 Feb 2014, 13:05

Alessandro Linari wrote:"What? You want my top young drivers to go to ACO LMS? No! Go away!

Alessandro Linari wrote:You expect me to just hand you my best driver and have him team-mate to my arch-enemy? Are you serious? Get bent!

Alessandro Linari wrote:For the last time, no, he is not interested in doing a part-time programme in a backmarker GT car, he is a freaking series champion

Alessandro Linari wrote:You want to sign one of the best young single seater drivers to mow your lawn every second weekend? Piss off!

Mr Linari is getting quite tired of no-hopers asking for the services of his drivers. So I'll make clear here what is on offer, because any offer that doesn't meet this critera is an automatic rejection;

Bastiaan van Nieuwenhijzen - F1RWRS only (preferably Top 10 in WCC in 2016)
Marco Bizzarri - F1RWRS only (doesn't care where)
Benoit Voeckler - Has Boxtel contract for 2017
Alessandro Lucarelli - F2RWRS teams running Renault or BMW powerplants only
Salvatore Miccoli - F2RWRS teams running Renault or BMW powerplants only
Marcel-Agyemang Badu - F2RWRS teams running Renault or BMW powerplants only
Olafur Ragnar Hannesson - IFRC only
Tonu Pykalisto - Not on offer
Mineiro - Not on offer

Post by **Ataxia** » 16 Feb 2014, 15:41

www.espn.co.uk/rwrs wrote:Yorke to rejoin Fusion Motorsports

Thomas Yorke will sign for Fusion Motorsports' F2RWRS operation alongside Quentin Reatherson for 2017, it has been announced.

Having left the former Fusion Motorsports management scheme to join Niko Nurminen's portfolio of drivers, the Halifax-born Brit has impressed in F3RWRS this season with some consistent drives for the Mazzacane Motorsport team. These performances have ensured that Yorke will step up to F2RWRS with Fusion to create an all-British driving lineup. This news means that both Mitchell Mackin and Martin van der Maeyede will leave the team at the end of 2016.

"We know Thomas is a very strong driver" said team principal Jacques Couteau, "although we had to part ways in management terms last year as he wanted to stay in single-seaters. He's made the right choice as this year has shown, and we're excited to have him back at the team as we try to fight for more wins next season. We've dealt with Niko Nurminen before, and he's very nurturing yet firm with his drivers. With him in the background, Thomas has got the drive to succeed."

It is expected that Martin van der Maeyede will fill the Plus One seat which will be vacated by Jones-bound Diego Alvarez Torrente, as Mitchell Macklin has been linked with Aeroracing as well as numerous Le Mans Cup teams.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 16 Feb 2014, 20:10

RejectSport wrote:Aimée Gauthier open to F3RWRS offers
F1RDS frontrunner Aimée Gauthier has announced that she is targetting a seat in F3RWRS for 2017. Gauthier, 15, has had a highly successful debut season in the F1RDS, where with one round remaining, she trails second-year driver Anu Võsu by 5 points, with 40 still one the table.

"Naturally, I am seeking to continue my advancement towards F1 and F1RWRS next year. Originally, I was expecting to spend 2 years in the RDS, but it seems that already I am capable of moving forward without the second year. I am most interested in moving to F3RWRS - I may consider IFRC offers, but I do not feel comfortable driving in a series with such shoddy stewardship."

Gauthier's stewardship comment is a reference to her season-long ban following a high speed crash at Spa, in which she struck the stopped car of Renalto Bulku after several cars had passed him safely. Bulku was forced to miss the rest of the season as a result of injuries sustained in the crash - Gauthier maintains that there was a problem with her car which rendered her unable to avoid Bulku.

When asked if she felt her age put her at a disadvantage compared to other drivers, Gauthier answered abruptly, "No. I may not yet have the experience to get the most out of the car, but I am always learning. It may take be a second season in F3RWRS to launch a full title assault, but when I am at that level, there will be no taking of prisoners, I can promise that."

V8fan12 · Post by **V8fan12** » 16 Feb 2014, 21:37

RWRS News wrote:High Performance Group announces name change and plans for 2017

Today, the New-Zealand based High Performance Group announced that it had changed its name to the Peak Motorsport Group after businessmen Dominic Spearman and Raymond Douglas sold their shares in the consortium to British supermarket magnate Roger Clark (father of driver Julian) and Mexican investor Héctor Vázquez. The announcement coincided with the release of the group's plans for 2017 (see below).

PMG run three teams in 2017 - Peak Motorsport, Glacier Mont Blanc Racing, and the Everest Rally Team:

Peak Motorsport is expected to compete in the Rejects Touring Car Championship as BurgerFuel Peak Motorsport. Alvin Ziegler and Julian Clark have been penciled in as the team's drivers. Mazda has come onboard and provided two Mazda6's for the team. Peak Motorsport will also operate the Harris Finance Racing Lupo GTI team - who will run at least one car for Kristina Harris, but wish to expand to two.

Glacier Mont Blanc Racing is a team established by PMG to compete in endurance racing series. They will operate in the new ACO Le Mans Cup series, entering three cars, one under the Harris Finance GT banner. GMBR will run two Onroak LMP1's with Zytek engines - Sebastian Bourdais, Vic Sunset, and Ragnar Larsen will share car #3; Randall Wade, Serge Blanco, and J.C. Wolf will be in car #24. Sisters Kristina, Kaitlyn, and Kelly Harris will run in the Harris Finance GT number 25 Porsche 991 GT.

The Everest Rally Team (formerly the High Performance Ford Rally Team) is expected to continue to compete in the RejectsRallyTrophy for a second season. John Deere will come onboard to sponsor the #23 and #24 Ford Fiestas. Vern Fraser has been slated to drive one of the entries, with the other driver yet to be named.

The F1RSTC and RRC teams are expected to be shut down at this stage.

As for the group's drivers that have not been mentioned above:
Hugo Carvalho is without a drive at the moment. He may compete in the RejectsRallyTrophy, but is open to any offers.
Angelica Lopez is looking for a drive in F1RDS.
Verna Klien is looking for a seat in IFRC. She would like to stay at Takagi Racing Enterprises, but is keeping her options open.
Catalina Zhang will be looking for a seat after the Fall Porsche Reject Cup ends. She is open to any offers.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 16 Feb 2014, 22:19

If you want, Gauthier can join the Mazzacane Motorsport F3RWRS team for 2017.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 16 Feb 2014, 23:36

Autosport wrote:World stunned as Jones agrees with Linari!

Sammy Jones has publicly backed comments made by arch-rival team owner Alessandro Linari over F2RWRS team Aston Martin making approaches to drivers about plans for 2017.

"Linari is right, I've already made it clear that Hawkin will be remaining in IFRC next year and will be partnered by Marko Jantscher. He's far too young for F1RWRS and there is a very clear reason why I pulled him out of my F2RWRS team for 2016. The series is far too volatile for career development, it's a f***ing lottery and I don't fancy gambling with my star driver's future. Aston Martin need to be realistic with their recruitment programs and stop pulling at the trouser legs of the top teams who don't have time for wild, ridiculous proposals."

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 Feb 2014, 15:49

La Gazzetta Dello Sport wrote:A sinking ship without a captain at the helm; IBR in crisis after CEO charged with assault

Il Barone Rampante have been thrown into a deep crisis, following the arrest of CEO Alessandro Linari for physical assault. In a bizarre incident at the IFRC finale, Linari physically assaulted his own driver Salvatore Miccoli, after the Italian driver failed to win the title showdown by breaking his car.

The IBR board of directors, eager to push through a sale before the end of the year, have elected unanimously to strip Linari of his position, and will promote COO Andrea Sassetti to interim control of the racing conglomerate.

Linari is no stranger to controversy, but it would appear this is the last chapter of his rollercoaster ride of team management in the RWRS franchise. After several run-ins with both sporting officials and local authorities over various issues, his latest outburst looks certain to lead to prison time.

Neither party were willing to comment on the events at the IFRC finale, but rumours suggest a former figure at the conglomerate is considering taking the team over from next season.

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 17 Feb 2014, 16:04

Brett Johnson wrote:Serves Linari right for being too harsh on the guy. The crash wasn't Miccoli's fault either. Hopefully Miccoli will see the light and run far away from the IBR before something extremely serious happens to him and his career.

Nessafox · Post by **Nessafox** » 17 Feb 2014, 22:25

I think Salvatore Miccoli should go to RonDen Racing Engineering in F2RWRS. Why RonDen knows how to handle Linari. Linari wouldn't dare to physically attack the Mignolet brothers, because of [censored, family forum], and trust me, it was just as painful as it sounds :twisted:

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 18 Feb 2014, 08:00

Autodynamics would like to formally offer both Nicolas Steele and Jean-Vincent Albertini a contract to race in F1RWRS in 2017

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 18 Feb 2014, 21:45

RonDenisDeletraz wrote:Autodynamics would like to formally offer both Nicolas Steele and Jean-Vincent Albertini a contract to race in F1RWRS in 2017

Nicolas Steele wrote:I'm happy to say that I'll be returning to Autodynamics for the 2017 season. They are a very good team, and they have what it takes to win the championship. I'm looking forward to finishing on a high in 2016 and to a great season in 2017.

Also, do you know what you're going to do with the chassis for 2017?

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 18 Feb 2014, 22:29

Aerospeed wrote:
eurobrun wrote:Autodynamics would like to formally offer both Nicolas Steele and Jean-Vincent Albertini a contract to race in F1RWRS in 2017

Nicolas Steele wrote:I'm happy to say that I'll be returning to Autodynamics for the 2017 season. They are a very good team, and they have what it takes to win the championship. I'm looking forward to finishing on a high in 2016 and to a great season in 2017.

Also, do you know what you're going to do with the chassis for 2017?

Uh, presumably he's going to keep it? I don't think he's that dumb bro.

takagi_for_the_win · Post by **takagi_for_the_win** » 19 Feb 2014, 00:24

Autosport Russia wrote:Võsu to join Restov
In a surprising turn of events last night, Restov Racing confirmed that they had agreed a deal with Estonian F1RDS ace Ana Võsu to race for them in F3RWRS next year. Võsu, 20, is currently leading the RDS championship heading into the final round of the championship, and also has the 2016 Winter Cup title under her belt as well.

Restov's Director of Racing, Alexei Smirnov, was delighted with the news: "For sure this is good news for us. Ana has been class of the field in RDS this year, and she has shown great maturity. With two seasons of RDS under her belt, she is more than capable of stepping up into a higher category, and to be quite honest I'm very surprised she isn't already tied down somewhere. Her pace and consistency will help us move up the order next year, and our experience and ability to nurture drivers will no doubt stand Ana in great stead for what could be a great career."

As of yet, the identity of Võsu's teammate is unknown, but it is widely expected to be one of the two incumbents; Waisale Serevi or Alexander Obolensky, with the other being promoted to Restov's IFRC concern. A dark horse for the seat is Naas Botha, another RDS driver, currently at Mecha but managed by Edward Restov Junior, who has become increasingly desperate to remove his driver from the team.

Either way, whoever gets the second seat will no doubt have a tough time keeping Võsu in check!

The Lukas · Post by **The Lukas** » 19 Feb 2014, 21:44

Autosport wrote:Buyvolov:"I am open to all options for the new season" and critical situations in Dofasco Racing
Talented Russian driver Alexey Byuvolov said that when it comes to his future , he said he is open to all options for the season 2017 , the Russian raced this season in Dofasco Racing , although not scored any points but presented a really solid , which has gained interest even those with top , Russian is currently without a job for the new season , as Dofasco Racing probably will not join the 2017 season .

" when it comes to season 2017 , I'm open to all options for the new season , along with my manager talking with some teams even with those of the top but I will not reveal anything , because I do not want to spoil the mystery "

Russian summed up the current season and also criticized the situation in the team Dofasco Racing

" This season in my opinion, was successful in the sport , because the few times I've been close points but all spoiled technical problems , but I can not complain, but the proverbial shot in the face , namely three disqualifications and organizational problems , and financial problems which no one spoke so there is no confusion in the team, but it 's true that Dofasco is a financial dead , same owner Grzegosz Sobczyk ( Dofasco team owner) owes me a lot of money and not only to me , but this is a topic for another conversation "
I

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 20 Feb 2014, 19:57

The Lukas wrote:
Autosport wrote:Buyvolov:"I am open to all options for the new season" and critical situations in Dofasco Racing
Talented Russian driver Alexey Byuvolov said that when it comes to his future , he said he is open to all options for the season 2017 , the Russian raced this season in Dofasco Racing , although not scored any points but presented a really solid , which has gained interest even those with top , Russian is currently without a job for the new season , as Dofasco Racing probably will not join the 2017 season .

" when it comes to season 2017 , I'm open to all options for the new season , along with my manager talking with some teams even with those of the top but I will not reveal anything , because I do not want to spoil the mystery "

Russian summed up the current season and also criticized the situation in the team Dofasco Racing

" This season in my opinion, was successful in the sport , because the few times I've been close points but all spoiled technical problems , but I can not complain, but the proverbial shot in the face , namely three disqualifications and organizational problems , and financial problems which no one spoke so there is no confusion in the team, but it 's true that Dofasco is a financial dead , same owner Grzegosz Sobczyk ( Dofasco team owner) owes me a lot of money and not only to me , but this is a topic for another conversation "
I

Phoenix McAllister wrote:You know there's an open seat at Aeroracing for you, Mr. Buyvolov.

The Lukas · Post by **The Lukas** » 22 Feb 2014, 14:21

Phoenix McAllister wrote:You know there's an open seat at Aeroracing for you, Mr. Buyvolov.

Alexey Buyvolov wrote:Okay, we will sign a contract

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 24 Feb 2014, 15:01

An update on my drivers:

Drivers I'm going to keep managing in 2017:
Tuomas Suomanen: likely moving to AutoRejects 3.5
Thiago Mazzacane: Looking for a seat in GT-R
Jasper Lerby: Focusing on full-time GT-R effort with Kjellerup.
Chiara Rossi: Focusing on full-time GT-R effrot with Kjellerup.
Eric Hadamard: Looking for a seat in GT-R
Aron Kagström: Lupo driver looking for a seat in RTCC or GT-R
Laerke Kjellerup: Porsche Reject Cup driver. Is looking for a seat anywhere except AR2.0, for which she is too old.

DEC available, so you can take over managing them, otherwise I'll probably retire them:
Hans Einhrin: I often forget that he even is my driver. I guess another season of F3RWRS would be good for him.
Oliviero Cinotti: (DEC taken by Salamander, so he's not my driver any more)
Steffen Belso: Former GT-R driver, could possibly go to RTCC
Gabriela Scopelli: Lupo driver, could stay there or move to RTCC

Semi-retired drivers available for one-offs:
José Pablo Mazzacane: available for all sorts of one-off events
Mattias Kjellerup: available for one-off tin-top entries

Officially retired drivers:
Kazuki Fushida
Jules Connes
Leonie Connes

Autosport wrote:Mazzacane Motorsport stops touring car programm

The Mazzacane Motorsport Group today surprisingly announced the end of its successful touring car programm. Affected will be the entries in the Reject Touring Car Championship, the Reject Super Touring Cup, the Lupo GTI Championship and the Porsche Reject Cup. The RTCC, Lupo and PRC teams will be shut down at the end of the 2016 season, while the future of the RSTC team remains unclear.

"In our efforts to become an F1RWRS team in 2018, we have realised that we are involved in too many things at the same time", José Pablo Mazzacane, part-time racing driver and head of Mazzacane Motorsport Group explains. "So we have made the difficult decision to pull out of touring car racing."

The GT-R team, run under the Kjellerup Motorsport banner, remains unaffected by the decision. The RSTC team will no longer operate under the Mazzacane Motorsport name, but Jasper Lerby has plans to enter the team under his own name.

OOC: To all series owners from whose series I'll withdraw: They're all well-run series, and it was a difficult decision from which series to withdraw, but my involvement in the PMMF has become a bit too large, and so I have decided to focus mainly on the historic alternate F1 series and F1RWRS with its feeder series.

For the same reason, some of the drivers I manage have been retired, or are available for other users to manage.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 24 Feb 2014, 21:10

Phoenix wrote:
The Lukas wrote:
Autosport wrote:Buyvolov:"I am open to all options for the new season" and critical situations in Dofasco Racing
Talented Russian driver Alexey Byuvolov said that when it comes to his future , he said he is open to all options for the season 2017 , the Russian raced this season in Dofasco Racing , although not scored any points but presented a really solid , which has gained interest even those with top , Russian is currently without a job for the new season , as Dofasco Racing probably will not join the 2017 season .

" when it comes to season 2017 , I'm open to all options for the new season , along with my manager talking with some teams even with those of the top but I will not reveal anything , because I do not want to spoil the mystery "

Russian summed up the current season and also criticized the situation in the team Dofasco Racing

" This season in my opinion, was successful in the sport , because the few times I've been close points but all spoiled technical problems , but I can not complain, but the proverbial shot in the face , namely three disqualifications and organizational problems , and financial problems which no one spoke so there is no confusion in the team, but it 's true that Dofasco is a financial dead , same owner Grzegosz Sobczyk ( Dofasco team owner) owes me a lot of money and not only to me , but this is a topic for another conversation "
I

Phoenix McAllister wrote:You know there's an open seat at Aeroracing for you, Mr. Buyvolov.

Can I call it a done deal then?

Post by **Ataxia** » 24 Feb 2014, 22:40

Autosport wrote:Pulsar confirm 2017 RTCC lineup

Pulsar Racing Team have announced the signings of Lupo Cup drivers Laurent Couteau and Koyomi Setou to their RTCC outfit for 2017.

Having dipped their toe in the water of Touring Car racing in 2016 with Cameron Maroon piloting a lone Renault Laguna, Pulsar Racing Team have expanded to two cars amid rumours that they are to become a works outfit in 2017.

"Although we've not done well this season, we didn't really expect to" said Pulsar co-owner Jake Legge. "We thank Cameron for the work he's done this season, but we've decided to go for an exciting young pairing as we gear up for a championship challenge. I know Laurent well, and his father and I are delighted to promote him to our RTCC outfit next season. Koyomi is also an impressive young driver, and she's done terrifically well in both Lupos and full RTCC machinery. We hope that the change in formula will bring us some success in 2017."

With both Lukauskis and Couteau moving on in 2017, this means that the Alvarez Competicion Lupo team will be searching for new drivers; the team will switch from their Nebula Grand Prix moniker for next season.

The Lukas · Post by **The Lukas** » 25 Feb 2014, 18:53

Phoenix wrote:
The Lukas wrote:
Autosport wrote:Buyvolov:"I am open to all options for the new season" and critical situations in Dofasco Racing
Talented Russian driver Alexey Byuvolov said that when it comes to his future , he said he is open to all options for the season 2017 , the Russian raced this season in Dofasco Racing , although not scored any points but presented a really solid , which has gained interest even those with top , Russian is currently without a job for the new season , as Dofasco Racing probably will not join the 2017 season .

" when it comes to season 2017 , I'm open to all options for the new season , along with my manager talking with some teams even with those of the top but I will not reveal anything , because I do not want to spoil the mystery "

Russian summed up the current season and also criticized the situation in the team Dofasco Racing

" This season in my opinion, was successful in the sport , because the few times I've been close points but all spoiled technical problems , but I can not complain, but the proverbial shot in the face , namely three disqualifications and organizational problems , and financial problems which no one spoke so there is no confusion in the team, but it 's true that Dofasco is a financial dead , same owner Grzegosz Sobczyk ( Dofasco team owner) owes me a lot of money and not only to me , but this is a topic for another conversation "
I

Phoenix McAllister wrote:You know there's an open seat at Aeroracing for you, Mr. Buyvolov.

Can I call it a done deal then?[/quote]

Buyvolov yet accepted the contract ... and one more thing you have not seen this post?
Alexey Buyvolov wrote:Okay, we will sign a contract

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 28 Feb 2014, 00:12

RejectSport wrote:Davies snubs USD for IBR!

In a shock twist in the 2017 silly season, retiring F1RWRS driver James Davies has revealed that he has broken the agreement to drive for Union Saver Developments in the ACO Le Mans Cup, and will instead drive for their arch-rivals Il Barone Rampante in the GTR-WC.

Said Davies of the switch, "I don't really like jerking people around like this, but the fact is I had a deal to do a part-time schedule with a maybe on getting a full-season ride with USD, and then IBR come along and offer me a full-season ride. Yeah, it's my fault for accepting a part-time deal without realising it was such in the first place... and, well, all I can say is sorry to USD. That's about it."

HawkAussie · Post by **HawkAussie** » 28 Feb 2014, 05:02

RejectSport wrote:Maea Blog reitres from all motorsport

Maea Blog today, has announced his retirement from all forms of racing after competing in the final race of the 2016 SARS season at the High Speed Racing circuit. In the press conference, Blog said "Today, my racing spirit has seem to gone with my age. So I will be retiring from all motorsport".

Maea Blog started competing in 1991, at the Life Grand Prix of Brazil. After completing two full seasons with the Life Grand Prix, he then went to the International Formula 3000 for four seasons. In 1998, the call up to Formula One was made when Minardi offered the second seat to Maea Blog. In a surprising result he declined and would go into the V8 Supercars for the next 7 years, which involved five caeer wins.

After reitring in 2005, he would get a call back in 2016 to drive for Tassie Racing in the Siemens Ausdauer Reject Series. The trouble being that he struggled with Power and Baronomo showing the speed, which forced his retirment.

Post by **Ataxia** » 04 Mar 2014, 23:13

www.nebulagp.fr wrote:Introducing...our AR3.5 lineup!

IFRC's getting a new name next season, and to commemorate the change to the new "AutoReject 3.5" moniker we've got a new lineup at Nebula Grand Prix.

Firstly, we'd like to confirm Björn Ekdal will be retaining his seat at the team for 2017. Björn did a fantastic job for us last season having come in late to IFRC, and acclimatised to the car very quickly indeed. He works hard, and has spent a lot of time in the factory in preparation for next year. With half-a-season under his belt, we're expecting great things from our young Swedish driver.

Partnering him is a driver who's new to the IFRC/AR3.5 series, and her results in F3RWRS this season have been very good indeed. We'd officially like to welcome Victoria Desai to Nebula, and we hope she enjoys her stay at our team. Although she was born in America, Victoria races under an Indian license. We sincerely hope that she does both countries proud as she looks to fight at the front of the field.

Our official reserve driver will be our very own Jorge Alvarez Torrente, who's doing a good job in F3RWRS as we speak. At the moment, we're still finding an F3 seat for him in 2017, but we're sure his performances will help him find somewhere to blossom.

That's right, Nebula are ready. Here's hoping our stars shine next season.

SuperAguri · Post by **SuperAguri** » 05 Mar 2014, 11:39

Autosport wrote:Prince Falik angry at Victoria Desais management

Prince Falik was angry at reading that Victoria Desai had signed a deal with a rival team without being consulted. Prince Falik called us up and said 'I am very angry, yes yes yes, very angry. Not even the decency to tell me directly, I was going to offer Desai a contract for our F2RWRS team. I demand that the management call me up or at least return my calls, the arrogant bar stewards.'

Falik Arrows short on drivers

At time of writing Falik Arrows lack drivers for their F2RWRS and F3RWRS campaigns. Prince Falik is know to be looking around but he is running out of time. It is likely that they will be looking at F3RWRS, F1RDS and FRICS for drivers and maybe even in other serieses too. However Prince Falik is being very tighted lipped, giving us a 'No Comment.' when we asked him.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 05 Mar 2014, 13:13

La Gazzetta Dello Sport wrote:Sassetti joins back of Desai rage queue

After Prince Falik's earlier venting of frustration over Victoria Desai's management signing of a contract with Nebula, Il Barone Rampante interim CEO Andrea Sassetti has chipped in to the debate, claiming his organisation also had its toes stepped on by the behind-doors deal.

"We had an option on Desai since the end of 2015, which was valid for this season," he explained. "We weren't consulted when this happened. Technically this is a breach of contract, as we weren't notified Desai would not be fulfulling the terms of the pre-contract."

When pressed, Sassetti admitted Desai getting a seat was unlikely, but stressed the principle being broken was what angered him so much.

"Admittedly, it would have been tough to squeeze Desai in anywhere," he said. "That is besides the point however. We treat all contracts equally. Everything goes to s*** when people start ignoring these. To at least sit down for a few minutes and hammer out the completion or termination of a contract is necessary. If this happened with any other driver that isn't under our management stable, we'd be equally as angry, regardless of who they are."

Post by **Ataxia** » 05 Mar 2014, 13:23

Jacques Couteau in L'Equipe wrote:We were not informed of any other contracts when we signed the deal with Victoria. If her management wish to cancel our deal they can, but I'd be very disappointed to lose out on yet another talented individual. We hope Victoria will stay with Nebula Grand Prix.

We apologise to Mr. Sassetti and Prince Falik, but as I said, we were never made aware that they had tangled themselves up in contracts and options.

AndreaModa · Post by **AndreaModa** » 05 Mar 2014, 18:41

Autosport wrote:Josh Carlisle happy to return to Falik Arrows

In a move that has caught many in the world of motorsport by surprise, Josh Carlisle has stated that he'd be happy to return to Falik Arrows and drive for them in 2017. This is despite the Briton being dumped by the Nigerian-owned team after just two races into the 2016 F2RWRS season.

Carlisle is also known to have been in talks with the Beirao F2RWRS team but insiders have revealed negotiations haven't even begun with the Portuguese team, and therefore Carlisle is still very much available.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 05 Mar 2014, 20:18

Jacques Couteau in L'Equipe wrote:We were not informed of any other contracts when we signed the deal with Victoria. If her management wish to cancel our deal they can, but I'd be very disappointed to lose out on yet another talented individual. We hope Victoria will stay with Nebula Grand Prix.

We apologise to Mr. Sassetti and Prince Falik, but as I said, we were never made aware that they had tangled themselves up in contracts and options.

Andrea Sassetti, in a memo to Mr Couteau wrote:Jacques,

I firstly apologise for any mixed message from my statement to the press earlier.

We have no qualms with you signing Miss Desai. Your team is your business, and you did not act in bad faith when signing your driver.

I was merely irritated by the lack of dialogue from her management team regarding our pre-contract, but of course, the existence of this contract was not public knowledge, therefore you were not expected to be aware of it when approaching Miss Desai for her services.

We give Nebula our full blessing in signing Miss Desai, and assure you our existing agreement will not pose an obstacle to your acquiring of her services. I can't speak for Falik however, and I imagine he may not be so apologetic!

Yours,

Andrea Sassetti
Interim CEO, Il Barone Rampante

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 07 Mar 2014, 09:51

RejectSport wrote:Evans Engineering to make a comeback?

Recent rumours coming out of Wales suggests that the defunct Geraint Evans Motor Garage & Engineering Ltd. may be resurrected by the grandson of it's eponymous founder, Rhys Evans. Evans Engineering competed across several decades in sportscars, achieving a fair level of success, as well as launching the racing career of John Davies, father of the more famous James James Davies. The team branched out into F1 in the early 80s by creating customer chassis', but the team's fortunes took a fatal turn in 1989 when Geraint Evans died from heart failure. The team struggled for a few more seasons before foundering at the end of the 1994 season.

Rhys Evans, 44, has made a fortune in software development, but has previously shown no interest in re-establishing the team. However, in a phone interview, he did mention that he did possess all the necessary legal documents, and that the only remaining obstacles now were getting a base of operations, and a berth in a series.

"I'm always interested in a challenge," said Evans, "Myself, I've never had much interest in racing, but the behind-the-scenes admin stuff, that I could certainly handle. My Dad wanted me to get the family team running again one day, and, the more I looked into it, the more it seemed a great challenge."

"Right now, I'm just looking into the various options we have to run the team in - obviously, endurance racing is the priority, since that was always Grampa's main focus, so I'm definitely looking pretty closely into the LMC and a possible entry there."

Figured it was about time to get my latest team off the ground.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 09 Mar 2014, 19:40

Voeckler Capitaux Sàrl is excited to announce the acquisition of Il Barone Rampante S.r.l. All current business activities of IBR S.r.l. will be restructured and rebranded under the Voeckler Grand Prix Engineering banner from 1 Jan 2017 onwards.

"This is a fantastic new venture into the top flight of motorsport for our organisation," said Voeckler GPE CEO-elect Jérémy-Étienne Voeckler. "We have previously experienced certain other series which perhaps are not of the calibre in which series such as F1RWRS are held. However, I feel now our organisation is in a perfect position to participate at the highest level, and the acquisition of a racing team with such rich history and strong results recently puts us in a great position to succeed almost immediately."

While there will be small changes to the way the current team is run, Voeckler Capitaux will not radically overhaul IBR, with only small changes ahead to each branch.

"There will be some minor realignments in the racing section of the company," explained J-E Voeckler. "I will be in charge of all RWRS activities, while Corrado Provera will be promoted to a newly created position, Chief of AutoRejects Operations. Andrea Sassetti will remain on the pitwall at F1RWRS and F2RWRS events, while we have drafted in Simone Guidetti to head up the Sportscar division, as he already has strong ties with the FIAT group, whom we are collaborating with to run the works Maserati effort next season. Takahiro Fukuda will remain at the helm of the NISMO LMP1 effort for the forseeable future."

Voeckler Grand Prix Engineering is also delighted to welcome onboard new partners in our racing venture, as well as confirming the retention of several other key relationships from the historic Il Barone Rampante organisation.

Delacroix-Serrano is a well established multi-national retail chain, with over 1000 supermarkets located in various countries from Europe to Asia and South America. Founded in 1923 by Sebastien Delacroix, the company has gone from strength to strength, merging with Spanish retail chain Serrano in 1984, before coming under the ownership of Voeckler Capitaux in 1997.

EnerG is a leading soft drinks brand, orginating from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The guarana drink is now sold in over 80 countries worldwide, with plans to expand into 5 new markets in 2017 alone.

MinardiFan95 · Post by **MinardiFan95** » 10 Mar 2014, 06:43

Simpson Motorsports Press Release wrote:Good News! It's the Dacia F1RWRS Team!

After a reasonable season that saw the Simpson Motorsports team finish in the top 10 twice as well as picking up 3rd place in the Pre-Qualifying cup, the team head into the 2017 season with a new look and new title sponsor. Dacia, the Romanian budget car brand owned by Renault has come onboard as the team's new title sponsor. With this sponsorship comes a re-branding of the team, as Simpson Motorsports becomes Dacia F1RWRS Team for 2017. It's also all change in the driver line-up as well, with team boss Dave Simpson getting back behind the wheel of an F1RWRS car full time for the first time in 4 years. The team's second driver has yet to be announced, but we hope to have an exciting announcement coming very soon.

Dacia F1RWRS Team's goals for the season ahead are to score the team's first points since starting out in 2015, place in the top 15 in the Constructors Championship and be able to skip pre-qualifying for a number of rounds.

*ignore the Pirellis on the picture, I couldn't change them to Bridgestones in the game

the Masked Lapwing · Post by **the Masked Lapwing** » 10 Mar 2014, 23:58

Speedcafe.com wrote:ZimSport confirms new sponsors, structure for 2017
New ZimSport team principal Frank Zimmer has confirmed the new structure of the organisation, required after his brother John's retirement part way through 2016. Previously, Zimmer ran every part of the team himself, but now individual prts of the team have been delegated to different personnel.
Frank Zimmer will take control over most of ZimSport's open wheel teams, including the Holden F1RWRS Racing Team. Long time friend of Zimmer Pieter Kickert will now run the tin-top teams, while Jimmy Rosenforth will be in charge of the ZimSport Driver to Europe program for young Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Island based drivers, as well as the running of the AR 2.0 team.
As a result, the team will enter all categories (except for AR 2.0) under the ZimSport name, rather than as Rosenforth Engineering (as they operated in GT-R, RDS and the Lupo Cup).
Zimmer also confirmed that they had lost several sponsors, such as Telstra, Supercheap Auto, Valvoline and Home Timber & Hardware, but had gained increased involvement from Mobil, as well as backing from the new owners of Tigerair Australia, who are expected to announce the new name of the airline in the coming days.
The sponsorship change will see Mobil become the naming rights sponsor of every tin-top ZimSport team (except for GT-R), and all will enter under the name "Mobil Racing ZimSport" in 2017. Mobil will also retain its sponsorship of HRT. Meanwhile, the open-wheel sections of the team plus their GT-R WC cars will all be sponsored by Tigerair, with the final name of the teams to be confirmed after Tigerair's rebranding.

Pointrox · Post by **Pointrox** » 18 Mar 2014, 01:57

Mirko Bosevic retires from autosport
Croatian driver, whose amazing comeback to racing in 2014 with ArrowTech resulted in three fruitful seasons, in which he scored 38 points, 5 podium finishes and 2 pole positions, announced today that he is definitely retiring from motorsport.
Bosevic was among the candidates for the second seat in ArrowTech for 2017, alongside Philippe Nicolas. However, with his retirement, preseason rumor has it that former ArrowTech and Hydook protege Sebastian Groves is looking for redemption after his outings with Autodynamics in 2015 and might take Bosevic's place in the team.

Hydook Racing revival "possible"
Hydook Racing Team disappeared from RWRS series after 2015 season and dismal results in their F2RWRS and F3RWRS campaigns leading to all the sponsors pulling the plug on the Croatian crew.
With Mirko Bosevic's retirement and his turn to investment banking, "Red Checkers" might be back in action very soon. Former racing driver, when asked about the possible return of Hydook, replied: "It is possible. We still have all the equipment somewhere in the shed and will use it anytime, so expect the red checker to appear soon!".

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 18 Mar 2014, 11:31

Hey, welcome back!

But...

Sebastian Groves denies ArrowTech involvement, looks to seek technical role
Former ArrowTech and Autodynamics driver Sebastian Groves was briefly linked to the second ArrowTech drive, but he clarified his position to the media today. "I'm not driving for anybody in 2017, sadly, and I'm looking for a team that can hire someone to work as a designer or even part of the mechanic team." Groves cited the lack of sponsors and other teams looking for a drive with him as the main reasons behind his retirement in 2016.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 19 Mar 2014, 17:56

L'Equipe wrote:Voeckler: DEC quota punishes top drivers

Newly appointed team principal Jeremy-Etienne Voeckler has come out against the current DEC quota system, labelling it counter-productive and unfit for purpose.

"The DEC quota is unnecessary in this age," he said. "It punishes the best drivers from the best racing academies, simply because of who their management is."

"It's logical that the best drivers come from the stables of racing teams that invest the most in youth. Racing is about having the best drivers facing off against one another, not having an equal number of drivers from the same DEC holders racing each other, causing big gaps in quality."

"RWRS should give free reign to driver management, to ensure the best talent reaches the top echelons of the sport unobstructed. Teams should have unrestricted choice over who they can hire, and not be forced into hiring someone they don't want because of a silly, outdated rule."

"There are examples of this already. IBR invested a lot into the Primavera before we purchased them. Gigi Pazzini was a talented lad, they landed him the MRT ride this season, but were then forced to give him up to stay within this DEC quota. He's gone on to be 2nd in the F2R championship. This is no coincidence. They've had to sacrifice a good driver for a rule that's counter-productive, and puts the future of the best drivers at risk, simply because they're supported by the same organisation."

"The best drivers should always be the ones progressing up the racing ladder. They should always have the opportunity to better their skills, without interference of quotas or such nonsense. It borders on discrimination against talent. We must work to overturn this rule immediately."

TL;DR: DEC rule is out of date, doesn't help anyone, just causes hinderances. There is no flood of pointless drivers anymore, they have places to go in series like ACO LMC, RTCC etc etc. I want to take this to F1RTA but I also want to see the reaction first.

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 19 Mar 2014, 18:15

RejectSport wrote:Plus One for the DEC debate

Plus One Group CEO Luke Knight has spoken out in support of Jeremy-Etienne Voeckler's call for a removal of the existing Driver Entitlement Contract, which currently limits organisations to back a total of 5 drivers within the top three RWRS series - F1RWRS, F2RWRS, and F3RWRS.

"Jeremy's got a good point. The rule came about in 2014 with the creation of F2 and F3 [RWRS], when there really was a big fear that all three series would become filled with drivers with questionable levels of talent" said Knight.

"It did it's job and did it well, but RWRS has been changing. We've got more competitions than ever before and a wide and diverse range of talent emerging from all areas of the globe - and it's a shame to see some of that talent ultimately not get the chance they need because of the quota."

"As for the Plus One group, the quota has always been a huge factor when determining our driver programs for the year. We've had to cut drivers from our talent management programme because of the quota and the lack of viable seats elsewhere, as I'm sure Voeckler [Formerly IBR] have as well"

Whilst it is not sure whether or not other influential figures in the paddock would back the change, Knight advocated the proposal being taken to the F1RTA for discussion.

"The idea definately has legs; it's something I'd like to see happen, but without the support of the major players it just simply won't work"

However, Knight was also quick to add that there should be something to stop one or two organisations effectively "ruling the world".

"Something needs to be done to stop one or two organisations ruling the world, securing all the top seats. I'm not sure what could be done but if the DEC is to go, there needs to be some kind of check on the big powers, such as ourselves and Voeckler"

Aerospeed · Post by **Aerospeed** » 19 Mar 2014, 18:59

Given that I have three drivers in all the series combined, I'm indifferent towards the rule change. Sounds like a good idea though.