WORLDWIDE formula 4 The shape of things to come for karting stars Go to PAGE 24
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE A SIA C up RACE SERIES
Asian Motorsport is the
AsiaCup Series THE cost effective first step to Formula 1
WELCOME
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Welcome to Asia has fast become a serious option for young racing drivers dreaming of reaching Formula 1. Billions of dollars were invested building the infrastructures to host Asia’s FIA Formula 1 Grands Prix, first in Sepang Malaysia and now India, China, Korea, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and the pearl of the orient, Singapore, all feature on the world championship calendar. Teams such as Meritus.GP were amongst the pioneers of the industry in Asia, and programmes such as the AsiaCup Series remove some of the financial burden on young drivers and their families as they embark on their racing careers. As you will read in the following pages, the benefits of this young driver development series cannot be measured. The proof of its success is evident from a quick look at the past stars of the Meritus.GP team’s campaigns. Some, like Jazeman Jaafar, are already hovering on the verge of Formula 1 with tests with Mercedes and a podium visit in Renault 3.5 at Monaco. Others are not far behind the young Malaysian or his predecessors, such as Rio Haryanto, Alex Yoong, Narain Karthikeyan, Takuma Sato and Luca Filippi as they progress towards professional careers in the sport. The FIA’s new Formula 4 category is the start of an anticipated ‘obvious’ F4, F3, F2 route to F1. Meritus.GP are planning to bring F4 to Asia at the end of 2015. You can learn all about this new ‘structured pyramid to F1’ from former Grand Prix winner Gerhard Berger in the pages of TrackRecord. Malaysia’s 4th Prime Minister Mahathir had the vision to create the region’s first F1 super circuit in 1999, to attract worldwide brand awareness to Malaysia. Many countries have followed his proven formula with similar tracks in Asia and the Middle East attracting the high technology motorsport industry players. Meritus.GP, whom the media have affectionately dubbed ‘the Godfathers of Asian motorsport’ have not only created national motorsport heroes but have also trained Malaysian engineers and technicians over the past 20 years. This growth of motorsport makes Asia a serious and cost-effective option for up-and-coming racers. Is Formula 1 your Dream? There is no better place to start than with the AsiaCup Series run by Meritus.GP.
About the Editor
Editor Andy Hallbery
Originally from London, Andy Hallbery is a former Editor of Autosport magazine in the UK and RACER magazine in the United States. He has produced the Official FIA Formula 1 World Championship programs, the Official FIA World Touring Car Championship Yearbook and Grand Prix Review. Andy has also been Editor-in-Chief of publications for Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, Toyota Motorsport, West McLaren Mercedes, and Le Mans Series. He has most recently created, edited and published ‘Romance of Racing’, a book with threetime Indianapolis 500 winner, and four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti.
Creative Direction Steve Moore
2 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
Chief Contributor Agnes Carlier Photography Meritus.GP – Peter Lim, WRi – Jad Sheriff, Jean-Francois Galeron; Arnaud Taquet, Philippe Ehrmann, LAT Photographic, Racing Inside Special thanks to Sepang International Circuit for their help and support Meritus.GP Founder & President Peter Thompson Managing Director Firhat Mokhzani Chairman Meritus-Mahara Raad Abdul Jawad TrackRecord is the official magazine of the AsiaCup Series and Meritus.GP
CONTENTS 4 Experience the AsiaCup Series We get the entire Meritus.GP crew inside the Technical Centre 6 One mission Everything you need to know about the AsiaCup Series 16 The learning curve Driver coaching is all part of the learning process with Meritus.GP 19 A lap of Sepang How to conquer this challenging Formula 1 track 20 For the love of Malaysia A look at the history of Sepang – the home of Malaysian Motorsport 24 Building the bridge Why the new F4 series is the ideal starting point for young racers hat is Formula 4? 29 W We get the sport’s governing body, the FIA, to explain 30 Gerhard Berger: Building the pyramid Ferrari’s Formula 1 winner has a new goal for the stars of tomorrow 36 A glimpse of the future Meritus.GP gives its stars a taste of F1 from inside the paddock. 42 The 2014 AsiaCup Series A full run-down of the runners and riders on the track? 48 Race Report – Event 1 All the action from the first four races of this season at Sepang 50 Young masters The Meritus.GP team take it’s youngsters to the next level 54 Luca Filippi Meet the IndyCar star who won for Meritus.GP in GP2 Asia. 58 Growing with merit A look back at 25+ years of success for Meritus.GP – Malaysia’s most successful motorsport team 64 M iddle Eastern promise We look to the Middle East for the next stars of motorsport
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
3
MERITUS.GP
M A K I N G I N T E R N AT I O N A L H E R O E S
Experience the AsiaCup www.meritus.gp
4 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
5
ONE MISSION
W H AT I S A S I AC U P ?
one 6 TRACKRECORD
September 2014
mission The agenda of the AsiaCup Series is simple: to create international motorsport heroes. To do this, a three-pronged strategy is used: One Make, One Track, One Team. Added together, that equals One Low Cost
S EPTEMBER 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
7
ONE MISSION
W H AT I S A S I AC U P ?
Go to any kart track, anywhere in the world, and you will find racers of all ages having fun with four wheels, an engine and a steering wheel. Ask them who their hero is, and the answer will invariably be, Schumacher, Vettel or even Senna. And their goal? Like their heroes, it’s to get to Formula 1
Go to any kart track, anywhere in the world, and you will find racers of all ages having fun with four wheels, an engine and a steering wheel. Ask them who their hero is, and the answer will invariably be, Schumacher, Vettel, Hamilton or even Senna. Their goal? Like their heroes, it’s to get to Formula 1. Fulfilling that dream is no easy task. For every Senna or Schumacher, there are hundreds of frustrated racing drivers, who had the talent but never had the funding and support, were unlucky, or in the wrong category at the wrong time to reach their goal. Jenson Button’s route to the top was fairly routine, his options notably fewer than the karting champions have today. Yet his general advice to those aspiring champions is still as it always was: clear, simple and straightforward. Karting champions today face an array of choices when the time comes to progress to cars. 2010 World Champion Button sums it up: “We all know how tough it is,” says the McLaren F1 star. “You need that little bit of luck on the way through. But ask yourself, ‘What is my dream for the future? What am I hoping for? What do I need to do to get there?’ We all like to
look forward, and see the stepping-stones needed.” Asian motorsport may not have the history of its European cousins, for progressing junior drivers’ careers but there is no doubt that it’s growing, and getting more professional by the year, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Malaysian-based Meritus. GP “For me, this is definitely the future of junior motorsport,” says Peter Thompson - founder, Chairman and CEO of Meritus.GP. “The ‘One’ concept that we have – One make, One track, One team – really is the only way to bring the costs down, and the opportunities up. “While karting remains the grassroots of the sport and is essential for early driver development,” he continues, “over the past 15 years, the high entry cost for formula racing has been the biggest obstacle for families to help their talented racers develop and maximise their potential. Other organisers expand their calendar boundaries in order to excite sponsors and enhance the image of their international championships but they forget that such globalization comes at a high cost.”
“We make it clear to the drivers what is
acceptable racing and what isn’t” 8 TRACKRECORD
September 2014
one make... The 140bhp Formula BMW car currently used in the AsiaCup Series has already been the stepping stone to F1 for stars such as Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg, Bruno Senna and Timo Glock, or to IndyCar for Graham Rahal, and Simona di Silvestro – the Swiss racer who now has a testing and simulator role with Sauber in F1. So the car’s track record shows its pedigree. But what is it like to drive? Luca Filippi, GP2 Asia winner for Meritus.GP, took the chance to sample the car for himself. Unlike the young hopefuls for whom it will be the first race car they sample, Luca already had experience of GP2, IndyCar and F1 machinery when he climbed aboard for his first taste of the FB02 chassis. “Unfortunately it’s a car that I never raced with,” said Luca after a test run at the Bahrain F1 circuit. “It’s feels like it’s a great car to learn with. Technically. It has a very nice balance, the power, the grip, and the drivability is similar to a bigger car. I think it’s the perfect car to teach young drivers how to drive. It has a nice little gearbox that works very
LEFT The AsiaCup Series Technical Plaza is home for the racers; BELOW Jenson Button advises youngsters with a dream of F1. MAIN AsiaCup Series, wheel-to-wheel
S EPTEMBER 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
9
ONE MISSION
W H AT I S A S I AC U P ?
“ We went all out to try to set up and get it right, and I’m glad that we did.
Absolutely everybody is happy with the parity of the equipment”
10 TRACKRECORD
September 2014
One Make: The FB02 Race Car Engine
A 140bhp, in-line, four-cylinder BMW K1200RS engine, rebuilt by SMC, Munich, Germany. The engine powers the FB02 racer from 0 to 100kph in less than four seconds and it can reach a top speed of 230kph Gearbox
6 speed Hewland FTR sequential gearbox with limited slip differential Monocoque
The F1 safe structure has crashboxes front and rear, a steel roll hoop and a kevlar/carbon fibre composite seat shell, incorporated into an FIA regulated kevlar/ carbon fibre composite aluminium honeycomb tub, which has a sixpoint safety belt and extraction support system in the spinal area Chassis
Double wishbone suspension with aerodynamic push rods and retention cables Aerodynamics
Single profile below, adjustable double profile above rear wing Data Recording
Data recording display built into the steering wheel, showing gears and LED shift lights
The AsiaCup race car is costefficient to maintain for the hard-working Meritus.GP crew
well. It’s a car you enjoy and where you can learn how to drive and race properly.” The FIA’s new Formula 4 class continues that theme, making it the perfect choice for kart racers worldwide.
one track... Sepang is the sole location for the AsiaCup Series, The Grand Prix track was built to the highest standards, and opened in 1999, holding its first Grand Prix that October. The challenging 3.45-
mile (5.54km) track is a good test of the drivers; its famous two long straights, allied to its expansive 20m width, promote passing. It also features gradient and camber, to add to the difficulty. Sepang was designed and built with safety foremost, and as such has the state of the art facilities required to make it a Formula 1-sanctioned race circuit. Based close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, it’s also handy for visiting drivers. The circuit will also soon be the home of the Meritus.GP offices. The 12-race Asia Cup - and the Super 6 races in
December - all take place at Sepang. The reasons are simple. First; the demanding track provides everything a young driver needs to learn, and second; cost. Firhat Mokhzani, Meritus.GP Managing Director explains: “Moving the series around makes money for no-one, except the logistics company. That was the first thing to cut out.” A giant Mertitus.GP Technical Plaza is home to the 25 cars, offices/data areas, driver changing area, spare parts store, tire changing area and the catering section, for the hard working crews of mechanics. S EPTEMBER 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
11
ONE MISSION
W H AT I S A S I AC U P ?
Prepare to qualify In a championship as competitive as the AsiaCup Series, every driver understands the importance of getting the best starting position possible. With four races over two days, promoter Meritus.GP has instigated a unique way of setting the grids, that doesn’t penalize a driver if they strike trouble in Race #1. A 30-minute qualifying session is held, and the order of the fastest to slowest in that session determines the grid for Race #1. The grid for Race #2 is set by the driver’s fastest lap set in Race #1, so even if they have suffered say a spin, they still have a chance to start where their speed will place them. For Race #3, the grid is set by each driver’s second quickest time from qualifying. The grid for Race #4 is set by the driver’s fastest lap set in #Race 3.
The international team of skilled driver coaches can deal with a multitude of languages
one team... Meritus.GP is Asia’s most successful motorsport team, and prides itself on driver training and progression. “I love the helping and giving part,” says Thompson. “It hasn’t made me tremendously wealthy, and maybe people don’t appreciate what we have done. But what we do at an event, or between races, has a whole educational side. Our development programmes reach the majority of the team’s 78 staff as well, with the government-backed Giatmara (meaning ‘apprenticeship’), which is an education institution, that provides skills training to the community.” On the way to the team’s 36 motorsport titles (including races in GP2 Asia, Formula V6 Asia and Formula BMW), the team’s engineers, fabricators and mechanics - sourced locally - have helped many of today’s top drivers achieve their goals. “Don’t tell us we can’t make a wishbone here in Malaysia, don’t tell us we can’t assemble a car, 12 TRACKRECORD
September 2014
because we do it every day of the week,” asserts Thompson. “We’re looking for something a little different. You pay full price for spare parts from France, Germany or wherever it is, even if you buy in bulk. So that’s why we look to training the guys here. And that, in turn keeps the costs down.” The training ethic extends to each driver; that’s the Meritus.GP policy. Each competitor is debriefed after every session, with the specialized coaches. They run through telemetry, data, Go-Pro video from on board, and general driving techniques and advice. “There’s no one else doing what we’re doing,” adds Thompson. “Remember, the drivers haven’t grown up in a community where they are karting at a circuit when Jenson Button or other professionals drop by, happy to answer questions, or say, ‘hey guys! maybe you should be trying this or that’. So we have tutors. If we didn’t have that, these guys just wouldn’t get the knowledge and advice… It’s not there in the community in Malaysia, there’s no club for them, there’s no this, no that. You don’t go to a cafe and talk
about set up and the problems you are having with your race car. “We were the first to use data 15 years ago, and then we introduced onboard cameras 10 years ago,” the Irishman continues. “We’ve got staff here for the drivers to learn from. One coach just for training camera footage, one coach for the data, then we’ve got three data engineers, three driver coaches, and then Firhat (Mokhzani – Meritus Managing Director) dealing with everybody. That’s a really important part.” As part of the package, drivers can choose who they feel they work with best. A relationship with an engineer, after all, has to come naturally if it is to provide fruit. Many will find they are most comfortable with one. On occasion though, a driver will stand out, because he or she appreciated the wide range of skilled ‘teachers’ and resources made available by Meritus.GP. “India’s ‘One in a Million’, Arjun Maini springs to mind,” recounts Thompson. “I asked him one day which coach he was most
Sepang International, Malaysia’s premier motorsport facility, hosts the AsiaCup Series
Safety first One of the benefits of the AsiaCup Series races all taking place at the Sepang International Circuit. is the continuity of the safety and medical teams. But just because they are present at every race, the medical team does not sit back and relax. They rehearse extrication at every event, and familiarise the crew with the car, to be prepared should an incident take place on track, as Dr Sunil Shanmuganathan explains. “For all car races there is an extrication team made up of six people including a doctor,” he says. “In an incident the first task would be for the team to check to see if there is any fire, or if the current is still on. That needs to be settled first. If the driver is unconscious, the most important thing for us is to stabilize them, and remove them as fast as possible. If the driver is conscious but injured and cannot get out of the car, the doctor will talk to him or her, and explain that they are about to extricate them, and ask them to remain calm and as still as possible. “Then,” he continues, “we’ll slowly extricate them, by removing the steering wheel, the side protectors, stabilize the neck, the helmet, and the HANS device, and put on the cervical collar.” One of the safety aspects of the FB02 chassis is that the cars are designed so that the seat can be removed with the driver still in position, potentially preventing further injury. Then they are placed on the vacuum mattress, and transported by ambulance to the circuit’s fully equipped medical centre. “The doctor co-ordinates the entire recovery. Everyone knows their specific role, and they are all paramedics. We practice for a reason. When you go to an accident site, it’s much smoother and easier and therefore calmer. You want to create as seamless a process as possible, for the driver too.”
One would think that drivers would shy away from seeing the practice runs, where the role of the ‘patient’ is often taken by one of the Meritus.GP mechanics. You’d be wrong! “No, not at all,” smiles Shanmuganathan. “The opposite in fact! Sometimes the drivers come and will be the ‘model’, so they can learn the feel of it, and exactly how it works, should they unfortunately need us for real.”
The safety crew practice driver removal at every event
S EPTEMBER 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
13
ONE MISSION
W H AT I S A S I AC U P ?
The contact point Without tyres, RACE race cars go nowhere and for the AsiaCup Series, the official supplier is Hankook Tyre. The Korean company has a rich history in racing, also supplying tyres to the prestige DTM series. One visitor to the Sepang International Circuit for the June races in 2014 was Jae Kim, Hankook’s Motorsport Manager, Asia. “This is the first time we have supported a series in Malaysia and with our supply of the bankbook tyre, we have been supporting it since last year. We developed this tyre for Formula 3 in the European series, so it’s durable and built for long life.” Mr Kim was also impressed by what he saw in the Meritus.GP ‘Technical Centre’, based behind the pit area at Sepang; especially the atmosphere and camaraderie. “At many of the motorsport races I go to, I don’t see drivers talking with other teams and mechanics but the thing that I saw in a positive way in the AsiaCup, is that they’re not fighting with each other. They just have one goal – to race – but then they can sit and have lunch together.”
14 TRACKRECORD
September 2014
2014 Calendar For information regarding competing in the remaining events, contact Peter Thompson, peter@meritus.gp Event 1 When 18-22 Jun (Race 1-4) WHERE Sepang F1 Circuit
Supporting Malaysian SuperSeries
comfortable with. His answer showed that he is definitely a thinking driver. He said it depended what he wanted help with. If it was something with the car, he went to Denny (Quinn, Meritus.GP Chief Race Engeer), if it was detail such as lines in the corners, he would go to Firhat, and for data he’d go to Romira (Garcia, Meritus.GP Performance). But he also talked with other drivers to see what they were experiencing. That’s a kid using everything we make available, to better his performance. “Personally I don’t think the drivers appreciate what they have here,” Thompson concludes, “and they will expect it – and miss it – when they go to Europe or wherever next...”
keeping costs in check
In addition to the three principal areas of the concept, an overriding mission for the whole series and creating motorsport heroes is ‘cost’. Everything is done to keep the budgets for the aspiring superstars and their families as low as possible, without cutting the corners that would compromise
Event 2 10-14 Sept (Race 5-8 Sepang F1 Circuit Supporting Malaysia 12 hour When WHERE
Event 3 28 Oct-2 Nov (Race 9-12) Sepang F1 Circuit Supporting Malaysian SuperSeries When WHERE
the AsiaCup Series. Their potential budgets and sponsorships are hard to come by, so every penny must count. Some areas, though, are placed at a premium for drivers, who are learning their trade. The drivers and their families choose AsiaCup because it’s cost-effective. “To race here it’s only $55,000, which is less than a karting budget, if the drivers are getting serious. And about a third or a quarter of what it would cost to go and race in Europe. That’s very important for the families of hopefuls, and something that is very, very important to the AsiaCup. “We have to be careful with the costs,” Thompson continues. “For everything we have to go direct to source – our clutches or our flat floors, or everything else. We’ve tried to localize the part supply as much as possible to keep the prices down.” In an ideal world, spare parts, of course, would be a minimal cost. The chassis, engines and gearboxes are built for long life, with great care taken in the preparation before and at the track by the Meritus. GP crews. One factor the team can’t control 100 percent is obviously damage to the cars, wings etc.
Super 6 9-14 Dec (Race 1-6) Sepang F1 Circuit Supporting the Asian Le Mans Series hen W WHERE
Mokhzani explains: “We make it very clear to the drivers before, in the briefing, what is acceptable racing and what isn’t – and we make it very clear how much an accident will cost them. We build it into the drivers; what is sporting and what is not sporting.” The other argument for the one-team approach is that it levels the field, meaning the best drivers will shine, and that all the other drivers can see the telemetry trace of each session’s fastest lap to compare to their own. “In the past there has been some slight negativity in justifying the one make/one team series,” Mokhzani adds. “We did a lot of research, talked to a lot of people, past drivers, mechanics, to find out what it was that made people unhappy about things. We went all out to try to set up and get it right, and I’m glad that we did. Absolutely everybody is happy with the parity of the equipment.” The 11-time Grand Prix winner, and Formula 1’s most experienced racer, Rubens Barrichello says of his junior racing days, “that was the best school that I ever went to…” That is something that the AsiaCup Series aims at being. Just watch out for its graduates.
S EPTEMBER 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
15
ONE MISSION
16 TRACKRECORD
COACH & HORSEPOWER
SEPTEMBER 2014
practice
analysis
The
learning curve You never stop learning. In the AsiaCup Series, drivers have all the help they need
T
ennis, golf, soccer, cricket, baseball… You name it, the winning players have a coach, someone they trust and listen to. In motorsport, it is rare. Not for the AsiaCup Series racers, though where it is now a fundamental part the championship. A racing driver is like every person on the planet. They will always benefit from having a good teacher, one based in an ideal environment to learn. That is what Meritus.GP provides in its AsiaCup Series with its team of specialist driver coaches to guide and educate the drivers, and help them improve. The benefits to the driver are obvious, not least because they are studying where, and more importantly how, they can go quicker. For the coaches too, the process can be fulfilling. Firhat Mokhzani, Managing Director of Meritus. GP, is one of the founders of the team’s driver development programme and race engineering data schemes. His role means he has coached and overseen many drivers since the idea was implemented. “There’s a personal buzz,” he agrees. “You see these kids, they are so young and full of potential, so it’s really rewarding to see some of them fulfill that potential. That’s the great thing about this – you know almost immediately when you’ve done a good job. It’s either the stopwatch or the look on the driver’s face. Or both!” Almost all of the drivers in AsiaCup are in the early stages of their career. For some, Sepang in June was their first ever race in a car… For all drivers, though, the event starts the same. A booklet with the programme of their weekend schedule highlights the key moments and what their job and responsibilities are. Basically, it tells them where they must be, and when. The coaches have found it works better in writing. Punctuality
coaching
is something that becomes more important the higher they get in racing.” The competitors also get a track guide, which includes a circuit map, to make their own notes about gear selection and corner numbers, that they can refer to with their engineer. One of the directives, or mission statements given early in the whole process is simple, and straightforward, as Denny Quinn, Meritus.GP Team Engineer, explains: “Coaching is teaching a driver not to ‘be fast’, but more importantly, to understand ‘how to be fast’. This means building a mutual relationship with the driver. It is important to listen and establish the trust. This understanding factor is important, it’s the only way to progress.” For those with experience, progress is finding and focusing on those key areas to improve. A tenth of a second saved here or there can add up over a lap. Then it’s about refining and reproducing that performance every lap. For the first timers, there’s a lot to digest. Armaan Ebrahim is one of the driver coaches, a former race winner in Formula BMW Asia and F V6 Asia. He has also raced in F3 and F2 in Europe, and Indy Lights in America. He explains the procedure for a new driver. “The main focus is for them to keep it on the circuit and learn, getting the basic feel for the brakes and steering. After that first session we’ll look at the video, download all the data, look at the telemetry and we’ll look at the video in more detail, see that the lines and shifting points are right, their braking technique, things like that. “We’ll compare their data with the fastest one (so conditions are the same), but also their laps themselves – and see how consistent they are, what they are doing differently each and every lap. The main focus is to get consistent – so that they know
focus
what they are doing naturally – rather than outright speed. Because, once they figure out what they are doing, and exactly where to put the car, then the speed will come.”
Making progress Ross Jamison, Formula BMW Pacific Champion in 2008, is another driver coach with personal experience of the AsiaCup Series cars, winning his title with Meritus.GP. “The car logs about 50 channels, so that’s a lot of information for you to put up on the screen for the drivers. Some of them genuinely understand it, and get into the information quickly. But there have been occasions where you have drivers that just don’t get what you’re showing them, so you have to spell it out.” Some take to the new information straight away. “It’s much easier to make progress if they do understand what they are shown,” Hong Kongbased Jamison says. They understand what all the little lines on the screen mean. That’s when they start to develop their own thinking without you having to tell them what to look for.” One such newcomer is Worawong Komarakul, better known as ‘Plu’. The Thai driver had seven years’ experience in karts, but the Sepang races in June were his first in a car. After those four races, he had a remarkable four podium finishes, and eight new trophies for his collection – for the four third places, and four rookie winner finishes. “I learned so many more things about racing,” Plu says of his accomplished AsiaCup Series debut. “One of those was data – such an important thing for racing formula cars. In all of my sessions it felt like there were a million things to remember and fix. “I missed some days of school to come racing,” he admits, “but at the same time it felt like I came
success
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
17
ONE MISSION
COACH & HORSEPOWER
to an academics camp! The math and science that I was taught in school – that I once thought was completely useless – I saw it in action here, helping me with my driving and the car. “The Asia Cup series taught me – with a handson experience – why racing is as such an all-round sport,” he concludes. “It requires skill, fitness, commitment, and more to ‘play’ – along with the athlete’s ability to learn and apply knowledge not just to themselves, but also to the machine.”
Practice makes perfect While Plu picked it up immediately, others grew in speed as the event continued. Indian Ebrahim again: “Every corner has got to matter,” he says. “If you are good everywhere, it will make a big difference. For example a driver will come up and say, ‘I’m three seconds off’. So you look at the data, and you see it’s not all in one section… It’s one or two tenths in every corner, and with a slower speed between the corners, it all adds up over the lap.” And that is when the data sheets count the most.” The final lesson is very simple: no-one is perfect. Drivers will make mistakes. The thing to learn is to not make the same mistake twice. They will all jump the start, stall the engine, miss their braking, speed in the pits, not observe flags and make other misdemeanors. It’s all part of the learning process.
Charted territories Firhat Mohkzani, Managing Director, and one of the brains behind the drivers’ development programmes and race engineering data, explains a typical data sheet that will be studied and absorbed after a session. The driver can recognize where improvements are needed to post faster lap times.
Key to trace n Steering input n RPM n Speed
n Brake Pressure n Throttle Position
TRACE #1
TRACE #2
TRACE #1
TRACE #2
The screenshot above is of a typical analysis window that we use in AsiaCup. The different lines from top to bottom respectively show: The vertical dotted line towards the left side of the page shows the cursor position and the car position on track during the lap. In the map window in the middle of the page, the position of the cursor correlates to where the blue and red dot intersects on the map window. The panel titled ‘Measuring values’ shows what the values of all the sensors are at the cursor position (the vertical dotted line) of the analysis window. The values marked in bold in the table correspond to the values that are illustrated graphically. In this case, it’s just the five values that I described previously though you can see there are many more that could be graphed out if so desired. All along the bottom in the red band is information that shows the event (ACS1.14 = AsiaCup Series, event one), the date of the data (0621 = June 21), the initials of the driver (JP = Jake Parsons), the run number (02), the specific lap number (7L = lap 7) and the recorded lap time (2:17.83 min = 2m17.83s) of the outing that is displayed on screen.
This is an illustration of the same data as in #1 (which is a race lap from AsiaCup 2014, race 2) but overlaid with the TRACE #3 qualifying lap of the same driver for the first event. In this graph, you can see an additional line in the center of the screen that slowly separates from the center line of the screen as the lap progresses. This is called the time difference line. This makes it easy to spot quickly where the driver is losing out in terms of time from one lap to another. Differences in throttle application, brake application and steering angles between the faster blue graph against the red graph all contribute to this time loss. It is possible to zoom into specific parts of the lap in order to get a detailed look as I have done in the graph (Trace #3).
18 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
T15
T6 T4
T7
T5
T8
T9
T10
T11
T12
T13 T2
T3
T14 T1
A lap of
Sepang T1
2nd gear
With entry speeds nudging 200kph drivers hit the anchors just before the 50m board. The braking phase continues deep into the corner forcing drivers to manage braking and cornering performance (longitudinal and lateral grip). The exit of T1 is all about setting up T2. If you apex too early, or get too eager with the throttle, you’ll arrive at T2 too far to the left hand side of the circuit and ruin your average speed the whole way to T4.
T2
2nd gear
A second gear corner, T2 drops away from the car at the apex the circuits constant undulation is part of its charm. Drivers need to nail the throttle early because there is no lifting between the apex of T2 and the braking point at T4 - any speed deficit at corner exit is maintained for the next 500 hundred meters or so!
T3 6th GEAR FLAT T3 is a non event in the dry. It is “easy flat” as drivers would say. In the wet it is a little more difficult. During heavy rainstorms T3 develops a number of cross circuit rivers which cause lots of oversteer and raised heart rates inside the cockpit.
T4
The home of the AsiaCup Series is the Formula 1-standard Sepang International Circuit, which has hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix since 1999. Who better to take us for a quck lap than Ross Jamison, 2008 Formula BMW Pacific series champion, and now Meritus.GP driver coach.
3RD gear
The cars arrive approaching the rev limiter in 5th before braking at the 50m board and firing down two gears. A traditional racing line arcs through the corner - drivers apex mid corner and use all the track width at the exit.
T5
5th gear
T5 is the first real high speed corner at Sepang. Taken in 5th gear, the cars accelerate through T5 hitting speeds well over 150kph. A little like the T1/2 complex, T5 is all about setting up T6. The entry point is very wide and the racing line gradually tightens into the apex just before the transition to T6. The aim is to create the widest angle possible as you enter T6.
ratios, they’re all about carrying good entry speed, loading the car quickly and picking up the throttle early for a fast run to T9.
T9 2ND gear One of the slowest corners on the track, T9 is taken in 2nd gear. A good overtaking spot, drivers should always beware of a kamikaze dive on the first lap! T9 has a slightly late apex. This enables drivers to straighten the exit phase and fire the car up the considerable gradient into T10/11.
3rd gear
T15
T12
4th / 5th gear
T14
T11
T7/8
Although they may look like two corners on the track map, inside the car, T7/8 become one, double apex corner. Taken in fourth or fifth gear, depending on gear
5th gear
As you enter T13, also flat in 5th gear, you hug the inside white line and don’t let go. There is a handy slip road on the infield section which makes a good braking marker for T14.
6th GEAR FLAT Like T3, T10 is a non event in the dry. The cars are “easy flat” from the exit of T9 to the braking point at T11.
T10
An extension of T5, T6 is fast and huge amounts of fun. In qualifying trim, T5/6 are both flat, a very satisfying feeling! If you do happen wash off the circuit at the exit, you’ll be welcomed by some very uncomfortable gravel traps.
5th gear
T13
The whole way through T13 the car is laterally loaded. As such, when you hit the braking point for T14 (the slip road) you also straighten the steering wheel to give the tyres the grip they need to slow you down. It’s then a matter of getting the car to pivot quickly and getting back on the power early. Any speed lost out of T14 is carried all the way down the back straight.
4th gear T11 can be very frustrating. Firstly, as you approach the corner, the apex is blind. In addition, even if you judge the apex perfectly, the corner proceeds to slope away from you (off camber) - it try’s to suck you onto the kerb and spit you into the gravel.
T6
Overall Impression A circuit much loved by drivers, Sepang has something for everyone. The 5.4 km loop has a great mix of corners providing a technical challenge for drivers and engineers alike.
5th gear Taken flat in fifth, T12 is another very speedy corner. A smooth approach helps to keep the car settled and stable ready for the T13/14 complex.
3rd gear
The back straight is the perfect place to take a breather, adjust your brake bias (if necessary) and check your mirrors. Drivers arrive at T15 in 6th gear and hit the brakes about 60m from the corner. From here, you pop down three cogs and take a slightly late apex to ensure a good exit onto the main straight. And that’s a lap of Sepang. Hosts F1 and MotoGP. Minimum track width: 16m. Longest straight: 927.5m.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
19
THE VISION
S E PA N G I N T E R N AT I O N A L C I R C U I T
The flagship of
In 1999 the Sepang International Circuit was launched as Malaysia’s center of motorsport development
Malaysia’s Fourth Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad outlined his vision of a hi-tech country and Malaysia’s automotive industry when he assumed the reins of office. Shortly afterwards, the national car company, Proton, was launched. More than 10 years after the country’s motor industry began to churn out a Malaysianmade car in 1985, the Prime Minister strove to get a Formula 1 race hosted. Mahathir’s vision created the first F1 ‘super circuit’ Sepang, boosting the country’s high tech automotive industry and injecting sports tourism spin-offs. In just 14-months a race-track of worldclass feature and contour was built south of
BELOW Left to right Sepang’s famous landmarks have a firm place on the F1 calendar; Winner Lewis Hamilton meets Petronas Group CEO Tan Sri Dato’ Shamsul Azhar Abbas and Prime Minister of Malaysia Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak
16 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, in a hi-tech belt already brimming with an ultra-modern airport, a cyber-city and multi-purpose stadium of Olympic proportions. When opening the Sepang F1 Circuit on 9 March 1999 Mahathir said that the Sepang F1 Circuit could “become a center of motorsports development not only for the country but also for the region.” He said it was cheaper for the foreign teams to base themselves in Malaysia and also that the hot weather conditions were good for testing all kinds of cars and engines. Dr.Mahathir pointed out the value, in advertising dollars, of a global TV audience for the Malaysian-hosted Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The Sepang racetrack was constructed at a cost of USD$100 million and was given the right to incorporate the official Formula 1 logo in its name. The facility was christened Sepang International Circuit. The SIC manages all motorsport activities, both locally and internationally, including the prestigious FIA World Formula 1 Grand Prix and FIM World MotoGP races. Today SIC’s Chairman is the Prime Minister’s son Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, who is assisting the circuit management to boost the Malaysian motorsport industry. His father’s Vision 2020 foresight has come alive with many international teams such as Meritus.GP, basing themselves
at Sepang for the last 10 years, training and developing drivers and engineers. Today’s Prime Minister, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak has fully embraced his predecessor’s vision, and continues to encourage the Malaysian motorsport industry and has granted Meritus ‘National Team’ status. The PM says: “The Asian sports industry has good growth potential, providing significant benefits for the Malaysian economy and globally promoting Malaysian Motorsport technology and our talented engineers. Meritus is a winning Malaysian brand, entrepreneurial and technically motivated and with a track record for creating champions.”
LEFT The
Mercedes AMG Petronas team gets a VIP visit from ex-Prime Minister Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad; Right Prime Minister of Malaysia Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone with a scale Meritus.GP GP2 car
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
17
DREAM DEBUT 22 TRACKRECORD
Jake Parsons greets the chequered flag during the Formula Masters China Series race at the Sepang International Circuit
SEPTEMBER 2014
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
23
F1 F U T U R E S
Wh Ha At T iI s S F4?
Building
Bridge the
You are a national kart champion, or an international karting winner, but for any 15-year-old or their family, making the right decision for a racing career is now as important as choosing the best university
T
he FIA, motorsport’s governing body, has structured a career path from karting all the way to Formula 1 to simplify decisionmaking for those youngsters. The new Formula 4 worldwide initiative is the next step after karting, so all the driver has to decide is which F4 series to race in, and where it is. Is it the more cost-effective and proven Asian route? Or will it be Europe? Whichever, the FIA is fully behind all of the sanctioned F4 series. The FIA’ Single Seater Commission President, Gerhard Berger, explained the basis of F4 at its launch in March 2013. “People are complaining that the best drivers are now all spread out,” said the Austrian. “You can’t look at the British Formula 3 Championship, for example, and say that driver is certain to get to Formula 1. These days the best drivers are all over the place: one in Formula 3,
24 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
one in GP3, one in Formula Renault and one in Formula Abarth. The system no longer does what it is supposed to do, which is to give a highly talented driver a CV he can use to progress to Formula 1.” Chassis constructor Mygale was among the first to pledge support, and predicted a huge success. “It is the time for a series to become as global as Formula Ford used to be 40 years ago,” said Bertrand Decoster, Président Directeur Général of the French company. “Right now, if you are a kid from Asia, Germany, the UK, United States, it’s a complex thing to know where to start off in racing.” The directive was simple. If interested in embracing the low-cost F4, each country’s ASN (National Sporting Authority) would nominate a promoter. They would then partner with a single engine manufacturer to tender a strictly regulated engine, homologated by the FIA, developing between 140-160bhp. Once that was chosen, chassis choice, was open – within FIA regulations.
The carbon monocoque had to be built to the FIA’s latest F3 safety standards. A single tire supplier would be appointed, to provide six slick tires for each car per event. That was the objective. How well was it received in the racing world? As the FIA’s Frédéric Espinos states in these pages (see sidebar, ’The formula for success’), countries, regions and continents quickly registered interest. Gerard Quinn, Head of Ford Racing Europe explains why Ford took an interest for the UK, but with an eye on other territories too. “Affordability is really where we need to be,” says Quinn, “affordability brings the sustainability to make these championships last. People that come in, they get into the sport at an affordable level. We’re doing all we can right now with our partners and suppliers to ensure that we have the best cost base. That means, best value, lowest cost for drivers relative to other series, and relative to what’s available in the market place.”
? Formula 1
Formula 4
Go-Kart ABOVE
The FIA is streamlining formula racing with F4 BELOW Tatuus and Mygale chassis
Where in the world? Italy was the first to embrace the new regulations, its ASN, the ACI-Csai, deciding to replace its Formula Abarth series, and upgrade to the FIA Formula 4 for 2014. Abarth remained on board with engines. Tatuus too, renowned for its junior category chassis, didn’t hesitate either. Tatuus cofounder and director Gianfranco De Bellis explains. “For Tatuus it is a very important project, we have always made important cars in the entry level sector, with FRenault, FToyota, FAbarth, etc.” Tatuus had to meet the FIA’s intended cost of euro 38,000 for a rolling chassis, which the constructor decided would come equipped with the optional data-logging and paddle-shift gear-change system at a cost of euro 5,000 more. “It was a very difficult challenge with new regulations and tight deadlines to build it to the very high safety requirements and meet the target cost imposed by the FIA,” says De Bellis. S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
25
F1 F U T U RE S
ABOVE Vincenzo
W H AT I S F 4 ?
Sospiri mentors his young Euronova Racing star Leonardo Pulcini
F4 in Italy: The racer’s line Vincenzo Sospiri was the 1987 World Kart Champion, he won races in Opel Lotus for Peter Thompson’s team and he was F3000 champion in 1995. In 2012, for a story in F1 Racing magazine, Michael Schumacher was asked who his racing heroes were when he was younger. His answer was a surprise to some, not to others. “To start with it was Vincenzo Sospiri,” said the German seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, “then it was Ayrton. Those two guys inspired me big time while I was karting.” Today, Sospiri is the team boss of Euronova Racing, and prides himself on nurturing new talent. Euronova runs teams in AutoGP, Formula Renault and – new this year – Italy’s FIA Formula 4 series. When Sospiri won his kart title, his route up to F1 – that’s another story – was simple. “My choice was pretty much limited to either Formula Ford or going straight into F3,” he says. “I chose Formula Ford because at the time the British championship was so strong, and it also represented the best value for money.” Today, Euronova Racing is running three cars in the Italian F4 Championship for its youngsters, and Sospiri is excited “ Michael about the category’s potential for new talent. “This must Schumacher was be the best chance there is for a serious worldwide entry level championship to be created,” he says. “The FIA has asked who his overseen the car’s development and the aim was to make a racing heroes car that was good for teaching young kids the fundamental racing skills in a controlled environment – the key points were. His answer about set-up, and experiencing different circuits etc.” was a surprise The components for the Italian series, run by the ACICSA, are detuned Abarth engines installed in Tatuus to some, not chassis on Pirelli tyres. Above all, it’s easy for the teams to others. “To and the driver, and within the constrained budget. The first round at Adria attracted 22 cars, which is healthy, start with it was whichever way you look at it. “There is a huge amount of Vincenzo Sospiri” interest in the Championship from non-Italian drivers,” Sospiri continues. “The entry list for the first round included drivers from 11 different nations. “I think F4 is a very good step for drivers straight out of karting who want to do something before tackling F3 or even FRenault. The championship gives the drivers an opportunity to learn without a huge budget. An F3 car is of course a beautiful car, but the cost now is very expensive. It’s definitely better for drivers to learn with something that allows you to make some mistakes without finishing your budget in one go.” Euronova’s three young drivers all have karting backgrounds, and the team has already scored two wins at time of writing. “Two of our drivers are Italians, Leonardo Pulcini and Andrea Fontana,” explains Sospiri. “They both have strong karting backgrounds, particularly Pulcini who was the KFJ World Champion last year. He is only just 16 so F4 has been perfect for him. He started testing during the winter and after 12 from 21 races is third in the championship. He has the talent to go far but in Italy it’s always difficult as there is very little support for young drivers and sponsorship is hard to find. Our third driver is a Russian kid sponsored by SMP, Ivan Matveev. He had his first podium at Imola, and turned 16 during the season.” Fontana took his first win at Magione, while the team’s FRenault driver Ukyo Sasahara stepped back to F4 for one event, and won it at Adria.”
26 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
“The final car price including Abarth engine, data acquisition, paddle shift system (Magneti Marelli ) has been fixed at euro 47.500,00. Not only is the price of the car very low, but the running costs are too.” WSK Promotion had been appointed to promote the series, and the Italian F4 Championship Powered by Abarth was born. In early June 2014, the seven-event, 21-race series was underway. There were 22 cars on the grid at Adria for the first race. Italy had been the first to commit to a championship, and Tatuus was the obvious chassis partner, and its deal in Italy with Abarth was basically a continuation of its existing relationship. Who else was interested in this new concept to relaunch single-seater racing on a national level? Mygale, had already been working on its own global chassis program, with kits to fit with various manufacturers should they choose, and introduced a concept car in early July ’13, for markets worldwide. The constructor made quick progress, signing with China and engine manufacturer Geely. Mygale and CAMS (Australia’s federation) also inked a deal – engine to be decided.
Have car, will race For CAMS the option of F4 was a no-brainer. “We had a national Formula Ford championship in Australia which we sanctioned, that I think was progressively becoming too expensive,” says Mike Smith, CAMS General Manager, Motor Sport. “Certainly we felt the cost of competing had become far too much for what is an entry level category. We also felt that it became more about the development of the car rather than the development of the driver. “Also, Formula Ford internationally was becoming less relevant. A lot of countries were moving away from running a Formula Ford category. So Formula 4 was just logical. It’s a newer formula, it’s safer, It’s also a formula that the FIA is recognizing around the world. So really it was just a no-brainer.” Ford Motorsport’s management itself had the same thoughts. “For us it was a natural evolution to go from Formula Ford into F4 in terms of the opportunity that it provided,” explains Gerard Quinn, Head of Ford Racing Europe. “It aligns very well with what we’ve always done in junior single seat racing. To be part of, and to have the responsibility to run the British championship, and for that to be part of the global plan from the FIA, to have a single standard where it is the entry level for people coming into motor racing, I think is very important.”
Evolution not revolution Formula Ford, since its 1966 inception had been the natural starting point for racers worldwide. F1 World Champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Hakkinen, Nigel Mansell, Jody Scheckter, Damon Hill and Jenson Button are just a few that won in Formula Ford as youngsters. In Britain, like Australia, it was decided that the national Formula Ford Championship would morph into FIA F4, starting in 2015, with the Mygale chassis powered by Ford’s EcoBoost engine. “We took the decision because we believed it was the right thing to do, and it sits naturally with what we
ABOVE The
Tatuus has been racing in Italy, while the Mygale has been displayed and tested at circuits in France and Australia
Behind the wheel Formula 4 is up and running in Italy, but we wanted the opinions of experienced drivers of the new machine. Neither Gerhard Berger nor Vincenzo Sospiri have tried the car yet, but TrackRecord found to guys who have put the the Mygale and Tatuus chassis through their paces, one of them taking a victory. Karl Reindler is a former Australian F3 champion, who raced in British F3, A1GP and the V8 Supercar series. He took the wheel of the Mygale at Wodonga as the first chassis had its maiden run on Australian soil. “It’s a fantastic little car,” said Reindler. “It reminds me of the days when I was racing open-wheeler, and I reckon it’s going to produce some pretty exciting racing as well. It’s got a great amount of mechanical grip, and obviously it’s got aero as well. As far as open-wheelers go, it’s all about slicks and wings, it’s the logical step. Coming out of karts at 14 or 15 years old, you can jump into a car that’s very affordable to run and maintain, and experience this first hand. So, it’s not going to break the bank as
far as racing cars go, and it’s the perfect stepping stone to the next level and beyond. At Adria in Italy in April, Ukyo Sasahara was about to turn 18 years old and was preparing to climb aboard the Tatuus F4 chassis in the first event of the Italian F.4 Championship. The Japanese driver, usually racing for Euronova, stepped back into one of the team’s regular cars while its driver was elsewhere. He won the second of the three races, against 21 other Tatuus-Abarths. “I love driving any car!”, he said. “It was something new for me and to experience and drive a different car.” Is it a good car for youngsters? “I think Formula 4 car is quite easy to drive for a driver from karting,” Sasahara says. “It is the same with left foot braking and the paddle shift is not difficult to get used to. There is also a lot of grip from tire that makes it easy to control. The driving style is a little bit different but is not a big change, so generally, yes, it is good from karting.”
W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
27
F1 F U T U RE S
W H AT I S F 4 ?
A step closer to Ferrari Every racing driver dreams of a seat with Ferrari in F1, and often that dream can seem a million miles away. For two drivers in the very early stages of their careers, Ferrari’s Driver Academy is already using Formula 4 is a key to their development. Canadian Lance Stroll, 15, and China’s Guanyu Zhou, 14, are two of the Academy’s five drivers. Mid-season, Stroll was leading the Italian F4 Championship for the Prema Powerteam, while Zhou, 14, the reigning 2013 Junior Rotax European Champion, is racing for the Strawberry Racing team in the Rotax Max Euro Challenge championship and the CIK-FIA European KF Championship and will take part in the 2014 CIK-FIA World KF World Championship. But before that Zhou was at Ferrari’s test track, Maranello, to run his first laps is an F4 car, prior to moving up to the category for 2015. “I was a bit nervous this morning, as it was my first time in a single-seater and the track had a lot of water on it, but then it all went well and it felt fantastic. It’s completely different to a kart. You have to try and adapt your driving style to it in a hurry and get used to much higher speeds. The Prema team and the engineers from the Academy followed my every step and taught me a lot and I’m really grateful.” The three other drivers in the Ferrari Driver Academy this year are Jules Bianchi (F1), Raffaele Marciello (GP2) and Antonio Fuoco (European F3).
always have done in our 48 year history in Formula Ford,” continued Quinn. Australia’s target market, like most of the F4 franchises, is the karting market. And for that CAM’S has an ace up its sleeve. Literally an ace, in the form of a five-time 500cc Motorcycle World Champion. “Mick Doohan is the Chairman of Karting Australia, and we have a terrific relationship with him and Karting Australia,” says Smith of CAM’S. “This has been a really strategic decision by us, and they have been involved in those discussions. They certainly see that Formula 4 is the next step out of karting. So we’ve been talking with them quite a lot.” Attracting youth from the karting world is a crucial point in the FIA’s global remit, in that the safety rules for F4, in mandating an F3- standard monocoque, allows for 15-year old licence holders to race. This is a boost for the UK, as currently, this is something its rivals at junior level in the UK can’t offer. Within days, Ford and its decision to switch to F4 in the UK was welcomed by the racing world, both present and future, with requests for information about the new series flowing in. “It was abundantly clear to us that the majority of our stakeholders that are currently in Formula Ford want to migrate to F4 next season, states Quinn. “So I guess that’s one of those encouraging things that shows we’re making the right decision, because the people that are in the sport today, want to be a part of it in the future.” Mygale has gone head-long into F4, developing its chassis for multiple engine suppliers. “We have decided to develop with two companies based in Magny-Cours where we have good connections,” says Decoster. “Then the engine package is to attract
manufacturers. We are naturally working closely with them as it is the philosophy of the F4 FIA. So we are working with all homologated manufacturers.” Japan, too, will be switching to the Formula 4 rules for 2015, is introducing yet another manufacturer/chassis combination. Replacing Formula Challenge, the FIA F4 chassis is being produced by Dome with its F110 and powered by its long-term race partner TOM’S. In mid August, the car had its first shakedown run in Japan, unpainted but ready for action.
What is the future? Short term, the interest in Formula 4 is high. Besides the countries and territories named above, there are more ASNs around the world evaluating F4 for their own regions. And, Mygale for instance, is targeting a run of 100 chassis in its program, Tatuus 25, More manufacturers and constructors are checking out its progress. Longer term there is talk of maybe having a Formula 4 ‘grand finale’ where the champions from around the world meet for ‘run-offs’ to determine a global champion. But those are plans for the longer term. For now though Formula 4 is growing quickly into that crucial first step on the racing ladder – wherever you are from.
ABOVE The
Dome F4 chassis was due to be unvelived in Japan in late August
UNDER THE SKIN Rolling chassis
€33,000 +VAT
Chassis
Rear Suspension
Front wing
nF IA F4 specified safety standard
nD ouble wishbone with pushrods, twin
nM ain-plane adjustable
homologated carbon monocoque
Engine
shock layout, camber, toe, roll center, anti-squat adjustable
Rear wing
Any FIA registered engines, €9500 (max)
Transmission nS ix-speed sequential
Brakes
Overall Length
Options
Front Suspension
nT win pot calipers, ventilated disc
n4 250mm (MAX)
Paddle shift and data acquisition, €5,000
nD ouble wishbone with pushrods, twin
Bodywork
Overall Width
n Fiberglass
n 1 750mm
28 TRACKRECORD
shock layout, camber and toe adjustable
SEPTEMBER 2014
nT wo aero profiles, main-plane adjustable
The formula for success The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) governs motorsport worldwide, and is behind the Formula 4 initiative designed specifically to simplify the stepping stones of junior racing for drivers dreaming of Formula 1. Frédéric Espinos, Single-Seater Championships Manager, explains the FIA’s theories behind the category to TrackRecord Track Record Simplifying junior racing has long been necessary, makin g just one obvious route to F1. Has your Formula 4 initiative been welcomed by ASNs around the world? FIA: We have a strong interest from ASNs and this is the key, as Formula 4 is an ASN project. We want Formula 4 to stay at the national level. ASN are our only contact, and each project is presented and supported by an ASN, in order to be certified by the FIA. The philosophy of F4 is to help ASNs to have a strong single-seater championship. This quote from (FIA President) Jean Todt should help you: “FIA Formula 4 is a great initiative, firstly, because this discipline represents the missing step which exists between karting and Formula 3 today. Secondly, Formula 4 creates a synergy between the FIA and all ASNs through the training of the talent of tomorrow in a championship which matches both control of costs with the highest levels of safety. With Formula 4, young drivers from every country have the chance to put themselves in the spotlight from the beginning of their career.”
You have Italy, next Australia. Possibly the UK? What other national authorities have expressed an interest in Formula 4? Italy is running. In 2015 Australia, UK, China, North European Zone (Russia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden) and Germany are confirmed. Japan will be there. We also have request from South America, Middle East and USA, but these are not 100 percent finalized yet. What about engine manufacturers? There is Abarth in Italy, Ford maybe in the UK, what others do you know of? Abarth, Ford, Volkswagen and Geely are the first engines supplier. A few others are interested and looking for opportunities. We are working to get them involved around the Formula 4 project.
What will the FIA’s involvement be once the various national series are underway? We will give tools to the ASNs to run the championship: sporting regulations, technical regulations, organization guidelines and communication guidelines. We will support them in terms of communication and if they want, we are able so send technical delegates. The FIA will help those championships to have credibility, and for that sporting and technical equity are two main pillars. The goal is also to support ASNs in the organization of such championships, as countries like China or even Russia do not have that in their culture. The goal is also to share knowledge and to educate people. What promotion do you expect the FIA will provide? We will have a dedicated part on FIA.com, we will push F4 on the FIA social network and we will include Formula 4 in the single-seater communication strategy.
Are you happy that the costs will remain low? This is a key point. It is in the regulations, the season should be under 100,000 euros.
Formula 4 has been well received. Have you had good feedback? Here is a quote from Gerhard Berger: “People like our concept, and I feel that we are entering a very interesting phase for FIA Formula 4. It is taking shape in numerous countries. This year, the Italian Formula 4 Championship is an important first step. We are following its development closely, and the FIA will lend all its support to the CSAI, especially where sporting and technical equality and communication are concerned. In 2015, there are potentially seven championships that will be staged across the world, and even more in 2016. We are conducting a long-term project, the objective being to make FIA Formula 4 the first indisputable step for single-seater racing drivers, by offering an optimum level of safety while at the same time keeping costs down. Formula 4 will re-launch single-seater racing on the national level and thus offer a new breeding ground of drivers for Formula 1, but also for all the other top-level disciplines.”
Overall Height
With different engine/chassis suppliers could there be a competitive end-of-season finale, like Macau or the Masters that exists for F3? Before working on a finale, we need to be sure that we have strong F4 championship all around the world, on a long-term basis. We will think about a final when all the championships are running well. So far, we do not know any more about a final and we do not start to think about different engine / chassis or not.
Tyres
nF r 195 /5 50R13, Rr 240 / 570R13
Target life
n9 50mm (from reference plane)
Wheelbase:
Rims
Track
Engine
Rebuild cost n€ 4000 (Cost per kilometer, based on threeyear basis, €0.7/km) Options
n2 750mm
n( Fr/Rr) 1500mm/1460mm
Weight
n5 70kg
nF r 8J-13, Rr 10J-13 nA ny FIA F4 registered and
homologated engines
Leasing option
n 1 0,000km
n€ 6000 (3-year basis)
Rebuild cost after 10,000km, €1500 (max) (Cost per kilometer, based on three-year basis, €0.7/km)
nP addle shift transmission, data
acquisition and camera car facility
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
29
INTERVIEW
GERHARD BERGER
Aspiring world champions have to make crucial choices early in their careers if they want to make Formula 1. Gerhard BERGER, Grand Prix winner, is supporting the simplifying of that path
Building thePyramid G
erhard Berger is no stranger to the world of motorsport. The Austrian raced in Formula 1 for 14 years, with stints at McLaren, Ferrari and Benetton, achieving 10 Grand Prix wins, 48 podium finishes and 12 pole positions. Without doubt, he is one of the star drivers from the 1990s who impressed the fans and audiences around the world. In 2012 he joined the FIA, on its Single Seat Commission. In his role there, he is now focused on streamlining the choices the young, hopeful, stars of tomorrow face in choosing their path towards the dream of Formula 1. To that end, he is one of the prime movers with the FIA in the introduction of Formula 4.
30 TRACKRECORD
S EI P W N TT EE M R B2E0R1 42 0 1 4
F4 should be the entry formula of all the young kids after karting when they go into motor racing in a single-seater category and it should be the first step to direct young kids to F1.�
SS EE PP TT EE M MB B EE R R 22 00 11 44 TRACKRECORD TRACKRECORD
31
INTERVIEW
GERHARD BERGER
Can you explain the thinking of Formula 4?
Gerhard Berger: First of all it is important to define what F4 is. F4 should be the entry formula of all the young kids after karting when they go into motor racing in a single-seater category and it should be the first step to direct young kids to F1 – the idea is to have a pyramid to F1: F4, F3, F2, F1. Currently are there too many formulae for young racers?
Yes, in general and I know we are building a Formula also. But we are trying to build a perfect pyramid. It is going to be a strong formula. It is a good concept and a perfect car. It shows that there is an unbelievable demand from the entire world. I think we need a good concept. We have a cool car. Italy started the first championship this year. Simplifying junior racing has long been necessary, making just one obvious route to F1.
Has your Formula 4 initiative been welcomed by ASNs around the World?
We have Italy this year, with the first Championship. Next year: China, next Australia, the UK. Possibly Germany and South America. Lots of countries are in negotiations with us. In the next three to five years we want to cover the whole world on the same concept of technical regulation and building a big platform for the kids to start to show their potential. From F4 it then leads directly to F3. What is the age limit for this formula?
Age is 15. Everything is run under the national organization: ASN. Not international. What other national authorities have expressed an interest in Formula 4?
All ASN have taken our recommendation and our technical regulations and run as it is given. It is comparable worldwide between different championships.
The Italian F4 Championship Powered by Abarth is already in full swing and is attracting large entries in its first season. Ford’s EcoBoost powered Mygale will be the centerpiece of the 2015 British F4 Championship – and maybe elsewhere
The FIA’s Gerhard Berger and President Jean Todt at a round of the European F3 series at Pau. F4 is designed for drivers out of karting. From F4, F3 is the next step
32 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
We have Italy this year with the first championship. Next year: China, next Australia, the UK, possibly Germany and South America. Lots of countries in negotiations with us”
What about engine manufacturers?
The concept is that in each country there is a single engine supplier. We have a clear frame of 150-160 HP. The engine has a certain weight and power curve configuration. It means worldwide that we are running the same car performance. It is not limited to one engine. Each country can see who supports them as engine manufacturer. There are different type of engine and manufacturers involved. There is Abarth in Italy, Ford in the UK, TOM’S in Japan, Geely, VW etc... There is no development competition and this keeps the costs down. It is not very expensive. With different engine/chassis suppliers there could be a competitive end-of season finale, like Macau or the Masters that exists for F3.
Are you confident that the costs will remain low? What will the FIA’s involvement be once the various series are underway?
The FIA is trying to put the concept and the regulations on the table and to coordinate it so that it is run with the right quality, with the right fairness, with the right scrutineering and the right development. Is F4 really the perfect stepping stone?
It is working well in Italy. It is a full house there already. The next three years we have to establish it, and there will be room for 300 cars. What about nationalities? Is Italy for Italian drivers only for instance?
National meaning geographically? Everyone can come whatever their nationality.
What are your thoughts about F3?
F3 is the most important class at the moment for all the young people going into F1. F3 is the big shot at the moment. F3 and ex-BMW championship is extremely strong and it is the logical gap between F1 and F4. Kvyat did a few good races in F3. This year, he is in F1. Max Verstappen is another good example. Next year he will be in F1. F3 is the most competitive of the youngster programs. It has an extremely high team and driver quality. It only exists in Europe. The furthest is Moscow. Are there other plans?
There will be a winter cup in the Middle East with close to 30 cars in Europe and 30 cars in the Middle East starting in January. The important race in Asia for now is Macao. But there are no other plans for now. Final question, have you driven one?
No! I am not in the driving mood any more!
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
33
MERITUS.GP
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
34 TRACKRECORD
The FIA-standard Mygale Formula 4 chassis has undergone detailed testing as it is readied for its 2015 introduction. PHOTO: ARNAUD TAQUET
SEPTEMBER 2014
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
35
F1 F U T U R E S
IS FOrM U L A 1 YOU R DRE AM?
Training is one of the major strengths of the Meritus.GP organization, on and off the track. With a trip inside the hallowed Formula 1 Grand Prix paddock. Four Meritus.GP ‘students’ got a taste of things to come?
Heroes past, present and future. LEFT Daniel Woodroof rubs shoulders with former F1World Champion and team boss, Alain Pros in Singapore 2013t. RIGHT Aussie juniors Jake Parsons and Luis Leeds hook up with Lotus F1 driver Pastor Maldonado inside the Formula 1 paddock at Albert Park, Melbourne, in 2014
36 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
Meritus.GP champion, Jazeman Jaafar gets cockpit time with the Mercedes F1 car thanks to winning a place on the Petronas Young Driver Programme
“Working with an F1 team itself was incredible, especially with a top team, like Mercedes. Every single detail is key. So for a young driver like me having the chance, it’s amazing.” Jazeman Jaafar
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
37
F1 F U T U RE S
IS FOrM U L A 1 YOU R DRE AM?
Friendly advice from the stars Allan McNish ... on marketing yourself “You cannot miss an opportunity, so don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. Lewis Hamilton is a great example, doing that to McLaren’s Ron Dennis when he was 12. Going up to a team owner or potential sponsor and saying, ‘Hi, I’m Soand-So, this is what I’m doing, where I’m racing and where I want to be, it’s nice to meet you.’ It can be daunting but it allows you to become known at an early stage in your career.” ... on learning media skills “Media and marketing experience is vital. Vauxhall did a video interview about my championship-winning year in 1988, to be used in its dealerships in the UK. The producers had to put subtitles on because they couldn’t understand anything I’d said! That’s when I learned that I should slow down a bit when I speak…” ... on his best advice “My dad told me when I was a wee boy that it’s not the good shots that make the good golfers; it’s the good recoveries.” Jenson Button ... on never stop learning When I first arrived in Formula 1 with Williams I thought, ‘You know what? The car might not be fantastic, but I’m still going to win every race’. I had that much confidence that I could drive round all those issues. You will always be learning, from karting through all the formulas all the way to Formula 1. There’s not a race that goes by that I don’t learn something new. We all aim to be the best, and that’s fantastic. You should be aiming for that too. But never, ever, think you are the best because then you’ve got nothing else to learn.” ... on dealing with Formula 1 life “Cameras are shoved in your face every which way you turn – that’s in racing and also your private life. But that’s all part of it, and you’ve got to take it on the chin. There’s also the fitness, the nutrition, there’s so many areas you’ve got to work on to really reach the pinnacle of the sport.” ... on staying positive “If you have a bad race, you’ve got to show that you’re upset that you had a bad race. But you’ve also got to put it behind you. You can’t think about those issues too much. Pick something from it that is positive.
38 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
T
he ‘golden ticket’ to have is an FIA pass. It’s simply a credit card-sized piece of plastic, attached to a nice lanyard. But a Formula 1 paddock pass is like gold dust to anyone with a desire to be part of the globetrotting Formula 1 circus. It opens the door and lets the holder take a look at the workings inside the pinnacle of motorsport, where the show is put on the road. For the stars of Meritus.GP, past and present, Formula 1 is the goal. They all know it’s a difficult target, but just one day with that credit card-sized piece of plastic showed them what can be achieved, with focus, hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Daniel Woodroof, the AsiaCup Malaysia champion last year, visited Singapore in 2013 thanks to Meritus. GP. “Formula 1 has always been a thing that I had watched on TV. Five years ago, my parents got me tickets as a birthday present – and I’ve been going
to the Sepang races every year (but one) since! We’d always sit at the first corner, so I would always be able to catch glimpses of the pit stops. What went on within the pits always remained a mystery, but all was revealed when I went to the Singapore GP - and I was not disappointed!” “I expected it to be like the very typical glitz and glamour of Formula 1,” says the Malaysian. “I’m happy to say it met and surpassed my expectations. A lot of what you expect, is what you see on the TV cameras. But there’s so much more going on behind the scenes, and there’s so many more people there. It was so incredible.” AsiaCup points leader after the first four races, Australia’s Jake Parsons, felt the same, as he swiped the pass through the intimidating electronic turnstiles and gained access to the inner sanctum, at Melbourne this year. “I was a bit nervous, because I felt like ‘I don’t know if I’m supposed to be here?’ and that they might turn me away.
“A lot of what you expect is what you see on TV There’s so much more going on behind the scenes. And there’s so many more people there. It was so incredible” Daniel Woodrooff
Sebastian Vettel ... on the formative years “My family was very important for me. With their full support, I started when I was very young and thanks to them I am now in Formula 1, which always was the dream for me. Karting is definitely an important school and I still enjoy karting when or if I have some spare time. Looking back, those years were important, and I like them the most. If I had not made such a good start to my career, maybe I would have never entered the world of Formula 1. ... on making the most of bad days “My earliest best memory in cars would definitely be my championship win in Formula BMW. They were good times. I really have no bad memories. I learnt a lot from the races that maybe disappointed me, so I suppose there are no bad races! Even today, every race is important to me.” Dario Franchitti ... on keeping it real “My dream to be a racing driver started when I was three years old. I remember starting in karts and thinking that Formula 1 was just a given at that age. Then you get to about 14 or 15 and you begin to realise how difficult this could be. After that I never took it for granted, I never expected success. Even when I first went to America, I still felt it was all going to stop somehow. Dad was definitely your typical ‘racing Dad’ in karts. But when I moved up to cars, he let it go. He was still always there, but he left it to the team to do their job.”
ABOVE Leeds
and Parsons stand by as the members of the Sahara Force India crew practice pitstops; BELOW Woodroof wonder if anyone would notice if he took the Mercedes F1 car for a drive…
“Being a young kid, F1 always seemed to be a fantasy world,” he adds. “I imagined all the drivers just walking around, with paparazzi following them! But it was a lot more organized. It was like a much more professional version of what I’m already doing. It was more down to earth, less fantasy, seeing what it was really like. It seemed more real.” Luis Leeds, in his first year of formula racing with the AsiaCup, had an idea what F1 was like already, as his father’s business handles the Red Bull Racing merchandise at the Grand Prix events around the world. “I’d already been to the Grands Prix at Abu Dhabi and Silverstone before I even started karting,” says the 14-year old, but back then I was just getting a little glimpse of what was happening with Dad’s business. I mainly just walked around, had a look and observed it all.” This time he was in the Melbourne paddock, observing a whole new world of activity. Like fellow AsiaCup Series racer Jake, Luis was amazed at the
Rubens Barrichello ... on sacrifices “I was 17 when, after a year of Formula Ford in Brazil, I decided to move to Europe. I was hired by an Italian team - Draco Racing - for the EFDA Opel Lotus Euroseries. It was a big jump, but I had to move to Europe. Ayrton [Senna] had done it, and Emerson [Fittipaldi] before him. I could speak Italian, so it was fine with the team. They were like my European family. Then I felt it was good for me to go to England, so I could learn the language.” ... on observing others “I loved the qualifying. I love perfect lap, that one lap when you are concentrating so hard. Our Opel Lotus races supported Formula 1 events, and I would always watch Senna’s qualifying lap. After I would go and sit and concentrate, then go and make my time. We were limited on tyres, so it was a bit like F1. All your effort goes into those laps.”
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
39
F1 F U T U RE S
IS FOrM U L A 1 YOU R DRE AM?
David Coulthard ... on keeping the dream “I remember walking around the Jerez track in 1990 with Rubens Barrichello, who didn’t speak any English at the time, and my teammate Gil de Ferran translating. Three young guys, late teens (Gil was 21 )learning, and when I look back, the three of us were starting an incredible journey in racing. We were just kids, walking the track, and imagining and dreaming about being Formula One drivers. Rubens and I won Grands Prix, Gil won the Indy 500.” ... on having a goal The whole EFDA Euroseries was a great experience. Racing on the Sunday morning of a Grand Prix, travelling Europe to the circuits, and standing at the side of the track watching the F1 guys and thinking, ‘maybe one day that could be me out there...’ that’s the biggest thing I remember. It was a great learning experience. I was young and quite naive to world travel, and that helped me a lot. Jos Verstappen ... on his first time in 1994 “I must say I thought the jump from F3 to F1 would be quite difficult. I was thinking about the power, the brakes, the fast corners. But really, it was not so difficult. The power was incredible! On the first lap I thought ‘shit!’ I never thought it would be so fast. But by the third lap I was really enjoying it, it was fantastic. After 10-15 laps it feels normal and you find yourself wanting more. Still, it’s very fast.. Everyone says how much it takes out of your neck, but unless you’ve actually driven a car, you can’t build for it.” David Brabham ... on staying focused At the end of 1987, Dad (triple World Champion Sir Jack Brabham) sat me down, and asked: ‘How serious are you about this? Do you want to go to Europe?’ Camel wanted to sponsor me, and that was my ticket to England. Having driven an Atlantic car, the Opel Lotus was like jumping from F3 back to FBMW today. I absolutely hated it. The season went downhill quickly. I lost my motivation, and I could see my career disappearing. The team sat me down and said: “What the hell’s going on? You are a talented driver. You’ve got to dig deeper than that.” I went to the next race and had my best result. ... on making the most of any opportunity In a strange way the Opel Lotus experience helped my career. From that I was given the opportunity to race in Class B F3, it was like I had a new life. It suited me.
40 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
“We’d always sit at the first corner, so I would be able to catch glimpses of the pitstops. What went on in the pits remained a mystery, but all was revealed in Singapore!” Daniel Woodroof number of people working behind the scenes. “It was actually more glamorous than I thought it was going to be; busier. I thought it would just be teams and drivers, but there are a lot more people in there, associated with F1. It showed me the importance of the backup that the drivers need.” One former Meritus.GP champion knows full well the benefit of a powerful sponsor; Jazeman Jaafar tells the story. “Petronas had formed the Young Driver Programme, and the racing school in Malaysia. I was gutted because I wasn’t selected for 2007, so we had to raise the sponsorship ourselves, to race in Formula BMW Asia.” Jaafar joined Meritus.GP, and went on to win that 2007 Formula BMW Asia championship. He also had a pleasant surprise the morning after the final race. “We had the phone call from Petronas the day after we won, and that’s how I got into their Petronas Talent Development Programme.”
That programme means the Malaysian has been taken under the wing of the all-conquering AMG Mercedes Petronas F1 team, with Jazeman enjoying simulator time at its UK base, and getting the chance to drive a recent F1 car on demonstrations and filming days. He is continuing his racing too, having finished second in the prestigious British F3 championship, and taking podium finishes in 2012 and 2013 at Monaco on the Formula 1 support bill, in the Formula Renault 3.5 races. “It was my dream to finish on the podium there, because in Monaco you get an ACM (Automobile Club de Monaco) trophy with your name engraved on it,” he says. “It’s only in Monaco that you can do that. I qualified on the front row and finished third two years running. So I’m really happy to have two of the trophies.” In November 2013, a few days after his 21st birthday, he was in the cockpit of the F1 car at
RIGHT Nine drivers in the Formula 1 class of 1997 line up at Melbourne owed much to the European Drivers Association (EFDA) from their junior days. Among them are EFDA Opel Lotus champions Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello and Jos Verstappen. Other graduates and winners are Heinz-Harald Frentzen, David Coulthard, Jan Magnussen, Shinji Nakano. Two of those also drove for Peter Thompson’s PTM team: Riccardo Rosset and British Vauxhall Lotus Champion Vincenzo Sospiri, here in his only F1 appearance for Lola
EFDA: Junior school with star graduates
Thanks to the staff at Lotus F1, Leeds and Parsons get a steering wheel demonstration, showing where the up-shift and down shift paddles, and the clutch are. It’s not at all similar to their AsiaCup Series wheels that they are used to
Silverstone for the dual purposes of doing helping Mercedes with a filming day, while having a Driver Evaluation Test. “I had a lot more running than the demonstrations I’d done on the streets in Malaysia,” he remembers. “Driving the Formula 1 car was exceptional. The torque of the engine, the braking and the downforce is something else - on another level.’ Jazeman - at 21 the most senior of the four also confirmed, from the inside, what Woodroof, Parsons and Leeds all observed when they visited the F1 paddock; the number of people, and their attention to detail. “Yes, definitely. Working with an F1 team itself was incredible, especially with a top team, like Mercedes. The working environment, the style. You are working with a major manufacturer. Every single detail is key. So for a young driver, like me, having the chance it’s amazing.”
From 1979 to the mid 1990s one of the most likely early stopping points for young drivers on their path to racing’s elite was a European series run by EFDA, the European Formula Drivers Association. Run by American Dan Partel (left), it was originally a European Formula Ford championship, and then in 1988 became the Opel Lotus Euroseries. So many drivers that raced in (EFDA) junior championships since 1979 became household names today. A lot of people owe Dan Partel in no small way for their careers. Here are just some of the 2500-plus racers that competed in EFDA events over its 20 years: Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jos Verstappen are a few stars from Formula 1; Indianapolis 500 victors and Indycar winners Kenny Brack, Gil de Ferran, Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Takuma Sato are more. NASCAR’s Marcos Ambrose, and Le Mans 24 Hours winners Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish, and David Brabham. Even two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz raced in the EFDA Formula Ford series for two years in the early 1980s. Some famous racing names, including Sir Jackie Stewart and Derek Bell had teams in their name, while another successful team owner today was also an EFDA driver in the past: Chip Ganassi, now famous for his various teams winning the Indy 500, NASCAR’s Brickyard 400, and the Daytona 24 Hours in the same 12 months – besides the many other championships stateside. And that’s just a few of the names on the EFDA roll call. Partel’s strategy in nurturing talent was simple. “ I gave them the stage to play on, and they came and sang on it.” The American’s innovative approach was very much “we’re a show business”, and many of his ideas have been continued since. One team owner who tasted EFDA success in the late 80s and early 90s in Europe was young Irishman Peter Thompson, his PTM Motorsport team being the forerunner to today’s Meritus.GP organization. PTM won its first race with Anthony Reid in 1989, at Silverstone on race morning of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone – in front of 120,000 people. Victories followed for PTM with Vincenzo Sospiri, Diogo Castro Santos, Bruno Aguiar, Fernandp Pantani and Paul Edwards. Lessons Thompson learned from Partel then are still as valid today, and Thompson has applied them to fabric of the AsiaCup Series is certainly made of the same genes. All of the EFDA series generated a golden era of junior racing at the time. F1 winner Rubens Barrichello describes it as, “The best school I ever went to”, or Le Mans Winner and ALMS champion David Brabham who says: “Bloody hard racing on the track, but so much camaraderie and fun off of it, and a lesson of how to become a professional racing driver.” Allan McNish, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Mika Hakkinen all won regional GM Lotus titles in 1988 on their way to F1 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
41
2014 AsiaCup Profiles
DRIVER PROFILES
42 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
DRIVER PROFILES
#38 James Atter Age
17
BORN
23 | 5 | 1977
#23 Daim Hishamuddin Age
16
BORN
31 | 5 | 1998
Birthplace
Birthplace
Hong Kong.
Singapore
Where do you live? I’m half Filipino and half British. I’ve lived in Hong Kong basically all my life. I started karting at age 12 and have been karting for about five years.
Where do you live? I have lived in Malaysia for 10 years.
Who is your Racing Hero? Michael Schumacher. I started watching F1 when I was three or four and I loved his red racing car and red helmet. He always won. I always admired his determination Explain your helmet design? It is inspired by my two other idols, Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton. The colour is yellow, and I’ve incorporated the national flowers of the Philippines and the UK, with these stripes for Senna. There’s also a bit of Hong Kong there – the hibiscus flower which represents Hong Kong and blue and red lines for Lewis Hamilton. I put that all together and made it mine. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? Gym, I’m a gym freak I guess, I go every day in Hong Kong and find it really satisfying. It really helps with racing, right now I don’t feel any tiredness at all. What’s your on-track goal? To further develop myself as a driver, get sponsorship and race for a team. What one race would you really like to do? Monaco F1 – its awesome! Macau would be my second choice!
Who is your racing hero? I admire Louis Hamilton because of the way he drives, and the way he can assess the situation. Also I met him a few times and he’s a really friendly guy he always has time for his fans. My hero outside of racing is my Dad for his pure determination for me to race, he is always helping me to raise money to compete and always pushing me to be better than I am. Explain your helmet design I’ve been using the same helmet design for the past five years and it’s the same basic design now except for a few different colour changes. It’s mainly a big ‘D’ for my name and some tribal patterns in the middle. It’s Luminous green for the D and black and yellow for the tribal design. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? A mixture of both What’s your on-track goal? The ultimate dream is get into F1 and win the championship. Are you comfortable doing media work? Yes I have done a few kart interviews before as I am in the Caterham driver development programme so I’ve been quite a few interview and media events with them. What languages do you speak? Malay and a little bit of Indonesian. I used to speak French and Italian but I can’t really remember them.
AsiaCup
#88 Andrew Kim Age
23
BORN
24 | 7 | 1991
#12 Jeong Tae Kim Age
19
BORN
25 | 7 | 1995
2014-2015
#77 Plu Komarakul Age
17
BORN
11 | 12 | 1996
Birthplace Seoul, South Korea
Birthplace Seoul, South Korea
Birthplace Bangkok, Thailand
What’s your on-track goal? I do the GT cars but I want to improve my driving . So now I want to try the challenge with the Formula BWM and AsiaCup because is really good car and suited to my driving. I am 23 now so it’s kind of late to be a F1 driver and actually my dream was not F1 , my dream was NASCAR. Now I I am in the motorsports industry, everyone says if you’re not American, it’s very hard to be a NASCAR driver. So now I dream to be a GT2 racer, a professional, or maybe DTM , Le Mans car or GT Asia.
Where do you live? Still in Seoul.
Where do you live? Bangkok, Thailand.
Who is your racing hero? My hero is Ayrton Senna, a very good driver.
Who is your racing hero? I always look up to Juan Pablo Montoya. He’s fast definitely, but I just like the way he races. My Dad would be my role model out of the car.
Explain your helmet design? I don’t have one yet, yet but I want to have. I’d like it red, gold and white. When I go back to Korea maybe I’ll do it.
Did you start in karting? Yes, Korean championship. I was 2012 Rotax Junior champion 2013 I had seven pole positions, but always retired. Explain your helmet design? Well, it’s not my design! I took it from the internet. What’s your on-track goal? F1 World Champion.
If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? I think maybe one hour in the gym and one take a coffee, cup of coffee. I love coffee. I love drinking coffee. I used to do much training in high school, every day.
If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? Gym.
Why did you choose the AsiaCup Series? When I start racing in GT cars in Korea I really wanted to go abroad, but that’s really hard and I met Hong Sic who use to do the Formula BMW and he introduced me to Peter (Thompson) and said, “Why don’t you do this series?” I tested and I feel it’s good. And Formula BMW I heard is really good to learn how to drive because it’s very aerodynamic.
Do you like doing media work? I am nervous!
What languages do you speak? Korean and a little bit of English!
Why did you choose the AsiaCup Series? This is my first challenge in cars.
Explain your helmet design? I do have my own design. I have two that are actually mine, the other two I bought off of someboy else. It’s orange, green, grey… well now it’s chrome with blue flames. Sounds like it was drawn by a three-year old! If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? Can I take both?? An hour of gym and an hour of computer games. What’s your on-track goal? I just want to be a professional. I want to drive everything and everywhere. That’s basically what I want to do. I like driving, and racing and I like working with cars. What one race would you really like to do? Either the Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans or maybe NASCAR! Formula 1 I will probably not make it there, but I should think high, and it’s possible. Why did you choose the AsiaCup Series? It’s the only affordable series there is. I’ve known of Peter (Thompson) and what Meritus is for a long time. It’s a good series to do. My driving coach, and a lot of people that I know, suggested it.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
43
DRIVER PROFILES
#96 Luis Leeds Age
#33 Asuka Muratomi
14
BORN
DRIVER PROFILES
6 | 3 | 2000
Age
Birthplace Melbourne, Australia
15
BORN
17 | 11 | 1998
#19 Takeru Muratomi Age
17
BORN
30 | 7 | 1997
Birthplace Kumamoto, Japan
Birthplace Kumamoto, Japan
Where do you live? Still there in Melbourne.
Who is your racing hero? Michael Schumacher.
Where do you live? Kumamoto, Japan
Who is your racing hero? I guess I would say Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber, more modern drivers. Off the track, I’d say probably my grandpa because he is a hard worker and I admire his desire to do well in work.
If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? Racing and gym!
What is your on-track goal? Formula 1 World Champion
Explain your helmet design. My helmet design… well I touched up some details myself. There’s a hidden yin yang symbol in there – that’s just something I wanted. Its fairly basic I guess you would say. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? I’m like other teenage boys my age: I would go to the gym to prepare. Are you comfortable doing media stuff like this?! Depends what side of the bed I wake up on! Its ok. it’s a lot easier than photos … I think photos and videos are my weakness. What’s your on-track goal? Well obviously the dream is F1, it’s something I’ve always wanted since I was little. That’s the long term dream. What one race would you really like to do in your life? I think the Le Mans 24 hours. Why did you choose the AsiaCup Series? It seems affordable, attainable. It ‘s something not too expensive and suited to young drivers around my age. 44 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
What is your on-track goal? Formula 1 World Champion Why did you choose the AsiaCup Series? I wanted to join the formula races from kart and this seem like a start.
Karting Experience? Winter Cup, Near Milan Italy
BELOW Takeru Muratomi shows younger brother Asuka the way around Sepang
AsiaCup
#18 Keifli Othman Age
40
BORN
14 | 11 | 1973
Birthplace
#27 Jake Parsons Age
19
BORN
26 | 12 | 1994
2014-2015
#54 Najiy Razik Age
19
Birthplace Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Malaysia
Birthplace Melbourne, Australia
Where do you live? Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Where do you live? Now in Sydney, Australia.
Where do you live? Klang Valley near Ulu Klang.
How did you start racing? I started racing as a boy in Malaysia. My father drove sportscars when I was little, and he liked to drive fast, so I think that’s where I got interested
Who is your racing hero? Probably Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna as well. Those two would be my favourites.
Who is your racing hero? My hero is Andre Lotterer. Yes, that’s unusual!
Who is your racing hero? Ayrton Senna, I just like the way he raced What’s your on-track goal? I would love to do a 24 hours race. Now they have the Dubai 24, which would be good. But any 24 hour race in the world, especially Le Mans. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? I have my own business. Racing is my passion, and my prime hobby. My second hobby is golf and I try to play six times a week. On Sundays I rest – well, if there’s no racing – I rest! What one race would you like to do? I would love to do the 24 Hours race, now they have the Dubai 24, but any 24 hour race in the world, especially Le Mans. Why did you choose the AsiaCup Series? The AsiaCup Series was introduced to me by my good friend Firhat. It’s a good training ground for me to prepare myself for my primary racing, which is touring cars. I get more confident.
Explain your helmet design? I did all the design work for it. Initially I had quite a busy helmet design, and I decided I wanted something a bit more simple. Now it’s a little but retro I guess. It’s black with a little bit of gold on it. I’ve gone through a couple of designs looking at what I want, and I’m pretty happy with this one. It’s got a little New South Wales symbol on the top for the state that I’m living in. But yes, I like the design of it. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? I’ll be honest… I’d have to go for the computer game! I still train hard, but if I had a preference, I’d go for the computer game. What’s your on-track goal? It’s been IndyCar for a few years. I haven’t been on an oval before, but I like high speed circuits, so that would be a new challenge. I’m pretty interested by this Formula E that’s coming out later this year, so I’ll see how that goes. So potentially that’s a goal if the series takes off. What one race would you really like to do? Oooh… That’s tough. Probably the Indy 500 I reckon. That would have to be the one. It’s pretty big and it’s a famous event, so I’d like to be part of that.
Explain your helmet design. The design for my helmet I did through ZAC design airbrush. I like it to be colourful and bright; I don’t like the typical line stuff. I like the Japanese style of helmet because it’s unique. Imagine you’ve got two hours spare time, free time, would you go to the gym or play racing games on your computer? I would do everything and anything for racing so I will go to the gym. What’s your on-track goal? I want to compete in international series. In this local AsiaCup I will try my best , and learn. That’s my main goal and after that we’ll see. What one race would you like to do? Definitely DTM I love it. Why did you choose the AsiaCup Series? It’s a really different kind of mentality the drivers have – they are very professional. Furthermore for me I am still young . The more I learn the more I think ‘wow’, this is great. The only karting I did was a long time ago when I was ten years old but it was not serious, just for fun. I starting racing late when I was 17 and my first racing experience was driving the Proton Neo in the local series and then the second year when I was 18 I upgraded and I drove the Civic so this is my first time competing in the AsiaCup series.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
45
DRIVER PROFILES
#15 Michael Waldherr Age
#5 Lim Keong Wee Age
34
BORN
17
BORN
DRIVER PROFILES
29 | 9 | 1996
26 | 11 | 1980
Birthplace Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Birthplace Munich, Germany
Where do you live? Still in Bavaria but I moved a little east.
Where do you live? I am based in Singapore now.
Who is your racing hero? My idol is Michael…. Michael Schumacher. Most Germans will say that!
Who is your racing hero? Obviously the racing greats like Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. There are also a lot of contemporaries around me whom I admire, like my team mates, or within the family like brothers and sisters.
Explain your helmet design? I looked through the internet to inspire me and I saw a helmet with the lines which I liked. I took that and made my own thing out of it and took it to our air brush artist, a friend of ours. He added something to it and this is the result. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? I think I would play football! To be honest I did like to play formula racing games but I finished that because once you are driving a real formula car its completely different. After you’ve driven that you think that its not as realistic as it should be and not that much fun anymore. So, I’m doing sports, a lot of running and things. Do you speak other languages? At school I am learning Latin but the first thing is that you can’t speak Latin, and the second thing is that I’m really really bad at it – I hate it. I am not talented in speaking other languages, just German and English. My grades are really good in English but I can’t stand Latin! So just Bavarian, you could say I speak the dialect Bavarian. What’s your on track goal? DTM or F1. I think everyone who is doing motorsport is dreaming about getting into F1.
46 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
Do you have heroes outside of racing? Yes. I am an architect so I do have quite a lot of people that inspire me. Explain your helmet design? I do not have one now, but its on its way. I’m a Lotus fan so I put some of the colours in, the black and gold. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? Currently I go to the gym to keep my appearance up! I’d rather drive real live cars than use a simulator… What one race would you really like to do? I would say, it has to be endurance racing like Le Mans, or something like that. What languages do you speak? I speak English, Mandarin, a bit of Cantonese. Why did you chose the AsiaCup? I found it through friends. It was a very structured way of learning. I found Peter (Thomspon) through speaking with drivers here who are coaches now. I found that is the most direct way of learning .
#16 Daniel Woodroof Age
18
BORN
16 | 4 | 1996
Birthplace Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Where do you live? I’ve lived in Malaysia my whole life. I spent seven years in the British International School. Who is your racing hero? Tough one! I admire Kimi Raikonen for being different. I don’t really want to go for the cliché Ayrton Senna. Explain your helmet design? The most recognizable bit is the woodpecker on the back. My last name is Woodroof and most of the Malaysian karters couldn’t manage my name and used to call me ‘Wood Wood” so I got myself a woodpecker mascot and put “wood wood” on the bottom so it kinda goes back to my roots in karting. What’s your background in karting? I started at age 12 around Malaysia, progressed to Asia, and represented Malaysia at world championships in Italy and Portugal. If you have a spare two hours, would you go to the gym, or play racing games on the computer? On a normal school day I go to gym for about an hour or two, and then I study for the rest of the night. Now that exams are over I expect my routine to change somewhat so I assume racing games will make a comeback… What’s your on-track goal? My dream like everybody else is F1 but I am interested in doing things like Le Mans which looks amazing , or going into other categories like DTM. Honestly I’ll go wherever the flow takes me, try and get as far as I can get.
AsiaCup
2014-2015
2014 AsiaCup Profiles
Newcomers These drivers are all joining the AsiaCup Series soon. If you are interested in contesting the remaining rounds of the cost-effective category, or December’s Super Six event this year – or are planning for 2015 – contact Peter Thompson, peter@meritus.gp or call +60 12 302 7434. For more information visit www.meritus.gp
#6 Nayen Jaridam Age
16
BORN
22 | 10 | 1997
Birthplace Mumbai, India
#78 Toby Earl Age
17
#TBD Colton Herta BORN
22 | 4 | 1997
Age
14
BORN
30 / 3 / 2000
Birthplace Bangkok, Thailand
Birthplace Calencia, CA, USA
# 98 Thomas Swift
#7
Age
15
BORN
Birthplace
Tejas 11 | 8 | 1998
Hong Kong.
Age
16
BORN
21 | 5 | 1997
Birthplace Chennai, India
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
47
DRIVER PROFILES
RACE REPORTS
Parsons takes clean sweep at Sepang Australia’s Jake Parson’s was unbeaten in the opening rounds of the 2014 AsiaCup Series at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia. The 19 yearold started three of June’s four races from pole, and the other from second on the grid, but he was never headed once in the races. “Really, I don’t want this winning streak to end,” said Parsons. “I was learning throughout. It’s very different to testing when the pressure of racing is added. The other guys were getting faster and faster with each race, so I was having to use my mirrors a lot more, so I was certainly under pressure. Each race was getting tougher. There was a good tow down the main straight. I had to try and break that when I could. “It was great to be involved in such a professional and international series. After watching Grand Prix
The parity of the AsiaCup Series cars allowed for close racing throughout the field. For some drivers this was their first experience of cars
48 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
races in the past at this track it was great to be able to race on the Sepang circuit,” he continued. “To win my first international FIA event was great. But to win every race and lead from start to finish was the perfect way to start our championship campaign. I’m absolutely ecstatic and looking forward to getting back for round two in September.” The closest challenger to Parsons all weekend was Germany’s Michael Waldherr. The youngster notched up three second places and a pole position, yet ultimately was despondent overall. “The second places are good, but frustrating,” he said. “For instance, in the second race I was on the front row, but I did my best to make the race eventful for myself! I got a bad start, I really messed it up, and after the first corners I was down to seventh
position, and I had work to do. Honestly, if you take out my start, it was all quite nice. If I think about it, it’s only a little gap to Jake – I just need to be in the position to push more and attack. In round four, Waldherr was on pole, but was again beaten away at the start. His race got worse when the brake balance lever broke off in his hand mid-race. One of the undoubted stars of the weekend was Thai racer Plu Komarakul. Starting his first ever races in cars, he was third in all four races, and the Rookie of the Weekend. “It got better over the races,” he said, “I was happy with my races, and being able to fight with the leaders.” One guy not so happy was Waldherr, the pair scrapping closely and causing the German to let of steam to Plu after the race. “I was a
AsiaCup | Series Event 1 | Rounds 1-4 | June
2014-2015
RESULTS 2014 AsiaCup Series Sepang F1 Circuit, 21 & 22 June, 2014 Round one
LEFT Podium round four, Woodroof joins regulars Parsons and Komarakul; RIGHT Sepang’s long straights allow passing; BELOW Waldherr was second three times, and took a pole
| 21 June
1 Jake Parsons (AUS) 10 laps, 22m53.584s, 145.244kph 2 Michael Waldherr (GER) 10 laps, 23m00.623s 3 Plu Komarakul (THI) 10 laps, 23m02.035s 4 Asuka Muratomi (JPN) 10 laps 5 Takeru Muratomi (JPN), 10 laps 6 Daim Hishamuddin (SIN) 10 laps 7 James Atter (HKG) 10 laps 8 Jeong Tae Kim (KOR) 10 laps 9 Najiy RazIk (MAS) 10 laps 10 Keong Wee (SIN) 10 laps Fastest lap
Jake Parsons, 2m16.292s, 146.412kph
Round TWO
“ To win my first international FIA event was great. But to win every race and lead from start to finish was the perfect way to start... I’m absolutely ecstatic.” Jake Parsons
bit greedy and impatient,” Plu admitted. “I feel I made progress though. In the last races at least I could see Jake on the track. I was surprised to start with but by the end I was really happy with my progress.” The final driver to make the podium was Malaysia’s Daniel Woodroof, who had a remarkable story. Not only had he just finished his A-Level exams, but he missed both the Saturday race as as he was being treated in hospital for Denghi Fever… Starting last in race three, he had the benefit of new tires, and charged through to finish seventh. His best lap would see him start fourth for the final race, and he converted that to second place. “It was quite tough, even with the new tires to move up to the front, it is very close out there,” he said, looking quite exhausted after the trials of his week.
| 21 June
1 Jake Parsons (AUS) 8 laps, 18m33.147s, 143.412kph 2 Michael Waldherr (GER) 8 laps, 18m40.228s 3 Plu Komarakul (THI) 8 laps, 18m40.621s 4 Takeru Muratomi (JPN) 8 laps 5 Asuka Muratomi (JPN) 8 laps 6 Luis Leeds (AUS) 8 laps 7 James Atter (HKG) 8 laps 8 Andrew Kim (KOR) 8 laps 9 Daim Hishamuddin (SIN) 8 laps 10 Keifli Othman (MAS) 8 laps Fastest lap
Jake Parsons, 2m17.830s, 144.778kph
Round THREE
| 22 June
1 Jake Parsons (AUS) 10 laps, 23m11.028s, 143.454kph 2 Michael Waldherr (GER) 10 laps, 23m14.882s 3 Plu Komarakul (THI) 10 laps, 23m16.496s 4 Luis Leeds (AUS) 10 laps 5 James Atter (HKG), 10 laps 6 Asuka Muratomi (JPN) 10 laps 7 Daniel Woodroof (MAS) 10 laps 8 Daim Hishamuddin (SIN) 10 laps 9 Takeru Muratomi (JPN) 10 laps 10 Jeong Tae Kim (KOR) 10 laps Fastest lap
Michael Waldherr, 2m17.825s, 144.784kph
Round FOUR
Luis Leeds was one of the racers making his formula debut having raced karts previously. His best finish was fourth
| 22 June
1 Jake Parsons (AUS) 8 laps, 18m36.830s, 142.939kph 2 Daniel Woodroof (MAS) 8 laps, 18m38.323s 3 Plu Komarakul (THI) 8 laps, 18m43.962s 4 Michael Waldherr (GER) 8 laps 5 Luis Leeds (AUS) 8 laps; 6 Asuka Muratomi (JPN) 8 laps 8 Andrew Kim (KOR) 8 laps 5 James Atter (HKG) 8 laps 9 Takeru Muratomi (JPN) 8 laps 8 Daim Hishamuddin (SIN) 8 laps Fastest lap
Daniel Woodroof, 2m18.056s, 144.541kph
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
49
DRIVER PROFILES
RACE FEATURE
Young
masters A Meritus.GP Formula Masters China Series season scholarship is the prize for showing well in the AsiaCup Series Racing drivers are often told that they must “seize every opportunity” Two Meritus.GP drivers have done just that in consecutive years. If AsiaCup Series is the first step on the region’s racing’s ladder, the next step up in the Chinese and Asian scene is the Formula Masters China Series. The category, using FIA-standard F3 approved chassis and powered by 190+bhp-tuned 2.0-litre VW engines, requires new driving techniques – which will all be beneficial if they ever fulfill their F1 dream. For the drivers with Meritus.GP, driving the red Formula Masters car is a sign that something’s going in the right direction. Take Indonesia’s Andersen Martono, he made his racing debut in the inaugural AsiaCup Series in 2013. “Peter kept approaching me and trying to get me into the cars,” says the now 17year old. “Eventually, in the last year of my karting 50 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
career in 2012, Peter suggested the AsiaCup Series. The budget was perfect for what we could afford at that time, so, in 2013, I did it.” “It was a really good series, to be honest. I wasn’t happy that I didn’t win the championship, but the reason is that it was a tight championship.” Midway through that debut campaign, Martono stepped up to make his debut in the Formula Masters China Series, as a prelude to a full 2014 season. The handful of races in 2013 were a valuable education. “AsiaCup is about learning to drive, Masters is about learning about the cars and to race,” he says. “By that, I mean in Formula Masters you are open to changing all the wing angles, and we play a lot in terms of set up, suspension and stuff like that. The gear ratios are restricted. We are not allowed to change them.” In 2014 Martono was a full-time graduate to
MAIN AsiaCup
Series leader Jake Parsons acquitted himself well on his Formula Masters debut, with a pole, podium and a win ABOVE LEFT The three-car Meritus. GP squad ready for action ABOVE Parsons celebrates his Race Three victory
FORMULA MASTERS CHINA SERIES | AUGUST
the Meritus.GP Masters team, and scored his first podium finish with a second place in Korea at the third event as his experience grew. He also showed that there is more to just learning about the car that earned that second place. “It was a big step forward and an improvement for me as a driver, because in the previous races we were struggling a bit. I worked out what I needed to focus on with myself and took the time to do it and improved. Also my first podium gave me extra motivation to improve for the rest of the season.” While Martono is growing into his graduation, in almost copycat fashion, but one year on, this year’s AsiaCup Series points leader Jake Parsons was given his Masters debut mid-season, also with Merirus. GP. It was a debut that earned merit. The Australian, 19, naturally knows the Sepang International Circuit well, the car, however, was new. How was the very
first taste? “It was really hard to get the car started even,” said Parsons. “Because it doesn’t have a fly wheel, you have to use heaps of revs, a bit like the F1 cars. Even coming out of the garage I was on the rev limiter. And then leaving the pits, there was so much more power... It was like ‘woooah!!’ It took a few laps to get used to it, and then I was pretty on to it, so it was good.” They say stopwatches don’t lie, however a conversation with Denny (Quinn) his engineer, during the first session confirmed that, yes, it was ‘good’: “The first session, I was quickest – I didn’t expect that at all! I came in to change tires, and Denny, said, ‘ you’re quickest by three tenths…’ I didn’t expect to be on the pace that quickly. It was so different to what I’m used to, crazy different! “The amount of g-force you carry through Turns 5 and 6 compared to the AsiaCup car was huge, just
2014-2015
because of the wings that are supporting you that much more, you can carry so much more corner speed. It was insane how much g-force I was pulling there.” Ask any driver immediately after they sample a faster car for the first time, and they will all say the same in their excitement of the experience. After their second run, though, it has already become ‘normal’ – or most of it anyway. Some things, however, take longer to get used to. Parsons again: “The thing I really had to adapt to and change was the braking zones. You’re going faster, yes, but you can brake a lot later. And especially after driving an AsiaCup car at Sepang, it felt really strange to do that. That was pretty tough to get used to, and it probably took me two days to get fully on top of that, but once I did it was really good.” As if Parsons didn’t have enough new experiences S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
51
DRIVER PROFILES
RACE FEATURE
Andersen Martono (#88) heads the chasing pack at the start of the Formula Masters race at Korea, on his way to second place
to absorb, weather played its part too, with a wet race being thrown into the mix. “There was one practice session where it had rained earlier in the morning, so the track was a bit damp, so I got a little bit of a feel for wet conditions in that session,” He smiles. “But yeah, that was pretty much it. I was straight into the proper rain in the first race there…” Rain or not, Parsons would start his first Formula Masters race from pole position. Starting from pole, he led initially, but technical problems intervened, and a quick spin dropped him to fourth by the finish. “It was pretty different there,” he said immediately after climbing from the car. “The downforce almost counteracts how much grip you think there’s going to be. You get so much more grip from the downforce that it makes up for grip in some spots caused by the rain. That was pretty cool! It was definitely a lot tougher for me in the rain. We had really good pace in the dry, and we didn’t stand out quite so much in the rain. But yes, I do need a bit more practice still.” There was only one wet race. Race Two, the Sprint race, netted third place and his first podium finish, from third on the grid, and his first Masters race – and start – in the dry. “I had good reflexes in getting the initial jump,” he says. “You could tell there was a couple of them out there that had had a bit more practice than me, they were just that bit better at pulling the car off the line a bit faster. I didn’t lose too much there but it could have been a bit better. It was harder, because in AsiaCup Series I’m used to having to manage the wheelspin at the start, but these cars are just flat out revs and let go of the clutch. That was definitely a big change.” It was also his first experience of racing with other cars, and while his start may not have been the best, his first lap was pretty special. “I made up three 52 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
positions on the first lap. The racing itself? You sort of get used to it, but it does feel faster. I had a pretty close battle in the second race with James Munroe at the end there. That was great… Considering this is just my second race I am happy with where I am right now. I am in a good place now in terms of momentum going into tomorrow and I’m really enjoying it.” Race Three, well Race Three saw him win. It wasn’t quite as simple as that. “That was the toughest race I’ve had to do – very intense,” he said after. “It was a tight battle sitting behind Matthew [Solomon] for a few laps and then working on finding a way past him. I got a good run at him and got past, and then I was able to get myself some breathing space. “I didn’t believe it when I got to the finishing line first – I just kept pushing, even when I went past the flag! I am very happy to have won and to have had the opportunity to race here with Meritus. The car was fantastic to drive and I really enjoyed the whole weekend.” While a lot about that debut weekend in Formula Masters China Series was new, a number of the four-car Meritus.GP team around him weren’t. “It was pretty much everyone from AsiaCup. I had the best guys on the team. I had the same mechanic in Formula Masters as I do in AsiaCup. The Masters car that I drove in Sepang was actually the car that my mechanic worked on anyway. That was cool, because we work really well together.” While the name Formula Masters sounds like it is for older and more experienced drivers, the opposite is true. Two young guys finding their feet in a brave new world, and are a step closer to that dream of F1. First though, Parsons has an AsiaCup Series title still to win, and maybe some ‘unlearning’ to do… “The
“ I didn’t believe it when I got to the finishing line first – I just kept pushing, even when I went past the flag! I am very happy to have won and to have had the opportunity to race here with Meritus.” Jake Parsons
AsiaCup car’s going to be a bit of a battle to get used to again I think,” he laughs. “The problem, more than anything, will be the braking zones because I’m going slower and then I’ve got to brake earlier than with the Masters car. That will be tough to get used to again.” Despite having missed the first nine races of the championship, Parsons’ performances have vaulted him to fifth overall in the standings, but that’s the result in black and white. How would Parsons sum up his first experience? “I’m so happy to have won and to have had the opportunity to race here with Meritus,” he said “I really enjoyed the whole weekend. It was the best car I’ve ever driven, period. And the most fun I’ve had racing. I’m definitely going to try and do more rounds, and now I think we might end up doing that. I’m looking forward to it.”
FORMULA MASTERS CHINA SERIES | AUGUST
2014-2015
Young champion makes the grade Last year’s Formula Masters China Series champion, Meritus. GP driver, Aidan Wright, knows all about pressure in racing. He won the 2013 title in the final race of the season. His racing story began in Cairns, Australia, winning his first State championship in 2008 in Italy and France. He was signed up by Tony Kart Australia, and raced in the U18 World Championship in 2011. At the end of that year, Peter Thompson contacted him about a possible move up from karts to cars. “In 2012 we raced for the Meritus Team in the JK Racing Series (formerly F BMW Asia) and in my rookie season I came fourth,” says Wright. “We got to race and learn some really great circuits that included tracks in India, and Paul Ricard, Spa and Silverstone, so that was great. We decided to stay with Peter because Meritus is a professional outfit, to race the inaugural Formula Masters China series throughout Asia in 2013. “I really enjoyed that. Peter and the team were incredible. They had hired ex-F1 engineer Ramiro Garcia so that was really good, and it was a big learning factor for my teammate, Afiq Yazid, and me. I knew what to do and learned a lot from Ramiro.” It’s true that he and Meritus.GP teammate Yazid learned a lot. In equal measure it seems – an indication for what was in store was the first event at Zhuhai, China, where Yazid won the first of three races, Wright the other two, and each had one retirement. Going into the final race, Malaysia’s Yazid had six wins to Autralia’s Aidan’s five. They both finished on the podium, Wright’s sixth win edging him in front by just four points in the final standings. “I ended up winning in 2013 in Shanghai after a really close battle. I had learnt quite a lot about racing and engineering all year and how important, not just the racing is, but definitely the data, debriefing and how the car works.” With the championship win, came a special prize, a drive with Audi China in the Audi R8 Le Mans Series Cup which races throughout Asia, another step up the racing ladder. As an experienced semi-professional racer now, how
did he find the steps, AsiaCup, to Masters, to GT? “Definitely the power was different and the aero was a little bit different in the single seaters,” he says. “Other than that it was all relative really. It was just a faster formula car. So that part was quite easy. The biggest step was going Formula Masters to GT cars. That was for me the hardest change. “I learned so much from my engineer Ramiro, and that has helped me in the GTs today. Last year, after every Masters session he was so professional, and he always made sure we debriefed, and then discussed what I wanted in the car. I have picked that out and in the Audi Cup I make sure that after every session, I read the data and sit down with my mechanic. Not a lot of other drivers do that. They seem to drive the car, get out and expect that the engineers are going to know what to do. I’m glad from the engineering and data sense it’s great that the Meritus guys really drilled that into me.”
MAIN The
Meritus.GP cars of Afiq Yazid and Aidan Wright fought hard all year for honours INSET Thumbs up from 2013 champion Wright
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
53
F1 G P2 FU AT SU IA R E SL u cW a HFAi Tl i IPSp F i 4?
Red
Letter Day
Winning the feature race in
GP2 Asia was without doubt a highlight for Malaysia’s only team in the series
L
uca Filippi remembers it well: “By the last event of the series I ended up with pole position, we won the race, fastest lap… Everything went perfect.” That day was Bahrain, 2010, in the feature GP2 Asia race, supporting the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Italy’s Luca Filippi and MyQi-Meritus.Mahara had the race that any driver and team could dream of – and all in front of the F1 teams and sponsors. The Meritus team had a reputation for identifying and nurturing talented young drivers from the region and when the concept of a GP2 Asia series was formulated, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone offered Meritus the only Asian license for GP2. Despite competing against 12 European-based teams, Meritus held its own in the high-class event, scoring a couple of podium finishes and being among the favorites for the overall crown in the 2009-2010 season. Meritus.GP started the new GP2 season on a high, when Luca Filippi secured their best result - finishing second in the opening race to earn the team eight valuable points. For Filippi, it was the vindication of a talent that he knew was there, having already won the 2005 Italian F3000 championship and been fourth overall in his second year of GP2, scoring his first win in the category. “With GP2, normally I had one difficult year and then a good one. It was always like that. The first good one was 2007, I finished fourth – but level third on the same points as Giorgio Pantano – and 2009 was good as well, I finished fifth.” Meanwhile, Peter Thompson and partners Meritus’ organization was enhancing its winning reputation in Asian motorsport. Having notched up multiple titles in Formula Asia, Formula BMW Asia, Formula BMW Pacific and Formula V6 Asia, the GP2 Asia Series was next on the agenda. Filippi, already a winner in GP2 in Europe, first drove for MyQI-Meritus Mahara (Mahara meaning ‘professional’) in 2008. After a year in GP2 Europe in 2009, he returned to Thompson’s team for 2010. The Italian found a very different team, as President and founder Thompson explains: “We had concentrated all efforts around improving the team engineering and technical resources: for us the 2010 GP2 Asia season
54 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
“It was GP2 Asia. We were the only Asian team in the series, so it was really something special that we achieved” Luca Filippi
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
55
GP2 ASIA
Luca FiliPpi LEFT He Sign of the times. A delighted Filippi meeting the fans RIGHT The Asian media victory tour. The Italian loves IndyCar
was a new start, with a new technical structure, with increased investment from our long-standing sponsor and with experienced and strong drivers.” Filippi liked what he saw. “With the established and strong reputation of Meritus throughout Asia, I saw the potential to fight for the championship. It was Peter as the Team Principal and his brother Sean as the Technical Director and we really made a good job. Bahrain was really the best weekend we had, but unfortunately it was the last one of the championship. “We won that race, we were very competitive all year and we finished second in the series. We could have won the championship as well, but we had some misfortune and some technical issues earlier. But we were very competitive, were on pole, we won and had podiums.” There was an added pressure too – one not lost on the team and its driver. It was a highly competitive series, and among the drivers in the final championship table were future F1 drivers Sergio Perez, Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton, Marcus Ericsson, Charles Pic, Alexander Rossi and Giedo van der Garde - not forgetting that year’s GP2 Asia Champion Davide Valsecchi. If the driving competition was strong, so it was for the teams. “We were the only Asian team in the Series,” Luca laughs. “It was GP2 Asia, an Asian championship and we were the only Asian team – so it really was something special, what we achieved. We were the only team that wasn’t also racing in GP2 in
Europe, so obviously we didn’t get to run as much as the other teams. But technically our set-up was still very good. We had some bad luck early in the series but we were always getting better and better – and that’s when we arrived in Bahrain.” Success automatically meant PR and Thompson and the MyQI-Meritus.GP team wasted no time in telling Malaysia about the Malaysian racing team’s victory. There were billboards and photo shoots with camels. The message was being spread by Malaysia’s racing team. “Yeah, yeah, yeah! We were busy,” says Luca. “Peter knows the media is important, so we had plenty of opportunity to explain that we were the only truly Asian team in the series, so that was something different. With a Malaysian team, things were a little different - but we proved we were competitive.”
IndyCar From there, Luca’s career took him to America and the IndyCar Series – first with Barracuda Racing, and more recently with Rahal Letterman Laningan Racing, co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal. “I love it, really love it,” says Filippi. “It’s something that I always wanted to do, and finally I managed to get a few opportunities.
“It is a series where you can compete at a high level, even if you are not theoretically in the best team, because they are all very good. From that point of view, if you and your engineer work well together, you know that if you do a good job, you can have a good result, or possibly win. “But at the same time, if you don’t do a good job, then you can be very slow and finish last! It really pushes you, weekend by weekend, to do your best. In motorsport, it’s not always like that – you don’t have the best car and you know already the best you can do, even before you race. But this is not the case in IndyCar – it’s a top level series, that I enjoy. I really hope I can get more.” Luca has carved himself a career in racing and when he’s not behind the wheel, he helps with television commentaries on Formula 1 and GP2, for Sky TV. But it’s the racing he’s working hardest on. “It is always better to keep yourself busy and to do as much as you can and stay in this world, because motorsport is a small world. Television is good for that. “Formula 1 is Formula 1,” he says. “But there are other top series. Like Indycar is an amazing series, with so many people watching it; it’s great, it’s fantastic – I love it. It’s my focus at the moment. I’m working on it and I’m confident I can get something in the near future.”
Part of the family Luca Filippi’s place in the Meritus.GP team’s history was cemented with that GP2 Asia win, and he still visits the team in action, when time allows, to meet the stars of tomorrow, following in his tire tracks and offer advice. “I know that the AsiaCup is going very well at the moment,” he says. “There is a lot of interest in the series, there are drivers coming from all over Asia and from Australia and New Zealand, to South Africa, China, everywhere. “In the Formula Masters, I know
56 TRACKRECORD
that Peter has a strong line up, and maybe his is the strongest team in the series.” And as a part-time member of the media with his television commitments, what does he make of the FIA’s new Formula 4? “It’s the series for the next generation of young drivers, for sure. The way they have technically designed the car is very interesting and the engines they can manage, so as to have similar power, to make sure that it is fair for the drivers. The FIA designed rules
WINTER 2014
for a very, very safe and strong car – and at the same time, they try to keep the costs down. “There are simple aerodynamics, in order to not confuse the drivers in how to learn downforce but to have more mechanical grip than aerodynamic. That this is a good way to approach it. “It is the same concept as years ago with Formula Ford, with no wings. At that time, you had those cars with some mechanical grip – maybe not much – and zero aerodynamic grip. Those guys,
they learned how to manage the car, how to control understeer and oversteer with what they had. “Today it would be too far different to do that, but F4 is something in-between. To learn how a car works mechanically – from a set up point of view – for a driver, is important. For sure, the FIA is pushing very much on the series. It is growing in a number of different countries, and I think they are probably going to be the most important series around the world.”
Wondering ho w Jake Parsons and his rivals starte d racing in the AsiaCup Serie s?
It’s so easy!
Simply conta ct Peter Thomp son Call/text +60 or email pete 12 302 7434 r@meritus.gp
1 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
www.asiacupseries.com
MERITUS.GP
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
G
GROWIN
with merit
Meritus.GP leads the way in Asian motorsport today but its 25+ year history is full of championship wins and titles worldwide. It has become known as a training ground for up and coming talent, for vision, attention to detail and – above all – professionalism.
T
he story of Meritus and its transformation into the Meritus. GP brand of today is lengthy. You can see elsewhere in this issue of TrackRecord what Meritus.GP stands for and you can be sure the future will hold more of the same attributes that have got the team the standing and status it currently enjoys in the Malaysian and Asian motorsport worlds. Founder Peter Thompson will be the first to admit that those values weren’t necessarily at the forefront, when his first sportscar rolled out of the family barn in Wexford, Ireland. An awardwinning draftsman and engineer, Thompson and his five brothers had little interest in the family farming business – apart from the barn, in which they (known as TMC – the Thompson Motorsport Company) hand-built the TMC Costin, which had been designed by Frank Costin, brother of Mike Costin (the ‘Cos’ of engine manufacturer Cosworth). The TMC Costin built a reputation, not least on the race track, where it took pole position for its first race. That is another story on its own... In 1988, Thompson sold TMC to American Don Panoz, the leader of the research team that invented the Nicorette non-smoking patch, for which he still holds the patent. Panoz became more known, however, when he turned his hand to motorsport, founding both the American Le Mans Series and his own sportscar marque. His Esparante coupé won its
58 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
class in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2006 and Panoz G-Force IndyCar chassis have won the prestigious Indy 500 four times. Thompson’s focus was now on his own racing team winning, with Anthony Reid, the high-profile support race for the 1989 British Grand Prix, among others. At the end of 1995, Thompson relocated to Malaysia and so began the Meritus phase of the story. “One of the main attractions for helping to grow motorsport in Asia is that it offers a very costeffective ladder to progress from karting, providing all the career steps for ambitious drivers focusing
MAIN Partner
and Managing Director Firhat Yuri Mokhzani with Founder and CEO Peter Thompson, the men with the Meritus.GP vision. ABOVE Chief Engineer Denny Quinn is one of the masterminds of the Asia Cup Series and F Masters programs
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
59
MERITUS.GP
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
on F1,” he states. “The big difference for Asian families pursuing a lucrative sporting career for their child, is that these steps, in Asia, are at least 30 percent cheaper than similar European ladders.” Firhat Yuri Mokhzani – himself a former race driver – liked Thompson’s business plan and reputation for excellence and they soon became partners to form Meritus Racing, which has since evolved into Meritus Grand Prix. It was the start of a successful partnership that has seen the Malaysian team conquer Asia, with 36 international motorsport titles – and counting – since they began.
team to bring professionalism to the sport in Asia. We needed to make a big change, in order to develop sponsorship and secure the brand’s long-term future.” That wasn’t the only change required to make a successful future possible. In the 1990s there were only five licensed Asian racetracks: J-Circuit (Johor Bahru), Batu Tiga (Shah Alam), Sentul (Indonesia) and Bira, near Pattaya in Thailand. Prior to the fifth circuit being built in Zhuhai, there was a Zhuhai street race. Then, of course, there was the jewel in the crown – the Macau Ghia–track – with its heritage going back almost 60 years at the time and still growing.
Renault title, on his way to F1 in 2002, also with Jordan. Taku is now a winner and regular frontrunner in the IndyCar series. Since moving to Malaysia in 1995, victories, trophies, titles and championships have been won by the ‘School of Meritus’. The team’s cars have won the Formula BMW Asia Series, the Formula BMW Pacific Series seven times and Formula V6 Asia twice. The team are also GP2 Asia Series race winners and the GP2 Asia 2010 vice-champions. A very good pedigree – as are the champions it produced. That, though, wasn’t enough. The Meritus
“It is my business, my sport, my hobby,
my passion and my life” Peter Thompson - Founder & Co-Owner, Meritus.GP
Within a year of moving to Asia, the Meritus team’s first Asian win was with future team racer Rio Haryanto’s older brother Roy. But it was Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan who won the 1996 Formula Asia title for the team – the first Indian and the first Asian to win an International series. Narain later went on to race in F1, in 2005, for Jordan Grand Prix. In 1999, Meritus driver Takuma Sato won the Macau Formula
motto, Wan Li Dah was given by the Chinese, and it translates as: “To win, even if you have to travel 100,000 miles”, which means Peter Thompson’s longterm vision still had a way to go to be achieved. “Our race-winning successes resulted in an invitation to enter the first Asian team in the GP2 Asia Series, from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone,” says Thompson. “We repaid his confidence in introducing
Arjun Maini (India) One in a million
Firhat Mokhzani (Malaysia) Co-owner & co-visionary
Aidain Wright (Australia) Formula Masters Champion & Audi R8 LMS Cup racer
Now 16, Maini is literally ‘One in a Million’ – having won a competition set up by the Force India Formula 1 team, to find the fastest Indian driver in karting. Tens of thousands of people took part in the competition. Having won, he had full support for the British karting championship for the whole of 2012. He joined the AsiaCup Series as he graduated from karting. “Peter Thompson and I got on really well in 2013 and we are still very good friends, now that I am racing in Europe. He still follows me and congratulates me. He invited me to try the AsiaCup Series after karting. It was thanks to him that I did it. We had just come back from karting races in Italy. We decided just to do one race, just to see, as an experience. I hardly did any testing and I managed to be quick straight away. I got a podium in my first race, two podiums out of the first three races of the championship. I stayed, had a couple more wins and it has been a really good choice to do the AsiaCup. It’s because of that, that I’m going well right now. I am really thankful to Peter for introducing me to it. Everything has been positive so far, and I’m working hard now to make it to Formula 1.”
While studying law in England, Firhat - a former racer - was at Silverstone in 1995, for the British GP. A friend of his was racing for Peter Thompson’s team in one of the support races and that’s where he met his future business partner. “When Peter set up the karting mall in Hong Kong, he wanted to concentrate on that, so he needed a partner to come in and run the racing side of the business. So I came in, my background was actually law in England. So we went into business together in 1999, in Formula Asia - as it was called then - became Asian Formula 3000. We started small. Then Formula BMW happened. We started with three cars and here we are today. It’s been a great journey. Never a boring moment… “For me the AsiaCup Series is definitely the future of junior motorsport. Because the ‘One’ concept that we have – make, track, team – really is the only way to bring the costs down. “Personally - Peter and I - we really want to make another category of maybe 200250bhp. We are trying to put together all the elements for that to happen and I think hopefully in the next couple of years we will. This is a concept that can be scaled up.”
An Australian State karting champion, Aidan represented his country in the Under 18 championships in Europe. He joined Meritus.GP for the JK Racing Series (formerly known as Formula BMW Asia), and then moved up with the team to Formula Masters China for 2013, which he won. “At the end of 2011 while I was karting, Peter contacted me about coming to do the JK Racing Series, which had been Formula BMW. We went over to Malaysia and did a lot of pre-season testing with him over in Sepang. I knew that was the right direction, because Asia was - it still is - booming with motorsport. In my rookie season, I came fourth with the Meritus team and got to race some really great circuits, in Europe and India.That was great. We decided to stay with Meritus, because they were a professional outfit, to race the inaugural Formula Masters China series throughout Asia. Peter and the team were incredible. They had hired ex-F1 engineer Ramiro Garcia. I learned a lot from him and I ended up winning the Masters China series. This year I’m racing as part of the Audi China outfit in the Audi R8 LMS Cup and that Masters experience has helped me for that.”
“I think back of those early years in Asia, when we were carrying the Marlboro brand,” he remembers. “While today such tobacco brands are not allowed, during the 1980s and ’90s to have an association with Marlboro meant you were on your way to Formula 1!” Formula 1 at that time was a long way off though, as there were more important things to attend to first. Thompson again: “It’s true that Meritus was the first
Views ON MERITUS.GP
60 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
ABOVE Deputy
Prime Minister Yang Amat Berhormat Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Yassin and Peter Thompson back in the day; LEFT Jazeman Jafaar and Thompson check out Williams F1. BELOW The Panoz Esparante, a derivitive of the TMC roadster. Panoz chassis won four Indy 500s
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
61
MERITUS.GP
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Meritus to his GP2 management team with our performances; Meritus taking a win and podiums, placing second overall – and winning GP2 Rookie of the Year – in the 2010 GP2 Asia Series. “The Meritus.GP success is born from a dedication to a vision. It is a team that cares about its drivers and staff and they all learn and grow together.” A glance at the winners from the Meritus.GP stable is only half the story and in 2014 the emphasis is as much on the future as it is on the present. There is a passion that runs deep; from Thompson, through the partners,
Asia Series race supporting the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix. “The brand Meritus is not just the name – it encompasses all the energy and motivation and activation that is part of the Meritus lifestyle,” he continues. “It’s not just about one person – we are a GP team: Great People, Great Professionals who have evolved and over the last 18 years. The name Meritus has become synonymous with winning and helping to develop and create what we like to call the future’s ‘International Motorsport Heroes’. “In Arabic Meritus translates to ‘Mahara’ meaning
those who have similar dreams. While to race an F1 car is a huge motivation, it’s important to realize that there are also professional careers in motorsport, outside of F1.” That doesn’t stop the flame that drives Thompson himself from burning bright. “Yes...The dream to be an F1 team owner still consumes my life! Of course I have failed, as yet, to achieve this goal but along the way I have helped fulfill many young drivers’ dreams of reaching F1, in one way or another. David Coulthard’s first wings and slicks test was in one of
“It’s not just about one person – we are a GP team:
Great People, Great Professionals” Peter Thompson - Founder & Co-Owner, Meritus.GP ‘to provide your services in a professional manner’. Those who know and care about Meritus appreciate the passion and energy that flows through the ‘red’ team’s veins.” It is the future that is the focus, backed by the success of the AsiaCup Series initiative, that is attracting young local stars from the Asian continent and also from around the rest of the globe,” he summarizes. “We are focused on educating and creating careers in the sport and we seek to work with
our Formula Opel Lotus cars at Silverstone and our F1 Drivers Hall of Fame includes Vincenzo Sospiri, Ricardo Rosset, Narain Karthikeyan andTakuma Sato, while IndyCar racer Luca Filippi and a number of other Meritus.GP graduates, have sampled the power of F1 for themselves. “However, I am sure the best are yet to come – and we are going to see many more of our Meritus heroes like Jazeman Jaafar, Rio Haryanto and Oscar Tunjo racing an F1 car before too long.”
Rio Harryanto (Indonesia) GP2 ace & F1 tester!
Jazeman Jaafar (Malaysia) Young star on the fast track
Ross Jamison (Hong Kong) Champion and driver coach
When he was three years old, Rio used to watch his brother Roy race with Meritus, in 1996. Rio’s career took off in 2009, when he won 11 races in Formula BMW Pacific and the championship, also with Meritus. Now racing in GP2 in Europe – and with long-term sponsorship from Pertamina – he is knocking on F1’s door. “Meritus has a lot of knowledge and the team is very good, especially in Asia; it is the top team and a lot of drivers, who come out from Asia to go to Europe, race with Meritus. I think Meritus has helped many young drivers to become mature and also they are very professional – the whole team – and the cars are pretty good as well. “My Formula BMW championship in 2009 was with Meritus. We won 11 races and the championship and that was really good. I think that was the turnaround for me, because after that, I got one of the biggest sponsors I have – Pertamina – to sponsor for me to race in Europe, in GP3.”
At age 13, decided he wanted to race cars in Asia, instead of karts in Europe. In hindsight, a great call. The Automobile Association of Malaysia gave him an exemption for an international licence to compete in FRenault and he finished third. In 2007, he joined Meritus and won. From there it’s been in British F3 (second in the championship), FRenault 3.5 (two poles and two third places at Monaco) and has a place on the Petronas Young Driver program - which means he is a part of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. “I met Peter when I was really young, when I was doing karting, about eight years old. He showed me around Formula BMW etc. Peter helped a lot in my career, with a couple of introductions to people, so it was the start of my formula career that he helped. After FRenault, the logical step was to do Formula BMW Asia. And at that time, Petronas formed the Young Driver program and the racing school in Malaysia. I was gutted, because I wasn’t selected, so we had to raise some sponsorship. We did the championship with Meritus, won, and we had the phone call from Petronas the day after we won.”
Born in Wales, Jamison has lived in Hong Kong most of his life and caught the racing bug there. He won the Formula BMW Pacific Series and qualified fourth for his first race on the streets of Macau. Now without sponsorship, he studies planning and property development and now a management and architecture Masters - which is under the school of architecture - as well as being a Driver Coach for Meritus.GP. “I started in motorsport in 2001, when Peter Thompson started a karting mall in part of the terminal of the old Hong Kong airport. There, I realised there I had potential as a driver, so I started racing more seriously around Asia and ended up winning the Asian Karting Championship, in 2005. I got a scholarship for 2007 that enabled me to go to single-seaters and I won the championship with Meritus, in 2008. The financial crisis hit and my sponsors pulled out, so I went to university in 2009. “I’ve kept a really good relationship with the team and I’ve always come back to Malaysia to do a little bit of testing and to help at various events. Now I’m one of the Meritus.GP Driver Coaches.”
team, drivers and everyone that is part of the story. “Motorsport has given me, my family and my partners fantastic opportunities and memories,” he says. “It is my business, my sport, my hobby, my passion and my life; I have come a long way and have enjoyed a great deal of success in the past 30 years since I asked that silly question ‘what is pole?’ at my first race! We won that race but one of our sporting highlights – shared with my partners Firhat Mokhzani and Raad Abduljawad – was winning the 2010 GP2
Views ON MERITUS.GP
62 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
ABOVE PM
Earl Bamber (New Zealand) 2006 Formula BMW Asia Champ, Asia V6 runner-up with Meritus Part of a wave of highly talented young New Zealand racers, Bamber was quick to move to Asia and Meritus, where, as a rookie, he fought – and beat – Australia’s F1 hotshot Daniel Ricciardo, for the FBMW Pacific title. He spent four years with the team netting the runner-up spot in the 2008 FV6 Asia Series, and he went with the team all the way to GP2 Asia. He now races Porsche Supercup, with F1 and has been a driver coach in AsiaCup. “I used to work with Peter, so I know the championship well. I was part of it when they set it up. I think it’s a very good series. I look after young drivers and have one who was there last year. He learnt a huge amount and I think there’s more space in the world for championships like that. You want the most talented drivers and also championships where you can’t buy speed. You learn good race-craft against other good drivers - that’s all anyone asks for. Then the drivers can move on to bigger things. There are some categories where you need to test or need to be in a particular team to be at the front - and some can’t afford to be there and then they never get their talent shown. “I know what they’re doing and I know that it’s good. It needs to be a good training ground. That’s why I think there’s space for more series like that.”
Najib accepts the GP2 Asia runner-up trophy from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone; LEFT Haryanto on the victor podium with Valteri Bottas; RIGHT Narain Karthikeyan became India’s first F1 racer; BELOW Earl Bamber was a winner and a coach, here with Sasahara, the 2014 Auto GP champion
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
63
A R A C I N G C U LT U r e
Hamad Al Fardan
MIDDLE EAST
Meritus.GP leads the way in Malaysian motorsport today but its 30-year history is full of championship wins and titles worldwide. It has become known as a training ground for up and coming talent, for precision, attention to detail and – above all – professionalism.
Middle Eastern
Promise The race to produce a Formula 1 star from the Middle East is still on, aided by two former drivers using their experiences to bring on the new generation
64 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
Hamza Dirani
T
he desire in Asia and the Middle East to provide worthy tracks, and drivers, capable of making the Formula 1 grade is as fierce as ever. In the Middle East, projects are underway to ease the motorsport route for its hopeful young drivers. Two guys are at the sharp end of junior programs Two former racers, both from the Middle East, and each part of the Meritus.GP story, now have very different roles and careers. Hamad Al Fardan from Bahrain (above left), and Jordan’s Hamza Dirani know what it’s like to chase the dream of Formula 1. Now they are, separately, helping to shape the next generation of F1 hopefuls in their own regions. “Nowadays it’s very difficult to find the right people to help if you want to race,” says Al Fardan. “Motorsport is hard to find the right path, the right way to go. There are choices, and one mistake could change everything.”
impossible for us, because there were no circuits at all. Bahrain International Circuit only opened in 2004. We didn’t have any good kart circuits at all, the only circuits we had were very small and not up to international standards.” To further his career, he had to make a life choice, and it meant moving. “For me to continue, I chose to go to Formula BMW Asia with Meritus. It was a big thing,” he smiles. In doing so, he became the first Jordanian to race single seaters.
Hamza Dirani
“At the time I had really good support from the government, with Prince Feisal Bin Al Hussein (son of late King Hussein, brother of current King Abdullah II) who is the chairman of Jordan Motorsport. He was very supportive of having a Jordanian driver in formula racing.” Dirani finished in the top 10 in all of his races,
“My background was in karting,” say Dirani. “I started in 1999 in the Jordan Karting Championship. I drove that championship a few times, and every karting driver there had the goal to move up to single seaters. But it was almost
but then came up against the budget problems that many drivers stumble on, which eventually forced a new career. “I decided to go to England and Formula Renault, but I couldn’t proceed because my sponsors were more interested in rallying, and we had the World Rally Championship coming to Jordan.” And that was that for Jordan’s first great hope – as a driver. Instead, he channeled his focus on helping others chase that dream. “After racing, I started my own company, Jordan Karting. We are the importers
“ OUR AIM IS TO COME UP WITH THE BEST DRIVERS IN THE AREA TO REPRESENT IN A regional championship” for Birel Kart and IAME Engines, and we look after young drivers. We try to help, teach them and help them to perform better. Hopefully we can build a new generation of kart drivers. With the small level of opportunities we had before, it was a very big gap to even go to professional karting or jump up to the higher levels of motorsport.” S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
65
MIDDLE EAST
A R A C I N G C U LT U r e
Having seen what was missing during his early racing ventures, Dirani has been working on a karting project in Beirut, Lebanon. He has designed a new circuit to meet the CIK-FIA international standards. The project will be one of the best karting facilities in the region. “It’s called RPM Lebanon (Racing Park Mtein),” he says. “The circuit is running, but the official launch will be next year when all the facilities are complete. Our circuit is made up to FIA level, and now there is the kart circuit at Bahrain as well, next to the F1 circuit, which is one of the best circuits I’ve ever visited. So for now our aim is to run a regional championship, for different levels to come up with maybe four or five of the best drivers of the area, so these can represent their region at a international level.
Al Fardan also benefitted from royal backing, with The Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who was behind the building of the Bahrain International Circuit Formula 1 track, helping drivers too. “It had been good timing,” says Hamad. “I was representing the circuit, and they were supporting me financially, mentally and everything. Today they are supportive and pushing new drivers too. I’m really thankful for my career, even if I didn’t reach F1.”
The next generation Like Hamza in Jordan, Hamad is now involved in national level karting, and helping it grow. “They just built the best karting track in Bahrain, it’s the third best circuit in the world,” Al Fardan
“ THEY’RE SUPPORTIVE AND PUSHING NEW DRIVERS TOO. I’M THANKFUL, EVEN
IF I DIDN’T REACH FORMULA 1” Hamad Al Fardan In Bahrain it was a very similar story for Al Fardan. “I started karting when I was eight years old,” says the Bahraini. “In the Middle East it was really hard to find sponsorship to race, because it was very new in the region. I was lucky to get the chance to drive Formula BMW Asia in 2004. It was very good for me and as an Arab driver to do this in Asia was very big. Peter Thompson saw me in my first year, and said, ‘you are talented, I need you in my team’. I accepted because I’d seen that Meritus was the best team in Asia, and to win, you have to be with the best team. And especially when you are very young, you need to learn, and you need to be with the best.” His plan worked, the combination winning four of 14 races, and Al Fardan took third in the championship. In 2007 he raced in the National Class of the British F3 Championship, taking third behind champion Sergio Perez, the future McLaren and Force India driver. In 2009 he won the Formula V6 Asia, along with competing in the GP2 Asia series. “I did one season in GP2, and that was the last championship I did,” he recalls. “My main sponsor was a bank in Bahrain. That year the bank lost a lot of money in the world crisis and I was one of their ‘projects’. They stopped right there.” Bahrain was another country that had a national objective to be a major factor in world motorsport.
says.” It’s a nice circuit, it has a lot of technology, they spent a lot of money on it, and it is right next to the Grand Prix track. It’s very, very promising. I am now a TV presenter with a show about Bahrain motorsport, I cover karting there, and help out the youngsters with deals.” They are both working on the karting level, but there is also the question of where do the champions go next? “That is a good question,” says Dirani. “I have heard about the new Formula 4 category. I think it will be a great step for kart drivers to go on further with the racing careers. Peter and I have discussed the possibilities of a new series for the Middle East region. For me it was hard to progress to cars, as I needed a minimum of five hours flying to ago anywhere to practice. But with a new series, all circuits are within a maximum of two hours.” The commercial side, as it is such a huge part of the early stages of a driver’s career, has been considered in the brainstorming. “It’s much better for the drivers’ sponsors to race within the region,” Dirani continues, “as there is no exposure for a local or regional brand to promote itself in countries where it doesn’t trade. This is a problem many drivers faced. But hopefully in a new series, and with its huge media exposure, it will be much more convenient for the driver and sponsor to race in.” The racing infrastructure in the Middle East is certainly growing, and the aims are the highest. The future is bright.
MAIN Dirani
did a season in Formula BMW Asia; CENTER Al Fardan downloads to Meritus crew Mokhzani and Quinn; ABOVE F1 winner Nico Rosberg salutes an Al Fardan success; LEFT The RPM Lebanon circuit raises the standards racing facilities, and aims to bring on junior racers
66 TRACKRECORD
SEPTEMBER 2014
A view from outside Raad S. Abduljawad (left) represented Saudi Arabia in 1991 in the EFDA Nations Cup, in a car run by Peter Thompson, but at that time neither thought that almost two decades later they’d be celebrating victory in GP2 Asia as Qi-Meritus.Mahara team partners. It was, Abdulijawad recalls with a laugh, “… a long time ago! “I got involved with Peter when he did GP2 and was partners with him in that venture for the last three years of the GP2 Asia series. GP2 was very exciting, a very nice series.” Raad’s business commitments mean that he is now not directly involved in motorsport, but he still keeps an eye on racing, and has his own views on how it should evolve and grow in the Middle East. “We need to develop the culture of motor racing, which isn’t there at the moment in terms of circuit racing and so on. People go crazy in the streets, but that’s not the way to do it. The Middle East needs to develop something from the grass roots to something that used to be Formula Ford or BMW, and graduate to the next series. I read about Formula 4. It seems, in a way, bringing back a similar culture to Formula Ford, with wings, and a much better, updated, car. It is good as long as they can control the expenses. “Today (if drivers) want to take this up as a career,” he continues, “they need to move from the Middle East, move to Europe, Asia or maybe to the Far East, maybe Malaysia, Japan, what have you. Most of them are really not willing to do that, to pay for an education abroad, and pay for racing abroad. So racing has to be brought back to the people.”
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 TRACKRECORD
67