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Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 10:54 am
by Vincent Fox
Monoposto seem to have been one of the few series to have increased grid sizes over the last two years. Obviously good governance has been a major factor. I wonder if Mono as a club should not expand and invite other types of cars into its club. Some sort of sports cars or tin tops? The extra grids would increase monoposto's bargaining power when negotiating track time and race schedules.

Obviously there is a need to be clever about this and not try and attack other established clubs but I suspect there is merit to this idea and looking at series like semsec saloon and sports car championship might be a clue. I mean how many times can a person want to race at Lydden?

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:37 pm
by AndyY
Mono 3000? for all those BOSS & EuroBoss racers who don't seem to able to organise themselves without falling out with each other.

Combine with Irish F Libre

There must be hundereds of F3000 cars waiting to be raced by idle oil traders bored of counting their cash piles (or just their piles).

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 3:26 pm
by Vincent Fox
I think you are right. Two of the clubs recent past members are ex F3000 drivers (Mark Harison and John Hanline) plus Chris Woodhouse has done Boss.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 4:31 pm
by phuston
This topic was discussed at the last directors' meeting, see abstract of the minutes on Startline. The initiative, it was an active initiative, appears to have foundered on the silencing regs. Most cars mentioned don't meet 108db...............and circuits have few >108db days available.

If we want three grids (it could bring problems), attracting more motorcycle engined cars may be the way to go.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 4:56 pm
by lee
Vincent Fox wrote:I think you are right. Two of the clubs recent past members are ex F3000 drivers (Mark Harison and John Hanline) plus Chris Woodhouse has done Boss.

Francis Phillips is too. Raced in Boss and i believe the British F3000 series.

OH plus there is Colin Stone who has a Jordan F1 too.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 7:01 am
by andrewcliffe
Mono5000 using road derived normally aspirated V8's of up to 5 litre capacity or supercharged engines subject to a x1.4 equivalency factor.

or

Mono3500 using road derived engines of up to litre capacity (forced induction x1.4). Up to 6 cylinders in any configuration.

I would have thought it possible to get these to 105db

Oh, and permit rotary engines into Mono2000 or somewhere. Mazda RX8's are dirt cheap...
190 or 228bhp, lightweight, although possibly COG may be a little high, and the penalty is fuel consumption.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 7:09 am
by lee
RedRedWine wrote:
lee wrote:
Vincent Fox wrote: OH plus there is Colin Stone who has a Jordan F1 too.
Is that the one Graham Hickman had a bad incident with at Shelsley?

No Tony. Its a Jordan 195 I believe. Ex Rubens/Irvine. Fitted with a V10 Peugeot engine.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 8:09 am
by AndyY
Recreate a "F5000" type series with older F3000 tpe chasis fitted with Chevy LS7 engines or similar.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 8:22 am
by andrewcliffe
I read in Autosport about a fortnight ago that the Autosport Young Guns series, which was run for the first time this season, using JKS cars with Suzuki 750cc engines has decided to switch from JKS chassis to the old Formula BMW chassis for next season.

There is already a number of cars on the market for very little money - £ 12k for a 1 year old car with 6 races under its belt. Mono needs to get these cars on its grid.

How much longer can Formula Palmer Audi continue with the current car? The cars haven't changed much for a decade - ideal Mono3500 cars (1.8 turbo)

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:14 am
by Vincent Fox
I think the idea of a more powerful car series in Mono has merit. I'd be happy to race something a little faster, it may help cover up my shortcoming of talent.

I wonder if a supercharger would fit on a Toyota?

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:08 am
by AndyY
Vincent Fox wrote: I wonder if a supercharger would fit on a Toyota?
It does on the Lotus 2-11, but that's not a 3S-GE

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:12 am
by AndyY
andrewcliffe wrote:I read in Autosport about a fortnight ago that the Autosport Young Guns series, which was run for the first time this season, using JKS cars with Suzuki 750cc engines has decided to switch from JKS chassis to the old Formula BMW chassis for next season.

There is already a number of cars on the market for very little money - £ 12k for a 1 year old car with 6 races under its belt. Mono needs to get these cars on its grid.

How much longer can Formula Palmer Audi continue with the current car? The cars haven't changed much for a decade - ideal Mono3500 cars (1.8 turbo)
The future of FPA is up for discussion - it might not run in 2011; as for the Young Guns cars I'm not sure how there performance stacksupagainst the curent Mono 1000 cars but there might be some merit in Mono 750 class. If Mono doesn'tdo it smeone else (F4?) will.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:33 am
by andrewcliffe
The new range of Elises and derivatives (except Evora) use the 1800cc Toyota ZZ series engine, often the 2ZZ-GE 190hp engine, sometimes with supercharger (with interesting packaging issues for a single seater application!) for 240-260bhp.

The engine that superseded the 3S-GE in F3 form was the 1AZ-FE, but Toyota don't offer a sporty road car using this engine and the boring road cars give 145bhp. Some cars competing in current Japanese F3 are still using the 3S-GE engine.

All road versions use variable valve timing.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:40 am
by samier
andrewcliffe wrote:The new range of Elises and derivatives (except Evora) use the 1800cc Toyota ZZ series engine, often the 2ZZ-GE 190hp engine, sometimes with supercharger (with interesting packaging issues for a single seater application!) for 240-260bhp.

The engine that superseded the 3S-GE in F3 form was the 1AZ-FE, but Toyota don't offer a sporty road car using this engine and the boring road cars give 145bhp. Some cars competing in current Japanese F3 are still using the 3S-GE engine.

All road versions use variable valve timing.
The 2ZZ GE engine is already being used in a very competetive series in NZ, pushing around 220 bhp on Biofuel and using a Tatuus chassis.

Re: Monoposto, should it expand?

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:44 am
by andrewcliffe
AndyY wrote: The future of FPA is up for discussion - it might not run in 2011; as for the Young Guns cars I'm not sure how there performance stacksupagainst the curent Mono 1000 cars but there might be some merit in Mono 750 class. If Mono doesn'tdo it smeone else (F4?) will.
Thruxton: Pole 1.18.4, dry, dry & sunny

Brands Indy: Pole 48.5, cloudy & light rain 46.6 in race, cloudy & dry

Snetterton: Pole 1:20.6 - damp, race 1.22.9 wet, 1.11.0 dry

Minimum weight of car & driver - 440kg
Dunlop slicks.

So, allowing for wind and other inexplicable reasons that makes a track quick one day, but slow the next despite it being quite nice, I reckon they'd fit into Mono1000 reasonable well, and a engine change to a 1000cc engine must be fairly easy.