2012 Mono 2000 grids

[scorchio]

How are we going to boost the Mono 2000 grid?
I'm not going to say I told you so, but it looks like there
may not be many on the grid next season!

There was a lot of discussion on the subject of restrictors not
too long ago but the subject seemed to come to a dead end.

We all now know that a Mono 2000 car is as quick, if not quicker
than an F3 car in a drag race. Was this intended?

I propose we allow unrestricted Formula Renault's to run. This will
boost the grid. They will be given a fighting chance then against the
mighty Dallaras.

Come to think of it, why not let the F3's in without changing restrictors?

[tonybishop]

Not sure about the concern re the anticipated grid size for Mono 2000 in 2012 , maybe a Mono official could forward an opinion , or perhaps drivers likely to commit should declare their intention to assist . Personally , I intend to enter the Mono 2000 Championship.

With ref to the FR2000 , if my memory serves me well , i recall one un-restricted FR2000 finishing comfortably first at Oulton Park this year. Starting from P4 Kourosh finished in front of the two very well prepared and very well driven Dallara ( both on throttle bodies ) of Malcolm and Richard .
Obviously the Renault was disqualified , but surely this confirms the potential speed of the un-restricted Renault .

[tony edwards]

i hope the 2000 classic class will be well supported, i'm buying a car on saturday

[macaw]

I own a 2007 Formula Renault 2000 and will enter Mono 2000 if it can run unrestricted. I am not interested in racing it with a 40mm restrictor as it would be uncompetitive. The driver previously mentioned is a front runner in the BARC series, so no suprise he was quick.
Malcolm C

[Paperman]

This season 18 people competed at some point in Mono 2000, which has been Monoposto’s fastest growing class over the last two years. As is always the case, not all this year’s runners will run again next year, but we currently expect the Mono 2000 entry next year to be similar to this year, or better. We already know about a dozen competitors who plan to compete regularly in Mono 2000 next season, plus about another six who hope to compete at least in some of the races. Tony Edwards adds another to Mono Classic 2000 for next year, which is the largest category in the Club – and you are very welcome Tony! However it is how the overall economic situation developes which will be the biggest factor affecting grids in 2012. This was also true this year, when the Club saw a 4% growth in our racing membership.

I am puzzled by the apparent concern about the relative performance of Mono 2000 and F3 cars. A key objective for Monoposto is to provide “racing in the Grand Prix style for the man in the street”. Surely a class which has F3-type cars delivering F3-type performance, but at significantly lower cost than F3 is exactly what we should be trying to achieve?

The Draft Monoposto Regulations for next season do not contain any change to the requirement for FR 2.0s to use a 37mm diameter intake restrictor. In fact the Draft Regulations do not contain any changes specific to Mono 2000. This reflects a policy adopted by the Club two years ago to maintain rule stability during difficult overall economic conditions. We expect to publish the Draft Regulations before the end of the month (they remain Draft until approved by the MSA).

Monoposto is a multiclass, multitype category in which the technical regulations are used to manage the relative performance of cars in a variety of ways. This is never easy to do as many factors affect the performance that a car can achieve. In fact only one FR 2.0 has run regularly in Mono 2000 and this narrowly missed out on a top three Championship result this year. In the last two seasons several FR 2.0 cars and drivers have had “one-off” outings in Mono 2000 and achieved race results in the top three. However it is not reasonable to expect a “one-off” driver, however quick, to be fully competitive compared to an similarly quick driver who has diligently developed their car within the regulations. What I would personally like to see is an experienced and quick driver such as Scorchio consistently running in an FR 2.0 which has been developed and optimised within Monoposto regulations.

It’s my own experience that at this time of the year people often suggest changes to the technical regulations which (by an amazing co-incidence) give an advantage to the type of car that the own or are considering buying. My perception is that only rarely does the suggested change arise simply from a genuine concern to improve the health of the Club. In the specific case of this thread: calling for a change to the regulations by making an unsubstantiated claim that Mono 2000 grids are in trouble has exactly the opposite affect.

Engineer the car, not the Regulations.

Simon Davey
Monoposto Championship Co-ordinator

[andrewcliffe]

I think Tristan was quite satisfied to be second fastest in his first outing in an F3 spec car, in a car that wasn't his, on his least favourite circuit, and on older tyres and without any real testing.

He knows there is time to find to reach Aaron, a former British F3 driver, a former A1GP driver, a former McLaren Autosport BRDC finalist - a professional driver whose own success has been thwarted by lack of budget.

[Paperman]

What we saw was a very good driver from the BARC series come to Mono and took the challenge to the fastest car/driver combo and did very well.

No, what we saw was a driver from the BARC series come to Mono and knowingly run with a car which was ineligible at the Oulton event - the team had deliberately removed the intake restrictor to improve the cars performance. This was discovered at post-race scrutineering and the Clerk of the Course excluded the driver from the event, and forfeited the maximum points for two Championship rounds. This is the maximum penalty allowed in the regulations.

The driver and the team should be ashamed of their behaviour.

Simon Davey
Monoposto Championship Co-ordinator