Renault V6 on the edge of folding (merged)

[windup1]

I hear today that the new Renault V6 championship is likely to be postponed or run on a lesser scale. The reason being lack of drivers with the funding to compete, with competition from Nissan WS and F3000. The current global financial climate and middle east tension is blamed.

[WD40]

Thats bad news a lot of drivers were waiting for a year to see how it went too?This could be the right time to enter?

[Woolley]

Frankly, no bad thing. There are already too many SS series at these levels diluting the talent, and a high tech one really isn't going to add to the entertainment. FBMW is trying to muscle in as well - Quote from the organisers - 'It makes sense to run the series in the UK'. Makes sense to who exactly? Organising clubs? Spectators? Drivers? Overstretched marshals? or BMW??? ditto FRenault V6. The demo car at Donington was utterly uninspiring and a grid full of half a dozen will be no better. If manufacturers want to promote their engines, let them supply them to open series and compete with each other instead of forming yet another self-serving snoozathon.

Boy, do I feel better for that!

[Shunt the Hunt]

The collapse of the Renault V6 is good news... Not for the drivers who were involved for sure, but for motorsport, it's a good thing.

We don't need another promotion formula... what was the interest of such a formula, compared to Formula 3 and TWS Nissan ?

[Russfeld]

Does this mean the FRS Eurocup will return?

[SALEEN S7R]

Im not being funny but does anyone have a news article or link to this story? I just find it hard to belive thats all.

[Morcilman]

WOW! thats some news! to tell the truth is very incredible that there will be drivers for everything! but at the end of the day no mater what they do evrything has drivers...

I thought that the has so many cars orderer and bla bla bla... how about that. is a pity in one way, but is good news in another. I think renault was good enoughf like it is and expensive as well. There are other options out there like WS and 3000 to fit there.

What is the prob anuway? to xpensive the car? no interest from drivers, what do you think?

[Lisboa]

V6 will die? I don't think so. The main problem is that it's very expansive for the teams to buy 2 news cars and spare parts. I mean that this winter is the hardest time in the last 10 years, because there are so many championship and the drivers are still waiting. But, i think that for Renault is not impossible to give the cars for free, or to support the team in this way: here are the cars, you'll pay in september. In this case we'll see 12 teams in two weeks, and 24 drivers in one mounth. There are 600.000 euro prize money, 100% F.1 test, and live TV in Eurosport. F.3000 at the moment has nothing.....

[Russfeld]

F3000 has its place, the V6 seires doesnt.

[windup1]

It's simple adding up and taking away really...
Three top-line championships each wanting @20 cars each...60 drivers.
These 60 drivers come from where.? Brit F3, German F3, Formula Renault and maybee Atlantic etc.
So therefore each championship has got to move 15 drivers each, up to "Formula Wannabee". They are just not out there, oh and they nearly all need to have circa $500,000 to take with them.
Surely quality is better than quantity.....
Well thats what I tell my wife..!

[Morcilman]

that is right Lisboa, but is true that there are noy enough drivers out there. of 100 in karting 80 goes to FF, from those, 30 goes to Frenault, from those 15 to F3 and five to 3000, and they need 30 to be able to have 3000, WS and Renault. You are right in the price thing, but who is going to start it, if I could have that money I would go to nissan or 3000, not to an "experiment". It would be the best price, but with no drivers...
The best thing to do it to re-name the WS to Renault (they are the same)and give the WS the prices.

[bella]

couldn't they have offered each champion of the formula renault series in each country a fully paid or near fully paid drive in the v6 series. the fact that renault so far haven't placed any of their drivers in their own series shows something doesn't it?

[Russfeld]

400k a year form the National Series is more than the entry fees would cover isnt it? And you wouldnt have any other prize money, trophies, PR or any luxuries because all the entry fees would be eaten up by the Super V6 ride.

[John Clucas]

I have to say I hope it does succeed - or at least shake up F3 and F3000. (UK) F3 engine costs have got totally out of hand - £60/70k for a season for an engine turning out 110bhp/litre is crazy (some roadgoing car engines do that, and almost any bike gives far more). F3000 has also lost its way at the moment. Super Renault seems to give near F3000 performance for F3 cost. True, there are too many classes, but if the present ones are too expensive for what they are, then something needs to shake them up.
I also tend to think that F3 has too much grip for the power - a situation where set-up and engine power count for more than driver skill. It remains to be seen whether Super Renault is better in that regard, but it should do, unless the aero package is exceptionally good.

[SALEEN S7R]

Originally posted by Russfeld
F3000 has its place, the V6 seires doesnt.

Oh but it does have a place, right between F3 and F3000. Now if u were to say the TWS dosent have a place then I would agree, the TWS is just another blood sucking series - aiming to kill of F3000. Fortunatley they have found that much harder than they had imagined.

[Russfeld]

Why does there need to be something filling a gap between F3 and F3000? If V6 fills that should I go out and start something to fill the gap between F3 and V6 and V6 and F3000? How many series do we need?

[SALEEN S7R]

There is a need for it at the moment I think, at the moment F3 cars produce around 250bhp and F3000 cars around 480bhp, the Formula Renault V6 cars produce 320bhp, that is ideal. It will go ahead rest assured and it has a LIVE tv coverage slot on Eurosport on the LG Super Racing Weekends.

[Russfeld]

Yeah but the economics of racing wont support it. There arent enough funded drivers in all the other series to justify a new one

[bella]

why does the ladder always have to be 2 dimensional, this is what i don't understand. why do things have to fit in, why can't they work together and alongside?

[Russfeld]

Well in this case its clearly not. Renault dumped the mega strong and mega succesful Eurocup and replaced it with a series that might not even happen.

[SALEEN S7R]

But then again it probably will, I doubt very much that Eurosport would secure a deal for Live coverage of the races if it were not the case. I dont know which teams that have signed up for the new series but I did hear the number of cars on the grid currently would be around 14 and that other teams are joining.

The renault v6 series is with a extrmeley strong package of the FIA ETCC and FIA GT, they will pull in the tin top fans and the V6 cars will pull in the single seater fans and all 3 championships will benefit, because each differnt type of fan will realise just how good the other forms of racing are live at the track, rather than watching from a tv screen.

Have faith, the series will happen and it will be a sucess. Peter Dumbrek has tested the car recently at Monza and said it was fantastic and the price of the cars isnt too great, the cost certainly below running a team in the TWS or F3000 series.

[bella]

he wasn't gonna say it was pants in autosport though was he now? that's probably what renault paid him to say...

[SALEEN S7R]

Hmm, nah I doubt that very much, Dumbrek isnt that kind of driver. He was in my view just giving a honest account of the car. The car will be extremely fast as well compared to F3 cars I think. The car running at Monza in a medium-high downforce trim on a damp track without the new specifcation slicks he still managed to hit 175mph. Now as he said, if he had more time in the car and the track was dry and he had got the setup right it could have topped 185mph perhaps now thats more than the Formula Renault Eurocup racers or Formula 3 racers could say. They were lucky to touch 160mph.

The thing I like about the Formula Renault V6 cars also is they actually look like REAL racing cars and not the micky mouse cars u normally see on the powertour, or the LG Super Racing Weekends. And yes I know the powertour is dead lol but it will always be the powertour to me.

[bella]

you're fighting a losing battle there mate, f3 cars look and sound great.

i still don't think mr dumbreck had a choice but to say positive things about the chassis. it really would be a major faux pas if autosport ran an article condemning the renault v6 car to be a pile of knickers. think politics, not what the driver's likely to do.

[Shunt the Hunt]

Originally posted by SALEEN S7R
Hmm, nah I doubt that very much, Dumbrek isnt that kind of driver. He was in my view just giving a honest account of the car.

Dumbreck is into deep... he lost his seat in DTM and Renault gave him a little job to develop the V6 car... Dumbreck just says what Renault wants him to say... it's so difficult for Renault to attract people on that series, you can be sure that everything will be done to promote it and to give a good and competitive image...

The car will be extremely fast as well compared to F3 cars I think.

Just two seconds quicker for the moment... with a V6 engine, it's quite ridiculous.

The thing I like about the Formula Renault V6 cars also is they actually look like REAL racing cars and not the micky mouse cars u normally see on the powertour, or the LG Super Racing Weekends.

Please... OK, it has the shape of a F1 car, but with the small and thin tyres it looks very ugly.

This new serie is useless... the gap between Formula 3 and Formula 3000 isn't so deep... you say there's a gap of almost 200hp, but power isn't everything in motorsport... and don't forget that guys like Senna, Hakkinen, Sato, Verstappen crossed directly the Channel between F3 and F1...