ARP Formula 3

[VFS Motor Racing Videos]

Hi.
Can anyone tell me how long the ARP Formula 3 club championship ran for. It was organised by the BRSCC.
Cheers VFS Videos

[andrewc]

I have a list of ARP champions from 1990 to 2005, but I don't know when it started.
In 2006 it became Club F3
In 2009 it was rebranded BRSCC F3
In 2011 it became MSV F3 Cup and switched to being an MSV promoted series, then a championship.

[RobManser]

Originally Posted by andrewc

In 2011 it became MSV F3 Cup and switched to being an MSV promoted series, then a championship.

Purely out of interest, do you know what the difference is between a series and a championship in motorsport? I've always wondered, but never known!

[andrewc]

A championship is a calendar of races where points are earned and an eventual champion is crowned.

A series is an number of standalone events, where there are race winners, but no points, and no champion.

A series can seek championship status if it chooses to, and are prepared to pay the championship fee to the MSA. Its a nominal amount for most club series, more if they have a title sponsor, but still affordable. The big series gets a bit more expensive. Championship fees range from £ 54 to £ 8,450, for Grade D to Grade A events

A British Championships approved by MSA
B Principal Commercial Championships
C Sponsored (and/or Commercial) Championships
D Unsponsored (non-Commercial) Championships

The MSA will award championship status to a series that has demonstrated sufficient average grid numbers over a set period of time. If a championship performs poorly they can revoke championship status and it would return to a series, but will usually issue a yellow warning card before the red card. The blue book says an average of 16 starters, but the MSA use a bit of common sense from time to time.

A brand new event can apply for championship status if they are prepared to lodge a heavy commitment deposit - £ 5000 - £ 25000

Most of the information is buried in the blue book.

[RobManser]

Thanks Andrew - I've always wanted to know that.

[andrewc]

Happy to help.

[tony broster]

Sorry to be late picking this up but I don't get here too often.

ARP F3 was started by Marcus Pye & myself, with support from Castle Combe supremo & my friend the late Howard Strawford

I managed/ ran/ organized the series from day 1 ( with an advisory board ) right up until its last race at Combe a good many years later when politics & something worse spoiled an amazing series.

Brscc who by this time I had little or no faith in took over the running after that & changed the name to Club F3 trumpeting a very big sponsor with an even bigger prize fund who I'm later told never seemed to appear , number of drivers stating they never saw any prize money either.
IF & I do mean IF that was correct then it would beg the question as to where exactly did that promised prize fund go.

I don't know the entire BS story as I was not there doing the work by this time, but to little or no surprise the championship went down the toilet like pork through a goose entry wise in it's first few months, had races cancelled & lost it's championship status by years end becoming as one wag later christened it, the new Brscc "Club Foot F3 series", something of a demote from the original successful proper championship of just 1 season before.

If you ever want the rest of the whole sad tale of an eventual drivers politics & envy, with later the gross miss management. you could try my e-mail, I might possibly be in the mood to shed an awful lot more light.

[andrewc]

...and now MSV don't really know how to support or promote it as any attempt to do that detracts from BRDC Formula 3 (nee BRDC Formula 4)...

[ralt-racer]

Originally Posted by tony broster

Sorry to be late picking this up but I don't get here too often.

ARP F3 was started by Marcus Pye & myself, with support from Castle Combe supremo & my friend the late Howard Strawford

I managed/ ran/ organized the series from day 1 ( with an advisory board ) right up until its last race at Combe a good many years later when politics & something worse spoiled an amazing series.

Brscc who by this time I had little or no faith in took over the running after that & changed the name to Club F3 trumpeting a very big sponsor with an even bigger prize fund who I'm later told never seemed to appear , number of drivers stating they never saw any prize money either.
IF & I do mean IF that was correct then it would beg the question as to where exactly did that promised prize fund go.

I don't know the entire BS story as I was not there doing the work by this time, but to little or no surprise the championship went down the toilet like pork through a goose entry wise in it's first few months, had races cancelled & lost it's championship status by years end becoming as one wag later christened it, the new Brscc "Club Foot F3 series", something of a demote from the original successful proper championship of just 1 season before.

If you ever want the rest of the whole sad tale of an eventual drivers politics & envy, with later the gross miss management. you could try my e-mail, I might possibly be in the mood to shed an awful lot more light.

Hi Tony Hope you are well, we had some fun in thoes F3 cars shame is went south. The old Ralt's were great cars and very rewarding to drive!

Benn Simms