NEW ZIP / Renault scholarship !!

[cntmunky]

Don't know if true, but Carlins are going to have a BMW team, and the winner of the championship gets a drive with them in F3. That alone is an incentive for some drivers, assuming they can find the budget to do BMW in the first place.

[fantasytoca]

Does that mean that the winner gets a free drive with Carlin or that they get a seat but still have to pay for it?

[Super Tourer]

I think Carlin are supplying an F3 test for the FBMW winner, not a free drive.

[medler]

Originally posted by Jensen
Yes it isnt cheap, yes it is new but I think it could provide much better racing than Formula Ford does today, The Formula Ford championship did not get the support it needed so Ford deserve to loose their position in the motorsport lower ranks. If BMW stick around and ensure it is close racing and has longevity then good luck to them.

Looking at the quoted costs and the car, I think BMW might be a threat to Formula Renualt. The real problem is that there are only a finite number of driver with the budgets and BMW entering the market doesn’t help Formula Renault or Formula Ford. Also in what way would BMW be better racing than Ford. Surely the racing will be similar to Renualts.

[jamescrofts]

Just announced in Autosport this will now be with Motaworld and not Jensen.

[No 4]

Shame for Jensen, though I still think it's a good idea.

[jamescrofts]

Hi No4, it seems that Jensen did all the leg work; only to have another team take it over.

[No 4]

James - wouldn't even dare to venture an opinion, as don't know all the facts. However, regardless of the reason a real shame for Jensen.

[MISS SIXTY]

Well done motorworld ha ha jensen

[skypop]

Originally posted by MISS SIXTY
Well done motorworld ha ha jensen

:confused:

[Mackmot]

It always was Motorworld. That was the prize for winning FZip. Jenson was only offering a way to do Zip and Renault and pay over 2 years instead of the correct amount each year. Basically meaning that your money was in their account earning them interest for longer.

[Jensen]

As you have read my connection into the zip deal is not to proceed, in fact with the new partnership it looks like the scholarship never will, which I feel is a real shame. Say what you will about this deal it would have saved money for the drivers, my team and cars will be far more competitive in 2004 and any graduating Zip Scholarship driver would have been a part of a full FR season for under 90k, if the places were over subscribed we would have offered to place additional drivers with teams such as Welch and Falcon, this would have helped the "smaller" teams and brought more drivers into FR. We were also working on a few other spin offs with organisations such as RAC, this scholarship would have kept improving all the time, we had some great idea's and I was willing to work hard on this with sponsorship and overseas advertising.

But it seemed clear that even though it was my idea and even after all my leg work and plans that there was another agenda. I try to treat people fair and take them on their word, this backfired on me. This is why I announced in the Autosport that I had officially pulled out of scheme, I wish Alan Waite And Martin Hines all the best.

[bbr73]

A scholarship as I understand is a grant of money towards education or learning your craft. The ZIP scholarship just seems like to two-year deal to race where you still need a sizeable wedge to actually race.

Has anyone thought about the Silverstone Racing School Scholarship?

You get two-days of driving for a one-off entry fee of £1250. As well as being assessed for your talent, you get loads of instruction, so it’s quality seat-time and value for money. One in five drivers make it through to the free of charge final assessment day and it’s capped at 70 ish drivers. The overall winner will receive a seasons racing in the 2004 BRDC Single Seater Championship, a prize worth £35,000. Surely if you think you have what it takes it has to be worth a shot, as you will get to spend a year racing, learning the circuits and receiving help and advice at every step of the way for your original entry fee of £1250. Plus, if you can’t dominate that championship, it may be wise to save cash and spend another season in it until you can.

If you were then to go on and win that championship, you would get support for a season racing in 2005. Look at Hideto Yasuoka, 2002 BRDC Single Seater Champion. He has had a full season in the National Formula Ford Scholarship Class courtesy of the school for winning the championship. Ryan Parouty the 2003 champion is going to get the same.

Why try to run before you can walk? A prudent and astute decision may be to spend some time learning the circuits and your craft before committing vast sums of money to the BIG Formulae’s only to find out you weren’t prepared enough.

[Jensen]

Good point BBR73, in fact one of my drivers has been through that way, the problem I see is that most of the well funded kids dont want to hang around and do it that way, most of those who have the money want the big championships straight away, With zip now recognised on the ladder and with a good bunch of guys running the days I felt it was a good learning ground, pre Renault.

All said and done the new drivers need to learn the ropes and make the mistakes in championships that dont require a re mortgage and cars that arent as costly as the space shuttle.