American team planning F1 entry

[knightelcid]

By Steven English Wednesday, February 4th 2009, 13:09 GMT

An American group is looking at putting together a team to enter Formula One in 2010, sources have confirmed to autosport.com.
The team, which is set to be called USF1, will be fronted by American design engineer Ken Anderson and former Williams team manager Peter Windsor.
Although there has been no official announcement about the plans yet, nor an official entry lodged, sources suggest that their bid has been approved by rival Formula One bosses and that they are currently attempting to raise sponsorship funding for the project in America.
The team are already understood to have a logo, with an official USF1 website already having been produced. Investigations by autosport.com have revealed that the website is owned by Anderson, although at this stage is only has a logo.
Anderson was technical director of Ligier in 1988 and also worked for the Onyx F1 team before moving back to America. He was technical director of both Chip Ganassi Racing and AJ Foyt Racing before designing the G-Force IRL car in 1996 - which went on to win the 1997 Indy 500 with Arie Luyendyk - and the next generation chassis in 2000. Anderson then became technical director of NASCAR team Haas CNC Racing in 2003.
He is also the part owner of the Wind Shear Inc. full scale, 180mph rolling road wind tunnel in North Carolina which has been used by F1 and NASCAR teams.
Sources indicate that USF1 plan to construct their own chassis at their North Carolina base, with the ban on in-season testing making it more feasible for an F1 team to be based outside of Europe for all but the stretch of European races between May and September.
The Formula One Teams' Association's (FOTA) recent confirmation that each manufacturer is willing to supply customer engines for 5 million Euros per season and gearboxes for 1.5 million Euros now make is more feasible than it has been for years for an independent team to enter F1 in 2010.
I never lose hope

[gizzy]

I think this rumor is gaining steam, and we will hear more shortly. Some stories show that Mad Max has already agreed to let the USF1 team join the circus. Another hint is that Danika Patrick's fairly successful IRL team suddenly closed it's door in the IRL a couple of days ago. Another development is that Bernie recently said that F1 teams should only spend 50 mil euros a year. This would open the door to a new team with a lower budget. I don't think USF1 would buy the Honda team...too pricey. BUT, if you can enter the league for 50 mil euros...an upstart team with a new chassis and a rental engine (Cosworth?) is feasable to keep the F1 field from crumbling under economic worries.

blog.wired.com/cars/2009/02/us-f1-team-rumo.html

-giz

[fizzycola]

If this comes off...it would be really good for F1

Methinks everybody is suffering this economic worry at the mo

F1 will be involved also

A new USA team I will welcome, good luck to them........

fizzy

[knightelcid]

F1 should be back in the States..if you ask me I would love the Indy Speedway to host another round of USGPs. As for having a US F1 team...I am all for it. We had Speed Scott but that didn't work..we need a team, based on Detroit ...heck I think that would trigger the apreciation for the sport here.

[gizzy]

We already have a road race course set up in Detroit on Belle Isle. It is designed for this purpose, and F1 needs to consider it.

It's not Monaco, but give us a chance. Paddock, Pits, and track have been improved greatly 2 years ago. Millions poured into improvements, and a very strong group of people interested in engineering and racing live here. It's a no brainer to bring it back here.

-mark

[apedant]

I like the Laguna Seca circuit, one of the best in the world and it would be a spectacular addition (comeback?) to the F1 calender.

[gizzy]

Laguna Seca, Long Beach, Detroit, Mid -Ohio, Watkin's Glen, etc....

There is always some crappy reason Bernie does not like it. He wants elegant 5 star accomidations for his entourage....and he thinks american accomidations are not up to snuff. We do not kiss his ass enough.

Maybe the king will lose his throne when he wakes up to big monetary losses and reality.

Lets return to honest racing and people who want to see a good race and are genuine fans.
-giz

[knightelcid]

I think the urban track in Detroit back in the 80's and the Indy Speedway are the only tracks that has the requirements needed to host a GP..my preference will always be indy not only because the track and the installations are what is needed to host it again but also because the history that comes with it...besides...how can you say no to the racing capital of the world?!?!?!?!. I think Tony George has been trying to bring it back to Indianapolis ...I hope in the near future they smell the coffe and come to an agreement.

[raikkofan]

Feb 6, 2009 22:56:39 GMT gizzy said:

I think this rumor is gaining steam, and we will hear more shortly. Some stories show that Mad Max has already agreed to let the USF1 team join the circus. Another hint is that Danika Patrick's fairly successful IRL team suddenly closed it's door in the IRL a couple of days ago. Another development is that Bernie recently said that F1 teams should only spend 50 mil euros a year. This would open the door to a new team with a lower budget. I don't think USF1 would buy the Honda team...too pricey. BUT, if you can enter the league for 50 mil euros...an upstart team with a new chassis and a rental engine (Cosworth?) is feasable to keep the F1 field from crumbling under economic worries.

blog.wired.com/cars/2009/02/us-f1-team-rumo.html

-giz

Giz- where do you get your Danica information? I follow ICS closely and there's been no word of this closure anywhere that I know of.

[fizzycola]

Nothing up on their website about the closure of Andretti Green Racing

www.indycar.com/

But websites can be notoriously slow for posting recent info tho

fizzy

[gizzy]

I heard about the closure of Green racing on the radio. It may not be closing, but transfering over to F1. Danika as a driver in F1 seems to be crazy, wacky, but may come true.

I'm guessing that having a chick as an F1 driver may be a big PR explosion, bigger than having an african american driver like Lewis. F1 needs a kick in the ass, and this may be it.

[raikkofan]

Maybe sometime but not this year. They're full bore into preps for the Indy season, even doing testing at Homestead. Micheal Andretti will be Danica's strategist this year. They were racing in A1GP during the off season,though. Not a lot of luck, however.

[gizzy]

www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=45068&PO=45068

[raikkofan]

Feb 9, 2009 3:29:04 GMT raikkofan said:

Maybe sometime but not this year. They're full bore into preps for the Indy season, even doing testing at Homestead. Micheal Andretti will be Danica's strategist this year. They were racing in A1GP during the off season,though. Not a lot of luck, however.

Here's a supporting link:
www.indycar.com/news/index.php?story_id=13051