F4 allowed into the F2000 championship

[BrianT1]

http://f2000championshipseries.com/n...ip-series.html

Salem, NH – Formula Race Promotions (FRP) today announced that F4 cars are now permitted to race in the F2000 Championship Series following an agreement with SCCA Pro Racing. The two groups have come together to provide drivers the maximum amount of seat time while still maintaining a cost-contained budget.

The agreement will allow the Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda cars to enter the F2000 Championship Series for the 2018 season at all seven FRP weekends.

"We are looking forward to welcoming F4 teams and drivers onto our grid in the 2018 season. With an exciting seven-week calendar we offer ample opportunities for quality track time," commented Robert Wright and Al Guibord, co-owners, Formula Race Promotions.

The F4 U.S. car will still run as spec cars alongside the F2000 cars with the Ligier JS F4 16 chassis and the homologated Honda Civic Type R engine

With FRP's exclusive agreement with Hoosier Racing Tire, the car will be equipped with Hoosier Racing slicks.
The F2000 Championship Series season opens at Watkins Glen International, May 11-13, and is followed by similar double-race weekends at VIR, Mid-Ohio, Pittsburgh, Summit Point, New Jersey and Road Atlanta.

“FRP and SCCA Pro Racing have a long history of working together,” said SCCA Pro Racing Vice President Steve Oseth. “We also have teams that run in both F4 U.S. and FRP, so having them enter F4 U.S. cars during F2000 Championship Series events benefits the teams, the drivers, the series and the manufacturers.”

The F4 U.S. Championship and F1600 Championship, F2000 Championship and Atlantic Championship Series are slated to compete at three events together at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course June 28-July 1, Pittsburgh International Raceway Aug. 3-5 and New Jersey Motorsports Park Sept. 14-15.

During combined race weekends, teams can enter the F4 U.S. cars in both series, though drivers can only compete in one series during the event.

The F2000 Championship Series season opens at Watkins Glen International, May 11-13.

2018 Formula Race Promotions Schedule:
Watkins Glen: May 11-13
VIR: June 1-3
Mid-Ohio: June 29-July 1
PittRace: August 3-5
Summit Point: August 24-26
New Jersey: Sept. 14-16
Road Atlanta: October 20-21

[RobLav]

Way to go.

[BrianT1]

I thought there would be more discussion on this announcement, but maybe I am wrong. I can see that it would be a positive for the series but no so much for the F2000 cars. Unless of course the added car counts would mean reduced entry fees could help get cars out to the races.

Brian

[Purple Frog]

Mixed class racing in the F2000 Championship Series.

The end of an era.

Welcome to the new reality.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Is there trackside support from the F4 vendors at these events?

[2BWise]

I thought there would be more discussion on this announcement, but maybe I am wrong. I can see that it would be a positive for the series but no so much for the F2000 cars. Unless of course the added car counts would mean reduced entry fees could help get cars out to the races.

Brian

I think this announcement ties in with the other thread on the future of F2000 cars. Since F4 overlaps a lot with F1600, pace-wise, but will be running with F2000 cars will this eventually push both classes to club racing only. Or in the case of FC to vintage?

[DaveW]

I saw that and contacted Bob Wright to see what if any provisions such as split starts would be made to allow both classes to run in the same race w/o interfering with each other. He said it would depend on the number of cars and the relative lap times at that track, etc.

So the series will try to use logic in deciding how to best handle this on an event by event basis.

I don't much like it, but, IMO, the low # of F2000's attending most races the last few years certainly was a factor in this.

It still beats the heck out of the multi-class groupings in club racing, and the series' officials, IMO, have demonstrated their ability to handle most situations pretty well. So I'll give them a chance before I complain too much.

[problemchild]

A well-driven F4 car will be mid-way between well-driven F1600 and F2000 cars, in terms of pace. Most of the F4 cars are well-driven but I see no reason they would have any impact on the competitive F2000 cars.

Considering that F4 drivers are not allowed to race other classes during their events, and they are on different tires, etc, this announcement should have very little impact on the F2000 Series in the short-term, and probably less impact than having to combine F2000 and FA, as has happened on a few occasions.

Like allowing PFM in the FA Series, this appears to be an act of inclusion, that will help keep costs down for everybody. I have no idea where this will lead in the longer term, but I cannot see any reason people need to get their panties wet just yet.

[Bob Wright]

Thanks for posting, Dave.

This is a complicated issue with no simple answers. Car count is down, track costs are up (in some cases a lot) and there is dilution in OWR. The series needs car count to survive (or a very large sugar daddy) in the short term, and needs to adapt to the realities of the future of OWR in the long term. If someone has a crystal ball, I'm all ears.

We will do what we can to mitigate interference between the F2000 and the F4 on the track as soon as we have data as to what their relative performance is on different tracks (we already have some). Its quite close on tracks like MO, maybe not so much on others.


SCCA Club is wrestling with the same issues but can't move as fast as we can.

[2BWise]

Two of the events are in collaboration with already scheduled F4 events. Pitt and NJMP. How do you see F4 integration/joining FRP at those events and then in the future? Will more events be setup to overlap? Do you expect the two entities will be fighting over entries. What expectation is there for inclusion of the F3 cars?

[problemchild]

Two of the events are in collaboration with already scheduled F4 events. Pitt and NJMP.

Actually, the only two FRP events that do not conflict with the F4 Series are VIR and Summit, which are a long way from Florida and Indy, where most F4 teams are based. Perhaps Century and K-Hill would run F4 cars at those 2 events, but I expect the F4 participation would not be from the serious F4 teams, but newbies and club-types trying to get up to speed in their F4 cars.