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F4

TEAM EURONOVA

A wide-open commitment

RAFFAELE GIAMMARIA

“We need a national team to rejoin the top game

NEWS

FT50, queen of two worlds

n.4 - 2014

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The Canadian Ferrari Driver Academyman was the first Italian Formula 4Champion. It's been a memorable debutfor this phenomenal 15‐year‐old driver

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Thanks to 16 points finishes over 18 races,seven wins and five second places, CanadianFerrari Driving Academy youngster LanceStroll put together an impressive season,cruising to an early title in the first‐everItalian F.4 championship on his Prema‐prepared Tatuus car. It's been a crushingvictory for the 15‐year‐old, who was makinghis first steps in open‐wheel racing. Duringthe tough 2014 season, many Italian rivalstried to beat him but Stroll eventuallyproved unstoppable. Coming from aninternational‐level karting career spent inseveral high‐level internationalchampionship, he fit in immediately andfound himself well‐suited by his car. Afterwinter testing, he opened the year with awin at Adria, in round 1 of 2014. From thatpoint on, his run was almost faultless withmore wins, podiums and points finishes.Stroll was unable to secure wins in only oneround, at Monza, but accomplished thefeature at Imola (two wins), Mugello (onewin), Magione (one win) and Vallelunga(two wins). He also started from the polefive times. Despite missing the grand finaleof Imola, as he had already been crownedChampion, Stroll totaled 331 points, almost100 more than runner‐up Mattia Drudi (237).In 2015, Stroll will stay with Prema and FDA,moving to the demanding FIA F.3 EuropeanChampionship.

F.4SPOTLIGHT

Lance Stroll

We asked Prema's Team Manager ReneRosin to draw a balance of the 2014championship including two of its mainvariables, the cars and the weekend's format.

Rosin, how do you judge the first seasonof Formula 4 and the series' potential?«Regarding the F.4 car, the program reallystarted at the last minute. It al begun fromthe FIA and the development by Tatuus wasphenomenal as they respected the qualitystandard at a very sensible price. Only a fewdevelopmental championships can matchthat. It's a perfect learning car. The FIArequired to respect some strict aero andsafety parameters, so of course it's a largeand heavy car, but it enabled the drivers tomake their way to open‐wheel competition.As happened with Lance Stroll, who movedto Formula 3 without any gap in terms ofadaptation despite the much powerful car.And this is definitely an element we mustcredit Tatuus for».

The F.4 Tatuus adapted well to the Pirellitires?

«Yes and it has been a positive surprisebecause Pirelli had been out of the so‐called"minor" developmental formulas for a while.They built a type of tire that enables thedrivers to learn, it's long‐lasting and hasconstant performance. And that wasprobably the reason why it was chosen inGermany, alongside the Tatuus cars, for thelocal F.4 series».

Is it possible to compare the F.RenaultTatuus to the F.4 car?«The principles are the same. The Renaultand Abarth engines are quite different, ofcourse, then the F.Renault requires a slightlydifferent drive that doesn't fit with Formula3. The rear moves around a lot, and it'sunstable under braking. The F.Renault is agreat car too, but it's something that Tatuushad to convert from a different technicalpackage».

What do you think of the three‐raceweekends?«The FIA did the same choice of Formula 3.Personally, I agree with the three‐race

formula because it allows the drivers morerunning time. I'm against the grid inversion.I understand the needs of the drivers whohaven't qualified in the front few rows, but Idon't like it as a learning experience. Inaddition to that, since F.4 was created fordrivers coming from kart racing, I know forexperience that with the qualifying sessionsbeing so close if a young kid messes up thefirst one, he will probably do it in the secondtoo. That's the reason why F.3 changed. Wearen't in GP2 and GP3, we are fielding 15‐year‐old drivers that are obviously morelikely to make mistakes».

Would you introduce rounds outsideItaly?«No, the championship must remain strictlynational because it's entered by 15‐year‐olddrivers. Then if a team has the chance to runraces in another championship, why not? Ofcourse, it's best if the car is similar, like forexample in the German series that runs ontop circuits like Spa, Nurburgring andHockenheim. These must not becomeinternational championships. The costs mustbe kept down, but testing should be freebecause somebody will eventually try to goaround the limitation anyway and problemsand polemics would soon arise. In adevelopmental series, a young driver must beallowed to drive as much as he can».

What is your opinion on a well‐renowneddriver like Lance Stroll?«Stroll started driving with us last year in aseries of F.Renault tests when he had justturned 15. Then the F.4 started. He enteredthe Florida Winter Series with us, fightingwith much more experienced drivers likeFuoco, Marciello and Verstappen, andimmediately put together some top‐classperformances. He's a really competitive guy,and motivation is key for him. He has greatskills, and his karting career is a proof ofthat. He's growing, but he's not there yet andthe Formula 3 will be really useful for him interms of development».

Rosin: “Three races are ok,but the qualifications with the reverse grid aren't”

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Northern StarAfa Heikkinen is a key presence among thepaddocks of all Europe. The Finn is the Team Manager of Koiranen GP which he co‐founded together with Marko andHari Koiranen. Also, he's looking forward toan huge new challenge. Northern EuropeanF.4 series, promoted in a partnershipbetween Koiranen and SMP, will run nextyear between Finland and Russia. A top new addition to the Europeanpanorama...

How the idea of this new northernFormula 4 series started?«We were working on a different projectwith our Russian partners two years ago.Later, the FIA got informed about thisproject and asked to visit them in Geneve.They gave us all the information about F4and that was the starting point for it».

Do you think this new series and car can

become a benchmark for the northernarea?«That's definitely the target we are aiming for but of course that requires a lot of work. Eventually, we believe that it will be the case. We'll have to get usedto it and learn but at the same time we know Tatuus and they are reliable. The car has been running for one seasonin Italy and it was very successful. I saw it and I think it's really good, ideal for people coming out of karting».

Have you been able to watch some racesof the Italian F.4 Championship? What do you think about it?«I think it's been a great first year for Formula 4. The Italian one is the first championship that have been running and I think it's quite impressive how they managed to turn it insuch a success».

How is your relationship with Tatuus?«We have a very good relationship. We've beenrunning with Tatuus in Formula Renault since2002 so we've been knowing them for morethan 10 years. They are great partners andproduce some very reliable products. Inaddition to that, there's nice people in thecompany so we hope to keep on with the job».

It's been a very successful year, can youmake a point out of it?«It's not been a bad year for sure, but it hasalso been demanding. Of course, that is whatwe expected when we built this championshipproject. It has taken a lot of effort from theteam but I'm quite satisfied with how thethings went so far».

Will the new championship have an impacton how the Koiranen team is organized?«There will be all new people. Our racing teams will stay as they are, and thenew project will be organized in a completelydifferent way. The series will also be based inEstonia, a little far away from the Koiranenheadquarters in Barcelona and we'll always staylike this».

Can you already identify some of the besttalents from the north?«It's very difficult to see that. To judge, we'll beusing the new platform we are setting up andwe hope to find plenty of new talents fromthere. Usually they don't have so muchmotorsports culture and heritage in Russia likein Italy or south Europe. So they don't get thesame chances. We have to create the culturethere and more talents will emerge».

Do you currently have any driver signed?Did you already order the cars?«We already signed quite many drivers. Wehave more than 10 drivers that will be comingto the championship already although we willannounce the names later. We are confidentwe will have more than 20 cars and we alreadyordered 26 of them...».

F.4NEW CHA MPIONSHIPS

The Northern European F.4 series will be an interesting new addition to Europe's open‐wheel racing offer, organized by Koiranen GP. Team Manager Afa Heikkinen tells us more about it

Afa Heikkinen

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Palmer: “With Tatuus for a bright future in UK”

How did you choose to manageFormula 4 in Great Britain? «We launched F4 in Britain in September2012 with our BRDC F4 championship.There was a big gap in the UK market foran affordable junior single seaterchampionship, so we filled it, using a newcar built by Ralph Firman’s RFR company.Now we are upgrading from our currentspaceframe car to a carbon fibre carcomplying with the FIA F4 safety criteriafor our 2015 Winter Series and 2016 mainchampionship».

Do you really think the new seriestogether with this new car cancontribute to wipe out the categoryconfusion now reigning overmotorsport? «Partly! In the UK it is interestingbecause in 2015 we will have twochampionships at a similar level – ourBRDC F4 championship and the new MSAFormula championship, using the MygaleF4 car. I believe our MSV championship,

with the Tatuus chassis, will be moresuccessful in 2016».

Don’t you think engines nowequipping the car could have beenmore in number to better test youngdrivers? «I do think that 160 bhp is not reallyenough for most young racing drivers,though I also think 15 year olds should notbe racing single seaters. There is no needto encourage drivers so young to move tosingle seaters at 15. The previousminimum age of 16 was much better».

What will be the impression of Britishrace world about F.4? «Our BRDC F4 championship in the UKhas been extremely successful and weintend for this to continue when weintroduce the new Tatuus car».

Could you follow Italian Formula 4Championship? What do you thinkabout?

«Italian F4 has clearly been verysuccessful in its first year, andcompliments to Tatuus and Abarth andthe promoter. It might be a little harderas other European F4 championshipslaunch in 2016».

How did the relationship with Tatuus begin? Why did you choose theItalian chassis?«We came to see the Tatuus factory and had a meeting with Gianfranco De Bellis. We thought the F4 car was verynice and had complete confidence inGianfranco and his team. Tatuus have afantastic history and reputation,particularly with the F Renault cars, andwe look forward to a long and successfulrelationship».

Which drivers have signed with you?How many cars have you ordered?«We have got 23 contracted orders forcars now and have ordered 26 cars, withan option for 4 more».

An interview with Jonathan Palmer, promoter of the renewed british F.4 series that starting from 2016 will use italian chassis

Jonathan Palmer

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As people would say for an internet video,Formula 4 has gone viral. The series,strongly supported by the FIA, is captivatinga lot of interests also outside For 2015,German automobile federation ADACdecided to rely on the Tatuus chassis for thenew F.4 championship. «We looked aroundquite a lot, and took many manufacturers inconsideration ‐ said Hermann Tomczyk ‐ wealso asked several teams for advice ad ran

lots of testing. In the end, our choice wasTatuus». It's been a deserved and welcomedacknowledgement for the Northern Italiancompany located in Concorezzo, whoseexcellence in developmental racing was onceagain recognized at international level.«Tatuus impressed both the teams andourselves not only for their design andbuilding ability in terms of the car, or for thehigh safety standard ‐ said ADAC

Motorsport chief Lars Soutschka ‐ but alsofor the assistance that they can provide. Weare sure that our collaboration will bringmore success». The German F.4 cars will bepowered by turbocharged Abarth enginesand fitted with Pirelli tires. The races will betelevised by satellite channel Sport1+. Thecalendar features eight rounds, of which twoabroad, and will start on April 25 and 26 atOschersleben.

Germany calls Italy«After exhaustive testing,we chose Tatuus»”

F.4NEW CHA MPIONSHIPS

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FT50, queen of two worlds

TOYOTA RA CING SERIES

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The FT50 is the new Tatuus car designed for the upcoming editionof the Toyota Racing Series. A championship running... at the otherside of the world and experiencing a successful run in NewZealand. The FT50 represents an additional step forward comparedto the already good FT40 and Nick Cassidy, one of the test‐driversselected by the Kiwi promoter, agreed to that after testing it on‐track at Adria. «Exiting from the pits and complete a full day oftesting without the slightest issue was impressive already, it'ssomething that doesn't happen often. I was also positivelyimpressed by the handling». The FT50 is fitted with a ZZ‐GE 1.8‐litre Toyota engine and, as explained by chief engineer CorradoCasiraghi, features many new innovations starting from a newelectro‐actuated gearbox to an improved aero compartmentdesigned from a blank sheet of paper, and complies with the latestsafety standards.

Two‐time TRS champion Daniel Gaunt also tested the car in NewZealand and was pretty excited: «I have great memories of theFT40 but now I'm convinced that I'm 10 years too old! The FT50 ismuch more aero‐efficient, the brakes are phenomenal and it hassuperb handling. In addition to that, the Italian designers are verycommitted to their job and everything in this car, the wings, thebody, the bottom, has an Italian look». A welcomed complimentand that aims at familiarizing the "down under" drivers with whatthey will drive in the rest of their careers. But not only them aretargeted. «This car is much more representative to what the driversNew Zealand will drive in Europe, the 2015 TRS will be very usefulunder this aspect. And being able to drive it also represent anadvantage also for the drivers that will go back and forth betweenthe two hemispheres during the winter». In other words, the FT50is already the queen of two worlds.

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What’s your opinion about the new Tatuus FT50? «We are really impressed with the finished product: the new car iseverything we hoped for in terms of the design and features».

Did you ask Tatuus for something in particular about the designof the car? «Yes firstly and importantly we wanted a design that featured the latestin terms of driver safety. We also asked specifically for the new Sadevgearbox with paddle shift control, we wanted a lightweight but robustcar like the previous model. We also wanted the physical dimensions tobe the same or similar to F3 specifications, and also to be a step upfrom our current car technically, with dual shock front suspension too».

Which feedback you’ve got from the driver? And from Toyota’sengineers? «The test drivers we have used, Daniel Gaunt and Nick Cassidy are bothdouble TRS champions, with a lot of formula car experience. They havebeen impressed by the reliability and the feel they get from the new car.The car also has more downforce than the previous car and a morepowerful F3 style Brembo brake package».

Can you tell us something more about the new steps and theschedule of tests? «We tested for 2 days initially in Italy to ensure all the systems werereliable and operating correctly. We then shipped the test car to NZand have since completed 5 days of testing at 2 of the circuits we willuse in the TRS series. The testing here has gone very well, whilst wehaven’t been focused on achieving lap times these have shown that theincreased performance of the car will definitely lower lap times at allcircuits. We will leave our teams and their drivers to set the new TRSlap records though».

Barrie Thomlinson: “Safety, brakesthe news car is a step ahead”

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Corrado Casiraghi is the engineerwho headed the new car's project,following it from its very earlystages to the first laps on‐track intesting. Let's discover with him themain characteristics of the newFT50, which marks a consistentstep forward in terms of safety andperformance.

Can you explain what are themost important innovations onthe FT50? «The FT50 has been conceived tobe a natural evolution of the 10‐year running FT40 project. Theindications by Toyota were focusedon a slight performance increaseand on the compliance to the most

recent safety rules. The project'sstep forward was significant. TheFT50 now relies on a two‐damperfront suspension, a last‐generationBrembo braking system withmonolithic calipers, a lighter andmore compact gearbox in additionto a much more developed andefficient aerodynamicconfiguration. One of the mostinteresting addition was the semi‐automatic gearbox that required anintegration between the MagnetiMarelli EGA and the Toyota enginecontrol unit».

What were the indications yougot from testing. How the firstfeedback from the drivers was?

What did the Toyota reps say?«From the driving andperformance point of view, thefeedback was good since the firsttest. A comparison test with theold FT40 was also organized, and itprovided many good indicationsthat the newcomer's successfuldebut. Toyota appreciated thequality of the produce, the quickdevelopment times and how thesystems were integrated».

When you will deliver the cars?«The cars have already beendelivered between September andOctober. For logistic reason, thecars are shipped semi‐assembled,

s, downforce

Corrado Casiraghi: “An ideal instrument to make experience”

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WWW.TATUUS.ITVIA VERGA 12 - 20863 CONCOREZZO (MB) - ITALY

COMPONENT TESTING COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMIC MACHINING & MANUFACTURING WIND TUNNEL

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so their final assembly is currentlygoing on at the organization'sheadquarters in New Zealand».

How the work schedule lookslike from now to the first race?«Some of our technicians arecurrently deployed in New Zealandto complete the assembly andsupervise the shakedown of the carsthat will be between December 15and 17. Our staff will be back to thecountry at the beginning of January

to assist to the series' collective testscheduled for January 14 atRuapuna. The first race will followstraight away the following week,and the schedule will unfold withone event per week. Thechampionship will end on the 15thof February at Manfield».

Where was the most importantimprovement in terms of safety?«Without a doubt, safety improvedsignificantly under every aspect. The

new chassis is homologatedaccording to the FIA F3 2012 rules. Ifyou consider that the older onefollowed the 1999 set of rules, youcan easily imagine how manycomponents have been improved,and how much they did improveindeed».

What are the most importantaspects of this new projectregarding the developmentalcharacter?

«The goal of this car is to beinstructive for drivers that alreadyhave a previous open‐wheelexperience. A large part of theyoungsters that enter this series arecoming from Europeanchampionships like Formula 4,Formula Renault, but also Formula3. For this reason, the car wasdesigned to enable the drivers whoalready have some formation to goon and increase their level ofexperience».

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a global motorsport partnerMagneti Marelli Motorsport designs and produces electronic and electro-mechanical systems for twoand four wheels racing vehicles.Present in the world of competitions since 1919, it develops hi-tech systems for engine control and data acquisition, telemetry systems, electro-hydraulic and fuel components, energy recovery systems.

magnetimarelli.com/focus-on-racingis an open window on the world of motorsport competitions: news, results, race classifications, statistics and history.

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“We need a national tthe top game”

DRIVING SCHOOL

Italian Federal Racing School Director Raffaele Giammaria explains us the latest newsregarding the courses scheduled at Vallelunga which now include a Tatuus‐built prototype.In a tough economic moment, talent struggles to emerge and offering drivers aiming atprofessionalism a chance to widen their horizons is key. For Giammaria, the route to successincludes the creation of a team including young and promising racers.

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team to rejoin

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Raffaele Giammaria, how did yourrelationship with Tatuus start? What kindof cars do u use?«The deal started in 2010 when the FormulaAbarth first came out. In the deal betweenTatuus and ACI CSAI there was a type ofextended loan that committed themanufacturer to provide two Formula Abarthracers, the ones I used to develop the car.From that point on, a wider collaboration hasstarted, involving the use of their cars for ourfederal courses, the super course and for allthe activities of the Ferrari Driver Academy.Considering the great results delivered bythat partnership, we extended the deal to themanagement of all the non‐Tatuus cars.Although they are not built by Tatuus, theschool's Formula 3 cars are managed by thembecause we felt that their technicians wereextremely high‐level and we preferred tohave only one company to manage the wholefleet. Today we don't use Formula AbarthCars anymore, as they were replaced byFormula 4. We developed it and we give ourdrivers a chance to drive it».

What are the advantages of using theFormula 4 in a learning environment?«Let's start from the premise that the level ofdifficulty of every car that go out of the pitswent down. You brake with the left foot,there isn't the need to use the clutchanymore, you have paddle shifters, and theaero efficiency of the cars increased. Thisisn't actually the case of Formula 4 becausethe FIA wanted a very simple rulebook andthe cornering speeds went up. Regarding thetarget users, which in this case are ourschool's freshmen, the care are easier to drive

today. The advantage of partnering withTatuus is to always have "fresh" and moderncars. For example, we have all the evolutionsteps of the car, and this is something thatyou only get by establishing a directrelationship with the manufacturer.Compared to a normal school that buys a carand then uses it for two or three yearswithout upgrades, the advantage issignificant".

Were you also convinced by themanagement ability of Tatuus?«Of course. We can count on CorradoCasiraghi, the engineer who designed all the cars, who is always there at ourfederal courses together with Luca Nispoli.The new addition for the federal super course we held in November was the use ofthe Tatuus prototype, a car that I developedin 2012. We have a family‐like relationshipwith Tatuus, but at the same timeI'm involved in a close and personal fashionas I christened all these cars: FormulaAbarth, Prototype and Formula 4».

There will be more courses with the prototype?«At this moment we began with the federalsuper course which is a prize for the bestItalian drivers who showcased their skillsduring 2014. We have a double category: the"Auto" class for the first and second Italian

Andrea Piccini

and Andrea Russo

Raffaele Giammaria

and Giancarlo Minardi

together with

Cristiano Del Balzo

By Stefano Semeraro

19

PY12 Prototype

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drivers classified in Formula 4, then 4 kartdrivers that are evaluated by us. Among theactivities of the federal school, we use toevaluate go kart drivers. We have scouts thatgo on‐track during the kart events, all theWSK races and the Italian Championshipones. It's a program dedicated to the Italiandrivers. We select the best four between theages of 15 and 17 and we put them behind thewheel of a Formula 3. The four kart drivers,together with the two from single seatersand six rally drivers, will shape up the packthat enter the federal super course inVallelunga. The program features one day atthe simulator, while in the second one theydrive the Tatuus prototype. In Day 3 and 4the kart racers drive the Formula 4 cars

while the two coming from Formula 4 use theFormula 3».

What are the reasons behind theintroduction of the prototype?«Prototype racing is getting younger andyounger, even though there aren't a lot ofparticipants in Italy. For the many youngdrivers without a budget, it represent a goodalternative. With the development of newcategories, like for example LMP3, manypeople can see a possibility in the WorldEndurance Championship, where there is alot of interest for LMP1 and LMP2. Nowadays,I see prototypes as something dedicated toyoungsters. In addition to that, it's atradition for us to enable drivers to drivemany different types of cars. So it can awardboth the quickest and the most complete ofthem with single seaters, touring cars andprototypes. In terms of experience, we offerthem a wider spectrum of experiencescompared to a surely exciting but reductiveFormula 1 ride. There are about 20 cars there,but many of the most famous drivers arethere because they bring a budget and thetrue professionals are less then a half. If adriver wants to be a professional, the futureis not only with single seaters, but also withtin tops and prototypes. Porsche is giving achance to young drivers, in their single‐makeseries there are 18‐year‐old racers and even inprototypes the drivers are younger each year.Everybody is understanding that, and manynow consider it as a good choice».

Let's talk from your point of view.Everybody talks about a crisis for theItalian drivers. We've been out ofFormula 1 for some years, but is it as itseems?«There aren't many promising drivers.Honestly, in the last couple of years we hadmore and more trouble in inviting young

drivers to test for free. There aren't manyexciting names. Some has emerged from ourschool though, and from a communicationstandpoint they haven't been sold as well asin other environments. Three driversemerged in Formula 4, Drudi, Pulcini andRusso. I don't want to draw a chart, but theseare the three names to keep an eye on. Wehave two or three more karting drivers. Inthe last few years, drivers like Fuoco andGiovinazzi emerged, and even if theybenefitted from budgets coming from Ferrarior abroad, they made their first steps in

Italian kart racing before going international.They first drove a car in our school, and theyare currently performing well in theEuropean Formula 3 championship. Thereare also drivers that are lucky enough to havesome backing, but others would deservesomething more and they have to deal withthe crisis instead. There are just a fewresources in Italy at the moment, itsomething that it can't be denied».

Do you think that the federal courses areok like they are or do you have new ideasfor the future?«The Federation is tirelessly working to findnew resources to be made available to Italianyoung drivers, so they could invest informative activities with kart racers. Nextyear there will be drivers that now are 14 andthey seem really interesting prospects. Frommy point of view, I hope that the same thingthat CSAI is doing for rallying ‐ with thebirth of the Aci Team Italia Rally, a nationalteam ‐ will be done for road racing too.We're already trying to figure out how tostart a project like this, and how manydrivers can be involved. If something similarcan take place, with the right amount ofresources, the school would be able to play akey role in the future projects' management".

Raffaele Giammaria

with Pirelli’s

Terenzio Testoni

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2015 -COURGNYY-MA

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Drivers and staff

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PY012, more innovationmore performance

THE TECHNIQUE

The success gathered by PY012, the Tatuusprototype launched in 2012, didn't interruptits development. In order to continueestablishing benchmarks in terms of speed,costs and reliability, the PY012 prototype hasbeen improved under many aspects,highlighting the company's trademarkattention to detail. For example, regarding the aero, the frontand rear wheel arches have been improved.With the goal was to reduce drag and

improve the overall aero performance, thecenter diagonal element of the roll‐bar wasstreamlined, improving the aero flow to therear wing. More downforce was added to thefront by improving the car's bottom usingVortex Generators (VGs). From themechanical standpoint, a new package wasapproved and the engine power supply wasimproved thanks to a new exhaust systemand to three different ECU mappings. The oilradiators' efficiency was optimized, and the

results became really evident in a specifictest session held at the French Le Castelletvenue.The PY012 is even more nimble and saferwhile going into the corner and in mid‐corner situations. The driver has moreconfidence while the performance increasedsignificantly. The top speed on the straightswent up 6‐7 kilometers per hour. Once again,the Tatuus projects are constantly‐evolvinginnovation.

The Tatuus‐built prototype underwent some interesting and detailed aero, mechanical and engine upgrades.

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A benchmark squad on the Italian and international scenes, Eutonova managedto get great results while entering several different championships.

The Italian squad's heart and mind, Vincenzo Sospiri, shared some thoughtswith us on his F.4 experience, on his relationship with Tatuus and on his future

projects, also including endurance racing

A wide-open commitment

THETEA M

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By Stefano Semeraro

Sospiri, the F.4 Italia championship took‐offthis year and you immediately joined. Whathas been your first impression and what doyou think of it? There will be a future inItaly?«Formula 4 went well for everybody. The car isreally good, well‐suited to teach the young guys,and it's very precise going into the corners. Thetires are great too, with a good peak and then along‐lasting performance. Congrats to Pirelli, butmore than that to Gianfranco De Bellis e ArticoSandonà, because they put together aphenomenal car in a little amount of time».

Tatuus is the largest manufacturer of single seater cars for the developmentalchampionships. Euronova has a goodrelationship with them between Formula Renault, the now‐defunct

Formula Abarth and Formula 4....«We started collaborating with Tatuus in2001/2002 with the F.Renault 2.0. Their strengthis in the professionalism and intelligence theyput in everything they do, and in thecommunication they are able to establish withteams. They offer an extremely high professionallevel, they are number 1!»

Do you think that the Tatuus cars, F.Renaultand F.4 can be improved further or they areok just the way they are?«The F.4 is already at a great level. The onlything I feel I can suggest was might be to leaveeven more freedom to the team in using morecomponents and settings, for example for bump‐stops, but we can say that the car is perfect justthe way it is. It's studied for the 15 year olds butit can teach something also to a guy who is 18 or20. Regarding the F.Renault, the Tatuus kit hasbeen a giant step. Simply, now it's a car, and it

wasn't before. I don't see many possibleimprovements. Unfortunately, the FIA rulesmake it a little stocky and heavy. The Abarth wasa real racecar, with the right weights, but itdidn't comply to the FIA requisites».

Euronova has been committed on threedifferent fronts, Auto GP, F.Renault NEC andF.4 Italia for quite some time. What doesthat mean in terms of logistics andcommitment?«We have been running in three differentchampionships since three or four years. It'shard, not difficult though because I can count onsome great guys, exceptional engineers, GianlucaGradazzi that takes care of many aspects and mywife who manages the logistics. So we can splitthe three teams and still give our 100%.Considering that we have always been amongthe top two or three teams in all thechampionships, I think we deserve some credit».

You upgraded your headquarters inForlì recently, and now they aremuch larger and divided in three?With one area for each series, has itbeen a good choice?«The improvement had already beendecided in 2007, when we bought theplace. It's something we had to do. Thepoint was, staying where we were tosurvive or invest, pour some resourcesin and grow up. Now it's working. Theysay, you grow up or you shut down».

After having raced in the ALPSseries, this season you chose theNEC championship. What are themain differences? Will you be backin ALPS?«We haven't found many differences.The choice to join the NEC was due toour sponsors and drivers. Even thoughwe didn't like some aspect, would havealso liked to stay in ALPS. On the otherhand, the NEC scheduled included fiveF.1 track which was a great element».

What are your plans for 2015?«We are still talking with our investors,

drivers and sponsors. I think that bythe middle of December we willknow which path to take for the nextthree years, whether it will becontinuing in categories where wealready are, or start new endeavours.For example, we are talking withsome car manufacturers for projectsregarding tin top racing and we arecurrently dealing with them».

You talked about tin tops, wouldyou suggest prototypes andendurance races to a youngsteraiming to become a professionaldriver?«Endurance racing definitelyprovides good opportunities for acareer, because it has much lowerbudgets compared to Formula 1 andthere are many manufacturersinvolved. If a young driver can counton a sponsor supporting him for acouple of years and show what he orshe can do, there is a chance tobecome a factory driver andcontinue as a paid racer for manyyears».

Sospiri (left)

and Fontana

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