Formula BMW - News
30/08/2010
Rounds 13 and 14, Spa Francorchamps - Classic Spa, 2010 is no exception.
As the Formula One summer break came to a close, it was back to business as usual for Formula BMW Europe and the infamous Spa Francorchamps in Belgium would provide the venue for Rounds 13 and 14 of this seasons Championship.
The 6.9km layout situated in the heart of the Ardennes forest has a reputation of providing mixed weather conditions and this year was to be no exception. Rain fell as Free Practice got underway early on Friday morning and it was Fortec's George Katsinis who set the early pace only for the session to be red flagged ten minutes short of the allocated time due to weather conditions being declared too dangerous. The downpour continued and the decision was made that the session would not restart meaning Katsinis would end the session in 2nd position, Harvey 8th and Von Gruingen 14th.
With the start of qualifying only a couple of hours away the sun broke through and it was looking on course to be a full dry session, however minutes before the cars were due to leave for the collecting area the heavens opened once again and a wet session was declared. Katsinis was looking to build on his strong performance in Free Practice however a small mistake proved costly and an accident after 5 laps meant he would start 11th for both races with Harvey qualifying his car 5th for the opening race of the weekend and 6th for the second race.
Saturday morning once again got off to an early start with Round 13 commencing at 9:45 meaning as the teams arrived at the circuit, darkness still covered the paddock. As GP3 Qualifying came to a close, a dry line had just about formed meaning all cars were lined up on slicks as the lights went out for the first Formula BMW round of the weekend. Harvey had a strong opening lap and with the long straights of SPA providing a perfect opportunity for slip streaming a hard fought race would see him once again take a podium spot, his 12th of a possible 14 so far in 2010. Katsinis had some ground to make up after his incident on the previous day and would eventually finish in 9th with Von Grunigen making contact with another car early on in the race meaning he had to make a pitstop but would still score points for the team in 12th.
Sundays event looked certain to be a full dry race, however as the cars formed in the holding area rain began to fall and question marks over tyre choice were raised yet again. The race got underway with all drivers opting to stay on slicks but the first lap would see incidents which Harvey capitalised on to move into 3rd. Katsinis was on the move and by mid race was running 6th before losing out in the final laps eventually coming home 8th with Harvey enduring a race long battle with Frenchman 'Come Ledogar' to finish 4th. Von Grunigen's race got off to a strong start; however contact once again meant he would retire early.
From one classic venue the championship now moves onto one of the most historic motor racing venues in the world; Monza for the 2010 championship finale.
16/08/2010
Fortec kick off 2011 Driver Development Programs.
With two events remaining of the European Formula BMW Championship, preparations for 2011 are already gathering momentum. With the 2010 curtain closure at Monza now only four weeks away, the Fortec Formula BMW test team have already began assisting young drivers who are looking at making their transition from Karting into Single Seaters this Winter.
Just recently BMW have announced that they will in fact be withdrawing their support from the series but with many parties wanting the Championship to remain on the Formula One support package, the likely hood is that the series will continue under independent support in 2011. The Championship is one of the very few which allows drivers to compete at the age of fifteen as long as they've had a recognised pedigree in Karting and because of this the series has always proved to be one of the most competitive junior categories. An official announcement regarding the future of the series is due in the not to distant future.
Whilst there is a slight question mark over the future of the series, the Formula BMW Chassis and Tyre combination provides a strong package to prepare young drivers for any Single Seater series which they are considering for 2011 and by having the test team it means that logistics of the race team doesn't affect the testing of new drivers.
Continued testing is scheduled throughout the coming months and into the off season.
02/08/2010
Rounds 11 and 12, Hungaroring - Continued Success for Fortec in Budapest.
The last two weeks have proved a busy period for the Fortec Formula BMW squad, after a home win at Silverstone the tour moved on to back to back race weekends in Germany, followed by the Hungarian Grand Prix in the picturesque city of Budapest.
The venue for the German Grand Prix is alternated year on year between Hockenheim and Nurburgring, and this year it was Hockenheims turn to play host to the event. Conditions throughout the weekend couldn't have made it more difficult for the team and its drivers however it was Harvey who came away from the event with a solid Second and Third place to maintain his lead at the top of the Championship Table. From here it was a quick turnaround for the cars and a 1000km trip across Austria for Rounds 11 and 12.
Budapest is renowned for being one of the hottest events on the Formula One Calendar but this year had a different feel to it with frequent showers and temperatures in the low twenties. Unlike Hockenheim, every session turned out fully dry for Formula BMW and on a continually improving track in Free Practice both Harvey and Katsinis got their weekends off to a solid start. Only a couple of hours passed by before the green light was shown for start of the 25 minute qualifying where the grids for both races are decided. Katsinis had his strongest qualifying of the season to date and would start inside the top six for both races while Harvey would start from second for Round 11 and would score his sixth pole position of the season for Round 12 making it two Fortec Cars in the top sixth for both races.
Rain fell overnight but fortunately the sun had burnt any damp off by the time Round 11 got underway on Saturday Morning. For the front row men positions held station for the duration of the race with Harvey not quite being able to get close enough to mount a serious attack for the lead but it was his team mate Katsinis who was on the move and by the time he had cleared the son of 1992 World Rally Champion; Carlos Sainz he had his sights firmly set on securing the first podium of his car racing career and making himself the first Greek ever to stand on a podium at a Formula One Weekend. Two Fortec cars on the podium in Europe was a welcome sight for the team and Harvey knew his opportunity to go one better was only a few hours away. Von Grunigens weekend was continuing to improve and would cross the line in twelfth position; again scoring points and producing a lap time only eight tenths off of the fastest.
Harvey needed a good get away from pole to ensure he would lead the field on the long run down to turn one and he did just that, an ambitious move on the brakes by Sainz saw him sail straight past Harvey and run wide. Katsinis's get away was on a par to Harveys but his race would be compromised after early contact which dropped him to the back of the pack. Harvey drove a flawless race at the head of the field to take his sixth win of the year by 4.6 seconds. Von Grunigen was deemed to have jumped the start and had to serve a drive through penalty which hampered his race.
The Formula One tour now enjoys a four week summer break and the Formula BMW Championship will resume at Spa Francorchamps for Rounds 13 and 14 on 28th and 29th of August.
12/07/2010
Rounds 7 and 8, Silverstone.
On the back of a near perfect weekend in Spain, only a thirty minute journey stood between the Fortec base in Daventry and the British Grand Prix at a newly revised Silverstone.
Britain's home of Motorsport had a completely different look to when the Formula BMW series last raced at the venue in 2009, many changes have been carried out to the circuits layout along with a new Formula One pit complex which is due to be unveiled at the 2011 event.
As development work continues around the clock at the venue, it meant circuit conditions were far from ideal for Free Practice. However it was Fortec's Jack Harvey who would once again hit the ground running, leading the way throughout the 25 minute session to wind up almost a tenth quicker than the chasing pack to continue his unblemished run of fastest times in free practice. Katsinis session was hampered mid way through with an excursion across the kerbs at Becketts but still improved to finish the session ninth with Von Grunigen sixteenth.
A GP2 and Formula One session stood in between Practice and Qualifying for Rounds 7 and 8. With the session going green soon after lunch and temperatures continuing to rise, putting a perfect lap together was vital. Harvey carried over his momentum from free practice to go quickest on his opening laps; however he was piped to pole on this occasion for only the third time this season and would line up second and third for his home races. Katsinis had his toughest qualifying of the season, leaving it late to post his best time and rounded out eighth and eleventh with Von Grunigen getting closer to the bench mark time and he would start from fourteenth.
A schedule change, postponing the first round until Saturday evening meant it gave the team plenty of time with each driver to debrief qualifying and tune the car to enable a strong race performance. It was that they did, as the field got away for Round 7 it was Harvey once again pulling out a start from the top drawer to lead into the first corner and after soaking up pressure for the early laps he then began to stretch his lead, he never looked back and was applauded across the line by fans gathered in the stands to watch the young British talent win on home soil in fine style. Katsinis's race got off to a more difficult start and would find himself losing places over the early laps; however a good recovery through the second half of the race saw him move back up the order to finish eleventh increasing his championships points tally with Von Grunigen sixteenth.
Harvey commented "It was a special feeling to stand on the top step of the podium, in front of the crowd. It just felt that little bit better than the other wins, because it was my home race and the one that I really wanted to do well in, for both me, the team and Racing Steps. It was great to do well in front of the British Racing Drivers' Club too," he added.
Round 8 was graced with a repeat of conditions for Round 7, but this time Harvey had his work cut out starting from the second row. Positions held station initially until Harvey found his feet and began to gather momentum in his quest for the front, a small mistake on lap seven however proved costly - damaging his Fortec machine and compromising his chances. Another podium though was well received and his championship lead has now been extended to thirty five points at the season's halfway point. Katsinis was again back on the form he showed at Barcelona and Valencia to finish fifth and make it two Fortec cars in the top six, a result welcomed greatly by the team and helping them to maintain their lead in the Teams Championship.
28/06/2010
Rounds 5 and 6, Valencia.
Conditions for Rounds 5 and 6 couldn't have been a greater contrast to Round 4 in Holland, clear blue skies and 30 degree Sunshine greeted teams to the harbour side venue in Southern Spain.
This weekend the series was back on its regular slot alongside the Formula One, GP2 and GP3 Series. The 5.42km circuit is created especially for this one off event so Free Practice was carried out in dusty conditions; this didn't hold back the Fortec pairing though with Katsinis and Harvey both occupying the top 6, with Harvey edging the top spot by 1 thousandth of second. Von Grunigen had the tough task of learning one of the longest circuits on the calendar in only a handful of laps and rounded out the session in a respectable twelfth.
Temperatures soared throughout the morning and by the time qualifying was upon us at 1pm, ambients were almost touching 35 degree with track temperatures even greater. This wouldn't phase Harvey and a strong, super consistent run on his second set of tyres meant he would start both Rounds 5 and 6 from the all important pole position, Katsinis had the speed to challenge the top three but for a small error mid way through the session, despite this he still managed to qualify Eighth and Seventh with Von Grunigen finishing the 25 minute session again in twelfth.
Round 5 was an early start for the teams and drivers, but as the five red lights were extinguished it was Harvey again who produced a text book start to out drag his rivals on the long run down to the first corner, from the opening lap onwards Harvey drove a measured race, despite some mid race pressure he had built up a 2.2 second lead by the chequered flag to take his third win of the season. Katsinis also made a strong get away and drove his best race of 2010, coming home fifth after an impressive lunge into the final corner on the penultimate lap to match his best result of the season so far. A first lap incident for Von Grunigen meant his race was compromised by a damaged car; however he did manage to maintain his position and score championship points yet again.
There was no chance of a Zandvoort repeat for the final Formula BMW race of the weekend, not a dark cloud in sight and the sunshine was already starting to break through as the cars formed up onto the starting grid. Another near perfect get away from Harvey once again resulted in him breaking away at the head of the pack however there was more action behind him with both the other Fortec Cars damaging their front wings on the drag up to Turn One. Harvey was in clean air and had his sights firmly focused on getting to the chequered flag, he did just that to win by just over four seconds, with the other two cars finishing seventh and fourteenth respectively in what were difficult circumstances for both drivers.
"I got a good start in both races" said Jack "Once I knew I'd got away I just kept my head down and my concentration up as I knew that the slightest mistake might put me into one of the walls so it was actually quite hard work from that perspective. I did relax a little in the middle of the first race and the team told me that the guy behind me had brought the gap down to just under a second so I picked up the pace again and pulled away in the last few laps to make sure I wasn't going to be caught. I didn't do that in the second race and was able to just stay on it for the entire ten laps."
"It was fantastic to be able to get these results for the team and the people from Racing Steps who were here over the weekend too. The team gave me a great car and I knew we had the pace to achieve the double. With Silverstone just a couple of weeks away now it's got to be what we're aiming for again at our home race," he added.
07/06/2010
Rounds 3 and 4, Zandvoort.
On the back of a successful opening two rounds in Formula BMW Europe, official testing at Hungaroring and Hockenheim stood in between Barcelona and Zandvoort. With mixed weather conditions at both tests, all objectives were achieved in preparing for the events later in the year.
The Zandvoort weekend followed a slightly different format to the other Rounds of the Championship as this weekend Formula BMW Europe was alongside the Formula 3 Masters blue ribbon event, which gave the drivers the perfect insight into what could be the next step on the ladder.
Free Practice got underway mid morning on Saturday and it was Harvey once again setting out his intentions for the weekend by going 6 tenths quicker than the rest of the pack. Katsinis missed the official test here due to the ash cloud cancelling all flights so he had a tall order ahead of him and wound up seventh with Christof Von Grunigen making a small but costly mistake early on in the session which meant he only completed two laps.
Qualifying produced a carbon copy of last years visit to Zandvoort for Harvey, another well executed performance meant he would start from Second for Round 3 and Pole for Round 4, Katsinis had the potential to be within the leading group but for a few small errors meaning he would start Eighth and Tenth respectively with Von Grunigen making up for lost time in practice ending the session in twelfth.
Clear but windy conditions overlooked Zandvoort as the lights went out for Round 3, positions held station into Turn 1 on the opening lap. Harvey was soon into a rhythm putting Timmy Hansen under pressure for the lead when on lap seven, Hansen ran off line and Harvey ceased the opportunity to take the lead, from this point on he never looked back and stretched his lead out to 2.4 seconds at the chequered flag, posting the fastest lap on his final tour. Katsinis was running seventh until confusion in the safety car period where he was overtaken by a number of cars and was subsequently penalised for retaking these positions meant his race ended prematurely and Von Grunigen took the final points scoring position in tenth.
Rain had been threatening to fall throughout the afternoon and as the cars lined up on the grid for Round 4, the heavens opened resulting in a quick change to wet weather tyres. The race got underway in torrential rain, but Come Ledogar got the jump on Harvey off the start, this was short lived however as Harvey once again took the lead, however this was all about to change as it was deemed that Harvey had moved in his grid box during the start procedure and was awarded a drive through penalty. Katsinis race ended early with a trip into the gravel at Turn 1 and Von Grunigen drove a solid race to finish eighth, once again increasing his points tally. A recovering Harvey got back up to seventh and was on course for another handful of points until an off track excursion meant he wound up ninth.
Fortec maintains its lead in both the Teams and Drivers Championship and now heads off to Valencia for Rounds 5 and 6 around the Harbour which was recently home to the America's Cup Yacht race.
10/05/2010
Rounds 1 and 2, Barcelona.
Fortec travelled to Barcelona for rounds 1 and 2 of the 2010 European Formula BMW Championship. After a strong rookie year in the championship, Racing Steps Foundation driver Jack Harvey has returned to the team for a second season, alongside fellow championship returnee George Katsinis and Formula Lista graduate, Christof Von Grunigen.
Throughout pre season testing both Katsinis and Harvey had posted fasted times for the Fortec Team and the ever improving Von Grunigen has also shown capability of running in the top six so expectations were high heading to the Spanish venue.
Free practice got underway on Friday Morning and after the 25 minute session it was Harvey who had set the bench mark for the rest to chase with Katsinis three tenths further back in Fifth. Qualifying was a similar story with Harvey on Pole for Round 1 and also his second lap put him Pole for Round 2.
Round 1 got underway in difficult conditions as rain had fallen overnight but with a dry line starting to appear there was no other option but to start on slicks. Harvey made a blistering start and controlled the race to win by 5.1 seconds with Katsinis 5th and Von Grunigen having a storming drive to make up 7 places and finish 6th. Round 2 was held in much brighter conditions, this time Harvey had more of a race on his hands after not such a strong start and settled into second for the first few laps, after setting fastest lap he sustained front wing damage whilst battling for the lead and came home 3rd with Katsinis running 5th for the duration of the race until being passed in the final few laps, eventually finishing 7th.
After Two Poles, Two Fastest Laps and a Race Win under their belts the team now heads to Hungaroring for an official test, before a further two days testing at Hockenhiem then onto Zandvoort for Rounds 3 and 4.
09/03/2009
Fortec Motorsport is pleased to announce that Spanish Rookie Antonio Martinez has joined the team to contest the 2009 Formula BMW Europe Championship.
The 17 year-old will complete a three-car strong team in the Formula BMW this year with team-mates William Buller and Jack Harvey.
Having impressed during winter testing in Portimao and Barcelona, stepping up for the first time into Formula racing from International karting in 2008, Fortec Formula BMW Team Manager Julian Rouse commented "Antonio has already shown a lot of promise in the initial tests we have done and with an intensive official test programme before the first race, he has the potential to be among the most competitive rookies in the championship.
02/02/2009
Jack Harvey will contest the 2009 Formula BMW Europe Championship with Fortec Motorsport after securing backing from the Racing Steps Foundation. 15 year-old Harvey joins the team following championship karting titles in Britain, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific series and has tested with the team in the UK and Europe during its winter test programme.
Derek Walters, who runs the Racing Steps Foundation, was enthusiastic about Jack's chances of success in 2009 and what brought the youngster to his attention: - "We had seen Jack's results in karting over the last couple of years and after he had his initial test in the Formula BMW car he continued to impress us with his professionalism and his pace. We agreed that Formula BMW was the right place for him to be and we're excited about him being part of the programme. He's very focussed and it would be nice to see him win the rookie title in his first season".
Fortec Motorsport team principal, Richard Dutton is delighted to have Jack on board for his first full season and is also expecting some good results over the course of the year: - "I've known about Jack for quite a while and had my eye on him. His results in karts show he has plenty of potential and his early testing pace has been very good. The team is already impressed with him and he is proving to be very professional and focussed on what he needs to do. I'm excited about what we can achieve over the course of the season. The rookie title is definitely there, but it would be nice to think we can do more than that".
04/09/2007
The Formula BMW team celebrated winnning the Drivers, Teams, and Rookie titles of the 2007 Formula BMW UK Championship at Knockhill. Marcus Ericsson sealed both drivers trophies with 676 points from Josef Kral (Double-R) with 636 points and Henry Arundel with 595 points, also driving for Fortec. Ericsson domiated the weekend taking two wins, both from pole position. "It was an amazing feeling, the whole weekend has been perfect, the team has
done a brilliant job and I'm very happy" said Ericsson following Race 2. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Daniel McKenzie finished 5th and 6th respectively in Race 1 with Henry Arundel being forced out after an accident on lap 19 before coming back to finish a solid 9th in Race 2.
20/12/2006
The Formula BMW team completed it's driver line-up for the 2007 season with the signing of Henry Arundel, Marcus Ericsson, Daniel Mackenzie, and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs.
16/10/2006
The Formula BMW team concluded their season at Silverstone this weekend. The Formula BMW UK Championship Team Trophy was retained by Fortec for the second year running with Niall Breen winning the Formula BMW UK Drivers Championship and Henry Arundel taking Rookie Cup honours.
14/08/2006
The Fortec BMW team this weekend became Team Champions for the second year running following two races at Snetterton. Niall Breen extended his championship lead with his eighth win of the year and a second place. Euan Hankey had a sixth and a fourth place to consolidate third in the championship. Henry Arundel took two class wins to head the Rookie Cup Championship but more impressively, an overall third in race one.
31/07/2006
The Formula BMW team had another strong weekend with Niall Breen taking two pole positions, a win and a third to extend his championship lead to 66 points, with 6 races remaining. Euan Hankey was back on form to take 2nd in the first race. He was quicker than the race leader but unable to find a way past. He finished 5th in race two. An impressive drive back through the field after being forced off on lap one and down to 15th place. Henry Arundel took a third and fastest lap in race two. Now only 12 points off the lead in the Rookie Cup.
22/05/2006
Niall Breen scored two third place finishes at Brands Hatch this weekend to put him in the lead of the Formula BMW UK Drivers Championship. Euan Hankey lies fourth in the Championship after a fourth place finish was his best result of the weekend with Henry Arundel in twelfth position.
24/04/2006
Niall Breen won both races at Mondello Park this weekend, putting him firmly in the lead of the Formula BMW drivers championship. Euan Hankey finished 4th in Race 1 with Henry Arundel 6th in Race 2. The championship now heads to Oulton park for Rounds 5 & 6 on the 13th & 14th May.
22/02/2006
Fortec's Formula BMW driver line-up is now complete following the signing of Euan Hankey, Niall Breen, and Henry Arundel. The first official championship test will be at Silverstone on the 1st March.
06/01/2006
Fortec returned from the Formula BMW World Final held in Bahrain as the top British team. Sam Bird finished fourth overall after being held up in the final by another competitor who was racing under appeal.
12/03/2005
The Formula BMW team travel out to Bahrain in the coming days where they will contest the world finals. Sam Bird and Stian Sorlie will be representing Fortec.