The Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship is Australia's key 'wings and slicks' racing championship, melding the international reputation of 'Formula Three' with the more than 50-year history of the Australian Drivers Championship and CAMS Gold Star award.
There are no ulterior motives, no other business agendas - just the competitive functioning of a premier open wheel category. The four key factors that make up the mission statement of Formula 3 Management are:
• Provide the most cost-effective championship possible.
• Offer the most competitive racing possible
• Promote a championship that The result is a fiercely competitive, affordable championship that boasts current technology and the quickest racing cars in the country. Drivers from more than ten nations including some of Australia's finest young talent, have passed through Australian Formula 3 not only showcasing its ability to provide young drivers with the best proving ground for their talents, but enhancing the competition as well. The Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship is managed by Formula 3 Management Pty. Ltd, a company formed with the sole purpose of promoting and growing 'Wings and Slicks' racing in Australia.
participates on the best circuits and biggest Events
• Offer the best 'training base' for drivers seeking to progress their career, OR a stable platform for drivers to simply enjoy driving the best racing cars in Australia. The result of this hard work is a 2013 championship that offers the best balance of the four key criteria above yet seen in an Australian Wings and Slicks Championship. 2012 will be the best year of Australian Formula 3 yet.
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012 witnessed a year of regeneration and steady growth for Australian Formula 3, with all indicators showing increased levels of competitor support, commercial backing and competition along with a refined business model and management plan.
• The return of Formula 3 to the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, achieved despite challenging grid numbers throughout 2011 – showcasing Formula 3’s position as a key ‘entertainment category’ well positioned for placement at major events.
In 2012 Formula 3 has achieved an on -average 35% increase in grid numbers across the course of the season. This is in comparison to several other key ‘National’ racing championships that have featured significant declines in average starting fields this season; including Porsche Carrera Cup, GT3 Cup and Formula Ford.
• The continuation (year two) of a three
Key indicators of growth achieved prior to – and throughout - the 2012 Championship included;
• Inclusion in two Additional events on the V8 Supercar calendar, specifically Tasmania, Queensland Raceway, as well as Darwin and the Clipsal 500 Adelaide.
• Introduction of a new ‘F3’ brand and category branding, plus a substantial investment in at-track presentation of the Formula 3 paddock and competing vehicles.
• The debut of Formula 3 at Bathurst, successfully producing indecent-free and extremely spectacular racing and significant media exposure for the Bathurst Motor Festival Event. -year agreement with the Northern Territory Government to stage a Formula 3 race as part of the Darwin V8 Supercar Event.
• Announcement and competition of three new professional-level teams in Australian Formula 3.
The inclusion of V8 supercar events on the program has been seen as critical in attracting young drivers to
the championship to allow them to race in front of the corporate and commercial parties present at these rounds. • The phased introduction, for the first time, of a second manufacturer into the championship (Mygale). At the time of writing one such example had competed however three are in the country. Two raced at both the Darwin and Queensland Raceway rounds this year. • The building of a commercial relationship with Mygale Australia and the French head-office to further the introduction of the Mygale brand into Australian F3. The company Managing Director has identified Australia as a key growth area and is dedicating resources into marketing Mygale’s participation and growth in the Australian Championship from the head office. • The execution of a commercial agreement with HWA Motors, AG (providers of Mercedes Benz Formula 3 Powerplants) to provide a dedicated ‘Australian Specification’ Formula 3 engine to be phased in throughout the course of the 2012 and 2013 seasons. This engine produces nearly double the current operating life for identical performance and costs as the current units.
• The phased introduction of ‘next generation’ 2008/09/10/11 specification Formula 3 cars to compete in the championship, running with performance adjustments for the first season to ensure parity with existing vehicles. JAMES Winslow won the 2012 championship, in a record breaking season that saw the English driver establish himself firmly at the top of the most championship statistical records. Winslow won a record-breaking 12 races in an otherwise competitive season, that featured six different race winners and nine different drivers standing on the podium. It was also a season that saw Formula 3 cars establish four new category lap records, and a new outright benchmark at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst. The championship also established several impressive new drivers, 17-year-old school boy Hayden Cooper exploding onto the scene and winning the $50,000 Forpark Australia Scholarship award.
AUSTRALIA’S Premier Open-Wheel category, the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship for the CAMS Gold Star award, has announced a seven-round national championship with a focus on building exposure for competitors. The series has also announced a significantly enhanced Television package that will deliver increased exposure to all parties involved in the championship. The 2013 Championship will commence at the Bathurst Motor Festival across the Easter long weekend in a significant weekend in Mount Panorama’s history.
The event coincides with the 75th anniversary of the first race meeting held on the Mountain and Formula 3 organisers will be working with Motor Festival promoters to include a Gold Star heritage aspect to the celebrations. From Bathurst the series will cross Bass straight to return to Symmons Plains Raceway with the V8 Supercars just one week later, in a back-to-back double header. In June the third annual City of Darwin F3 Cup will be contested as part of the Skycity Triple Crown V8 Supercar weekend at Hidden Valley Raceway, wings and slicks racing quickly becoming a fan favourite amongst Territorians.
The second half of the season will see the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship rejoin the Shannons Nationals bill en masse, the remaining four rounds to be held with the ever-growing series. A key position at the brand new Australian six-hour event at Sydney Motorsport Park in July will be followed with a blockbuster round at Queensland Raceway in August and a nowtraditional September visit to Australia’s quickest track – Phillip Island – will be finished by a title decider in Suburban Melbourne at Sandown Raceway. The calendar has been designed to feature circuits favourable to producing competitive Formula 3 racing and offering drivers a wide-array of challenges, from the true European-style aero circuits like Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park, to the exciting, low downforce slipstreaming style racing experienced at Symmons Plains. An increased TV package has also been confirmed by Formula 3 Management, with each Shannons Nationalsbased round to feature 30-minutes of TV
on SBS Speedweek, repeated on SPEED TV Australia – up from the previous 20-minute package. The additional airtime will be utilised to showcase more of the personalities within the championship and, of course, more sensational racing. Each round with the Shannons Nationals will also be streamed live on the internet by the series’ online broadcasting package. A separate TV package is currently being developed for the unique Mount Panorama season kickoff, with details to follow soon.
IN 2013 THE CHAMPIONSHIP WILL RACE IN FRONT OF BIG CROWDS, TOTALLING MORE THAN 20,000 PEOPLE. THIS INCLUDES MORE THAN 50,000 IN DARWIN AND TASMANIA AND 15,000 AT BATHURST.
1. MOUNT PANORAMA, BATHURST (NSW) Bathurst Motor Festival, Mount Panorama. 2. SYMMONS PLAINS RACEWAY (TAS) V8 Supercar Tasmania Challenge. 3. HIDDEN VALLEY RACEWAY (NT) V8 Supercar SKYCITY Triple Crown. 4. SYDNEY MOTORSPORT PARK (NSW) Australian Six-Hour Enduro. 5. QUEENSLAND RACEWAY (QLD) Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals. 6. PHILLIP ISLAND GP CIRCUIT (VIC) Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals.
MARCH 29-31 APRIL 5-7 JUNE 14-15 JULY 12-14 AUGUST 2-4 SEPT 20-22
Formula 3 Australia is the most costeffective way of going international-spec wings and slicks racing in Australasia - it’s as simple as that. In fact, Formula 3 is little more expensive than a full season of National Formula Ford, with a majority of operating costs identical, vehicle purchase prices very similar and entry fees substantially Cheaper. Lease drive packages are of course available with our professional teams (see page 9) or vehicles can be run by owner-drivers or family teams with great success.
VITAL STATISTICS:
PERFORMANCE PLUS:
How fast is fast? Formula 3 cars are Australia’s fastest circuit racing cars but just how fast do they go?
A Formula 3 car will lap Phillip Island, for instance, in 1m25 seconds. That’s five seconds quicker than Casey Stoner’s MotoGP Honda and eight seconds up on a V8 Supercar.
• Powered by a 2.0L Four-Cylinder engine pro•
ducing approximately 230BHP (190kw) at 7,500RPM. Mandated racing weight of 540kg: Full Carbon fibre chassis, made by Dallara Italy) or Mygale (France). Six-Speed Sequential gearbox.
• • Control Kumho Slick Tyres. • FIA Formula 1 crash safety standards, including rear and side impact protection and driver extraction technology.
The car will be flat for 60 seconds of that 84 second lap, touching the brakes only four times out of the 12 corners. The average lap speed is 183km/hr. Turn one is taken flat out at 257km/hr (with a slight tow). Fast.!
Whilst there is some technical knowledge required information and support is freely available from within the Formula 3 community. Average Vehicle purchase price; $45,000 (F399/00/01 Dallara), $65-70,000 (F302/03/04 Dallara), $75-90,000 (F307/ Dallara)
Running Costs: On average, ‘fixed’ round by round costs generally amount to between $9,000 $15,000 per round inclusive, depending on the level of investment the competitor desires, or is able, to input. This include entry fees ($1500 / round), tyres ($1600 / round), fuel Average = $600/ Round), amortising the cost of an engine rebuild and all parts costs over eight rounds. Formula 3 Management can happily provide a more detailed rundown of ‘raw’ prices of all components required to run a Formula 3 car on request. ‘Lease Drives’ are readily available with prices on request from our teams however generally range between $175,000 - $200,000 for a championship / Gold Star class drive.
Value of Television Coverage: (Rate Card Value per 30 Seconds)
SBS: $1,300 per 30 seconds Fox: $1,200 per 30 seconds Plus ‘incidental advertising’ within the program (graphics, signs, apparel etc.) Audience
T
he Australian Formula 3 Championship is exposed to a diverse and wide array of spectators and media at each round. Formula 3 is ideally positioned to be able to offer value for money sponsorships that deliver ‘bang for your buck’ better than many other series. Race Torque Media is Formula 3’s dedicated media contractor and provides all media services to the championship. The Championship receives regular coverage on the popular SBS show, Speedweek. This coverage is also
SBS Speedweek -160,000 (average) SPEED TV is available to over 1.8 million subscribers. Each SPEED show is replayed several times. Internet TV Coverage: shown on FOX Sports’ dedicated motorsport channel SPEED TV. V8 Supercar round TV package details to be advised. In 2013 each F3 round on the Shannons Nationals program will receive 30 minutes on SBS and a further 30 on SPEED - for a total of one hour per round. Bathurst TV is to be confirmed at time of publication. A considerable number of countries are provided with satellite & cable programming via the Motors TV Network.
The action form the Sunday racing at each Shannons Nationals round is streamed live via the Internet on www.itvlive.com.au -The Internet TV is broadcast quality taken directly from the television outside broadcast van. Audiences have exceeded 6,000 per event. Website traffic: Our website is one of the most-visited category website in Australian Motorsport. In 2012 the site averaged more than 23,000 unique visitors per month.
The F3 Australian Drivers Championship maintains an active presence in social networking, including a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter site, which combined have a reach of several thousand ‘followers’ - a number that is consistently growing. Print Media: In 2012 the series received dedicated and extensive coverage in industry press, including the likes of Auto Action and Speedcafe, plus a host of additional motorsport websites and publications. This is in addition to event specific media in major daily newspapers including the Advertiser, Examiner, Mercury, Age, Herald Sun and Sydney Morning Herald. The series has also received radio coverage on major stations in Adelaide, Melbourne (SEN Sports), Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Launceston. The Championship actively supports teams and drivers individual PR efforts and works with all stakeholders to generate media exposure. The net result is that Formula 3 remains one of the highest profile ‘non V8 Supercar’ categories in Australian Motorsport.
www.agisport.com.au |
Contact Adam Gotch | 0416 876 933 | adam@agi-group.com.au
Sydney based AGI SPORT was formed in 2012 by brothers Adam and Nathan Gotch. Adam Gotch has worked extensively in motorsport: His experience includes the A1GP series the British Formula 3 Championship including the British F3 title with Alan Docking Racing in 2002.
www.astutimotorsport.net
CURRENT OUTRIGHT CHAMPIONS www.rwww.r-tek.com.au | Contact Ian Richards 0403 054 602 | ianrichards@r-tek.com.au R-Tek Motorsport Services is a full time, full service, totally professional Formula 3 Race Team. The team won the 2012 championship with James Winslow, winning a record 12 races in the one season and finished second the year prior. The team runs cars in both the championship and national classes.
| Contact: Sam Astuti - 0412 247 306 | astutimotorsport@three.com.au
Astuti Motorsport is one of Australia ’ s most rapidly growing race teams and is based in Melbourne, Victoria. Formed by former racer Sam Astuti, the team prepares cars for the heat of competition in the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship and also Australian GT.
www.teambrm.com.au |
Contact Mark Rundle: 0400 099 978 | brm@chariot.net.au
Adelaide-based Team BRM are the defending champion team, having won the outright title the last three seasons. The team has a tradition of success and is now Australia’ s most successful Open-wheel team currently operating. Team BRM has won Six F3 titles and Four Australian
www.gilmourracing.com.au |
CURRENT NATIONAL CLASS CHAMPIONS www.bfracing.com | Contact Brett Francis: 0414 390 471| brett@bfracing.com Based in Queensland ’s "Motorsport Hub", bf racing has a large workshop facility focussed solely on preparing race-winning cars. The team has prepared state-championship winning cars in Formula Ford and Formula 3 and in 2012 won the Formula 3 national class with Hayden Cooper.
Contact Errol Gilmour 0417 454 229 | gilmourerrolg@bigpond.com
Gilmour Racing has been established in Australian F3 since 2004, finishing second in the championship that year and winning the F3 National Class in 2007. The team reached the pinnacle in 2011, winning outright with Chris Gilmour and finished second in 2012.
Harvest Motorsport
| Contact Terry Stott 0408 963 907 | harvest _ motorsport@hotmail.com
Harvest Motorsport is a new team entering the championship for the first time in 2012. The team is managed by experienced F3 mechanic Terry Stott, who has spent time with Australia ’ s top teams and also a stint in British F3. Harvest is an exciting addition to the F3ADC grid in 2012.
www.timmacrow.com.au |
Contact Tim Macrow 0402 480 575 | tmacrow@hotmail.com
Tim Macrow is the 2007 Australian Formula 3 Champion and one of the most successful drivers in series history, with 19 wins, 49 podiums and more than 800 championship points across his hugely successful career. Now, he turns to team ownership, building on his extensive engineering
*more information available at formula3.com.au
‘Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship’ Formula 3 Management Pty Ltd. Richard Craill - 0408 813 141 | richard.craill@formula3.com.au
www.formula3.com.au
Twitter.com@formula3aus