New USF1 team announced - name changed

[Ed]

Some good news for Formula 1 and surprisingly from the USA where it has been reported that Ken Anderson is set to launch a new Formula 1 team to be called US F1 with the aim of making a race debut in 2010.

The all American team is reported to be based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is intended to showcase American technology and drivers.

It is not known at this stage whether the team will buy an existing team (like Honda or Toro Rosso) or be an all new team.

Related:
New American F1 team under wraps
Stuck says 'USF1' team reports good news

[mlittle]

F1--United States Set For New F1 Team?

There's the SpeedTV.com story above......I've posted some of the relevant points on another thread(the Rumour Factory thread, IIRC).
_________________
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance.
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere....

[Ed]

Thanks mlittle,

Checking the USF1 website, it is registered to Ken Anderson.

Stay tuned then

[Ed]

FIA President Max Mosley has confirmed that an American team is looking seriously at entering Formula 1 provided that costs come down further.

Mosley has also confirmed that if costs are not cut and if further teams pull out of Formula 1, a full grid will be guaranteed by fielding cars from other categories!

Full story: Mosley confirms American team interest

[Julian Mayo]

[Ed]

Ken Anderson has confirmed that he intends to launch a new Formula 1 team later this month with a target to compete in the 2010 F1 Championship. The team will be based in North Carolina in the USA and is expected to sign their first driver - an American racing the the junior Formulaes in Europe.

Related: Ken Anderson confirms USF1 team

[mlittle]

USF1 Ready to Roll
ar1.com Information on USF1 Press Announcement

Specifics........................
~~No drivers were announced(names that keep popping up across the Internets are A.J. Allmendinger, Scott Speed, Kyle Busch, Conor Daly, Charlie Kimball, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Josef Newgarden, Gabby Chavez and Alexander Rossi)
~~Team to be based in the north Charlotte/Mecklenburg Co. area; the facility will employ around 100 or so people and will be built along the lines of a NASCAR Sprint Cup facility[i.e. to allow fans to watch the cars being built and to visit] and will have on-site TV studio
~~No sponsors were mentioned during the announcement, nor were the team's other investors(besides Windsor and Anderson) mentioned(however, Windsor mentioned in the announcement that they do have sufficient capital to be on the F1 grid in 2010
~~with F1 engine regulations as they currently exist, the team has sent out RFP's to all the major engine manufacturers(assumptions are Ferrari, Mercedes, Toyota, Renault and Cosworth)
~~the team's headquarters will be in the United States, but there will also be a European base of operations as well


Additional links.................
USF1 Press Conference Video Highlights
USF1 Pair Reveal Weight Of Support
Windsor: USF1 about taking America to F1
American drivers linked with new USF1 team
_________________
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance.
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere....

[Jim Watt]

thanks, M. Little: yours is as succinct and clear as any account I've been able to track down. I was more than a little disappointed by Peter W.'s performance at the Speed Press Conference. Given that he's been IN the T.V. business, you'd think he'd be a little better prepared to sell his product.

That said, I hope they succeed --and take as their model RBR, not Honda and Toyota!

Jim Watt
_________________
My Racing Gods: Fangio, Vukovich; Senna & Mears --all racers all the time; graceful winners & generous in defeat, but never giving up!!

[Ed]

Formula One Management (FOM) have requested that the USF1 team change its name as they are the trademark holders of F1. It appears that the name has now been changed to USGPE.

The website www.usf1.com now redirects to www.usgpe.com with a "Coming Soon" sign on the main page.

It is a bit surprising that this has happened as one would have thought they would have discussed the name with FOM prior to making the announcement particularly that it is well known within Formula 1 that FOM is very protective of its trademarks and Peter Windsor surely would have known that.

Related: USF1 changes name, F-India changes logo

[mlittle]

Remember the news item during the pre-season about the FIA agreeing to allow F1 teams to use a common engine/transmission system(this was the thread IIRC).............well, according to this SpeedTV.com article, USF1 Sporting Director Peter Windsor has hinted at the possibility that the team will use Cosworth power when they take to the grid in 2010.

Highlights of the SpeedTV.com article............
~~~Windsor all but confirmed the team has been accepted by the FIA for competition in 2010
~~~USF1 will begin hiring design personnel, followed by personnel in other departments
~~~they have begun marketing efforts(assumptions are that they are B2B marketing efforts at present)
~~~while they are looking at multiple engine manufacturers, Windsor hinted that, at the moment, Cosworth is their lead choice
_________________
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance.
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere....

[mlittle]

F2000: Series Receives USF1 Endorsement

In another sign of forward progress for 2010 F1 entrant USF1, team principals Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson announced their support for one of North America's longest-running and popular driver-development series, the F2000 Championship Series.

Now, where does F2000 sit in the North American open-wheel ladder?
Assuming one starts in the karting ranks, there's a couple of choices one could make at the lower end of the ladder: [1]SCCA Formula Atlantic, [2]SCCA Formula Mazda, [3]SCCA Formula Continental, [4]SCCA Formula Ford, [5]F2000 Championship Series. There is one big difference btwn. F2000 and the 4 SCCA-supported series......unlike SCCA, which runs all four Formula series to specific specs'[a/k/a spec racing], F2000 utilizes multiple chassis/engines[distinctly non-spec].

After these series, the next step, at the moment in North America, is to the Mazda-backed Star Mazda Series, followed by either the Atlantic Championship(sanctioned by IMSA) or the Firestone Indy Lights Series(sanctioned by the Indy Racing League).


FWIW, this is a great decision for USF1 to make in endorsing F2000, for it will give rising American talents a chance to race in the North American ladder on their way up, potentially, to Formula 1 without having to travel to Europe to fight through the myriad of "feeder" series on the continent.


F2000 Championship Series
_________________
The Sci-Fi Station Come by and visit when you get the chance.
The Wayward Tarheel I'm even in the blogosphere....

[<T-K>]