Formula Palmer Audi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Formula Palmer Audi, commonly known as Palmer Audi or FPA, is a form of open wheel racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer. The series is most famous for producing former F1 and ChampCar star Justin Wilson.
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[edit] Introduction
The cars are powered by a 1.8 litre, 4 cylinder, 300bhp turbo charged Audi engine capable of over 150mph. The cars also feature a turbo boost button, which temporarily gives the car a 60bhp increase. The body itself is made of Aluminium honeycomb monocoque, the basic structure of which complies with the current FIA Formula 3 safety regulations.
The series was originally set up as a cost-effective rival to Formula 3 in the UK. After a brief foray into Europe, FPA evolved into a series predominantly for gentleman drivers looking to combine business with pleasure. However, having produced nominees for the prestigious McLaren Autosport Young Driver Award in 2004, 2005 and 2006, FPA is gradually re-emerging as a viable option for young aspiring drivers on the path to Formula One.
FPA still maintains itself as a cost-effective form of open wheel racing, with the 2007 season recently being advertised at £55,000 plus VAT, whereas similar series such as Formula Renault or Formula BMW require estimated budgets two to three times higher in order to race with a front-running team.
[edit] The FPA Race Weekend
FPA race weekends normally take place over two days, but may be spread over three if FPA is supporting an international event such as A1 Grand Prix, DTM, the World Touring Car Championship or the FIA GT Championship. After free practice, drivers take part in two 30-minute qualifying sessions, for which they have an unlimited number of laps at their disposal. The first qualifying session sets the grid for Race 1, while the second sets the grid for Race 2.
Races are around 60km, with a time limit of 30 minutes in place. In the event of three races being held over a weekend, each driver's fastest lap from Race 2 counts at their qualifying time for Race 3.
Points are awarded to the first 19 finishers of each race in the following order:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 24 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers must take the chequered flag to score points. Retirees do not score, even if less than 19 drivers finish the race.
Another interesting feature is that each driver is supplied with just one set of slick Avon tyres to last them for the entire weekend of practice, qualifying and racing. While tyres may be replaced in the event of puncture, extensive damage or safety issues, any 'flat-spotting' of tyres done by a driver is not sufficient for an exchange.
[edit] Features of Formula Palmer Audi
Formula Palmer Audi has always been run as an arrive-and-drive series, and was one of the first major motor-racing series to do so. In order to keep a level playing field as much as possible, all the cars are run by a specialist team of FPA mechanics, rather than having separate teams. This concept of a large group of deliberately-equalised cars has since been adopted by A1 Grand Prix.
The series has raced on many different circuits in the UK and Europe throughout its nine-year history. These include the following:
FPA championships are also known for close title battles. In 2004, Jonathan Kennard beat Rob Jenkinson to the series title by just two points. Meanwhile, the following year, Joe Tandy and David Epton finished tied on points, Tandy winning the championship courtesy of having won more races over the course of the season.
[edit] Autumn Trophy
After each FPA season, a mini-series known as the Autumn Trophy is held in early November. Originally called the Winter Series, it involved two meetings of two races each, held at different UK circuits on consecutive weekends. For 2004, this was changed to two three-race weekends. The advertised cost of the 2006 Autumn Trophy was £9,950 plus VAT.
The Autumn Trophy often features the Team USA Scholarship, a program set up by ChampCar journalist and commentator Jeremy Shaw to allow promising young American drivers the chance to gain experience of European racing. Originally designed to send American drivers to the Formula Ford Festival, drivers such as Jimmy Vasser, Philip Giebler, AJ Allmendinger and JR Hildebrand have taken part in the Scholarship.
Three Team USA drivers have gone on to win the Autumn Trophy: Paul Edwards in 1999, Giebler in 2000 and Dane Cameron in 2006.
[edit] Formula Palmer Audi on TV
At present, Formula Palmer Audi is broadcast on Motors TV, a pan-European satellite station. Highlights and interviews are shown as part of a 30-minute programme. For the Championship, each programme covers one race, while the Autumn Trophy features two races to each programme. Up until the end of the 2006 Championship, the programmes were presented by radio DJ and former Top Of The Pops presenter David Jensen. For the 2006 Autumn Trophy, the format was changed to a presenter-less magazine-type format as David's son Viktor Jensen had stopped racing in FPA. All the races are commented on by legendary motorsport commentator David Addison.
[edit] Notable FPA drivers
Many famous names in top-level motorsport have taken part in FPA on their way to the top. These include the following:
| Driver | Nationality | Major Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Wilson |  |
F1 and ChampCar |
| Gary Paffett | |
DTM Champion 2005, McLaren F1 test driver |
| Andy Priaulx | |
World Touring Car Championship - Champion 2005, 2006 |
| Robbie Kerr | |
A1 Team Great Britain driver |
| Adam Carroll | |
GP2 Series driver |
| Giorgio Pantano |  |
GP2 Series and IndyCar driver |
| Bjorn Wirdheim |  |
Formula 3000 Champion 2003 and ChampCar driver |
| Philip Giebler |  |
A1 Team USA driver |
| Jeroen Bleekemolen |  |
A1 Team The Netherlands and DTM driver |
| Richard Lyons |  |
Formula Nippon Champion 2004 and A1 Team Ireland driver |
[edit] FPA Champions
| Year | Championship | Autumn trophy |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Justin Wilson |
None |
| 1999 | Richard Tarling |
Paul Edwards |
| 2000 | Damien Faulkner |
Philip Giebler |
| 2001 | Steve Warburton |
None |
| 2002 | Adrian Willmott |
Ben Lewis |
| 2003 | Ryan Lewis |
Jonathan Kennard |
| 2004 | Jonathan Kennard |
Stephen Young |
| 2005 | Joe Tandy |
Josh Weber |
| 2006 | Jon Barnes |
Dane Cameron |
