British Formula 3 International Series
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Inaugural season | 1951 |
| Drivers | 26 (2010) [a][1] |
| Teams | 12 (2010)[b][2] |
| Constructors | Dallara |
| Engine suppliers | Mugen-Honda Mercedes HWA Volkswagen |
| Tyre suppliers | Cooper Tires |
| Drivers' champion | Jordan King |
| Official website | www |
 Current season | |
The British Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series. Notable former champions include Jim Clark, Nelson Piquet, Mika Häkkinen, Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rubens Barrichello and Jackie Stewart.
History
The first Formula Three championship to take place in the UK was the Autosport F3 championship held in 1951, which was won by Eric Brandon. By 1954, it had evolved into a national-level series and was organised by the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC).[3] This was the 500cc period of Formula Three, which was active in the UK and other countries until 1959, at which point Formula Three was adapted into Formula Junior. In this period, there were often two or three series running concurrently and a single national series had yet to be firmly established.[4] The FIA reintroduced Formula Three in 1964, and there were two F3 championships held in the UK that year, won by Jackie Stewart and Rodney Banting. This was not the last occasion of two or more F3 championships running concurrently in the post-1964 era: from 1970 to 1973, there were three regional series (the Lombard North, John Player, and Forward Trust championships) and there were normally two series between then and 1978.[3] In 1984, the series adopted a B class for competitors with older chassis, which is now known as the National class.[5] From 2011 the National class will be renamed Rookie Championship. In 2011 Formula Three in the United Kingdom celebrated its 60th anniversary season.
Equipment
Like most Formula Three championships, competitors in British F3 are permitted to use any eligible chassis. The minimum and maximum age of a chassis specification is dictated by the class in which its driver competes: International class entrants must use a chassis that meets the FIA's technical regulations as applicable to 2009, while National class entrants are restricted to cars that meet the 2007 FIA regulations.[6] In practice, this means that class A cars must have been designed for the current three-year model cycle and class B cars must date from the previous cycle.
Dallara has been dominant since the mid-1990s – in both results and numbers – but the chassis of some of its main competitors have been adopted in small numbers. The Lola B06/30 and the Mygale M07/F3 are each represented by two-car teams and the older Dome F106 is used by a two-car team in the Scholarship class.[7] In the interests of parity, identical tyres are supplied by Cooper Tire.
Three engine manufacturers – AMG-Mercedes (tuned by H.W.A), Volkswagen and Mugen-Honda (tuned by Neil Brown Engineering) – are currently represented on a full-time basis.[7] The Opel-Spiess was used by Swiss Racing Team in a one-off appearance at Monza only. The regulations demand that all class B entrants must use Mugen-Hondas of an identical specification, prepared and sealed by Neil Brown Engineering Limited.[8]
All entrants in the series must use control tyres from a single supplier. Since 1982, these have been manufactured by Avon Tyres, which from the 2009 season onwards were re-branded as Cooper Tires, as Cooper became the championship's official title sponsor. The company recently signed an extension until the end of 2014. Tyres are limited to 60 sets per season per team and three sets of tyres per weekend per team. Two sets of wet-weather tyres are allowed per race weekend, but their use is allowed in the case of a ‘Wet Race’ only. Tyres are to be filled with environmental air or nitrogen; chemical or mechanical treatment is prohibited. Tyre dimensions: 180/550 R 13 front, 240/570 R 13 rear. Tyre heaters are not allowed.
Specifications
Chassis
- Name: Dallara F312
- Construction: Stepped floor, crash boxes at the front and the rear two roll-over structures. No change of chassis during an event
- Bodywork: Glass fiber composite with Nomex honeycomb
- Length: 4,350 mm (171 in)
- Height: 950 mm (37 in)
- Width: May not exceed 1,850 mm (73 in)
- Wheelbase: 2,800 mm (110 in)
- Front axle track width: 1,595 mm (63 in)
- Rear axle track width: 1,540 mm (61 in)
- Weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb) car including driver in full race gear and including all fluids apart from fuel
- Fuel tank: FIA/FT3 homologated rubber safety tank
- Fuel capacity: 12 imperial gallons (55 litres; 14 US gallons)
- Steering: 2-wheel steering with rack and pinion, power-steering
- Drivetrain: 2WD only
- Clutch: AP Racing twin-plate carbon-fibre clutch operated with foot-pedal
- Gearbox: Hewland 6-speed semi-automatic paddle shift gearbox
- Aerodynamics: Adjustable dual-element rear wing. Works to create aerodynamic downforce and balance between the front and rear of the car
- Brakes: Performance Friction Brakes ventilated steel/carbon the component that applies the brake pad to the disc
- Dampers: Koni and ZF Sachs
- Springs: H&R
- Front suspension: Double wishbone and push-rod front and rear, mono/twin damper
- Rear suspension: Double wishbone and push-rod front and rear, twin damper
- Wheel rims: OZ Racing forged aluminium wheels
- Wheel rim size: Front maximum Ø 11.5 x 13”, rear maximum Ø 15.5 x 13”
- Tyres: Exclusively Cooper Avon Zeon, limited to 60 sets of tyres per season per team. Three sets of tyres per weekend per team. Two sets of wet-weather tyres per race weekend, but their use is allowed in the case of a ‘Wet Race’ only. Tyres to be filled with environmental air or nitrogen; chemical or mechanical treatment is prohibited. Tyre heaters are not allowed
- Front tyre: 180/550 - R13
- Rear tyre: 240/570 - R13
- Steering wheel: Sparco Formula 3 racing steering wheel
- Display instrumentation: Bosch LCD Motorsport Display
- Safety equipment: Sabelt, Sparco, Schroth, Willans and OMP 6-point seatbelt, rear view mirror, HANS device, helmet, headsock, race suit, NOMEX firesuit, racing gloves, racing socks, racing boots, rear rain flash
- Probitings: Active suspension, Telemetry and Traction Control
Engine
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen, Mugen Honda, TOM'S Toyota, ThreeBond Nissan, Mercedes-Benz
- Type: Piston engines, production block and cylinder head, annual production of at least 2500 units. Four-stroke engine, maximum number of cylinders: four. Air restrictor Ø 26 mm. The use of magnesium and supercharging is banned
- Configuration: Inline-4 bore and stroke are free
- Displacement: 2.0 L (2,000 cc; 122 cu in)
- Valvetrain: DOHC, four-valves per cylinder
- Fuel: WP Motorsport 100 RON, no refuelling is allowed during qualifying and race. After qualifying and race, 1 kg of fuel still has to be in the fuel system
- Fuel Delivery: Fuel injection
- Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
- Power Output: 200 hp (149 kW; 203 PS) @ between 5000 and 7400 rpm
- Torque: 284 N⋅m (209 ft⋅lbf) @ 4250 rpm
- Battery: Deka
- Filters: FIAMM
- Lubrication: Dry sump
- Oil vendors: Castrol, Mobil 1
- Electronics/ECU: Bosch Motronic MS 3.1, McLaren Electronic Systems
- Spark plugs: Champion
- Max Speed: Approx. 160-165 mph
- Ignition: CDI
Events
The championship comprises ten rounds, each with three races. The scoring system arranged as follows:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 & 3 | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Race 2 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
A bonus point is awarded for the fastest race lap in each class for all three races. The event schedule takes place over three days (normally Friday to Sunday) with testing or free practice sessions on the first day, a 30' qualifying session and race 1 of 30' on the second day. The third day has two races, race 2 of 20' and race 3 of 40'. The qualifying session determines the starting order for races 1 and 3, where the driver's fastest time determines the grid for race 3, and the second fastest time the grid for race 1.
Champions
Multiple Champions
See also
Notes
a. ^ Includes the Championship class (A) and the National class (B).
b. ^ Teams that are represented in both classes have been counted as single entities.
References
- ^ 2010 Drivers From fota.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ 2008 Teams From fota.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
- ^ a b British F3 Champions From motorsportsetc.com. Retrieved on 4 September 2007.
- ^ Formula 3 Story From clarinet.fi. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ British F3 Champions From clarinet.fi. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ 2007 British F3 Series Sporting Regulations: Article 4.2 pp.14
- ^ a b 2007 Entry List From speedsportmag.com. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ 2007 British F3 Series Sporting Regulations: Article 4.5 pp.15