F1 feeder series to run IRL equipment beginning 2006. Possibly the rejected Lola?

[cmjc80]

Formula Nippon, a feeder series for Formula 1, will be using IRL equiment beginning this season. Something I noticed while looking at this. Lola puts the introduction year in their model names. The Champcar B02/00 was introduced in 2002, the IMSA B01/60 LMP1 car was introduced in 2001, the IMSA B05/40 LMP2 was introduced in 2005. Could Formula Nippon's B03/51 be that IRL car that was rejected in favor of the infamous Falcon?


Lola's new Formula Nippon car:

http://www.lola-group.com/keycast/link.asp?mediaid=23124&langid=2&brandid=1610

http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/news/news037/037.htm

Honda and Toyota IRL engines:

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns16076.html

Formula Nippon Website for anyone that wants to poke around:

http://www.f-nippon.co.jp/indexe.html

[Cygni]

Not very likely. The car was supposedly a version of the car Lola had originally designed for the European all oval championship that never got off the ground. That general design was also used in both the A1GP and not picked 06 ChampCar design. The Formula Nippon B03 was introduced into Formula Nippon... in 2003. Its significantly smaller in most dimensions than an IRL car, and deffinitly doesnt adhear to alot of the IRL rules.

The NEW Formula Nippon car is designated the B06/51.

[cmjc80]

DOH!!! Didn't even see that the model names were different. Lola needs to update their site.

[Cygni]

The IRL engines is a good catch though, i hadnt heard about that! Pretty interesting stuff...

[Sea Fury]

Not very likely. The car was supposedly a version of the car Lola had originally designed for the European all oval championship that never got off the ground

What European ovals would this series have used? I can think of Lausitzring, Rockingham in England...what others?

[Scott Bennett]

Don't think so. There's not much on that car that would have been IRL legal. For example, look how high the bottom of the tub is at the front axle line.

[TUBORG-fan]

Formula Nippon, a feeder series for Formula 1, will be using IRL equiment beginning this season. Something I noticed while looking at this. Lola puts the introduction year in their model names. The Champcar B02/00 was introduced in 2002, the IMSA B01/60 LMP1 car was introduced in 2001, the IMSA B05/40 LMP2 was introduced in 2005. Could Formula Nippon's B03/51 be that IRL car that was rejected in favor of the infamous Falcon?


Lola's new Formula Nippon car:

http://www.lola-group.com/keycast/link.asp?mediaid=23124&langid=2&brandid=1610

http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/news/news037/037.htm

Honda and Toyota IRL engines:

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns16076.html

Formula Nippon Website for anyone that wants to poke around:
http://www.f-nippon.co.jp/indexe.html

Formula Nippon is not an F1 feeder series.....

[elephant]

Not very likely. The car was supposedly a version of the car Lola had originally designed for the European all oval championship that never got off the ground. That general design was also used in both the A1GP and not picked 06 ChampCar design.

The NEW Formula Nippon car is designated the B06/51.

Cygni, I do not think it was any "oval only" european championship. If I remember well, it was mixed road/street/oval championship intended, which of course (what a piti) never got of the ground.

Michal

[jonovision_man]

Formula Nippon is not an F1 feeder series.....

It's not officially an F1 feeder series, but some drivers have gone straight from Formula Nippon to F1.

Ralph Firman, for example.

BTW - good to see F-Nippon kicking it up a notch...

jono

[happyscrappy-t]

Cygni, I do not think it was any "oval only" european championship. If I remember well, it was mixed road/street/oval championship intended, which of course (what a piti) never got of the ground.

Michal

Are you refering to the "Euro Lights" series that was to run with the ASCAR stock cars?

[Cygni]

Ya, i got that wrong, it wasnt oval only. It was just going to run Lasuitz and Rockingham 2-3 times each a year, and also run a variety of other tracks. As happyscrappy pointed out, it was going to be called something like "Euro Lights"