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Energy Racing enter Euro 3000 The new French squad signing up to the Euro 3000 series has been revealed as Energy Racing, Autosport reports. The team of French F3 team manager George Kaczka is likely to run Mathieu Zangarelli and Kevin Nadin. The silly season page has been updated.

Brand abandon plans for second team International F3000 newcomers Brand Motorsports have abandoned plans to enter two teams this season, according to Autosport. Brand have bought the Red Bull Junior team's equipment, and will enter one two-car squad. The 2003 entry list, still subject to confirmation from the FIA, is now believed to include 10 teams which submitted applications. The silly season page has been updated.

PSM-ISR-Charouz confirm Janis and Schroeder The partnership between Euro 3000 team Charouz ISR and PSM Racing Line for the 2003 FIA F3000 season has been confirmed, with Charouz's Euro 3000 drivers Jaroslav Janis and Yannick Schroeder stepping up to the premier series. (source: F3000.com). The team will be known as PSM-ISR-Charouz. Read the press release here. The silly season page has been updated.

Vidot set to race in World Series Lights Julien Vidot, a rookie in Euro 3000 last season, looks set to make a move into the Nissan World Series Lights category next season (which replaces the Formula Nissan 2000 series). The Frenchman tested Epsilon by Graff's World Series V6 (3 litre) car last October, and is expected to race in the junior class with the team, which could run three cars. News thanks to David López.

Bell signs for Arden Townsend Bell will be a surprise newcomer to F3000 this year, the American having signed a two-year deal with Arden International. Former CART star and Indy Lights champion Bell will partner Bjorn Wirdheim, a race winner in his rookie season last year. Arden had been in talks with Heikki Kovalainen and James Courtney, but they have elected to race elsewhere next season. Kovalainen is set to race in the Nissan World Series, while Courtney has agreed to race for TOM's in Japanese F3. The silly season page has been updated.

Draco sign Heidfeld Draco Junior Team have confirmed they have signed Sven Heidfeld for the Euro 3000 series. The German, brother of F1 star and former FIA F3000 champ Nick, will partner Augusto Farfus at the Italian team. Heidfeld raced for Draco in the non-championship Bologna Motorshow sprint last December, having previously competed in German F3 and the FC Euro Series. Team boss Adriano Morini commented: "I'm extremely happy for the conclusion of this agreement and I'm proud to welcome Sven. We were in negotiations with many other drivers and I admit that it has not been a simple choice since, but eventually we decided to rely on Sven." Draco are due to test for the first time this year next month, after Farfus returns from competing in a JMB Racing Team USA Team Ferrari in the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Sources: crash.net / italiaracing.net / William Hunt. The silly season page has been updated.

F4000 to expand into Asia? After relaunching itself as Formula 4000, the series that used to be Formula Holden looks set to expand in the future. The official site of the series for ex-F3000 and Formula Nippon machinery states: "Established in 1989, Australasia’s Premier open wheeler category heads into its fifteenth year in 2003. In a time where the category cannot stagnate but must progress, the necessity for evolution has become apparent. The opportunity to change the identity and direction of the category arose and from this ‘Formula Holden’ became ‘Formula 4000, Powered by Holden’ in conjunction with the expected expansion into Asia and the creation of two distinct series, Formula 4000 heads into an exciting new era." There is only a confirmed schedule for the "domestic" F4000 series at present, so it is not clear when such a planned expansion into Asia might take place. You can follow all the F4000 news at the official site, F4000.com.

Monteiro set for World Series Portuguese racer Tiago Monteiro has ruled out returning to F3000, and will race in the Telefonica World Series V6 series this year, according to organizers RPM. News thanks to David Lopez of f1es.net. Monteiro endured a disappointing F3000 season with Super Nova last year, although he still got the chance to test Renault's F1 car recently. The silly season page has been updated.

Bell close to F3000 deal American former CART driver Townsend Bell is aiming to compete in F3000 this season, according to grandprix.com (source: F3000.com). Bell, the 2001 Indy Lights champion, wants to use F3000 to create an impression on F1 team bosses, having failed to find the money to enter F1. He is reportedly close to signing a deal with one of the leading British teams. The silly season page has been updated.

Brown signs for Traini Corse Italian Formula Renault graduate Colin Brown has signed to race for Traini Corse, according to italiaracing.net. Traini Corse look set to race under their own name, having run the Great Wall Racing operation last year, taking Jaime Melo to the title. The team are seeking a fast and experienced driver to partner the Englishman, and Alex Piccolo is a possibility at the squad. The Italian is also in negotiations with Euro Nova, the team he joined for the 2002 season finale at Cagliari. The silly season page has been updated.

Pavlovic aiming for F3000 Italian F3 champion Milos Pavlovic revealed that he hopes to compete in International F3000 this year, in an interview with italiaracing.net. Having tested the Formula Renault V6 Tatuus at Monza last year, the former British F3 frontrunner said he would prefer to race in F3000, having made contact with teams in both FIA F3000 and Euro 3000. He said that he already has much of the budget required. The silly season pages have been updated.

Charouz ISR set for PSM Racing Line link-up Czech Euro 3000 team Charouz ISR look set to link up with PSM Racing Line and graduate to the International series this year. According to Autosport, the team of Antonin Charouz is close to "getting together" with Sigi Muller's PSM operation, with the team operating from Charouz's base at Prague. Arden International will provide "limited technical support", having carried out the same role for Charouz's Euro 3000 squad last year. Jaroslav Janis, who was third overall with Charouz, is set to graduate to the senior series and is expected to be joined by 2002 team-mate Yannick Schroeder. According to F3000.com, a source claims that a press release from the BPA confirms that Janis will race in International F3000 in a Czech-licensed team called "PSM I.S.R. Charouz". No second driver is confirmed at present, but there are negotiations with Yannick Schroeder. Apparently a press conference will be held after Yannick's signing. The silly season page has been updated.

Kovalainen ruled out of F3000 Highly rated Finn Heikki Kovalainen will not race in F3000 this season, despite testing for top team Arden over the winter. The Renault Driver Development programme member will race in the Telefonica World Series, it has been confirmed. Renault will be placing him in a team, with newcomer Saulnier Racing suggested due to its links with the marque. Earlier reports had claimed that Kovalainen was close to a deal with Arden. The silly season page has been updated.

Wirdheim definite for Arden Although he was considered a definite for the season anyway, Autosport has confirmed that Arden International have taken up their option on Sweden's Bjorn Wirdheim.

False Brand rumours... A fake press release, falsely attributed to Brand Motorsports, was posted to F3000.com yesterday. The team responded by issuing this statement this morning: "Recent rumours suggesting that Brand Motorsports has already signed two drivers for its 2003 FIA International F3000 and CART campaigns are false, and a press release containing Brand logos has been constructed by an unknown third party. An official announcement will be made as soon as drivers and sponsors are confirmed. The announcement will be circulated, as usual, via email and on the official Brand Motorsports website (www.brandmotorsports.com)." For the record, the fake press release claimed that the Sperafico twins would race for Brand in F3000, with Petrobras team sponsorship, while Darren Manning and Nicolas Minassian would race in the European CART races. Once again, these rumours are false. As visitors to Unofficial F3000 may remember, false news about F3000 has in the past been distributed, the perpetrator using other organisation's identities without their knowledge. We cannot understand the mentality of the people who choose to spend their time acting in such a malicious and deceptive manner.

Spa race could go ahead Despite reports that the scheduled FIA F3000 round 10 at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium has definitely been cancelled, there are now contradictory rumours that it could still go ahead. According to rumours on this forum, supported by Team Astromega, an F3000 race could still be held on the magnificent Ardennes circuit on August 30th-31st, supporting the Spa 1000km sportscar race. If the race does go ahead, it will be the first time since 1998 that FIA F3000 has raced outside of a Grand Prix weekend. The calendar would also remain at 11 rounds, rather than drop to 10 events. Last year there were 12 rounds, but the Interlagos race has already been dropped for 2003. We await official confirmation of the 2003 calendar from the FIA. The 2003 calendar has been updated.

FIA F3000 testing dates added There will be three pre-season official test sessions, dates courtesy of Team Astromega: Imola (I), 20th-21st February; Jerez (E), 27th-28th March; Barcelona (E), 10th-11th April. There will also be two test sessions after the season has ended, at Jerez (E) on 5th-6th November and at Estoril (P) on 12th-13th November. The 2003 calendar has been updated.

Courtney working on F3000 options Former Jaguar F1 test driver James Courtney is still working on F3000 options according to Autosport. The Australian, who tested for Arden last year, could however join TOM's Toyota in Japanese F3.

Basso returns to Argentina Highly rated Argentinian Martin Basso will return home this year to compete in a factory Honda in the TC2000 touring car series, Autosport reports. Basso raced for GP Racing in Euro 3000 last season, finishing 8th overall.

ITV drops International Motor Racing According to formula-3000.net, UK TV broadcaster ITV has axed its "International Motor Racing" programme, which included delayed coverage of International F3000. The station will still be covering F3000 however, with a new programme to be unveiled in the spring.

Manning to Nippon?; Brit in contact with Brand for CART According to this week's Autosport, former F3000 star Darren Manning is on the verge of finalising deals to race in Formula Nippon and All-Japan GT series. The teams he is expected to sign for haven't been disclosed, but it is believed the GT team will run Toyota Supras, meaning that TOM's is a possibility. Manning, who raced for Arden Team Russia from 2000-2001, is also "confident" of taking part in the two CART races proposed for Europe, having been in contact with a few teams. These include Brand Motorsports, the FIA F3000 newcomers for 2003 who are also planning an assault on the European CART races. Manning made his CART debut at Rockingham last year with the Dale Coyne Racing-run Team St George.

BCN Competición confirm plans for 2003 BCN Competición, who bought Nordic Racing's cars and equipment, have confirmed they plan to graduate to FIA F3000 this year. An official press release (source: F3000.com) reads: "Barcelona Competición, has acquired the F3000 Nordic Team assets and will be present in the next F3000 FIA Championship, with first tests programmed for February at Imola. BCN Competición is headed by the F1, ex Ferrari and Williams, designer, Enrique Scalabroni. Through Mr Scalabroni, BCN Competición has a direct link to F-1 teams, in case there are possibilities to further enhace a driver´s carrer, after the F3000 stint. In the past years Barcelona Competición was GT Champion in Spain winning in 1999/2000 and 2001 35% of all the races of the three championships, obtaining two titles and one vice championship. Currently, BCN Competición is looking for drivers to complete its line up for the coming championship. Any interested driver can contact us on the following addresses: Mc Orlando Ríos, sports director - orlycom@bme.es or (34) 607 65 99 45." The silly season page has been updated.

Asia to have F3000 series in future? Formula 3000 could one day have an Asian series, following on from the establishment of Asian F3. Mark Goddard, this year's Asian F3 champion, is certain that an F3000 equivalent series will run in the region in the future, Autosport recently reported. Goddard said: "Sometime in the future it's going to happen. It won't be in the next couple of years, but hopefully F1 teams will be able to look seriously at drivers who have only ever competed in Asia. For now we must concentrate on the F3 series to provide a firm foundation." An Asian F3000 or similar series would be distinct from the Japanese motorsport industry, which already has the Formula Nippon championship. Goddard, a former Opel Lotus and British F3 driver, once tested an F3000 car himself, with Leyton House in 1990.

Heylen ruled out of F3000 graduation Formula Ford star Jan Heylen will not graduate to F3000 this year, having signed a four-year contract with Mercedes. Next year he is set to race for the Mercedes powered Team Kolles in the F3 Euroseries. However, it is reported that the aim is to reach F1 by 2006, with the Belgian driver set to race in F3000 next year if this season goes to plan. The silly season page has been updated.

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