Asian Formula Three Championship

Infobox motorsport championship
logo =Asian_F3.jpg
pixels =180px
caption =
category = Single seaters
inaugural = 2004
drivers = 14 (2007-08)
teams = 5 (2007-08)
constructors = Dallara
engines = TOM's-Toyota
country/region = Southeast Asia
folded =
champion driver =flagicon|Belgium Frederic Vervisch
champion team = Team Goddard
website = [http://www.asianf3.net asianf3.net]

The Asian Formula Three Championship is a single-seater racing series based in South East Asia. It is one of a number of national and international Formula Three championships that form part of an established "career ladder" below Formula One. It is sanctioned by the Automobile Association of the Philippines,Fact|date=February 2007 and is currently promoted as the "Asian F3 Pacific Series". [ [http://www.formula3.cc/content/view/14257/1/"Henri Karjalainen wins for Team Goddard"] "formula3.cc", 2007-01-21. Retrieved 2007-10-25.]

Creation and management

The creators of the Asian F3 Championship intended the series to provide young Asian drivers with a stepping stone to the higher levels of single-seater motor racing. Asia has not traditionally had the motor racing profile and career ladder from which European drivers benefit. There was clearly a need to change this and to demonstrate the feasibility of Formula Three to potential sponsors in light of the region's growing economy. The series' organisers have held corporate track days in the Philippines, as part of their efforts to attract sponsorship. [ [http://www.f1prospects.com/2006/03/asian_f3_af3_go.html "AF3 Goes Corporate"] "f1prospects.com", 2006-03-14. Retrieved 2007-10-25.]

Asian F3 is positioned between two other single seater formulae in Asia's fledgling motorsport culture: below it sits "Formula BMW Asia", which is one of four Formula BMW series worldwide, and positioned above it is "Formula Renault V6", which is derived from the now defunct "Formula Renault V6 Eurocup" that was held in Europe, and uses the same Tatuus chassis and Renault-derived V6 engine.

The championship is organised by the "Asian Formula Three Corporation", which is managed by Jose Eduardo Peña from offices in Manila. The corporation's stockholders comprise the participating teams. Current stockholders include the proprietors of Speedtech Racing; Joson F3 Racing; Team Goddard; Ghiasports; TOM's Asia; and Kinectic Racing. [ [http://www.asianf3.net/page/about_us "About Us"] "asianf3.net". Retrieved 2007-10-25.] Stockholders are not required to pay the entry fee of $2000 per season.

Costs

The typical operating budget of an Asian F3 team is circa £80,000, in comparison to the £400,000 that a leading British F3 team requires from its drivers.Fact|date=February 2007 This fact, coupled with a steady rise in its international profile, serves to attract a number of European drivers who lack the budget that is required to compete in the established European championships.

The winner of the drivers' championship title is rewarded with a fully sponsored entry to the end-of-season, non-championship Macau Grand Prix.

For 2007/08 season, the winner of the drivers' championship will be rewarded with a Formula 1 test drive with the Force India F1 Team.

Drivers and teams

Notable drivers who have graduated from Asian F3 include Indonesian A1GP driver Ananda Mikola and 2004 champion, Australian Christian Jones, the son of former world champion Alan Jones. The 2006 champion, Britain's James Winslow, received attention and praise for his dramatic rescue of a competitor who was trapped in his upturned car at Sentul in Indonesia. [Noble, J. [http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/55880 "Gregor Grant Award for Winslow"] "autosport.com", 2006-12-03. Retrieved 2007-10-25.] In acknowledgment, he received a "Gregor Grant" Award at the annual Autosport Awards ceremony in the UK, and a Bronze Award from the Royal Humane Society. [Freeman, G. [http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/56258 "Winslow to receive royal award"] "autosport.com", 2007-01-12. Retrieved 2007-10-25.]

The series benefits from the involvement of the noted Japanese F3 team, Three Bond Racing, which carried Winslow to the drivers' title in its collaboration with JA Motorsports, and secured the teams' title in the process.

Regulations

Formula Three championships subscribe to the technical regulations that are set by the FIA, and the Asian F3 Championship is no exception, but there are some important differences in this instance. Formula Three is traditionally an open formula, which means that it does not restrict competitors to a single chassis or engine. Most series now use single "control" suppliers for tires and fuel, both of which are subject to the FIA's regulations, but Asian F3 goes a step further by using a single engine builder (TOM's-Toyota) and prohibiting the latest chassis specifications according to their age. These measures are part of a dedicated effort to minimise running budgets. The tires are supplied by Yokohama.

Like the British, Spanish and European championships, Asian F3 supports two championship classes: positioned below the "International Class" is a "Promotions Class" specifically for older chassis specifications. It is aimed primarily at younger, less experienced drivers. In the 2006 season, International Class drivers used the two-year old Dallara F304 and the five-year old F301, and Promotions Class drivers used the eight-year old F398. Each of these specifications are part of a different three-year lifecycle in Dallara's update program.fact|date=October 2007

Event schedule

Each event in the championship is normally run to a four-day schedule. It comprises three races, plus three hours of free practice and one 30-minute qualifying session. The free practice is divided into six 30-minute sessions, split between the first two days of each four-day event. Qualifying is held on the third day, prior to the first race, with the second and third races held on the final day. Each race is at least 20 minutes in duration, over a distance of at least 40 km. Where a shorter two- or three-day schedule must be used, the dropped practice days are supplanted by equivalent test days earlier in the same week.

Circuits

The Asian F3 Championship visits circuits located throughout the Southeast Asian region, which have included Sentul in Indonesia; Zhuhai and Goldenport Park in China; Autopolis in Japan; and Subic and Batangas in the Philippines. In 2007, Asian F3 visited Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia as a support race for the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.

Previous champions

References

* [http://www.asianf3.net/filemanager/fileview/40/ Asian F3 2006 Regulations]