UK3000 1999
UK3000 fails to get off the ground
UK3000 was the next attempt to revive national F3000 in Britain. With the Lola T96/50 chassis being replaced in the International series, the time appeared to be right. There were plenty of cars available, and more drivers wishing to race in F3000 than seats in the International series. Among the circuits to be visited was Mondello Park in Ireland and Knockhill in Scotland, as well as all the principal English tracks. Initial support was excellent; nine teams registered two car entries to the new series; established F3000 teams Nordic, Coloni, Redman Bright, Astromega and Durango, along with newcomers John Village Automotive, Martello Racing, Redgrave Racing and Ocean Racing.
With an estimated budget of £200,000 required, making the series cheaper than F3 and even Formula Renault Sport, many drivers registered interest. Italian F3 graduate Ananda Mikola signed for John Village Automotive and ex-Apomatox/Prost Junior F3000 driver Marcelo Battistuzzi signed for Redman Bright. There was expected to be a system of promotion and relegation to International F3000 from UK3000 and the proposed Italian series. However, the series stumbled at the last hurdle. The FIA decided against limiting grid sizes in International F3000 at the last minute; as a result, many drivers and teams abandoned UK3000 in favour of a main series entry.
With UK3000 failing to get off the ground, the Italian F3000 championship received a major boost in its first year. All of the teams except Ocean Racing, Astromega and Nordic relocated to Italy to race on tracks such as Monza and Enna-Pergusa, while the Italians would make their way to Britain for a round at Donington as a concession and a round was proposed for Kyalami. The top team would be guaranteed an entry to International F3000 in 2000, so competition was high through the year. Some teams, such as Durango, Monaco and Coloni entered cars in both championships, increasing their chances of remaining in the main series for the following year.
|
UK3000 - 1999 Provisional Calendar |
||
|
Round |
Circuit |
Date |
|
1 |
Donington (GB) |
25th April |
|
2 |
Brands Hatch (GB) |
9th May |
|
3 |
Oulton Park (GB) |
22nd May |
|
4 |
Mondello Park (GB) |
5th/6th June |
|
5 |
Knockhill (GB) |
19th/20th June |
|
6 |
Snetterton (GB) |
3rd/4th July |
|
7 |
Brands Hatch (GB) |
18th July |
|
8 |
Oulton Park (GB) |
7th August |
|
9 |
Donington (GB) |
5th September |
|
10 |
Silverstone (GB) |
25th/26th Sept. |
|
UK3000 - 1999 Provisional Entries |
||
|
Note: Driver number allocation between drivers within teams not known. |
||
|
No |
Team |
Possible/signed driver |
|
1 |
Coloni |
Nicolas Filiberti (RA)? |
|
2 |
Coloni |
Donny Crevels (NL)? |
|
3 |
Redman Bright |
Marcelo Battistuzzi (BR) |
|
4 |
Redman Bright |
? |
|
5 |
Martello Racing |
? |
|
6 |
Martello Racing |
? |
|
7 |
Team Astromega |
? |
|
8 |
Team Astromega |
? |
|
9 |
John Village Automotive |
Ananda Mikola (RI) |
|
10 |
John Village Automotive |
? |
|
11 |
Nordic Racing |
? |
|
12 |
Nordic Racing |
? |
|
15 |
Ocean Racing |
? |
|
16 |
Ocean Racing |
? |
|
17 |
Redgrave Racing |
Mark Shaw (GB)? |
|
18 |
Redgrave Racing |
Andrea Boldrini (I)? |
|
19 |
Durango |
? |
|
20 |
Durango |
? |
|
(All cars Lola T96/50-Zytek) |
||
[http://uk.oocities.com/unofficialf3000/britishf3000/uk3000_99.htm]