And at the highest point of interest, just as drama starts to stir up motorsports fans just like voters before a presidential election, someone managed to go and steal pictures of the 2016 FAAL Coupe WST Race car undergoing track testing, therefore proving FAAL’s return in this season.
First of all, as expected the team got rid of the aero devices on the door sills that had been a source of controversy because of a loophole in the rules that stated that only one spoiler could be fitted “to the front bumper” (without saying anything about the rest of the car). Instead, on the door sills are those heavy looking covers. Analytic fans think they might be balancing weights there for the car to meet the new minimum weight requirements.
Also, this clear pic of the front shows that the team took advantage of the new rule set to add newly authorized canards on the front bumper. No other change in sight.
Something else happenned, though. Ever since the new rule set has been published, the value of used FAAL Coupe Touring, the 2015 homologation special, has skyrocketed. The simple reason behind that is that the rule set implies that the race car doesn’t have to have the same fender morphs, or engine, as the road car. Which killed in the egg the idea of a new 2016 homologation special, and made the 1000 (number to be confirmed) Tourings suddently the only ones of their kind, as any other model of the lineup can now homologate the race car.
Appologies to those expecting homologation over the past few days, my internet died on saturday and I was due at Lydden hill for Rallycross on Sunday, and didn’t arrive back until 1am tuesday morning. I’m currently going through the cars currently submitted and will homologate/refuse them as necessary.
Pick 8 tracks that you think should make it to this seasons calendar. The top 8 in Voting % by the end will then be selected for the season, and In Lore provisional dates provided.
Unfortunately after a disappointing 2015 season, Epoch will be pulling out of the competition this year in order to focus on developing a more competitive model for 2017.
Shame there’s no sad emote. 2016 will be a good year. Just remember to come to me or anyone else for advice if you need it. Don’t want to see Epoch struggling at the bottom of the pack again.
Okay so the FAAL Motorsports official Facebook page just posted this, gaining thousands of likes on a few hours, and officializing their entry.
[EDIT] They also clarified their driver list: Frank Keller returns, this time with Italian winner of the Derrickson Cup, Maria Bianchi. Jordan Weissmuller is rumoured to have been politely asked to leave after his driving got worse and worse the more he enamored himself for who would become the WST2015 champion, Bri Nuevwale. The team didn’t say a word to journalists about this.
Their vehicle of choice? The newly facelifted Zepar in RXR race trim. It was theorized early on that Ars would have used their Astaroth sports car this season, but rumors have it that the base chassis of the sportscar would have violated the rulebook if entered. Regardless, they have opted for their hatchback this time around. In its racing guise, it is clear that more time was spent at the windtunnel this year just visually. Along with the confirmed flat-six engine, the new Zepar just might be able to break ART from the hugely competitive mid-field pack of last season and onto some podium positions.
ART’s drivers are also confirmed, with Bastien Lefèbvre returning as the team’s lead driver. The Frenchman had some a solid showing last season, usually placing in the top 10 whenever his car did not break down, and often qualifying behind the vastly superior FAALs and Keikas. Victor Takala however, would not be returning, with Akari Tachibana taking his place in ART’s lineup. Akari is an unproven figure in the world of motorsports and we will soon see how well she performs.
Not a guarantee of success, but that engine configuration would have set it apart from the opposition in real life - there aren’t any real-world compact cars currently in production with a flat-six under their hoods.
Rutherford Motors issued a press release today confirming their participation, and that they would be offering their works-spec engine to independents, including the following teaser of their car:
I’ll just say the algorithms work based on lap time, reliability and driveability, but I’ll keep the specifics secret. Last season the algorithms were very different, so I hope to have a bit of a shakeup in the results this season.
