Abel Motorsports commits to the inaugural season of the F3 Americas Championship
Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda sophomore team Abel Motorsports confirmed it will campaign for the 2018 F3 Americas Championship Powered by Honda championship as a single car operation. Abel Motorsports is the second F4 U.S. team to commit to the new formula-spec ladder. Earlier this month, Global Racing Group announced its expansion.
“When we became aware of the development of the new Ligier F3, we knew that it was going to be a great car. With the 270-horsepower turbo Honda powerplant combined with the Ligier carbon fiber chassis, the car will be the next logical step for our drivers’ advancement,” said Abel Motorsports team principal Bill Abel. “The car not only has tremendous leading-edge safety technology built in, it also offers a higher level of sophistication in operation and data gathering which is exactly what drivers coming from F4 are expecting.”
This next level of open wheel racing will meet the demands of racers and teams, like Abel Motorsports, looking to grow their capabilities into more sophisticated, powerful machinery. Several performance and safety enhancements were updated for the F3 Americas chassis to meet the most current global Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile safety specifications. Compared to its F4 U.S. counterpart, the F3 chassis features more configurable aero components, increased impact safety structures, greater engine power, different Pirelli tires and more sophisticated data acquisition.
Drivers entering the inaugural F3 Americas Championship must be at least 16-years-old and hold a B or C-grade license. The top-seven drivers entered in the championship will also receive FIA Super License points to aid in their racing career advancement.
F3 Americas aligns with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success. The F3 Americas package meets the FIA price-cap of $134,000.
“When considered the level of performance and technology compared to the price and the value that the F3 offers, there really is no other choice for us,” Abel continued. “We are really excited for our team to begin the testing and development of the car as we prepare for the Inaugural season with F3 and SCCA Pro Racing.”
The Ligier JS F3 chassis finished its last rounds of Pirelli tire testing at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France this week. The car will be equipped with a set of specially designed Pirelli slicks using Pirelli’s proprietary Formula 1 technology. The car will arrive in the United States next week, making a stop at the North American Onroak Automotive factory in North Carolina to prepare for its first stateside shakedown.
The first official F3 Americas series test is scheduled at Pittsburgh International Race Complex for July 30-31. More teams have also committed to the series and a team contact list can be found at F3Americas.com.
Abel Motorsports will start testing F3 Americas drivers in the upcoming weeks. Interested drivers should contact Abel at: babel@abelconstruct.com.
