GTP Motorsports announces 5 car F2000 lineup
GTP Motorsports, a long-time F2000 Championship Series team, has confirmed a full season five-car effort for 2010, highlighted by the new Radon chassis. GTP will field 2009 Masters Class champion Tom Fatur, alongside Watkins Glen winner Phil Lombardi in Radon-equipped Van Diemen cars. Peter Gonzalez and Blake Teeter will contest the full season in brand new Radon Rn.10 cars, while Paul Farmer completes the five-car lineup in a Mygale.
“The game plan in the long run is to go to the Radon chassis, but right now there aren't enough of them and there will be some development time going into the car," said Team Owner Glenn Phillips. “Tom [Fatur] and Phil [Lombardi] will be running for points, so they aren't going to take a chance with an unproven entity."
GTP plans to run the first Radon chassis in March, before sending it to the wind tunnel for an aero scan. After that the team is hoping to race at various SCCA Regional and National events before the F2000 Championship season starts at VIR in April.
Phillips noted that there will be some work effort going into the new car program.
“We know the aero stuff will work on the Radon, and in theory the suspension geometry should work, but we have no idea on things like spring rates or aero rates," stated the long-time Formula Ford 2000 participant. "We are literally starting from scratch and have hired an additional engineer for the season."
Fatur returns to the series to defend his Masters Class title. For 2010, his Van Diemen will receive the latest Radon aero kit, in addition to a chassis brace as it goes through a frame-up rebuild before April.
“To me this is the best schedule we've ever had since the series started," said Fatur. “All the tracks are great historic venues which is one of great attributes of this series. If you're a young up-and-coming road racer you need to know these tracks well because any series you compete in as you move up the racing ladder runs there. And for the Masters Class drivers like me, who just race for the pure enjoyment and camaraderie, competing at world class tracks just adds to the enjoyment."
Lombardi is committing to a full season after winning at Watkins Glen in 2009. Lombardi is setting his sights on more race wins and the overall championship.
“There is no other team that I would rather be with," added Lombardi. "Glenn [Phillips] has helped me so much since we met in 2000. He's a great engineer, I can turn the wheel, and together we have won a lot of races and championships. I think that our performance at Watkins Glen this past year is just a prelude to what we can do together. I'm as focused as I have ever been and my equipment is on par with my mindset.
“Expectations this year are very high," he continued. "For me it's simple: win the championship, but, there is also the team aspect at GTP, meaning not only doing all the things necessary to win the title, but developing the new Radon Rn.10."
Gonzalez returns for a year-long program after having contested just two events in 2009 as business interests forced him to hang up his helmet temporarily. Gonzalez is one of the few that will have the first run of the new Radon chassis at his disposal.
Farmer will also operate out of the GTP stable, as usual, in his Mygale and will be joined by sophomore F2000 Series driver Teeter. Teeter, coming out of karting, made his rookie debut in 2009, running the full season for ADSA/Wright Racing and moves over to GTP Motorsports for 2010 in the Radon car.
At “home" events such as Lime Rock, GTP is preparing to field up to seven or eight entries.