Team Berlanga...are they running in 2008?

[ft500]

Anyone answer that? seems like all the guys bar a few have left,such a shame they were going well towards the end of 2007.....

[captain jack]

Last I heard the Ascari factory had only a handful of people in it as virtually everyone had either been made redundant or left. Haven't seen the cars for sale anywhere?

[ft500]

Yes thats what I heard,their dead in the water by the sound of it...my mate says its a great facility as well but there you go maybe Prodrive might snap it up.

[Luca Brazzi]

Berlanga will not be racing in BGT 2008, but Eurotech will be racing their Ascari. I was at the factory yesterday, and they are busy on a few race cars and saw their latest road car, in black....wow.

LB

[captain jack]

The black road car was in build last June - it's for Klaas Zwart. My brother's mate worked there until recently, said it will look good when finished but it's another one-off.

[ft500]

Just heard that they are building some GT1 cars for entry in 2009....watch this space.

[captain jack]

How can they be legal if they aren't building road cars? Other more race car informed poeple on here have said that the Gt3 cars aren't really legal what with having very limited road cars sold (1) and a carbon chassis - they have an homologation but car doesn't really meet the spirit of the FIA regs - i.e base car being a production car.

[ft500]

Reckon you are right there but "back door" politics might play a part though think it is wrong specially after making so many jobless then restarting a build programme again,thats not cricket either...

[captain jack]

They cannot recruit for positions that they have made redundant. The company i worked for did that and got in loads of trouble when the redundant people found out.

[ft500]

Will have to wait and see how they play it,dont think the guys/gals that got biffed will be happy for sure if they take people on, reckon they could be in deep water.and a court case to boot.

[wilbo]

Who said they are recruiting? I didn't read that anywhere?

Also, they have a homolgated car, so GT1 a real possibility.

[ft500]

homologated?....umm.

[captain jack]

The car is homologated to FIA GT3 but the FIA would probably look into this on the basis that Ascari have not been a manufacturer of road cars for over a year. Mosler were turned away on account of not having produced 200 cars - Ascari were let in having built 4 road cars (according to another thread). This makes Ascari a maker of race cars (only a handful I believe) rather than a manufacturer with a race car version. I hardly think the FIA will let anyone build GT1 cars without there being a roadgoing version built in at least some volume! Maserati had to build 50 MC12's and homologate them as road cars legal around Europe. GT1 will probably not be allowed to degenerate into a 'one off's' category.

[ft500]

Im led to believe Team Berlangahave leased/sold a truck and car(s)/spares package to a team in Europe to run in 2008 a French outfit though they have been issued with the old RHD Volvo tractor unit not sure if there is gonna be a renaming or they are gonna keep with the Berlanga heading if not the truck/trailer combo will need all the livery stripping off... who knows?

[Luca Brazzi]

I heard this too....but also heard the cars had been sold to a team in Brazil.

[ginettag27]

^^ what he said, I think it was on DSC, but I can't seem to find the article anymore..