2002 Fran-Am 2000

Fran-Am Sport was founded by Thierry Burckhart and Arden Weatherford. Fran-Am 2000 is the North American version of the European two-liter Formula Renault series, which served as a training ground for up-and-coming racers. Many famous top international drivers began their careers racing in Formula Renault. The list of competitors includes Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, Olivier Panis, Felipe Massa, Sebastien Bourdais and Orio Servia. The Fran-Am 2000 cars are spec single-seaters powered by a normally aspirated two-liter engine fitted with front and rear wings and spec Michelin Sport tires. The spec series provides teams and drivers equal performance, high safety standards and reduced running and maintenance costs.

The mission of Fran-Am Sport is to provide young drivers with the opportunity to climb the ladder from karting to the top levels of motorsport without leaving North America.

Championship Philosophy:

Provide competitors with the best possible car at the best possible price.
Contain operating costs by careful design, and by minimizing advantages gained by spending money.
Operate a fair and honest championship with a generous prize fund.
Offer young drivers the opportunity to move up, and assist talented ones in doing so.
Competitors and organizers alike are ambassadors for Michelin and promote the brand.

Each Fran-Am 2000 race featured a $25,000 Michelin International support cash prize fund.

The Fran-Am 2000 North American Pro Championship was initially sanctioned by the Sports Club of America and then the Grand American Road Racing Association, followed by the National Automotive Sport Association (NASA).

At the same time as Fran-Am Sport unveiled the 2000 series, they also introduced the Fran-Am 1600 Regional Championship. It was created as the first step of Fran-Am Sport’s Driver Development Ladder, which would prepare competitors for Fran-Am F2000. The Fran-Am 1600 race car features a spec Tatuus carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, a sealed 1.6-liter motor, a 5-speed sequential gearbox, and spec Michelin Sport racing tires. Races for this division were held on the West Coast.

The innovative Fran-Am 2000 features a carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb chassis and aerodynamic fiberglass bodywork. The front and rear suspensions have a double wishbone design, with push-rod actuated shock absorbers (a mono-shock on the front and dual shock absorbers on the rear). All four corners use OZ aluminum wheels – (7X13 fronts and 10X13 rears). Mounted on the wheels are Michelin Sport slick or wet race tires – (16X53X13 fronts and 23X57X13 rears). Stopping the car are four disc brakes and four-piston Alcon calipers with 274X17.5mm ventilated rotors.

Fran-Am 2000	SPECIFICATIONS
Chassis	carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb sandwich monocoque mad by Tatuus
Body	fiberglass bodywork
Front Suspension	double wishbones, push-rod actuated, monoshock and spring unit adjustable in compression and rebound, anti roll bar
Rear Suspension	double wishbones, push-rod actuated, dual shock and spring unit adjustable in compression and rebound, anti roll bar
Steering	rack-and-pinion
Wheels	13-inch OZ aluminum wheels - 7X13 front and 10X13 rear
Tires	Michelin Sport slick race tires
Brakes	four disc brakes, four-piston Alcon calipers - 274X17.5mm, ventilated rotors
Fuel Tank	75 liters

The engine has been derived from the 2.0 liter Renault Clio Sport model produced by Renault in France. This in-line four-cylinder, is 16-valve motor with double-overhead camshafts and an aluminum cylinder head. Engine management is accomplished using Magnetti Marelli electronic fuel injection and Magnetti Marelli MF4 electronic engine management. Bolted to the flywheel is a double-plate Alcon clutch actuated by hydraulic command. Power is transferred through a manual six-speed sequential (push-pull) gearbox. The engine produces approximately 186 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and torque of 200 Nm at 5,300 rpm. .

Renault F4RS	SPECIFICATIONS
Displacement	1,998cc - 4-cylinder
Valvetrain	four valves / cylinder, double-overhead-camshaft
Compression Ratio	12.2:1
Electronics	Magnetti Marelli electronic fuel injection, Magnetti Marelli MF4 electronic engine management
Clutch	Double-plate Alcon clutch, hydraulic command, 5.5 inch diameter
Transmission	Manual six-speed sequential (push-pull) gearbox plus reverse
Power	186 horsepower at 6,300 rpm - Torque 21.2 mkg at 5,300 rpm

Additional features of the Fran-Am 2000 include a XAP Electronic dashboard and data acquisition system, molded seat, six-pointed safety harness, fire extinguisher, and roll-over structures. The car also has an integrated fuel tank with a capacity of 38 liters. The Fran-Am 2000 has an overall length of 4,115mm / 104 inches and an overall width of 1,778mm / 70 inches. The front track is 1,434mm / 56.5 inches, while the rear track is 1,318mm / 51.9 inches. Without a driver, the entire package weighs 480 kilos / 1,055 lbs. A complete car is expected to cost $42,000. Except for minor updates, the vehicles will remain unchanged for at least 5 years.

Car Dimensions	SPECIFICATIONS
Wheelbase	2,645mm - 104 inches
Length	4,115mm - 162 inches
Width	1,778mm - 70 inches
Front Track	1,434mm - 56.5 inches
Rear Track	1,318mm - 51.9 inches
Weight	480 kilos - 1,055 lbs. (without the driver)
Top Speed	160 mph / 260 km/h

The inaugural 2002 Fran-Am season schedule consisted of eight races. It included stops at both the Molson Indy Montreal and Vancouver. The last race of the year was a doubleheader at Phoenix’s Firebird International Raceway in early December. Round one of the series was held on July 26 – 28 at the Molson Indy Vancouver. British Columbia’s Sean McIntosh won in the No. 24 Phillips Motorsports prepared Fran-Am 2000. The former Kart frontrunner made a jump to the open-wheelers last season. In addition to McIntosh’s commitment to the Fran-Am series, he competed in the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship.

The next round was at Mosport International Raceway. Bruno Spengler joined the series for his first race in the No. 27 American TCS Racing Fran-Am 2000. Spengler was currently second in the German Formula Renault and grabbed the victory at Mosport. Race three was held in Montreal, with the win going to Scott Jenkins, the 2001 Star Mazda West Coast Champion. Spengler collected his second first-place result at Mid-America Motoplex. The series started the second half with a doubleheader at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which Spengler swept. The final two races were held at Firebird International Race. For the final time, Spengler dominated the weekend.

Although he missed round one, Spengler won six races in seven starts and claimed the championship by seventy-four points over Dan McMullen. Third in the standings was the Montreal race winner, Scott Jenkins. Sean McIntosh, who won the inaugural event at Vancouver, finished fourth in the final standings. Fifth place belonged to Canadian Michael Brooks.

Initailly it was announced that the overall series champion would win a ride with a leading Formula Renault team for the 2003 European series. However, midway through the season competitors were informed that the 2002 Fran-Am champion would be contesting a full season in the recently announced 2003 Formula Super Renault V6 Championship in Europe, which replaced the prestigious Eurocup. Formula Renault V6 Eurocup cars use a 3.5-liter engine creating 415 HP, 6 speed semi automatic sequential gearbox controlled by steering wheel paddles, carbon fibre tub meeting F3000 safety standards, an advanced aero package, Michelin tires, Magneti Marelli electronics, Magneti Marelli Data Acquisition and Brembo brakes.

Despite winning the 2003 Formula Super Renault V6 Championship in Europe award Bruno Spengler did not participate in the series. He was signed by Mercedes-Benz Motorsport and drove for ASM in the Formula Three Euroseries where he finished tenth in the final standings.

The 2003 Fran-Am 2000 Pro Series had a fourteen-race schedule, beginning at Phoenix International Raceway and ending with a tripleheader at Arizona Motorsports Park. Seven rounds were staged in the US, six in Canada, and one in Mexico.

The series picked up television coverage in 2003, with six one-hour shows appearing in November and December on Speed Channel. French-Canadian reporting appeared on Quebec’s RDS channel.

The prize money was increased, and a race winner received $8,000. The total payout per race was $28,500. The year-end prizes totaled close to $740,000. The awards for the top three finishers were distributed as follows:

Champion: A fully paid in the Euro Cup Formula Renault V6 Series. This series features spec carbon chassis single seaters powered by 372-horsepower V6 Renault engines fitted with Formula 1 - type semi-automatic transmission. This prize is worth $450,000.
Second Place: A fully paid half season in the Euro Cup Formula Renault V6 Series. A prize worth close to $225,000.
Third Place: Four fully paid races (over two weekends) in the Euro Cup Formula Renault V6 Series. A prize worth approximately $65,000.

In addition to the North American Pro Championship, the organizers also held a Winter Series and proposed several new divisions (US West Coast, US East Coast, Canada West, Canada East, and Canada Central) for Fran-Am 2000 competitors.

Round one of the 2003 Fran-Am 2000 Pro Series was held at Phoenix. The victory went to Mexican driver Aurelio Lopez in the No. 12 Phillips Motorsports Fran-Am 2000. Lopez grabbed the lead and won when Juan Martin Ponte ran wide on the second restart. Two weeks later, the series was at Barber Motorsport Park. Charles Hall was the fourth fastest qualifier in the No. 1 Gelles Racing Fran-Am 2000 and the round two winner. The third and fourth events of the year were during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal. Team FirstAir's Robert Bell started on the outside of the front row but crossed the finish line first. Local racer Andrew Ranger redeemed himself with a victory after starting on the pole the previous day and finishing tenth.

The next contest was held at Watkins Glen International. The victory went to the pole-sitter, Marc-Antoine Camirand, driving the No. 4 Gelles Racing Fran-Am 2000. The championship returned to Canada for three rounds, with the first race in Toronto during the Molson Indy ChampCar weekend. Camirand qualified on the pole, but Andrew Ranger in the No. 27 Tide / Downy sponsored Fran-Am 2000 claimed the victory. At the Molson Indy ChampCar Vancouver Ranger grabbed another win and made it a hat trick when the series returned to Montreal.

Ranger was on a roll and topped the standings with consistent finishes. As the season entered the final rounds, three drivers had a mathematical chance of securing the championship – Andrew Ranger, Charles Hall, and Robert Bell. In round twelve, at Arizona Motorsports Park, Hall trailed Ranger by 57 markers. Hall benefited when Ranger was forced to retire after a spin on lap 16. Ranger's 16th-place earned him only 5 points. Hall's victory and pole position gave him 34 points on the day and a total of 270. Team FirstAir's Robert Bell had his title hopes extinguished as first-lap contact forced him out of the race. With a second-place finish to Gustavo Sondermann, Ranger captured the title the next day with one event remaining.

Canadian Andrew Ranger ended the season with 335 points. Thirteen markers behind was Charles Hall, followed by Robert Bell. Mark Wilkins was in fourth place, and Dan McMullen rounded out the top five. A total of forty-one competitors earned points.

Despite winning the 2003 Fran-Am 2000 North American Pro Championship, Ranger entered the 2004 Pro Formula Atlantic Championship. He teamed up with Sierra Sierra Racing and finished fourth in the final standings with a record that included six podium results.

During the off-season, the Fran-Am series was renamed the Formula Renault North American Championship. The fourteen-race schedule was conducted in the US and Canada. The season opened in early April at Phoenix International Raceway and ended on the last weekend of October at California Speedway. Nine races were held in America, with the remainder being contested in Canada.

In addition to the 2004 Formula Renault North American Championship there was a West Coast series organized by National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and Paladin Motorsports called Formula TR 2000 Pro Series.

After completing the North American Formula Renault series, Gelles Racing was the winningest team in the 2004 championship. Argentinean Juan Martin Ponte clinched the driver's title in the No. 50 IPS / Grape King Formula Renault 2000. Ponte won the championship by a 13-point margin over the driver of the No. 20 Roshfrans / TUPETRO Formula Renault 2000, Marcos Gomes, from Brazil, and former Gelles 2003 driver, Canadian Antoine Bessette, who raced with Team Autotecnica. The highest-placed rookie and American in 2004 was Mid-America Motorworks driver Michael Yager.