The purchase of the Chessington factory will help us improve as a whole and open up opportunities in the future. As a team, we must provide the best possible equipment to our drivers, who are essentially our customers. The factory at Chessington not only provides a good working environment for the team, but it is also key to the development of components and cars; where regulations allow.
Chessington has enabled us to set up Carlin Advanced Technologies, an associate company which we can use to improve our existing outfits further. In Formula 3, where there is a relative equality of cars and engines, the team’s development effort becomes even more important. A 1/10th per lap advantage will put your car on pole with a chance to win. This is why the facilities at Chessington and in particular the wind tunnel, are such an advantage.
With Carlin Advanced Technologies we have been able to build a stand alone Research and Development department. We have built a 33 per cent scale model of a Dallara F3 car which has just undergone its first tests in the wind tunnel.
Dallara produce the customer car for the majority of the F3 pit lane and they do a fantastic job. But what we’d like to do is just refine certain areas, and make the tiny improvements which could give the team the edge on track. We certainly don’t expect to reinvent the wheel, Dallara are the experts, but some modifications may help the team at certain circuits. The wind tunnel and Dallara model is also open to outside agencies and teams and we have the facilities to allow for closed, private testing.
Chessington also houses a composite department, which we are not fully utilising at the moment. As time goes by we will start producing parts for our own team and for customers. Chessington has opened up many possibilities for us, and that’s why it’s such a great asset.
