January 12, 2011
Published on tags: Superleague
January approaches its midway point, and GPVWC Teams are busy trying to gather as many funds as possible to finance the forthcoming season. And despite the added difficulties that the economic climate brings to the process, an equally big worry fills the minds of most Managers - signing an engine deal that will allow their competitor to be fast and their drivers to fight for wins on the 20 tracks of the 2011 Championship.

Even though engines will be closer in terms of performance, finding the best powerplant is still a matter of primary importance for teams. On every track, from the straights of Monza to the twisting streets of Monaco, a finely tuned engine can represent the difference between a win and a second place, between glory and agony. Of the 12 teams, a majority will be negotiating a new deal in the next few days - and some of them appear to be in a stronger position than the others.

Mercedes, widely known to provide one of the best plants in 2010, won't be too active on the market. After a triumphant season last year, they see themselves continuing their relationship with Nordsjoen Racing and Woods Racing, both teams having signed a 2-year deal and having fulfilled all contractual obligations with the German manufacturer. Rumours abound, however, that the Stuttgart-based factory has been planning an increase in production, and could potentially supply a third team in 2011 - no one from Mercedes, however, was available to answer the question.

Expansion has been confirmed, instead, by rival powerhouses Ferrari: after a hugely disappointing 2010 season, the Maranello company announced two teams will receive supplies of their engines - news that will surely send all GPVWC teams hoping to win the Championships into raptures. Mystery remains, however, on whether Draig Racing, which used the prancing horse's engines last year, will still be at the receiving end of the agreement; despite a two-year deal being in place, Ferrari could be considering applying a rumoured performance-based option which would allow it to break free from an underperforming team. With the huge price tag attached to the Italian engines, Draig could be in trouble - a fate shared by ST Racing, which apparently might not have fulfilled the minimum results required by Honda. In both cases, however, it is understood the engine makers will probably entertain negotiations with the teams before taking a final decision.

All other 2010 teams - Synergetic, Computrac, Williamson, Constant and Red Archer - are known to be free from contracts as the 2011 season approaches. Some of them, however, are safe in the knowledge that their results in the previous year will guarantee easy negotiations should they choose to continue the relationship. Red Archer, in particular, boasts one win in its maiden year to try and charm Renault into extending their partnership - while the French manufactorer is reportedly happy about Constant Racing as well. In any case, both teams will be required to undergo the bidding process, and are believed to enjoy just a slight advantage over their rivals in dealing with Renault.

Synergetic Motorsport only just scraped within the range of expectations of Cosworth, and as such they might opt to extend their relationship. However, with the Cossies reportedly underpowered, the Northern Irish team might decide to part company with their historical suppliers and look to pasture new - a decision probably followed by Williamson and Computrac, and by the three new teams. The list of available engines is likely to also contain the likes of BMW and Toyota, although the number of deals available is not yet known.