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January 26, 2013
Published on tags: Superleague
In the first of a four-part series, Mike Pitman looks at the new engine suppliers in the GPVWC Superleague for 2013.

Power. We all need it, love it and sometimes take it for granted. But without it, the racing wouldn?t be possible. The smell and the sound of engines makes racing for thousands of fans and an exciting new era has arrived at GPVWC.

This year four teams have been granted licences to produced their own power plant units and supply to other outfits. Together the teams and their retrospective suppliers will develop the engine throughout the season. This can have great implications on the championships and future years. Getting it wrong could be so costly both financially and in results.

The deals that have been struck can be interesting too. Which teams will get along in development? Will the engines be centred on the core supplier team?s requirements? And will this work for their customers?

The engines have just come through their first benchmark with the first pre-season test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. While this won?t show us much in terms of where the engines will be at season opener in Melbourne, we can try to get an idea from past experiences and the teams themselves about the potential for engine development in the Superleague.

For the first part, we look at Potentia Engineering Group, backed by the current constructor?s champions, Midnight Motorsport. Green Stripes Racing, Hawkeye Racing and Constant Racing came through the bidding process to each secure customer contracts.

Potentia managed to get the most customers this season with three teams taking up their option. Will this impact the championship for years to come with one engine becoming dominant? We spoke to each manager to find out their thoughts on the deals.

We spoke with each of the owners for their insights. First, we spoke with Nick Rowland of Midnight Motorsport.

Mike Pitman: In setting up the Potentia brand what do you expect to gain from being a manufacturer this season after a successful partnership elsewhere last season.
Nick Rowland: The main gain we see from being a manufacturer is developing sound partnerships with our customers, learning what they have to say and building an engine that accommodates all the demands from both the factory and customer teams. We believe that opening up the paths of communication will just help us gain but our customers as well.
Mike Pitman: Does getting three customers compared to all the other manufacturers two give you an advantage? And are you happy with the deals.
Nick Rowland: Firstly, I am exceptionally happy with the deals. I really am happy with having Hawkeye, Constant and Green Stripes. They are three teams with a lot of ambition and drive. They have got developing and talented drivers throughout their individual ranks and we believe they can contribute to the development process.It gives us an advantage is that we get an extra two drivers giving us feedback. We get two more opinions and thoughts on engine options going forward. It just increases our pool of knowledge that helps us progress.
Mike Pitman: How did you go about getting the clients? Did they come to you or did you hunt them down.
Nick Rowland: Some of the customers came directly to us, others we approached.
Mike Pitman: How did you decide on which to approach.
Nick Rowland: Mostly history and talks with various people in the past.
Mike Pitman: Was there any one team you thought we need to work with them.
Nick Rowland: Not massively, no. But I had a good idea.

Next, we spoke to the customer teams. Green Stripes Racing owner Christoph Lichtenstein sat down with us after a hugely successful year for his team, which saw them finish second in the teams championship.

Mike Pitman: You signed a deal with Potentia engines for this season, what made you choose them?Christoph Lichtenstein: Well they have a good financial background and I know that their background team is one of the best if not the best of the whole league and so I signed the best possible option for my team.
Mike Pitman: Do you think having four teams running the engine will give you an advantage this season?
Christoph Lichtenstein: it means that the potential engine will get the most input of all engines as so many different people drive with it. So it gives a very wide range of information for Midnight which is always helpful for the development.
Mike Pitman: Is this a long term deal? And do you see a way to beat Midnight this season being their customer?
Christoph Lichtenstein: The deal is running for a year, but I?m confident that Midnight will always provide an awesome engine so it?s likely that we will get powered by Potentia engines in the future. I don?t think that we will be able to challenge Midnight as they have better resources than we have but if we finish in the top five of the constructors this year it would be a nice achievement.
Mike Pitman: Do you see the engines making much of a difference this season to the championship? Or race wins?
Christoph Lichtenstein: I think they can give a bit of an advantage but I don?t think that the difference between the best and the worst engines at the end of the season will be more than 0.3secs

Ric Scott of Hawkeye Racing will be looking to build on the team?s successful return to the Superleague in 2013. Many were not surprised to see Hawkeye bid for Potentia given a number of links between the pair.

Mike Pitman: You signed a deal with Potentia what made you choose them?
Ric Scott: Well I'm close to Dave and Nick so I speak to them more than the other engine suppliers, but also, they did the most practice laps last season, showing you can rely on them to develop their engine, plus their team will probably have the biggest budget.
Mike Pitman: So was it a personnel choice or a logical one?
Ric Scott: Both really, mate. I think they're in the best position to develop the best engine due to them being constructor?s champions. I guess I probably would have bid for theirs even if I wasn't friends with Dave and Nick.
Mike Pitman: Do you see it unlikely that you or Green Stripes Racing can beat Midnight your own engine supplier this season by only being their customer?
Ric Scott: It's not something we're expecting. I imagine Midnight will hit the ground running like last year and they're more likely to get competition from the likes of Nordsjoen. We want to be up at the top though of course, so we're going to work our hardest to ensure we one of the best cars as well as the best engine, to give our drivers the best chance of success.
Mike Pitman: Do you see that as viable longer term? Or do you expect the four manufacturers to have an advantage and rise to the top?
Ric Scott: I did consider applying to be an engine manufacturer but I didn't feel it was the best choice for Hawkeye. We may see that it was a bad choice for some teams if they've spent the £40m on being a manufacturer but they don't get the results and fail to make back the money spent. The likes of Midnight shouldn't have that problem though.
Mike Pitman: So are you expecting the teams powered by Potentia to carry on being ahead of the rest?
Ric Scott: I still think the teams research and development will be the main thing rather than the engines so I think we'll see a nice mix of engines at the front. Maybe towards the end of the season that might not be the case.

Finally, we spoke to Mark Stanton, co-owner of Constant Racing. Of the three customers, Constant have the most to prove following a season that saw them finish 11th, acquiring only 11 points.

Mike Pitman: What made you choose Potentia?
Mark Stanton: AfterMidnight'sperformance last year and their understanding and evaluations of the development systems, we felt that they would be a strong manufacturer to be involved with.
Mike Pitman:You are in top company with Midnight, Green Stripes Racing & Hawkeye. Do you feel as though your ideas will be heard in terms of engine development?
Mark Stanton: I feel that we have a strong reputation within the GPVWC, and with our proven commitment since 2009, I believe we can be a valuable resource for Potentia.
Mike Pitman: Some were surprised with your choice considering the history you have with the people at Nordsjeon. Was it an easy decision?
Mark Stanton: Shortly after the suppliers were announced I was approached by Nick regarding the Potentia engines. We discussed what would be involved in a deal with them and I felt that it would be a strong partnership for the year.
Mike Pitman: Do you see this as a long term commitment or leaving your options open for the future?
Mark Stanton: With 2013 being the first year of the engine development systems, it's really too early to make any kind of long term commitment at this stage.

We see all managers singing from the same hymn sheet before the season begins but will they all be lining up to sign up again this time next year?

From the mood around the paddock & what the team owners are saying, people are only expecting great things from the Potentia engine. It seems for sure that having an extra team can only be of benefit to Midnight in terms of development and financially. Will this lead us to a one sided championship? With everyone only signing one year deals is it possible a few issues in development could lead to teams jumping ship?

In part two see speak to a manufacturer hoping to move up the championship ladder.