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Rumor has it that Antti Buri was in UK last week, rolling-out a Mygale that his team recently acquired. Tests were completed with Enigma Motorsport at temperatures around a cool 0...4 degC. Earlier GETEM Racing had tested the new Dunlop tyres at such low temperatures, but their results showed the new radials were about 6 sec slower than the old Avons in frigid conditions. Thus Antti ran his tests with the old Avons.

Given the GETEM results, it seems the radials use a fairly hard compound. This is of course great for durability, but means the FF cars will continue "slipping and sliding" in cold conditions (which is what we usually have here in Finland at season start). It will be interesting to see if the car then, in hot conditions, stays better on track. An improved tracking behaviour, more similar to winged formulas, would at least from my perspective be preferred... Not that I mind the slip-n-slide, but just to get the FFs closer to the more advanced formula classes in behavior (thus making FFs an increasingly attractive entry class). 

As UK is switching to Dunlop tires for Formula Fords (see earlier blog on test results), the Finnish Formula Ford Association is likely to follow. Price discussions seem to be underway, and preliminary estimates put a set at 510€ (w/o VAT), or around 622€ (incl. 22% VAT). This is a tad higher than the AVONs used last year, but given that the Dunlops are radials and should maintain consistent performance a bit longer this seems reasonable. I should note that these are still preliminary indications, and that the discussions will continue. Nevertheless, to ensure our Finnish series is compatible with the international (de facto, UK) regulations, it seems a good idea to switch to Dunlops. This also makes sense given that several drivers are likely to go from the Finnish Championships onto the BRSCC Formula Ford Festival at the season end. Stay tuned for more info as it appears...