Super Aguri drivers confirmed!!

[Sting]

Quote from BBC News Sport:

Super Aguri confirm Sato signing


New Formula One team Super Aguri have confirmed the signings of Takuma Sato and fellow Japanese Yuji Ide as their drivers for 2006.

Sato lost his BAR-Honda seat after a poor 2005 campaign and had been offered a deal by the Midland team last year.

Team principal Aguri Suzuki admitted he expects "a tough year" but said: "I am grateful these highly experienced drivers are joining my team."

Super Aguri was confirmed as a new entrant to Formula One last month.

The team is based in Tokyo but its factory is at the former Arrows headquarters in Oxfordshire.


Super Aguri handed F1 green light

They were given the green light to join the grid by F1's governing body the FIA after gaining the support of the other 10 teams.


Sato claimed just one point for BAR-Honda last year with an eighth-placed finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

He finished the season ranked 23rd out of 24 drivers with the same total as Red Bull's part-time racer Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Sato's first race in F1 was in Australia four years ago and his best finish to date came at the US Grand Prix in 2004 when he was third.

"I'm looking forward to working with Aguri, who has a fantastic track record in motor sports," said Sato.

"It's going to be a tough year, but I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge."

 

[Appie]

cool, now like to see how they do know
but are they getting big supports from Honda

 

[Impreza04]

Win win..
We get a larger grid, and F1 gets more intrest from the Japanese ^_<

 

[X-Othermic]

Yuji Ide, who the duck is he!?

 

[Sting]

Yuji Ide, who the duck is he!?

him: http://www.yuji-ide.com/index_e.html

Also has a pdf file on the Super Aguri driver annoucement, although I haven't looked at that yet.

 

[Lee]

Sato's last shot then, I'd be impressed if A) He finishes a race in the car and B) If he finishes ahead of a different team.

Tough year though.

 

[zoxxy]

"It's going to be a tough year, but I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge."

Taku is the challenge!

 

[GilesGuthrie]

You've got to spare a thought for Ide. No F1 experience, in a team with no F1 experience, and likely not much in the way of budget.

 

[red70mach1]

Extensive experience the Super GT most recently in GT500. Drove the Calsonic Impul Z last season. According to bio his only open wheel experience is French F3.

 

[Blake]

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Car did installation lap, out lap, flier, broke.

Oops.

And the "flier" was 13s off the pace of Webber's Williams.

Ouch.

 

[zoxxy]

Ouch.

Yeah, that's what the other drivers are gonna say.

 

[Blake]

Well, it is slower than a GP2 car, but that was to be expected.

 

[X-Othermic]

And here's midland complaining if STR are faster than them in Bahrain I do feel sorry for Super Aguri, really.

 

[Omnis]

Can't wait for David Hobbs to bumble on about them. This is going to be hilarious. 13 seconds off? They'd be lapped like 10 times in a single race.

 

[Pupik]

Wow...the Super Aguri is going to make the Forti Course of '95 and the AGS of '87 look like pole-setters.

Good luck, fellas. I only hope the mirrors are big enough, they are going to need them!

 

[zoxxy]

13 seconds off? They'd be lapped like 10 times in a single race.

If they finish it.

 

[Roo]

Anyone remember Lola's entry into the 1997 season? They were 13 seconds off pole and 5 seconds off the 107% time in Melbourne, and were never seen again. SA be warned.

Apparantly once they'd fixed it, the car did another 5 laps before Takuma put it in the gravel.

 

[Blake]

Here is their last test day. Definatly not as bad as the first or second days.