Racing Club News
Motorsport News: Combe outings for Honda F1 machine
(Article is from this months Motorsport News) www.motorsport-news.co.uk
Ex-Barrichello car to run in new MonoLibre series
by Rob Ladbrook - http://www.motorsport-news.co.uk/
An ex-Rubens Barrichello Honda Racing F1 car will compete in the new Castle Combe Formula MonoLibre Series later this year. The 2007 RA107 chassis 05 is being restored by new owner and former Time Attack driver Nadine Geary, who will race the car in the new single-seater series at the Wiltshire track.The car will be fitted with a three-litre 500bhp Harley V8 engine and new Hewland gearbox to replace the original 740bhp 2.4-litre V8 and Honda 'box. The car will also have to be silenced down to 108dba to meet Castle Combe's strict noise restrictions.
Geary bought the car at a recent Bonham's auction and hopes to return it to action this summer. The Bath racer has previously campaigned a Dodge Viper GT3 in Time Attack and Combe's Sports and GT category. "When we got the car it came without the engine and steering wheel, which were both retained by Honda but other than that it's completely original." said Geary, 36. "We went to the auction by chance and just put in a bid when we saw the car. We never expected to win it but now we have we're definitely going to grasp the opportunity.
"We're doing a lot of the work ourselves so running in a low-pressure series like MonoLibre will be perfect for getting a feel for it. The Hartley engine is as close as we can get to the original. It's a huge step for me because, other than my Viper I've only driven a Formula Ford."Nigel Greenshall was the last person to race an F1 car at Castle Combe when he set a new lap record in 1997 aboard a Tyrrell 022. Ra107-05 was raced by Barrichello for 12 of the 18 races in 2007. The car was run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the team's 2009 colours. It was then fitted with a simulator kit and used for corporate activities.
Nadine Geary has bought F1 racer for Combe runs - www.motorsport-news.co.uk
To see the full article in a JPG sent to us by Motorsport News click on the link below:
http://www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk/documents/nadine.jpg