Can Asian power help Arrows to the top??

[steve nielsen]

That's the big question really, can the new asian investors help the old Peugeot crew put some more horses in their engine??, and will it be enough to help Arrows avance in the way that Tom Walkinshaw wants, and will the drivers finaly get the relyable Car they deserve??.
I heard AMT is gonna increase on the Peugeot budget by 60%, it sounds good, but it raises yet another question, who's behind AMT, they are certainly not investing in Arrows because they like Tom Walkinshaw (the engines are suplied free)

[Gt_R]

The problem lies with the fact that AMT's backers keep a very low profile, which makes things hard to predict.

Some rumours says Toyota is a big shareholder of AMT in a bid to study their opponents (primarily Honda). Others say Sony is rumoured to be one of the backers, though it sounds wierd as to the purpose.

Certainly, with a great budget, the engine dept has more room for exploiting its resources. And the Peugeot engine is thought to be pretty light and powerful with potential for further improvements, and should not as far off pace as their performance shown this year. But should AMT base 2001 engine on this year's model, they have a big headache, which is the reliability.

[Valentinik]

I heard the Toyota rumor but that it was more of an insurance policy after they had to scrap their V12 engine and were worried in case they couldn't get their own V10 up and running.
I've also heard that the main shareholder is Sauber-Petronas Technologies, who have the backing of the Malaysian Goverment.
Which is the truth? Time will tell.

[Minardi fan]

Reliability will definitely be the killer - I hope for Jos and Pedro's sake that AMT sort it out.

[steve nielsen]

Arrows have tested very well already with the engine (a developed Peugeot), Jos, Pedro and Antonio (Pizzonia) have all done a race distance using only 1 engine, without major problems. the rearweal sensors have indicated that the engine has almost as much power as the Supertec, and in januari a new version will be tested, it has more power and less weight.It seems the Prost was just a crappy car.

[Gt_R]

"It seems the Prost was just a crappy car." i love it...say it again.

But then again, somehow the car just looks kind of good...too bad its such a "crappy car". Anyways, yepp, read abt the testing results...there is lots of room for optimistic views... keep it up Arrows~

[steve nielsen]

BTW this is the new face in the paddocks in 2001

[Valve Bounce]

Good move in choosing a VOLVO and not a FORD At least we know the Van will be there for the start and finish of each race. I thought that Peugeot never had that engine going properly through all the years. If they had all that money, maybe they could build a new engine, or at least do a thorough job on the Peugeot donk to make it competitive.

[GURRYP]

Sound like a lot of rumours & not much substance. Look at the facts. The Peugeot engine never was, & was never going to be a winner. It was neither reliable or powerful, the 2 basic ingredients of a race engine. If it had been either powerful or reliable you can always work on the other, but neither, forget it. I can't see anyone taking a basically poor engine & making anything decent from it. All the other top teams now have a major motor manufacturer, actively supportting their efforts. Who are Asiatech ???

Even though I'd love to see Tom & the boys up there on the podium I can't see it happening next season.



Gurryp

[Gt_R]

According to Peugeot's press release, their engine last year reached 793bhp (probably on the dyno) It is a engine which is lighter than the Supertec. The problem lies in the reliablity due to the weak contruction of the engine.

To ensure the engine to be reliable while so called "competitive", Peugeot engineers have limited the hp output and revs, which means a cut in around 30 to 40 bhp...

AMT have an aweful lot to do about the engine, esp the components used in its construction!