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| Formula Rolon Chevrolet | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Super Speeds (Pvt) Ltd, India |
| Production | 2006–2010 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Open Wheeled FormulaRacing Car |
| Chassis | Spaceframe |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1600ccChevrolet, Rear Mounted, Longitudinal |
Formula Rolon, also known asFormula RolonChevrolet and laterFormula Rolon 2010 is anopen wheelsingle seater Formula Racing car made and raced in India. They run in the single make championships held in the tracks ofCoimbatore andChennai. The car is similar to Formula Asia, and was powered by 1600ccChevrolet and laterSuzuki engines with a racing gear box. The car was launched in Mumbai December 2005 and made its debut inCoimbatore track in September 2006. The 2010 season was its last season as LG Sports announced that it will not enter Formula Rolon for the 2011 season.
The name Rolon is the brand name of automotive chains and sprockets, owned by L.G.Balakrishnan Brothers Ltd.Coimbatore. They are the also the main sponsor andparent company ofSuper Speeds.
The car is built around amonocoque steelspace frame and the body panels are of Composite Fire retardantGRP. Aerodynamic aides include adjustable front wing, and adjustable Flower type rear wing. The Racing Tyres are fromJK tyres and the cars have a choice of grooved semi-slick and ungrooved slick version on the Race day.
The car was entirely designed and constructed by Coimbatore-basedSuper Speeds, the same company that designed theFormula Maruti in the mid 80's, which is now a division of L.G.Balakrishnan and Brothers. The Chief designer of the car is ex-racing driver B.Vijaykumar and aided by his team of engineers and designers. The car has a high indigenous content of over 97%.
The Formula Rolon Chevrolet (2006–2009) cars were powered by aChevrolet 1.6 liter engine during the years 2006 till 2009 and the car was known as Formula Rolon Chevrolet, as supplied byGeneral Motors India for a three-year contract. Over 18 cars were manufactured of which 15 were supplied to various teams while three chassis were retained for development activities.
For the 2010 seasonSuper Speeds launched a short wheelbase version and equipped with the in house race tuned 1.3 liter Suzuki engine with a race tuned EFI. The 2010 model was simply known as Formula Rolon 2010. The short wheelbase has a new exterior design and the car was made 100 kg lighter than the earlier model to improve the power to weight ratio.
The 1.6 liter engine was supplied byGeneral Motors India for the Formula Rolon Chevrolet versions during the years 2006 till 2009. TheChevrolet 1600 cc engine produced 120 bhp (89 kW) in race trim as of 2006 with a re-chipped ECU; otherwise it was the same stock engine as used inChevrolet Optra model sold in India. Notable race modifications from the passenger car engine include a re-chipped ECU supplied byGM India,K&N Air filter and tuned Free flow Exhaust pipes while the Head, Block and Camshaft remained the same as inStock.This was also a first forChevrolet’s involvement in Racing outside United States.
For 2010 season, the short wheelbase version was called Formula Rolon 2010 and used a 1300cc 16 valve engines fromSuzuki Swift. The 1.3 liter Suzuki engines had modified cylinder heads, race tuned free flow exhausts and high lift cam shafts modified to race specifications producing over 40% more power than the factory stock versions. The engine management systems were supplied by Race Dynamics of Bangalore with a programmable Fuel Injection system.
TheGearbox was aRacinggear box, with straight cut-dog ring gears and in-builtLSD (Limited Slip Differential) manufactured in-house atCoimbatore by Super Speeds similar toHewland racing transmission.
JK tyres of India makes and supplies the tyres specially designed for this car. JK Tyres also sponsor the National championship and few drivers in this series. The tyres are available in Wet and Slicks.
The drivers racing budget for a 12 race (6 Double races) annual season was costing one tenth compared to a full season in orFormula Asia in other South East Asian countries orFormula Ford in UK in 2006. This series was considered to be the best way to select racers for the Formula Asia and Formula BMW series and was a stepping stone for graduating into higher series of international single seater racing championships.[citation needed]
The cars were built for LG Sports, to run in the JK National Road racing championship, which is the breeding ground for young racers in India.
The Cars are sold with the Engine on lease or the complete car leased with three different springs supplied per car. All engines are sealed by LG Sports with the maintenance of the engine by Super Speeds.
The class in which the car races is a single make championship class, with the cars sold or leased to several teams, who in turn engage or hire drivers. The races are annual championship series held inKari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam,Coimbatore and in MMSC track inIrungattukottai in Chennai. The Drivers with most points accumulated from his wins and finishing positions becomes the Formula Rolon Chevrolet champion for the respective year.
Notable drivers who have taken part in the series and still involved include ex-Formula 3 championAkbar Ibhrahim, ex-karting championAmeya Walavalkar, Asia-Pacific Rally winnerGaurav Gill, ex-Formula Maruti championGaurav Dalal, 2005Formula LGB ChampionReo Banajee, 2006Formula LGB Swift national championSaran Vikram Tmars,Aswin Sunder and 2009Formula Maruti championVikash Anand.
| Season | Driver | Team | Chassis/Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  Gaurav Gill,New Delhi | WSRF with Leela – JK Tyre | Super Speeds –ChevroletOptra 1.6LDOHC |
| 2007 | Adithya Patel,Chennai | NK Racing – Speed Petrol | Super Speeds –ChevroletOptra 1.6LDOHC |
| 2008 | Gaurav Dalal,Chennai | Red Rooster Racing | Super Speeds –ChevroletOptra 1.6LDOHC |
| 2009 | Ashwin Sundar,Chennai | NK Racing | Super Speeds –ChevroletOptra 1.6LDOHC |
| 2010 | Saran vikram tmars,Chennai | Mars Racings | Super Speeds –LGB RolonEsteem 1.3LSOHC |
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