2006 Formula Palmer Audi season
Encyclopedia
2006 was the ninth year of the Formula Palmer Audi
open-wheel racing series. Englishman Jon Barnes
won the Championship, while American Dane Cameron
took the Autumn Trophy
was visited in both Indy and Grand Prix configurations, while Snetterton
was added to the calendar and the series returned to Spa-Francorchamps. Two FIA GT Championship
-supporting rounds at Dijon-Prenois
in France
and at Mugello in Italy
concluded the season.
At the start of the season, Viktor Jensen
, son of radio DJ David Jensen
, romped away from the rest of the field, winning the first four races. But after that, having found his feet in his first year of open-wheel racing, Jon Barnes
emerged as the dominant force, winning nine of the last 10 rounds to take the title with a race to spare. Barnes was nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
for his efforts throughout the season, breaking numerous FPA records such as most wins (nine), most consecutive wins (seven) and most points in a season (326).
2006 FPA Championship Schedule
Notes:
and Brands Hatch
in early November, heralded the dawn of the next generation of young FPA stars. At Snetterton, 16-year-old T Cars star Luciano Bacheta
proved to be a contender, winning his very first race in an open-wheel car, and following it up with a third place and another victory to lead the series at the half-way stage. Meanwhile, Team USA Scholarship driver Dane Cameron
won the second race to remain just two points behind Bacheta.
At Brands Hatch, however, Cameron put in a stunning weekend performance on a track the Californian had never driven before, winning all three races to become the third American to claim the title. Bacheta had to settle for third in the series, as the consistent Aaron Steele took the runner-up spot by virtue of podium finishes in all six races.
The Autumn Trophy was also notable for the open-wheel racing debuts of Alex Brundle
, son of former Formula One
driver Martin Brundle
, and Stefan Wilson
, brother of ChampCar star and former FPA champion Justin Wilson.
2006 Autumn Trophy Schedule
Notes:
Formula Palmer Audi
Formula Palmer Audi, officially abbreviated to FPA, and sometimes informally abbreviated to Palmer Audi, was a one-make class of open wheel Formula racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer. It was based in the United Kingdom , and was organised and operated by MotorSport...
open-wheel racing series. Englishman Jon Barnes
Jon Barnes
Jon Barnes is a British racing driver.- Early career :Barnes started racing in karting, where he finished in the top ten in both the Junior and Senior TKM Super One British Kart Racing Championships.- Car racing career :In 2002, Barnes moved into car racing...
won the Championship, while American Dane Cameron
Dane Cameron
Dane Cameron is an American racing driver from Newport Beach, California.After karting, Cameron began his auto racing career in 2005 in the Jim Russell Racing School and Formula Russell where he won the championship. In 2006 he competed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship and finished...
took the Autumn Trophy
2006 Championship
The 2006 FPA Championship took in 15 rounds at six meetings. Brands HatchBrands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
was visited in both Indy and Grand Prix configurations, while Snetterton
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich...
was added to the calendar and the series returned to Spa-Francorchamps. Two FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
-supporting rounds at Dijon-Prenois
Dijon-Prenois
Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and at Mugello in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
concluded the season.
At the start of the season, Viktor Jensen
Viktor Jensen
Viktor Þór William Jensen is an Icelandic racing driver, with dual nationality. His father is Canadian-born British radio DJ David Jensen....
, son of radio DJ David Jensen
David Jensen
David "Kid" Jensen , is a Danish Canadian-born, British radio DJ.-Early career:Born in a Danish family residing Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began his career in his home country at the age of sixteen playing jazz and classical music. He then joined Radio Luxembourg at the age of eighteen in...
, romped away from the rest of the field, winning the first four races. But after that, having found his feet in his first year of open-wheel racing, Jon Barnes
Jon Barnes
Jon Barnes is a British racing driver.- Early career :Barnes started racing in karting, where he finished in the top ten in both the Junior and Senior TKM Super One British Kart Racing Championships.- Car racing career :In 2002, Barnes moved into car racing...
emerged as the dominant force, winning nine of the last 10 rounds to take the title with a race to spare. Barnes was nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
The McLaren Autosport BRDC Award is an award set up in 1989 to reward and recognise young racing drivers from the UK. As its names suggest, the award is backed by Formula One team McLaren, motorsport magazine Autosport, and the British Racing Drivers' Club...
for his efforts throughout the season, breaking numerous FPA records such as most wins (nine), most consecutive wins (seven) and most points in a season (326).
2006 FPA Championship Schedule
| Rounds | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | May 20/21 | Brands Hatch Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... (GP) |
| 3, 4 and 5 | June 3/4 |  Spa-Francorchamps |
| 6, 7 and 8 | July 1/2 | Brands Hatch Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... (Indy) |
| 9 and 10 | July 15/16 | Snetterton Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich... |
| 11 and 12 | September 2/3 |  Dijon-PrenoisDijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends.... |
| 13, 14 and 15 | September 16/17 |  Mugello |
2006 Championship Standings
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Nat. | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 | Jon Barnes Jon Barnes Jon Barnes is a British racing driver.- Early career :Barnes started racing in karting, where he finished in the top ten in both the Junior and Senior TKM Super One British Kart Racing Championships.- Car racing career :In 2002, Barnes moved into car racing... |
326 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 326 | |
| 2 | 8 | Viktor Jensen |  |
276 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 20 | 15 | 18 | 276 | |
| 3 | 21 | Chris Hyman |  |
237 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 12 | 24 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 18 | DNF | 12 | 15 | 237 |
| 4 | 38 | Giacomo Petrobelli | |
186 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 15 | DNF | 12 | 20 | 20 | DNF | 16 | 16 | 186 |
| 5 | 77 | Tom Haines |  |
180 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | DNF | 16 | 14 | DNF | 180 |
| 6 | 55 | Chris Bell | 154 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 1 | DNF | 4 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 154 | |
| 7 | 13 | James Wingfield | 149 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 6 | DNF | 15 | 149 | ||||||
| 8 | 10 | Paul Warren | 144 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 15 | DNF | 13 | 13 | DNF | DNF | 10 | 14 | 16 | DNF | 10 | 14 | 144 | |
| 9 | 6 | Derrick Collin | 128 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 128 | |
| 10 | 4 | Josh Southall | 103 | 9 | DNF | 15 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 11 | DNF | 18 | 16 | DNF | DNF | 103 | ||||
| 11 | 12 | Bruce Hodges | 101 | 12 | DNF | 10 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 13 | DNF | DNF | 101 | |||||
| 12 | 19 | Aaron Steele | 95 | 15 | DNF | DNF | 16 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 7 | DNF | 18 | 95 | ||||||
| 13 | 2 | Giorgio Rosa | |
78 | 2 | 8 | 7 | DNF | 9 | DNF | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | DNF | 78 | ||
| 14 | 5 | Wesley Fongenie | 72 | 0 | 4 | DNF | 7 | 11 | DNF | 3 | DNF | DNF | 8 | 8 | 11 | 9 | DNF | 11 | 72 | |
| 15 | 7 | Alan Kempson | 71 | 7 | 6 | 5 | DNF | 8 | 7 | DNF | 5 | 9 | 6 | DNF | 12 | DNF | 6 | DNF | 71 | |
| 16 | 44 | Mark Powell | 69 | 13 | 10 | DNF | DNF | 13 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 69 | |||||||
| 17 | 9 | Bill Knowles | 60 | 5 | DNF | 8 | 10 | 2 | 8 | DNF | DNF | 11 | 4 | 12 | DNF | 60 | ||||
| 18 | 3 | Barry Walsh |  |
57 | DNF | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5 | DNF | 7 | DNF | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 57 |
| 19 | 20 | Niki Faulkner | 53 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 53 | |||||||||||||
| 20 | 11 | Tony Brewer | 46 | 3 | 5 | DNF | 4 | 4 | 5 | DNF | DNF | 7 | DNF | 7 | 6 | DNF | 5 | 46 | ||
| 21 | 23 | Howard Spooner | 45 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 45 | |||||||||||
| 22 | 27 | John Bell | 43 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | DNF | 43 | ||||||||
| 23 | 15 | Adam Smith | 38 | 18 | 20 | DNF | 38 | |||||||||||||
| 24 | 9 | Stephen Young | 23 | 14 | 9 | DNF | 23 | |||||||||||||
| 25 | 14 | Stuart Prior | 15 | 6 | 9 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| 26 | 12 | Trevor Hyman | |
9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| 27 | 12 | Rob Lofting | 8 | 8 | DNF | 8 | ||||||||||||||
| 28 | 20 | Ludovico Manfredi | |
0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
Notes:
- 0 denotes a finish outside the points.
- DNF denotes a failure to finish.
- A blank space denotes a non-participation, i.e. did not start.
- Bold denotes race winner.
- Ludovico Manfredi was not eligible to score championship points due to licence issues. However, the points he would have scored (51 in total, enough for 20th in the final standings) are shown in the table.
2006 Autumn Trophy
The 2006 Autumn Trophy, held on consecutive weekends at SnettertonSnetterton Motor Racing Circuit
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich...
and Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
in early November, heralded the dawn of the next generation of young FPA stars. At Snetterton, 16-year-old T Cars star Luciano Bacheta
Luciano Bacheta
Akshay Luciano Bacheta is a professional British racecar driver.Bacheta started karting at the age of fourteen in 2004 and stepped up to cars in 2005, racing in the Junior Ginetta series, recording six wins and the most fastest laps and pole positions...
proved to be a contender, winning his very first race in an open-wheel car, and following it up with a third place and another victory to lead the series at the half-way stage. Meanwhile, Team USA Scholarship driver Dane Cameron
Dane Cameron
Dane Cameron is an American racing driver from Newport Beach, California.After karting, Cameron began his auto racing career in 2005 in the Jim Russell Racing School and Formula Russell where he won the championship. In 2006 he competed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship and finished...
won the second race to remain just two points behind Bacheta.
At Brands Hatch, however, Cameron put in a stunning weekend performance on a track the Californian had never driven before, winning all three races to become the third American to claim the title. Bacheta had to settle for third in the series, as the consistent Aaron Steele took the runner-up spot by virtue of podium finishes in all six races.
The Autumn Trophy was also notable for the open-wheel racing debuts of Alex Brundle
Alex Brundle
Alex Brundle is a British racing driver. He is the son of Formula One driver-turned-commentator Martin Brundle. He attended Oakham School in Rutland, and is managed by 2MB Sports Management, a company established by Martin and his colleague Mark Blundell.-T Cars:Brundle drove a kart for the first...
, son of former Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....
, and Stefan Wilson
Stefan Wilson
Stefan James Wilson is a British racing driver. He is the younger brother of former Formula One and current IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson...
, brother of ChampCar star and former FPA champion Justin Wilson.
2006 Autumn Trophy Schedule
| Rounds | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2 and 3 | November 4/5 | Snetterton Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich... |
| 4, 5 and 6 | November 11/12 | Brands Hatch Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... (Indy) |
2006 Autumn Trophy Standings
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Nat. | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Dane Cameron |  |
136 | 20 | 24 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 136 |
| 2 | 19 | Aaron Steele | 114 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 114 | |
| 3 | 15 | Luciano Bacheta | 102 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 102 | |
| 4 | 21 | Robert Podlesni | |
98 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 98 |
| 5 | 8 | Gino Ussi |  |
76 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 76 |
| 6 | 20 | Nigel Smith | 70 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 70 | |
| 7 | 55 | Chris Bell | 68 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 68 | |
| 8 | 38 | Giacomo Petrobelli | |
66 | 16 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 66 |
| 9 | 9 | Stefan Wilson | 52 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 15 | 52 | |
| 10 | 10 | Paul Warren | 48 | 11 | 11 | DNF | DNF | 15 | 11 | 48 | |
| 11 | 1 | Stephen Young | 45 | 9 | 13 | 13 | DNF | DNF | 10 | 45 | |
| 12 | 44 | Mark Powell | 42 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | DNF | 42 | |
| 13 | 12 | Bruce Hodges | 40 | 8 | 5 | DNF | 13 | 14 | DNF | 40 | |
| 14 | 9 | Derrick Collin | 39 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 39 | |
| 15 | 3 | Barry Walsh | |
35 | 13 | 6 | 11 | DNF | DNF | 5 | 35 |
| 16 | 7 | Alan Kempson | 33 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | DNF | 4 | 33 | |
| 17 | 4 | Richard Plant | 31 | 2 | DNF | 10 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 31 | |
| 18 | 88 | Jeremy Preddy | |
26 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 26 |
| 19 | 35 | Steve Ross | 21 | 0 | 7 | 1 | DNF | 5 | 8 | 21 | |
| 20 | 27 | John Bell | 20 | 1 | DNF | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 20 | |
| 21 | 4 | Alex Brundle | 14 | 0 | 10 | 4 | DNF | DNF | DNF | 14 | |
| 22 | 50 | Mark Higson | 3 | DNF | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| 23 | 50 | Kirsty Jeffrey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Notes:
- 0 denotes a finish outside the points.
- DNF denotes a failure to finish.
- A blank space denotes a non-participation, i.e. did not start.
- Bold denotes race winner.