AutoReject 2.0

AutoReject 2.0
Category	Open-wheeler
Country/Region	Worldwide
Founder(s)	Jacques Couteau Jan Kristiansen
Inaugural Season	2015
Engine supplier(s)	Template:GBR Cosworth
Tyre supplier(s)	Template:Continental
Records
Driver's Champion	Pierre St. Laurent
Team's Champion	Template:USA Driver Performance Laboratory
Current season

AutoReject 2.0 (previously known as F1 Rejects Development Series or F1RDS) is a racing series that serves as a feeder series for the ARWS and AR3.5 championships, and aims to showcase the talent of the many young drivers that take part in the series. It allows teams in higher series to either loan out their drivers to teams or to set up their own junior team which will usually utilise the team's contracted young drivers.

History

Having managed an F3000 team in the late 80's, Frenchman Jacques Couteau was renowned for bringing through young talents into the public eye. When the feeder series to F1RWRS were introduced, it now meant that drivers could be assessed in F2RWRS and F3RWRS which usually supported the main RWRS events. Although this made talent-spotting easier, it was clear that feeding in drivers to F3RWRS was still quite messy. Couteau planned a series that, although not wholly affiliated with the RWRS competition, would also take part in support races in the main calendar.

After pitching the idea, it looked grim as the officials questioned the need for another series. Couteau successfully argued that it would be a series for not just drivers, but teams too to test their mettle in a full racing series. It also allowed junior teams to enter so that drivers could be carried through the ranks in their own stable. The series was christened the "F1 Rejects Development Series", in reference to the fact that it was a series where young drivers could spend a few seasons learning the ropes in full single-seater racing. To keep costs down, the calendar was mainly based in Europe.

After the series settled, Couteau left the setup to friend and former colleague Jan Kristiansen to co-run Astro Racing Group full time.

Prior to the 2017 season the series underwent a drastic facelift; a fresh new name in AutoReject 2.0 was given to the series joining IFRC's change to AutoReject 3.5. There were also a number of other changes, including a new points system and race weekend format. In addition, the series was broken in two in order to promote more young talent; the original series was renamed AutoReject 2.0 Europe which cut down on the number of fly-away races, whilst a new series was created in order to promote grass-roots level single-seater racing in the US and Canada. This was named AutoReject 2.0 North America.

Although the European series remained a success, the North American series was unable to improve upon its dwindling viewing figures; AutoReject sold the rights of the North American series to the Velocity Group, but the number of teams wishing to defect ensured that the series was no longer sustainable.

Series Information

For series rules and regulations, see AutoReject 2.0 Regulations.

Drivers

The drivers in the series must be 21 or under when the series begins, since the series aims to be only a stepping stone for the more senior competitions. Furthermore, the drivers who finish within the top three of any AR2.0 season must move onto a different series at the end of the season in order to allow new drivers a chance in the series.

Technical

All cars used the Dallara RDS-01 chassis for the first two seasons, and was only allowed to be modified for set-up purposes. In the first season, engine manufacturers had to comply with a 2-litre inline four-cylinder engine formula, with a dual overhead camshaft layout. The engine suppliers were Volkswagen, Opel-Spiess, Renault (prepared by Mecachrome) and Toyota (prepared by TOM'S). These had power outputs between 230-245 bhp, where each engine had different characteristics; Volkswagen and Opel had stronger qualifying engines, whilst the Renault and Toyota units were stronger in race trim.

Due to complaints over a lack of equality, a single-spec series idea was agreed on for future championships and thus all teams used the same 2-litre Cosworth 250bhp V6 engine in 2016. The Europe series continued with the Cosworth unit for 2017, but the North American series decided upon using a turbocharged version of the Toyota engines used in 2015; both series used the new Dallara AR2/17 chassis. This presented a much more expensive option, and with the birth of the Formula Three Eurasian Championship teams were swayed by the cheaper 1.6L Holden units. The decision to use the turbocharged engines was one of the main contributers to the North American championship's demise.

As the European series became the sole AutoReject 2.0 series, the organisers learned from the errors with the North American series and decided to keep the current Cosworth engines; these were simply revamped in order to improve the power output to 300bhp in order to provide greater competition with Formula 3. A new aerodynamics package was developed by Dallara to freshen up the look of the car and to also improve the handling characteristics of the car.

Race and Points System

There is one qualifying session to determine the grid for the feature race, which is to the closest lap of being 85km long in distance. The results of the feature race will form the basis of the grid for the sprint race although with the top 10 in reverse order. The sprint race is approximately 50km long in distance.

Feature Race Points

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	FL	PP
Points	20	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2	1	2	2

Sprint Race Points

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	FL
Points	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1	1

Winners

Season	Winner	2nd Place	3rd Place	Teams' Champion	Rookie Cup Winner	Reject of the Year
F1 Rejects Development Series
2015	Hwok Kwol-Cho	Template:USA Jerry de Boer	Gary Pacer	Template:GBR V-Sport	Not awarded	Scuderia Alitalia
2016	Anu Võsu	Template:FRA Aimée Gauthier	Template:USA Sandy Grey	Nurminen Racing Engineering	Not awarded	Mustafa Kurniawan
AutoReject 2.0
2017 E	Mineiro	Iakopo Fuamatu	Template:GBR James Jones	Template:GBR Definitely Maybe Racing	Not awarded	Team Echoften
2017 NA	Roger Ibe	Template:AUT TK Wolf	Fotis Iordanou	Template:USA People Power present Young CR Motorsport	Not awarded	Salvador da Santa Maria
2018	Katie May	Kyösti Pykälistö	Marjolein Postma	Template:BEL Vivendi EBL	Jazmin Caldeiro	Template:AUS Ansett Australia Rosenforth
2019	Pierre St. Laurent	Vaclav Malsyz	Diego Pereira	Template:USA Driver Performance Laboratory	Template:AUT Tobias Baumgartlinger	Template:GBR Jones AutoReject 2.0

Winter Cup

The Winter Cup preceded the full F1RDS season. It was generally a three-round championship in one country which follows the same rules as the regular season except that there is no teams' championship. The 2015 F1RDS Winter Cup was the inaugural cup, and was hosted in Japan before moving to the United States for 2016. It was cancelled under the overhaul for the 2017 season.

Awards

Season	Country	Winner	2nd Place	3rd Place	Reject of the Cup
2015	Japan	Björn Ekdal	James Douglas	Simon Mestach	Benoît Voeckler
2016	United States	Anu Võsu	Aimée Gauthier	Iakopo Fuamatu	Mustafa Kurniawan