MARCH 6, 1995

Arrows on target

Arrows Grand Prix International will tomorrow unveil its 1995 Formula 1 package and the new Footwork-Hart FA16 design.

Arrows Grand Prix International will tomorrow unveil its 1995 Formula 1 package and the new Footwork-Hart FA16 design.

The Milton Keynes, England team, which is now wholly owned once again by Jackie Oliver and Alan Rees - Japanese transport magnate Wataru Ohashi having been bought out - will also announce that it has reached agreements with drivers Gianni Morbidelli from Italy and wealthy Japanese Takachiho Inoue.

Since Footwork pulled out of F1 because of the downturn in the world economy, Arrows has been struggling to find a major new sponsor and so both 1995 drivers are expected to be bringing sponsorship money. It is unclear which companies will appear on the car apart from South African petro-chemical company Sasol which has backed Jordan in recent seasons and is continuing its support of Brian Hart.

Hart joins Arrows from Jordan and has built a brand new 3-liter V8 engine for the coming season.

The FA16 - which will begin testing immediately - has been designed by Arrows technical director Alan Jenkins and his crew at the Arrows Technical Center in Milton Keynes. This includes senior designer Dave Amey, chief engineer Paul Bowen and chief aerodynamicist Dominic Smith.

Despite failing to win a race in its entire F1 history - which dates back to November 1977when it was formed by a breakaway group from the Shadow F1 team. The team name was an acronym for founders: Italian financier Franco Ambrosio (AR), Alan Rees (R), Jackie Oliver (O), Dave Wass (W) and Tony Southgate (S) - the team has an impressive facility, including a 40% windtunnel.

Morbidelli is a useful driver and should do well this year but Inoue arrives in F1 without much of a reputation.The 30-year-old from Tokyo has been racing since 1985, including a brief spell in British FF1600. In 1991 he helped to form Super Nova Racing - of which he is still a director - and this team ran him in Japanese F3 and last year in International F3000.

Super Nova Racing is run by ex-racer David Sears and is based at Griston, Norfolk, England. Sears was involved in negotiations to buy Team Lotus this winter and is expected to enter F1 with a Super Nova team in 1996. We have heard suggestions that Super Nova racing may even buy control of Arrows later this year.