FEBRUARY 5, 1996

The new Tyrrell

THE Tyrrell Racing Organization unveiled its new Tyrrell-Yamaha 024 last week and the car ran soon afterwards at BrandsÊHatch. It will undergo further testing at Estoril this week.

The car is not revolutionary, although designer Dr Harvey Postlethwaite says it is "without compromise", and should be a big step forward over last year's difficult 023.

Harvey said that the car had been built specifically for the slower circuits - which are now dominant in F1.

"We analyzed the characteristics of all the circuits hosting a Grand Prix," he said, "and it is very enlightening. These days the most common motor racing corner is a second gear 75mph corner."

The car features the exciting new Yamaha V10 engine - and increased backing from Yamaha - and a new six-speed gearbox. The Hydrolink suspension tried last year is not on the car at the moment but will return for the European season.

The one thing missing from the new Tyrrell is sponsorship. There is support from Mild Seven (through Ukyo Katayama) but not a great deal else. We understand that other sponsors such as Korean Air and Nokia are waiting to see how the car performs in testing before they commit themselves to the team.

The Brands Hatch test was run in near freezing conditions but the car ran without a problem.