DECEMBER 13, 1999

Arrows joins forces with European Formula

TOM WALKINSHAW's Arrows team has announced that Paul Stoddart's European Formula Racing will become its junior team next season.

TOM WALKINSHAW's Arrows team has announced that Paul Stoddart's European Formula Racing will become its junior team next season. The Formula 3000 team has also announced that it will run Australian rising star Mark Webber and as a result of the deal Webber had his first taste of Formula 1 last week in Barcelona at the wheel of a 1999 Arrows. The 23-year-old from Queanbeyan, near Canberra, was testing a new Pi electronic system which the team will be using in 2000.

In addition to the junior team status European offers Arrows increased production capability as the Ledbury-based operation has an F1-standard factory and equipment, having bought most of the machinery when Tyrrell Racing was closed down at the end of 1998. European's parent company European Aviation will also fly the team to and from races in its VIP aircraft.

The team is expected to run Pedro de la Rosa (with $7m worth of backing from Repsol) and Jos Verstappen (who is rumored to have $7m available for a drive) with Webber expected to be used as the test driver.

The Australian will be joined in the Arrows Junior Team by either British Formula 3 Champion Marc Hynes or South African Thomas Scheckter.