Formula 1

BAR launches 006 in Barcelona

BAR presented its 2004 challenger at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on the 1st of February and the team believes the 006 will be fighting with the top teams this year. An evolution of its predecessor, the 006 has a stiffer chassis and lower centre ...

Published: Feb 3, 2004, 10:42 AM

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BAR presented its 2004 challenger at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on the 1st of February and the team believes the 006 will be fighting with the top teams this year. An evolution of its predecessor, the 006 has a stiffer chassis and lower centre of gravity, while the new gearbox is a major development. Jenson Button enters his second year with BAR as team leader in 2004 and is partnered by Takuma Sato, who raced for BAR at Suzuka last year.

The new BAR Honda 006.

Photo by LAT Photographic.

Team principal David Richards is determined to be fighting at the front of the grid this season: "As we enter the third year of my tenure at B*A*R, a great deal of the groundwork is behind us and we are now in a position to provide a consistent challenge to the top three teams," he said.

"Our relationship with Honda has developed immeasurably, to the point where we now have a totally integrated engineering team, and the B*A*R Honda 006 is testament to the strength of our partnership. Our driver line-up of Jenson Button and Takuma Sato provides us with an exciting combination of youth, experience and ambition, which has dramatically boosted the team's motivation to succeed."

"The whole operation is moving forward relentlessly and as each week goes by I see our team taking another methodical step towards our long-term goal of front line competitiveness."

Button broke the track record in testing at Barcelona recently, albeit with a light-fueled car, and is sure some podiums will be on the agenda for this season. "2004 looks set to be a very exciting season for us," he said. "Pre-season testing has been going really well and the highlight so far was setting the new lap record in Barcelona two weeks ago. We didn't disguise the fact that we were running low fuel but the purpose of the run was to gauge car performance in that trim. As you can imagine, we were very pleased with the result!"

Anthony Davidson, Jenson Button and Takuma Sato.

Photo by LAT Photographic.

"The car is a major step forward and I feel very confident that the team isn't overstating its expectations for this year when we say we can fight with the top three teams. I think Taku and I will work very well together and hopefully we can look forward to the same kind of results we achieved in Japan. I think this year will definitely bring us podium finishes and, who knows, perhaps my first win as well."

For teammate Sato it will be his second full season in F1, the first being with Jordan in 2002. "I'm very excited about racing with B*A*R this season. Jenson and I will be a strong partnership, the car looks very good and I think we have every reason to feel positive. This will be my second full year of racing in F1 and my first opportunity to build on the valuable lessons I learnt in 2002. In my position as B*A*R third driver last year I had a great opportunity to prepare for this season, so I feel very comfortable that I will be able to play a big part in achieving the team's ambitions."

Anthony Davidson, who has been a tester for BAR the last couple of years, now moves into Sato's previous position as official third driver. "I'm very much looking forward to this year as I will be making the step up from test driver to third driver. For 2004 the team will be allowed to run a third car in the Friday morning practice sessions and that means that I will be playing a key role in the race weekend itself. Jenson and Taku will be conserving their engine mileage on Fridays so it will be down to me to help them with decisions such as tyre choice. In regular testing I will be working very closely with the race drivers on tyre and chassis development. For me getting the chance to learn all the circuits in the calendar takes me one step closer to my goal of a full time race seat."

Technical specifications

Chassis:

Construction: Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure that surpasses latest FIA impact and strength regulations
Front suspension: Wishbone & pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, mechanical anti-roll bar
Rear suspension: Wishbone & pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers, mechanical anti-roll bar
Dampers: Koni
Wheels: BBS forged magnesium. Front: 312mm wide; Rear: 360mm wide
Tyres: Michelin
Brakes: Alcon. Front: 2 x 6-piston calipers; Back: 2 x 6-piston calipers
Brake discs/pads: Carbon/carbon
Steering: B.A.R power assisted Rack & Pinion
Steering wheel: B.A.R carbon fibre construction
Driver's seat: Anatomically formed carbon composite
Seat belts: Six-point harness (75mm shoulder straps with HANS system)
Fuel cell: ATL kevlar-reinforced rubber bladder
Fuel capacity: 150 litre
Battery: 3Ah Lead Acid
Instrumentation: B.A.R steering wheel dash display

Engine

Name: Honda RA004E
Displacement: 3.0 litres
Configuration: V10, naturally aspirated
Vee angle: 90 degrees
Maximum power: Over 900 ps
Maximum revs: Over 18,500 rpm
Valve train: 4 valves per cylinder; pneumatic valve system
Injection system: Honda PGM-FI
Throttle system: Electronic hydraulically-operated system
Ignition system: Honda PGM-IG

Transmission
Gearbox: B.A.R maincase - 7-speed unit, Honda & XTrac internals
Gear selection: Sequential, semi-automatic, hydraulic activation
Clutch: Carbon plate

Dimensions
Front track: 1460mm
Rear track: 1420mm
Wheel base: 3140mm
Overall length: 4465mm
Overall height: 950mm
Overall width: 1800mm

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