Ten years of the Uniroyal Funcup

Hanover/Zolder, June 2007. The Funcup was born in the year 1997. Initially the racing series was held only in Belgium; later it also became established in France, the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain. To date the PRC Group has built well over 200 vehicles and Franz Dubois, the inventor of the racing car with the looks of the legendary Volkswagen Beetle, still enjoys taking part in the races.

The actual racing activities meant that there was barely any time for a bigger party. The Six Hour Race in Zolder on 2nd/3rd June 2007, which also counted towards the Belgian and German Funcup championship, was the setting for a 'round' anniversary that was celebrated quietly over a lunch provided by PRC. Ten successful years of the Funcup - quite an achievement. And Uniroyal, the manufacturer of the rain tyre, was the tyre partner for the races right from the start.

The simple concept developed by Franz Dubois turned out to be a resounding success. The racing car he designed is based on a tubular frame, a distinguishing feature of thoroughbred motor sports vehicles. He combined his invention with mass-produced components - an engine from the Golf II GT, brakes and gearbox from the Audi 80. To keep things simple, the car had no power steering, power brakes or similar luxuries. In order to give it an appealing exterior, the body was styled along the lines of the VW Beetle and made from glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP). In fact, only the windscreen goes back to the original VW.

The car's enormous rear spoiler, which produces more slipstream than ground pressure, a somewhat fragile front spoiler and tiny headlights, plus all the necessary safety features (sturdy roll cage, safety tank according to FIA standards, five-point safety belts, fire extinguisher) make the layman think that this is a highly customised VW Beetle. The car has a highly conspicuous combination of tyres, with 195/50 R 15 on the front and 205/50 R 15 on the rear. The Uniroyal RainSport 1 tyres currently specified have proved to be both sturdy and suitable for racing on this vehicle, which weighs just 760 kilos when empty. At the Funcup races, the brake pads are more likely to be worn than the tyres, and some teams have managed the extreme 25 hour race (always held in Spa Francorchamps) with just one set of tyres. This is something that has so far surprised all racing professionals and laymen, and if they were not already totally convinced by the product, this certainly did the trick.

The small racer is relatively affordable and yet its driving performance is quite lively. It can go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under seven seconds, and manages a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). Another outstanding feature of the Funcup series is the fact that the car is a strict one-design. At the last race in Zolder, the car with the start number 1 participated - and generally with the Funcup the start number is also the serial number. The straightforward design of these racers means they are easy to repair, which is why even the very early cars only need minor modifications to meet today's regulations.

The rules also specify that the engine and gearbox are sealed to ensure equal opportunities and to keep costs down. Only accredited specialists are permitted to open and overhaul these components. To ensure that no other aspect of the cars has been technically upgraded at great expense to beat the competition, technical officers check before each race that the original status has been maintained.

The Uniroyal FunCup is a brand cup held in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the UK and Spain. In Germany the 760 kg, 130 hp racing cars may be driven by anybody. Under the plastic vehicle body, resembling that of a VW Beetle, are inexpensive mass-produced components in a specially-designed tubular frame. A complete new car costs around 34,000 euros. For further details, check the website http://www.funcup.eu/.

The Belgian rubber goods manufacturer Englebert produced tyres from 1895 and the company's customers included Continental AG. When the firm merged with US Rubber in 1958, it was then known as Uniroyal Englebert. Uniroyal, the inventor of the rain tyre, has been a European brand within the portfolio of Continental AG in Hanover, Germany since 1979.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of tyres, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realised sales of EUR14.9 billion. It currently has a worldwide workforce of around 87,000.