The Formula One teams are in for a juggle in 2015 with
the Formula One racing governing body FIA confirming that it has accepted an
application from Gene Haas to enter a new team in the F1 world championship.
This was confirmed on the Formula One website.
According to the news on the F1 site, the American NASCAR
team owner’s entry was granted after a lengthy evaluation process and the new squad
now hopes to be on the grid for the 2015 season.
“Obviously, we’re extremely pleased to have been granted
a Formula One license by the FIA,” commented Haas, adding, “It’s an exciting time for me, Haas Automation
and anyone who wanted to see an American team return to Formula One.
“Now, the really hard work begins. It’s a challenge we
embrace as we work to put cars on the grid. I want to thank the FIA for this
opportunity and the diligence everyone put forth to see our license application
come to fruition.”
The FIA said that other applications “of a high standard”
had been received to join the F1 grid and that it is in the process of
conducting further investigations for another potential new team, Forza Rossa.
According to information on GeneHaas.com, Haas learned the metalworking trade at an early age,
working in local machine shops throughout high-school and college. A few years
after graduating, Haas opened his own shop where he machined parts for the
electronics and aerospace industries. It was there that he developed the
industry’s first fully programmable collet indexer – a device that
automatically re-positions parts for machining. In 1983, Haas formed Haas Automation,
Inc., to manufacture and distribute the patented device.
Over the next 4 years, Gene Haas expanded the product
line to include a full line of programmable indexers and rotary tables, making
Haas Automation the leader in 4th- and 5th-axis parts positioning.
Today, Haas Automation is America’s leading CNC machine
tool manufacturer.
Gene Haas formed his NASCAR racing team, Haas CNC Racing,
in 2002 with cars and technical support from Hendrick Motorsports. In 2008,
Gene Haas announced he would join forces with NASCAR legend Tony Stewart to
form a new team: Stewart-Haas Racing. Ryan Newman, the 2008 Daytona 500
Champion, joined the Stewart-Haas Racing team as Stewart’s driver-teammate for
the inaugural 2009 season. Both Stewart-Haas Racing team drivers finished in
the Top-10 for the 2009 racing season – an almost-unheard-of feat for a
first-season NASCAR team.
Gene Haas created the non-profit Gene Haas Foundation in
1999 to help fund community humanitarian causes. The Gene Haas Foundation has
provided more than $8.5 million in contributions, grants, and gifts to more
than 800 non-profit and charitable community organizations.
The Gene Haas Foundation supports organizations that
provide educational opportunities, and programs that shelter the homeless and
help feed hungry families. The Gene Haas Foundation contributes to
organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, The American Red
Cross, the YMCA, and many others, to strengthen local, state, and international
communities.
Haas Automation India headquarters is strategically
located in Navi Mumbai to provide customers throughout India with the best
sales, applications, and service support in the industry. Its modern 8000 ft2
(743 m2) headquarters warehouses an extensive inventory of nationalized spare
parts, and includes dedicated training areas and repair facilities staffed by
factory-trained and Haas-certified personnel. The Haas India facility also
features a showroom stocked with the latest Haas machines running demonstrations
and customer test applications.
Picture copyright
Nascar / Source: Formula One, Haas Automation