A New Name for Newest Addition to Formula One
Initially Gene Haas called his new Formula One team ‘Haas Formula’ and now he’s introducing a new name – ‘Haas F1 Team.’
The founder of Haas Automation and chairman of the newly renamed Haas F1 Team, Gene Haas opted for the name change to better correlate his team with motor racing’s most prestigious series – the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Although the name is changing, the original name Haas Formula will remain the legal entity. Haas F1 Team is the public and commercial name of the first American-led Formula One team since 1986. The website www.HaasF1Team.com launched today, as did the Facebook page www.Facebook.com/HaasF1Team.
“Haas F1 Team automatically conveys our place among the pinnacle of motorsports,” said Haas, who founded Haas Automation in 1983 and has shaped it into the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. “When you hear ‘F1’ you know exactly what it is – a global racing series that showcases the latest technology and attracts the best talent in engineering and design. Haas Automation has an excellent reputation in the United States and I want that reputation to grow worldwide. Connecting Haas Automation with F1 in name and in practice when the Haas F1 Team debuts in 2016 is the best way to grow our business and elevate Haas Automation to a premium global brand.”
Haas received a Formula One license by FIA in April. Well before then, he broke ground on an 11,600 square-meter – 125,000 square-foot – facility next to Haas’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that will house the Haas F1 Team. Construction will be complete in November.
In addition to Haas F1 Team, Stewart-Haas Racing other Haas’ motorsports holdings include Windshear.
NASCAR fans are familiar with the title-winning Stewart-Haas Racing Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by Haas and three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. They have four teams including Stewart’s No. 14, the No. 10 team of Danica Patrick, No 4 team of Kevin Harvick and the No. 41 team of Kurt Busch. The organization operates out of a 13,000 square-meter – 140,000 square-foot – facility with about 270 employees. Stewart-Haas Racing won the 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship with Stewart.
Windshear is a 290 kph – 180-mph – rolling-wind wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina, that is the first of its kind in North America. Founded by Haas, it is only the third rolling-road wind tunnel of its scale in existence and the world’s first commercially available, full-scale, rolling road wind tunnel. Windshear is available for hire to all motorsports teams and auto manufacturers. NASCAR, IndyCar, sports car and NHRA teams use Windshear, as does the United States Council for Automotive Research – USCAR – which has conducted test on production cars at Windshear.