The Tatuus N.T07 (also known as the Formula S2000, Tatuus IFM or Formula N.T07) is a formula racecar designed by

Tatuus Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis. History The Tatuus ...

for the

International Formula Master International Formula Master, also known as Formula Super 2000, was a European-based junior single seater formula. The series was conceived as a competitor for Formula Three and made its debut at Valencia in 2007. European television channel Euros ...

Technical

The car is designed by joined effort of Tatuus and N.Technology. N.Technology also created the International Formula Master. The car was designed to meet

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backst ...

Formula 3 Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...

safety standards. The

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

, bodywork and aerodynamic components are made out of

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

. Most of the mechanical elements are constructed out of aluminium. The car features a

Sadev Sadev is a French company that designs and manufactures transmission systems for racing and high-performance vehicles. Precision machining subcontractor and motorsports enthusiast Benoît Vincendeau established Sadev in 1974. By the early 1980 ...

6-speed

sequential gearbox A sequential manual transmission, also known as a sequential gearbox, or a sequential transmission, is a type of non-synchronous manual transmission used mostly for motorcycles and racing cars. It produces faster shift times than traditional s ...

Engine

The engine was based on a production Honda K20A engine. For the first season the engine was tuned by Heini Mader Racing. The engine meets

Super 2000 Super 2000 is an FIA powertrain specification used in the World Rally Championship, the British Touring Car Championship, the World Touring Car Championship, and other touring car championships. The engines were originally 2 L naturally aspirate ...

regulations, like the WTCC the IFM supports.

Hybrid system

The car and engine were designed to allow a hybrid system in the future. The idea of a

hybrid engine A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids. The basic princip ...

for the race series were formed in the early stages of development of the car. But in 2006 the hybrid technology was not well enough developed to be used in formula racing. The concept uses

regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...

(a system like KERS in

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

). The stored energy would result in a 10% gain in engine performance and improved fuel consumption. The hybrid system remained in its concept phase.

Competition history

The cars first competitive outing was during preseason testing at

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

Scuderia Fama Scuderia means ''stable'' (noun) in the Italian language. It has entered English usage mainly through professional auto racing, in which many Italian teams incorporate the term in their names. "Scuderia" may refer to: * Scuderia Ferrari, a curren ...

driver Luca Persiani was fasted driver. During a demonstration run, before the first ever International Formula Master race, driver

Bruno Senna Bruno Senna Lalli (, born 15 October 1983) is a Brazilian professional racing driver. He is the nephew of the late Ayrton Senna, three-time Formula One world champion. He is also the first man to win a race in every WEC class, and was the 2017 W ...

crashed the car. There was significant damage to the car but Bruno Senna was unhurt. The final outing was during afterseason testing in 2009. At the

Hungaroring The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtain. Bernie Ecclestone wan ...

Swede

Philip Forsman Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

drove the fastest time during the last testing session for AR Motorsport. Tatuus produced a total of 50 N.T07's.

Current status

After the dissolution of the International Formula Master the car was initially retired from racing. One of the cars was entered in the 2010 EuroBOSS Series season by Swiss driver Jean-Pierre Clement. The Tatuus N.T07 is a regular competitor in the V de V Single Seater Challenge where it competes against old and new Formula Renault 2.0 cars. The car is also seen in

hillclimbing Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the fir ...

competitions in

Group E2.

References

{{Tatuus International Formula Master Open wheel racing cars