BNT Polaris Motorsport

Michael Stephanie (Lead Mechanic)

**BNT Polaris Motorsport** is a team currently competing in Formula A that previously competed in the now-defunct IFS. The team is one of the most recent on the grid, being formed by large venture-capital investor groups with large amounts of sponsor money backing them. They would prove to be competitive immediately, being at the top of the grid since their inception. Black Night Technologies, or BNT, is their title sponsor, providing most of their computing solutions and having the largest stake in the team.

## **History**

### Formation

The idea for Polaris Motorsport was started by former Kruse executive Robin Visser. Responsible for the company’s motorsport division during his tenure, he oversaw the development of the dominant DTRS program, IFS engine program, and parts of the AOWR program. With his connections, Polaris’s connections with Kruse would become integral to their history. Well-versed in the business and engineering side of motorsport, he recruited top designer Harry Li, responsible for creating the Barzetti BR-2000 to BR-2005 and fueling the most dominant run in IFS history. Along with working with Barzetti, he had also worked in the past with McKenzie and SAMB, making his resume stand out among any other possible candidates. After securing funding from then-title sponsor Howler Energy, an American energy drink brand that stood out by making many publicity stunts with extreme sports brands, they would also recruit genius mechanic Michael Stephanie and many famous engineers from across the racing world. Emilia Kristensen, the current technical director of Espada, who helped design many dominant prototype racers at the time, would also join the project. Polaris teased its introduction in 2007, hinting at it through many leaked articles discussing the formation of a new IFS team with many surprising departures from engineers from various teams in the racing world. The biggest shocker would come with the surprise announcement of Flavio Torres’s departure from Tsukuda after only 2 seasons with them and the signing of an up-and-coming talent from the UK, Alex Thompson. Polaris would reveal itself at the Geneva Auto Show in 2007, sporting a striking purple livery that would catch everyone’s attention.

### IFS - 2008: Growing Pains

In their debut season in 2008, the team would come into pre-season testing with a low drag setup that seemed to benefit most of the tracks on the calendar outside the tighter street circuits. The car was radically different from the aerodynamic approaches that many other teams went with, however, it did not seem to be as competitive as initially thought. After placing 9th in terms of mileage with many reliability issues, Torres was able to post the 4th fastest time of the weekend and Thompson wasn’t further off. The car would prove to be quick, with the cars coming to the first round in Australia starting 4th and 5th on the grid, however, neither would end up finishing the race due to a crash from Thompson on lap 32 and an engine failure with just 3 laps to go from Torres. Reliability would plague the car from achieving many good results in the first half of the season, switching to a B-spec car with a more traditional layout midway through the season. The B-spec car proved to be slower than the A-spec car, however, the reliability was a virtue, and they were much more consistent. Overall, it was good for 5th in the constructors’ championship in their first season, with Torres finishing 7th in the drivers’ championship in the new outing.

### IFS - 2009-10: Birth of a Titan

Now with more momentum behind them with experience under their belt, Polaris set out to create a much better car for the 2009 season. With a more refined design, they would immediately prove competitive once again, however, they would pale in comparison relative to the dominant Tsukuda cars, bringing in revolutionary aerodynamic technology in the form of the double diffuser. In the opening rounds, they would score their first 2 podiums of the team’s history, with Torres taking both. The team would slowly trail back into the middle portion of 2009, taking a step back to the rapidly developing SAMB and Barzetti cars, as they would come late to the party with their version of the double diffuser. The car proved fast, however, not fast enough to keep up with the front runners. They would score their first win in IFS history at Belgium that year, taking it in an incredibly tough race full of carnage and changeable conditions. Despite the major improvement in form, it would only be enough for 5th in the constructors’ and 6th in the drivers’ championship. Thompson would depart for McKenzie at the end of the season. Heading into the 2010 regulations change, Polaris would attempt to discreetly sign many staff from Tsukuda and gain confidential information about their 2010 plans, with the head Technical Director of Tsukuda, Oreki Hoshino being the whistleblower for the entire plan. This would culminate in the 2010 Gatecrash Scandal, referring to the large sums of money that Polaris used to attempt to gain the information. Despite a positive 2010 season, where Polaris would finish 5th in the championship and a record-high 5th in the drivers’ championship with Torres in his final season, they would be disqualified from the constructor’s championship for the scandal, being in breach of multiple WMA regulations. Robin Visser would be suspended from motorsport for 3 years for the scandal, and new team principal Cameron Bennett would take over, coming from Director of Competition at Barzetti, claiming that he had become disillusioned with the team’s bureaucratic nature.

### IFS - 2011-18: Consistent Title Contention

The team would come back with a vengeance in 2011, with Harry Li developing a new floor and bargeboards design that worked incredibly well, placing them confidently 3rd in pre-season testing, a result that would follow them with a record high 3rd in the constructors’ championship with new drivers Jordan Smith and Toomas Saar. The driver pairing would enter the 5 car title races in 2011 through 2013, where they would achieve consistent top-level results. Toomas Saar would leave for McKenzie at the end of 2013. They would rack up a total of 9 wins between 2011 and 2013, seating themselves confidently at the front of the grid heading into 2014. After a record 2nd in the constructor’s championship, capitalizing on a faltering Barzetti, Smith would leave the team, leaving them to sign Polish hopeful Leo Kotowicz and German Nico Holzmann, going into the twilight of his career. In 2015, the team would once again fight for the title against SAMB, as Barzetti struggled again, and McKenzie suffered from a slow start to the season. Leo Kotowicz proved himself to be invaluable to the team, while Holzmann still provided good results. They would change to BNT as their title sponsor, breaking their contract with Howler Energy as they went bankrupt. 2016 would prove a worse season for Polaris, with reliability issues plaguing them all season, preventing them from catching the SAMB and Barzetti cars. As they headed into the 2017 season, Holzmann would announce his retirement at the end of the year, saying goodbye to an 17-year-long career. The title fight would come down to the wire between Jordan Smith, Javier Salas, and Leo Kotowicz, with Smith taking the title by 5 points. With Holzmann out, Polaris would sign Jean-Marc Martin, a young French superstar who had proved himself in NAFS. After another decent season in 2018, Polaris would come into 2019 with one target: To win no matter what.

### IFS – 2019-2021: Champions

2019 would see Polaris produce their fastest car yet, with the dynamic duo of Kotowicz and Martin taking the first 4 races of the season dominantly, with 3 of the finishes being 1-2s. As the season progressed, their iron hold on the championship would loosen, but Kotowicz would still clinch the title 2 rounds early with a healthy lead. Martin would follow suit with an incredible 2020, and Kotowicz would once again take the title in 2021. Polaris would pull out of IFS at the end of the season, citing cost concerns and Kruse’s priorities into becoming a factory effort as main concerns.

### Transition to Formula A

The team would rejoin the Formula A champion as a Kruse customer once again, proving to be competitive immediately with Floris Van Velzen taking the driver’s championship in the inaugural season.