Forum topic: What is the point in the feeder series having 2 spots?

What is the point in the feeder series having 2 spots if we can only contract one test driver to properly drive in it?

If we have extra drivers or more reserves than spaces available, they get contract pissy. That is a fact.

So what is the point in the feeder - is it literally a stop gap from when, say, a youth driver reaches Over 18 and can't race in a youth series any longer and you need to hold him until you can sign him in a more senior role?

Or just to keep a tester on his toes to see if he is main driver worthy?

Surely we should increase the test driver space to two official testers to make use of the ability to rotate or utilise the two youth spaces that are coming into age.

Either way, why have two feeder spots and technically only one driver that can race in it within contract? (the tester)

Should we not have a feeder clause in the contract that allows them to still race?

test driver is third driver and i agree should be able to take part in the feeder races

Feeder is to allow drivers over 18 to still be used now. If it stayed the way it was, only a few drivers would ever race again after they hit 18.

I thought I read somewhere that Frank had, or was going to, made it that a test driver role change wouldn't hurt synergy.

Regardless of that, I have multiple test drivers, and I run 2 of them each week in the feeder race.

This is what I mean Matthew, we can contractually only retain one tester to race in the feeder, the other is subject to no contract once, for example, an U18 slot expires, meaning that 18 year old is not able to be signed and can be poached. When you train these youths for many seasons what if one is not ready to jump to the main team and you need to wait a season or two for other contracts to end. You would also want to see them as adults in a competitive environment against a benchmark. You spent years training, then can't have a slot for them yet.

We may end up having multiple U18 youths in a team still but no binding contract as they sit floating year on year when they expire the age category.

Surely two contracted main series test roles would be logical? There are already 4 car spaces in the garage. There are two feeder places per age category all the way up.

Signing as a tester with feeder race clauses keeps them racing and happy. It gives a manager that season or two grace period to trial or end the current contracts in place.