Friday March 31st, 2000

By Alan Baldwin

Arrows, following in the slipstream of McLaren, unveiled a two-seater Formula One car on Friday and promised a select few the Grand Prix ride of a lifetime.

The arrival of the Arrows, two years after McLaren built the world's first Formula One two-seater, opened up for the first time the possibility of two such cars taking to the track at once.

"It's a complete Formula One car but its obviously completely re-engineered and its longer," said team principal Tom Walkinshaw at his headquarters in central England.

The team, who hold the record for the number of Formula One races entered without ever having won (339), said their car -- which positions the passenger with his or her legs around the driver -- would offer a better view of the action than the McLaren.

"I'm quite happy that our passenger has a better view than the McLaren's passenger and also is completely able to independently (get out of) the car without requiring the driver to come out first," said Australian Paul Stoddart, boss of the Arrows F3000 junior team.

"It's been designed completely with passenger safety in mind."

Walkinshaw was coy about what kind of engine the car had but joked that he would not be going for a ride "because there are too many drivers who want to get their own back".

But he later admitted he hoped for a spin around Silverstone with one of the high-speed chauffeurs "once they have got over the initial urge to terrorise everyone".

McLaren have until now been the only team able to offer sponsors and guests a ride, after building the Mercedes-powered MP4-98T in 1998.

Some 30 guests to sample the car's ferocious acceleration and braking during the quieter moments of a grand prix weekend have included King Juan Carlos of Spain and violinist Vanessa Mae.

Mark Webber, Arrows's Australian test driver who is also competing in Formula 3000 this season, is likely to spend most time behind the wheel whenever the two-seater makes its first public appearance.

"If you're going to allocate track time for one of these things, for the McLaren, you may as well allocate for two of them to take the same track time up," said Stoddart.

Other drivers will be Formula One regulars Jos Verstappen of the Netherlands -- who has already asked to take his wife out in it -- and Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa along with Dutch Formula 3000 challenger Christijan Albers and Stoddart.

Arrows would have had the car ready earlier but a big crash suffered by Brazilian Pedro Diniz, who escaped injury when his Sauber landed upside down at the Nuerburgring last season, sent them back to the drawing board with a first chassis almost finished.

The car was strengthened and the passenger and driver separated by a central bulkhead made of 317 layers of solid carbon.