Race for Superleague Formula Seats Hots Up
Nine Superleague Formula teams yesteday shook down their machines in preparation for next week’s opening round of the inaugural football-themed motor racing championship.
Premier League clubs Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur hit the track for the first time with test drivers James Walker (World Series by Renault) and Jimmy Auby (Spanish F3) behind the wheel.
Other clubs at Donington included PSV Eindhoven, Al Ain, Rangers, FC Porto, Sevilla and AS Roma. The Superleague Formula development prototype was also on hand for drivers to sample.
The Donington shakedown attracted a number of drivers looking to find a seat in the new championship including former Champ Car World Series race winner Nelson Philippe.
The Frenchman took the opportunity to drive the series prototype entry for the first time, albeit on a damp track after afternoon showers hit the circuit. Fellow ex-Champ Car racer Dan Clarke was also on-site at Donington, showing interest in participating in the series. Another Champ Car driver from last year, Tristan Gommendy, made his debut in the FC Porto car.
AS Roma racer Enrico Toccacelo was the busiest man on track, completing laps during both the morning and afternoon sessions.
“This was an important day for us because I have never been to Donington before – it really is a beautiful circuit,” Toccacelo said.
“The car was really nice in the dry this morning and it was also vital to get some damp track running in preparation for next week. We probably did more laps than anybody that is very important for our preparation.
“I’m really looking forward to the first race next week.”
Recently confirmed Sevilla FC driver Borja Garcia headed to Donington after being introduced to the players at his football club during the week.
“The car this morning in the dry had a little bit of understeer and we didn’t do a lot of laps,” Garcia said.
“We were able to get plenty of track time in the damp during the afternoon and it was very challenging to drive, lots of power so you have to be very careful. After another day in the car now I’m really starting to feel comfortable.”
The Superleague Formula teams will return to the track next Thursday for the final pre-season test before the opening round of the championship.
More driver confirmations are expected in the days ahead with the highly sought after seats for home-town favourites Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur soon to be locked in.
A1GP Season Delayed Until Zandvoort, Netherlands Round
A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has moved A1GP Mugello, Italy from the opening round of the 2008/09 championship following a delay in the build schedule of the new chassis. The first time all the nations will be seen in action will now be on the 4 – 5 October at A1GP Zandvoort, Netherlands.
The series set itself a tight schedule with less than 11 months to design, build and test the new car and make sure all the teams received identical machinery. Any delays in the schedule were always going to impact on the ability to deliver to all the teams.
“It was always going to be an optimistic programme but we were confident we could achieve it. This in no way reflects on the work undertaken by the technical team and our partners, as it was due to circumstances beyond their control. I also want to thank all our technical partners for their support during our intensive testing programme, and especially Ferrari for the supply of engines,” said A1GP Chief Executive Officer, Pete da Silva.
“We now have to concentrate on what we have ahead of us rather than behind. We still have some great announcements to make. In the near future we shall be able to announce our full race calendar, as well as some deals that will enhance the overall package we are presenting to our fans for Season Four,” said da Silva.
Interesting… for what’s not said. This delay is a far cry from a short few days ago when series officials were touting the structural integrity of the new car and only cited “a small number of engine software issues to finalise” before the start of the season.
Maybe I’m looking to deep and it’s only “a delay in the build schedule,” unrelated to any technical issue, but you have to wonder why. The car is nothing more than an old and tried and true Ferrari design why the hell wasn’t in the hands of the teams at a date they could complete the build process?
Related articles:
- A1GP Season Preview and Rumorville
- First image of Ferrari’s A1GP single-seater released
- A1 Team Malaysia Mechanic Heads to the U.K.
- Carlin to Run A1GP Team South Korea
Gold Coast Indy Track Starts to Take Shape
The Gold Coast is a step closer to the 2008 Nikon Indy 300 today; after the first step in construction for the street circuit was completed ahead of the October race.
Nikon Indy 300 Event Director David Bennett was joined on the Gold Coast Highway by reigning Bartercard Miss Indy Kate Hockly as the first pedestrian bridge was put in place near Tedder Avenue, with the focus ahead of the event being on accommodating for the changing needs of the IndyCar series.
“We are continually looking for ways to improve our motorsport precinct design to keep its working as efficiently as possible, and that process has continued this year,” Bennett said. “With 24 cars coming here from the IndyCar Series, nine more than we have had in recent years, that has required some changes such as more pit bays and team sheds for instance, so that has been a challenge for the design.
“We are now happy with how we have been able to accommodate the series; however the racers aren’t the only ones for who changes have been made.
“The spectators certainly haven’t been forgotten with a new addition to the precinct for them – the XXXX Gold Retreat will feature on drivers’ right at the exit from turn two.
“The Retreat has been a big hit with fans at V8 Supercar rounds across the country so far this year, so everyone here at the Nikon Indy 300 is very excited about giving our spectators the chance to get on board.”
Amongst the things to be put in place ahead of the race are over 2,500 concrete barriers, 100km of cabling, nine pedestrian bridges, four over-track signs, seven big screens and 500 televisions..
A1 Team Malaysia Mechanic Heads to the U.K.
A1 Team Malaysia is revving up for the new season with the new car “build” set to start next week. Malaysian mechanic, Shanker Ramachandran, will leave his idyllic island hideaway in Penang on Sunday and will travel to the UK to start preparing for the new season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.
Ramachandran has enjoyed relaxing at home in the break between seasons, but is keen to be back racing again next month. Before the first race in Mugello, Italy, in September, the 33 year-old and his colleagues need to have everything ready. Ramachandran will head to Bognor Regis in the South of England to start working alongside the other A1GP teams at the technical production facility there. With a new car being introduced for this season Ramachandran and mechanics from other teams will receive comprehensive training on the unique features of the new car.
This induction will be followed with a series of seminars at the A1GP Technical Centre at Silverstone Circuit, with mechanics from each of the nation’s teams being given training in three aspects of the car; gearbox, electronics and parts maintenance, all of which are supplied by companies new to the Series and all of which have specific technical knowledge requirements.
The car “build” will continue for the following three weeks in preparation for the A1 Team Malaysia shakedown and first test session at Donington in the second week of September. Ramachandran will use this time to familiarise himself with the car and build his knowledge of all its component parts.
Ramachandran says of heading to the UK, “It seems so long since I was enjoying the frenetic, adrenalin-pumping pit lane in A1GP and I’ve really missed it. It’s a much slower pace of life at home and as much as I love working on my new house and seeing my family, I’m addicted to A1 Team Malaysia and working on the car of our national team.
“I’m really looking forward to this season. The new car will present a new challenge on a number of different levels. There will be lots of new parts on the car and different procedures, so it’ll be a learning curve for all of us, but I think there’s always more to learn, so it’s one of the attractions of working in motor racing. We’re heading off to some new venues this season, so I’ll visit countries that I haven’t seen and I’ll enjoy that as well. But above all this, I just love going racing!”
Ramachandran, one of three Malaysian nationals working trackside with A1 Team Malaysia has been with the team since the start of the series.
A1 Team Malaysia will be back out on track at the first round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, in Mugello, Italy, from 19 - 21 September.
A1GP Season Preview and Rumorville
This one’s wild hold onto your hats (and helmets).
There has been a rumor floated about A1Team USA being bought out by Andretti (of Andretti Green Racing) AND fielding the team with Marco Andretti, and Danica Patrick during the winter months.
I don’t really buy the story although it would be a good way for AGR to stay active during IndyCar’s off season.
And it damn sure couldn’t hurt A1 Team USA, anything is an improvement over the teams mostly mid-pack finishes over the last three years.
I might even buy, if only a little, keeping Marco active and on track during the winter, but The Danica? I fail to see that possibility, she’s been pretty adamant and downright giddy about the relatively short IndyCar season, one of the primary reasons I believe she didn’t complete the jump to NASCAR.
Anyway, and leaving rumorville for reality, there have been a few changes as A1GP enters its fourth season of competition.
The biggest change of course is the car itself as it features a new Ferrari designed powerplant and body that is essentially a Ferrari clone of a few seasons ago.
The sporting regs have been slightly modified as well. The Sprint Race distance has been lengthened from 9 to 24 minutes plus one lap and a second mandatory pitstop has been added that must be completed between laps four and eight.
A note on the new car: During the recent test session at Magny-Cours Patrick Friesacher had a crash caused by a suspension failure.
The ex-Formula One driver crashed heavily at the high-speed Estoril curve when the right-rear top wishbone failed. He suffered three crushed vertebrae which was believed to have been caused by a heavy landing.
The component breakage is why the scheduled pre-season test at Silverstone for all the A1Teams had been canceled, only the test cars will now use this session, with testing now moved on to Donington Park September 9-11 2008.
John Wickham, A1GP’s technical director told Autosport: “The component that failed had been on the car since the beginning of the test program and had already covered 5000km. That is part of the reason we go testing.”
In team news A1 Team Korea join the series this year for the first time. The team will operate under the Carlin Motorsport banner who previously collaborated with A1Teams Japan, Portugal and Lebanon.
The primary driver will be Hwang Jin-Woo, 25, a former single-seat racer who currently competes in the Japanese Super GT Series. He will be backed up by promising 18-year-old driver Sung-Hak Mun, who currently races in the UK in Formula Renault.
There have also been unconfirmed reports of both A1 Team Japan and Russia returning to the series. Also unconfirmed is A1 Teams Lebanon and Pakistan leaving the series.
The 2008-09 schedule fololows and you will note the U.S. is again missing for the second consecutive season. (Stupid! - ed) Just as idiotic, Australia has also been dropped from the schedule for the first time since series inception.
Mugello, Italy 19 - 21 September 2008.
Zandvoort, Netherlands 03 - 05 October 2008.
Jakarta, Indonesia 07 - 09 November 2008.
Sepang, Malaysia November 2008.
China 12 - 14 December 2008.
New Zealand, Taupo 23 - 25 January 2009.
South Africa 20 - 22 February 2009.
Mexico City, Mexico 13 - 15 March 2009.
TBA 27 - 29 March 2009.
Algarve, Portugal 10 - 12 April 2009.
A1GP Great Britain (Silverstone or Brands Hatch?) 01 - 03 May 2009.
Cross posted @ Full Throttle
Technorati Tags: Carlin Motorsports, A1 Team Japan, A1GP, World Cup of Motorsport
2008 Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race
Three days before the official closing date, event organizer Sepang International Circuit (SIC) has received a total of 74 entries for the Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance race (MME) including a full grid of 20 cars for Class A for production cars above 1900cc.
“As of to-date, we already have 19 entries for the open class; 20 for Class A; 15 for Class B for cars between 1601cc to 1900cc and 20 from cars below 1600cc in Class C. We should be having more than the permitted 77 cars when comes qualifying on August 29,” says SIC Press Officer Azhar Ghazali.
Last year, SIC had a record entry of 103 cars, which was later reduced to 77 for the actual race as according to the maximum number of cars permitted by the FIA circuit license for a rolling start.
In an effort to enhance safety and enjoyment for the fans, SIC had revised the quota for qualifying for the 2008 race with the open class and Class A taking the biggest share with 20 entries each. Class B and Class C, which used to be allowed a maximum of 26 entries each, had been reduced to 19 and 18 respectively.
While the closing date for submission of entries had been set on August 16, the organizers would still accept late entries up to August 28 but with a penalty of RM1000. Registration fees for Class A and the open class are set at RM4,000 while for Class B and C teams pay RM3,500 and RM3,000 respectively.
“If we go by experience and the overwhelming response to the event this year, the number of entries for 2008 should exceed last year’s total of 103. We have a lot of new entries this year and a lot of interest from the international teams, said Azhar, adding that the entries included two Aston Martin Vantage race cars from Hong Kong and a trio of top Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers – William E. Connor, Alain Li and Matthew Marsh.
“The list is very impressive – there’s a host of Porsche RSR and Lotus machines. We will also see the return of the Petronas Syntium Team, which narrowly lost the race last year after leading up to the 11th hour. The Honda Malaysia Racing Team should be favourite again for Class A. The battle in Class B and Class C, on the other hand, have always been close and thrilling. We should be seeing a great race this year,” Azhar added.
Among the men would be an all-ladies team of Red Bull Rookies, which would be making their debut in the race in a Honda DC2 for Class B; featuring Puteri Ayu Jasmin, Norlina Johor, Norbaizura Ruslan and Leona Chin.
Open Letter To V8 Chairman Tony Cochrane
Editor’s note: Say hi and welcome to Australia’s Peter G. He has been a long-time commenter at my affiliate siteFull Throttle and has gotten the “bug,” (read, pissed off) to write this open letter to V8 Supercars boss Tony Cochrane concerning his letter relating to the Gold Coast IndyCar event scheduling.
As a side note, Peter may be my eyes on the ground so to speak as he has tentative plans to attend F1’s first night race in Singapore. With luck he may be filing on scene reports from Lion City.
So without further adieu I give you Peter G.
I apologise in advance if the tone of this open letter from V8 boss, Tony Cochrane, regarding the Gold Coast Indy sounds like American bashing, he really should have used the words Tony George or IRL instead of nationality.
It would appear that TG in his infinite wisdom does not value one of the longest running & best supported races on the calendar. The IRL’s apparent refusal to accept the reasons as to why the date can’t be moved may see the event dropped by the Queensland Government.
I confess that I have broken my vow, to only say nice things about the new merged series, & I’am almost at the stage of saying please don’t bother coming. Why, you ask?
Firstly, it is an insult to not run the event as a points scoring round, no explanation is necessary as to why it has earned its place on the championship. It devalues the event, enough said.
Secondly, to be blunt, the IRL should be grateful that a race with a proud history of hosting a quality product i.e. Lola’s, Reynard’s & Penske’s with drivers like Mario Andretti, Emerson, Nigel, Juan, Alex & Jimmy etc, should feature (in this merged re-building season) a second rate offering. With no disrespect to Mr Dallara, the current chassis/engine road course car is an embarrassment to watch. Nor is this Honda’s fault, as that engine was never meant for this type of racing. The cars don’t hold a candle to other F3000 type series GP2, A1GP or WsbR.
Considering the Gold Coast was prepared to accept this sub standard offering, while the league found it’s feet & a new car to handle the demands of ovals, road course, street & super speedways, it is naïve (if not plain ignorant) to not accommodate the Gold Coast’s wishes regarding dates.
I’m getting the feeling that Tony George does not understand or value this event, or that he is not the only player in the field. The implicit threat of “other” international series can only mean A1GP, or even the high quality GP2ASIA, which feature the exact same teams that compete in the F1/Euro/GP2 & exactly half of the drivers from that series.
If the IRL will not abide by the Gold Coast wishes then I am 90% convinced Tony George should be shown the door, & supplant the “packed to the rafter’s” weekend with the V8’s & A1GP.
Maybe Australia does not feature on the radar of Tony’s vision for the future of American Open Wheel. If so, it was great having the old CART/Champ boys down here since 1991 & we can go our own way & the “new” IRL can go its own. What a pity that the direction of American Open Wheel was passed on to this generation of the Hulman family. Lucky sperm club for one & unlucky race fans for the rest of us.
Peter G.
Cross Posted @ Full Throttle
Technorati Tags: Tony Cochrane, V8 Supercars, IRL, IndyCar, Gold Coast, Gold Coast Indy
A Message from Marcos Ambrose
Hi everyone,
Well, we did it.
Winning the Nationwide race on Saturday at Watkins Glen was a massive relief and a huge celebration all in one. Coming from the back to get third in the Cup race on Sunday was just as satisfying.
It’s been a crazy few days since I got home, with lots of media and work to do. I appeared on ESPN on Monday night from the JTG Daugherty Racing shop on the NASCAR Now program. Friends back home have said that the media interest in Australia was great as well, which is sensational to hear because obviously the Olympics are on so our Aussie swimmers are the centre of attention, and rightly so – they’re doing great. But it’s nice to get recognised back home despite being on the other side of the world for almost three years now.
I’ve really got to thank everyone who has called, sent text messages, left voicemail messages and sent emails over the past few days. I’m very, very grateful for all the messages that have flooded in and it means a lot. The phone has been going flat out and I can’t keep up with all the emails … it’s a great problem to have.
It’s been great to see so many messages come from Australia, and even New Zealand. When I first came across to NASCAR it was always my intention to try and educate the Aussie fans on NASCAR so that they were all part of the journey. That the fans back home got as much of a kick out of Saturday’s win as I did means a huge amount, believe me. I’m very lucky to have such great fans.
It’s also been fantastic to receive congratulations from so many people here in the US. To have American NASCAR fans come up and say that they are following my progress is just awesome and to be honest it blows me away a little bit.
Victory Lane on Saturday was a great feeling and to have guys like Jack Roush and Kyle Busch come and shake my hand made me feel like I’ve earned their respect. The NASCAR garage is full of some great people and I’m privileged to be a part of it.
To finally get my first win was a great reward for my team owners Tad and Jodi Geschickter, who hired me and gave me a chance before I had even raced in NASCAR. To give them a win was a great feeling because I owe them a lot. It was great to have our team’s newest owner, Brad Daugherty, there in Victory Lane as well. He’s a great guy and it was a lot of fun to see the smile on his face.
I could not have wished in my wildest dreams to have better sponsors. The people at Kingsford and the entire Clorox company have been fantastic with their support and I am proud to represent them on and off the track.
It’s has also been a buzz to race in the Little Debbie car and to get to know the McKee family and the people at McKee Foods. I’ve run three Cup races now and I look forward to running many more for Little Debbie. I’m a lucky guy to have great sponsors who are significant American companies and I appreciate them getting behind an Australian driver who is trying to make his way in NASCAR.
The Nationwide race was really a big relief because I’ve been so close to delivering everyone a win but not had everything fall into place. That happened perfectly on Saturday and now I’ve got the monkey off my back.
Then the next day I really had to focus and put the celebrations behind me because I had a job to do for Wood Brothers and Little Debbie. The Woods crew chief David Hyder and his guys did a great job and they’re really smart people, so to get it home third after passing cars all day was great for that team.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget sitting in that race car for half an hour or whatever it was during the red flag. I kept looking ahead, then glancing back in the mirror, and seeing the numbers of the cars around me. Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart were just ahead, Montoya just behind and I could see all these other guys around me. I though to myself “I remember watching these guys on TV back home – what am I doing here?” That’s just about the biggest thing for me, that I can run with those guys and have their respect. It was quite a weekend, that’s for sure.
Now I’m off to Michigan to try and keep the #59 car climbing up the order in points. That I’m back in the top 10 in Nationwide points kind of got lost in the whole deal over the weekend. That’s a very important goal for me and I think it is a great reflection on Gary Cogswell, my crew chief on the #59, because since he came onto this car he’s got the boys working really well and turned things around.
We will try to qualify the #21 car for the Wood Brothers again in Michigan. There are 44 cars going so one will go home. The pressure is on but I think that the momentum and confidence we got from our road course performance can carry over to an oval and fingers crossed we can get in the show and run a good, consistent race and be there in the end.
Michigan is a nice track, really fast and wide with flowing sort of corners. It’s a big place and I’m looking forward to running a Cup car there.
So again, thanks for your support everyone and I hope I can bring home both cars with strong results this weekend at Michigan to keep this good run going.
Cheers
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Standings – After Race 24 of 35
1. Clint Bowyer 3448
2. Brad Keselowski 3320
3. Carl Edwards 3274
4. David Reutimann 3158
5. David Ragan 3147
6. Mike Bliss 3068
7. Kyle Busch 3003
8. Mike Wallace 2845
9. Jason Leffler 2784
10. Marcos Ambrose 2776
Carlin to Run A1GP Team South Korea
British race team Carlin Motorsport have entered into a partnership with A1 Team Korea to provide technical support to the team through its first season in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. Carlin, who have previous experience in the A1GP series having run the Portuguese, Japanese, and Lebanese entries in the past, will also provide a wider motorsport program to help develop young drivers in Korea.
The A1GP series, which enters its fourth season this year, is a unique concept providing a level playing field on which drivers compete for the pride of their nation. Racing in the winter months, the series will visit 11 exciting venues, across five continents.
A1 Team Korea will join teams from around the world when the season kicks off at the A1GP Mugello, Italy, from the 20-21 September. The 2008/09 season sees an exciting new era in A1GP, as each team will race with the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car.
With widespread experience across single-seater motorsport, Carlin is one of the most successful teams outside F1. Since the team’s first full season of racing in 1999, Carlin have won over 140 races across all categories, and run many drivers on their way to F1, including Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica. A1GP will be the fourth category in which the team competes in 2008, adding to Carlin’s current program of British F3, F3 Euro Series and World Series by Renault 3.5.
A1 Team Korea Seat Holder, Mr Joshua Kim commented, “Our first season will be a tough learning curve, but we hope to be able to represent Korea to the best of the team’s abilities. Carlin have the capabilities and resources to help us develop motorsport within Korea and we are looking into a number of projects for the future. There is a lot of hard work to do before the first race of the season and we look forward to making further announcements on the team soon.”
Carlin director Martin Stone added, “We’re absolutely delighted to be part of A1 Team Korea’s first season in A1GP, and look forward to working together on some exciting projects which we will announce in due course. A1GP has emerged as one of the most exciting series in motorsport, producing top quality drivers and racing at some of the best circuits in the world. We’re delighted to be back in the series at such an exciting time, with the introduction of the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car. We are very proud that Mr Kim has chosen Carlin to take the team through its first season of racing, in what will hopefully be a long and successful partnership.”
Technorati Tags: World Cup of Motorsport, A1GP, A1 Team South Korea, Carlin Motorsport
Japan F3: Alexandre Imperatori Motegi Summary
As the Japanese F3 title fight heats up between Imperatori and Yamauchi, the young swiss has scored valuable points this week-end at Twin-Ring Motegi by taking a double victory.
The Japanese F3 championship entered in the last third of the season last week end at Motegi, and the title is far from decided in the National class.
Alexandre Imperatori: “We had some misfortune this year and that means that despite our strong form we are chasing the leader in the standings but everything is open and we have to push all-out till the end.”
On friday, two practice sessions of 45 minutes each gave time to the drivers to adjust their setup and Alexandre worked with his engineer through the program that was planned for the day. In the morning, the PTRS driver lapped the track second fastest but felt he could do better yet. In the af On friday, two practice sessions of 45 minutes each gave time to the drivers to adjust their setup and Alexandre worked with his engineer through the program that was planned for the day.
In the morning, the PTRS driver lapped the track second fastest but felt he could do better yet. In the afternoon, the team tried different solutions but Alexandre was not really satisfied with the balance of his car. It was also decided not to use a new set of tyres to spare these for the next round at Fuji: “In the second practice session, we tried a few new elements on the car but the car did not react as well as we hoped. Now we can study the data and prepare the car for tomorrow’s qualifying”.
On Saturday morning, the drivers had 20 minutes to produce their two best laps that would determine the grid for race 1 and race 2. On his first set of tyres, Alexandre matched Yamauchi’s pace lap for lap: the fight for the title was a direct fight on the track and both drivers pitted together for a fresh set of tyres at the halfway mark.
From this point onward, they traded pole position for the remainder of the session as both went quicker each lap. On his last lap Alex took the pole, just before the Toyota official driver snatched it on his last attempt for 1 hundredth of a second.
Therefore, Imperatori would start the races on the outside of the first row. At the start of race 1, the swiss produced a stunning start to lead into the first corner. He then started to push and edged clear of Yamauchi in second and halfway through the 14 laps race, decided to control the pace: “I could see that when I pushed, I could pull away but these points are very important and I preferred not to risk a mistake and control the pace.”
Even so, Alexandre also took the fastest lap of the race and took the win home.
Everything would have to be done again in sunday’s 20 laps race. With another 2nd place starting slot, Alexandre had to make a perfect start. In fact, the young swiss made his best getaway of the season with only 2.6sec from 0 to 100 kph. Again, he took the lead into the first corner and didn’t let it go during any of the 20 laps. It was in fact very much a replay of the first race, where Alex could pull away when needed and controlled his pace at other times to crossed the line in first place and take a well deserved double win.
“It is a great result. Starting from second is never optimal but today we made the most of it. I want to give a big thumbs up to my team, the mechanics, and my engineer who are working very hard to give me the chance to catch these victories. The result comes at a good time for us and we must carry this momentum to the last two events.”
The next race will be in Fuji on 30- 31st of august.
