SF Tickets Now On Sale

Football and motorsport fans can now purchase tickets for the opening round of the inaugural Superleague Formula championship at Britain’s Donington Park circuit.

The two-day event will be staged on August 30/31, and prices range from as low as £20 (24 euro) for a weekend pass, and a weekend advance purchase ticket for a family (two adults and two children) is only £70 (88 euro).

Tickets are available online from Donington Park or through Ticketcorner.

“After many years of planning and development and a very intensive past 12 months, we are delighted to open ticket sales for our first event,” says SF’s Alex Andreu. “We have had daily calls and emails enquiring about ticket sales from right across Europe. We have a lot of new fans to motorsport that are really looking forward to seeing their club colours in action at more than 300km/h.”

Each round of the SF championship will be staged as a two-day event with teams contesting two 50 minute races on Sunday – the first race will be staged at 11.00am with the second reverse grid event scheduled for 2.00pm.

Each race will feature a single pit stop for tyres, and teams will hit the track for the first time on Saturday with morning practice sessions before attacking the qualifying session at 12.30pm.

More Than A Race

The 2007 Aerobatic World Champion, Ramon Alonso, is set to thrill SF race fans by performing aerobatic displays three times over each Superleague Formula weekend – once on Saturday and twice on raceday.

Alonso is just a part of the full programme of fan activities (organised around a Central Stage area) on SF race weekends, aimed at providing a large range of family entertainment, including DJs, break-dancers, freestyle football displays, face-painters and prize-giving.

Fans will also be able to take the opportunity to have their photograph taken with team show cars, and to meet the drivers for autograph sessions, too.

Additional entertainment will include a Motorcycle Stunt-Show (featuring World Champion Streetbike Freestylers Chris Pfeiffer), Paramotors (six pilots performing beautifully coordinated flights aboard SF-branded paragliders, using pyrotechnic effects),

There will be a ‘Football Zone’ with giant human football table, penalty shoot-outs, radar shoot outs, XXL table football unit, a Karting Zone (with brand new 200cc karts) and special interactives that help to improve reaction, hand-eye coordination and stamina – just like SF drivers.

“Our plan from the start was to establish Superleague Formula as more than just a motor race – we want to provide an extensive array of entertainment options for the entire family,” says SF boss, Alex Andreu. “We think we have a great line up of entertainment – both on the ground and in the skies above.

“Superleague Formula will bring a host of new fans to the track who have never been to a motorsport event before and our goal is to be able to provide them with an excellent experience.”

Rangers wins 32nd Scottish Cup

Rangers lifted their second domestic trophy of what has been a hugely memorable campaign. A double from Kris Boyd and a further strike from DaMarcus Beasley secured the win and their 32nd Scottish Cup.

Superleague race teams announced at the Nurburgring

Superleague Formula today revealed its latest race teams to contest the inaugural season of the football-themed championship with the Nurburgring-based Zakspeed squad joining the series.

The new championship will visit the historic German circuit for the second round of the championship in September. This weekend the “Ring” will play host to the Nurburgring 24 Hours on the fabled 20.8km “Nordschleife”.

Zakspeed will oversee the efforts of German club Borussia Dortmund. The yellow and black BVB machine was unveiled today at Zakspeed’s headquarters alongside some of the company’s famous machines of the past including a Zakspeed Formula 1 car.

In addition to Zakspeed, Netherlands-based squad Azerti Motorsport was also revealed as the race team for local club PSV Eindhoven and Superleague Formula’s newest signing, UAE club, Al Ain.

Seven of the ten Superleague Formula race teams have now been revealed including:

Astromega (BEL) – Flamengo and Anderlecht

Azerti Motorsport (NL) – PSV Eindhoven and Al Ain

Eurointernational (ITA) – Corinthians and TBA

GU Racing (GER) – FC Basel and Olympiacos

Scuderia Playteam (ITA) – AC Milan and Galatasaray

West-Tec (UK) – FC Porto and Glasgow Rangers

Zakspeed (GER) – Borussia Dortmund and TBA

Zakspeed will be exceptionally keen to the fly the flag for Borussia Dortmund at the Nurburgring Superleague Formula event.

The squad has been hugely successful at its local circuit, taking three overall victories at the 24 Hour event its factory Dodge Viper entry. With more than 40 years experience in motorsport, Zakspeed was also a Formula 1 entrant from 1985 to 1990.

“Zakspeed believes in the success of the Superleague Formula concept,” Zakspeed owner Peter Zakowski said.

“Being part of the Superleague Formula family is a wonderful challenge for us to demonstrate Zakspeed’s know-how and competence. As an ex-Formula 1-entrant and manufacturer team for Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Opel, Porsche and Dodge, Zakspeed is well aware of high-tech motorsports and the requirements needed to win.

“We are also glad to operate these fantastic racecars for Borussia Dortmund.”

Myself and everybody in the company will put our whole hearts in to make this team successful in the Superleague Formula series.”

Borussia Dortmund fans will get the chance to travel the 200km from Dortmund to the Nurburgring to see their car this weekend. The black and yellow BVB machine will be on display at the 24 Hour race – an event which attracts more than 200,000 spectators.

Race teams take delivery of Superleague Formula cars

Elan Motorsports Technologies have released the first batch of Superleague Formula chassis to the championship’s race teams with German squad GU Racing the first to collect their new machine.

While the chassis and components are constructed at Elan’s base in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA, the final assembly is taking place at the headquarters of Norfolk headquarters for renowned Formula Ford constructor, Van Diemen – also an Elan owned company.

The first ten chassis are now ready for collection – each team able to collect their first car.

Development of the Superleague Formula prototype chassis has been undertaken by reigning British Formula 3 Champions, Hitech Racing.

With test sessions at Donington Park, Monteblanco, Estoril and Magny-Cours – the definitive spec of the car has now been finalised.

Test driver Bruce Jouanny recently completed several race distance runs witht the final spec, 750 horsepower, V12 Menard Competition Technologies engine at Magny-Cours.

A final three day test will take place at Estoril in Portugal from June 2-4. The ten Superleague Formula race teams will gather together for the first time on July 9-10-11 at Monteblanco.

Each of the ten race teams will run two football clubs each. GU Racing will split their efforts between FC Basel and Olympiacos – the respective championship winners in Switzerland and Greece.

“Our team is very excited to collect our first car – we are really looking forward to running the cars for the first time in July,” GU Racing owner Gunther Unterreitmeier said.

“I am really impressed with the car. The attention to detail and the fit and finish of the Panoz chassis is quite outstanding.

“Having seen the prototype run, I am really excited about getting our cars on track in the colours of FC Basel and Olympiacos – the V12 makes an incredible sound and it will be brilliant to see 20 of these cars on track.”

The complete line up of Superleague Formula race teams will be announced next Friday at the Nurburgring in the lead up the Nurburgring 24 Hour.

The German venue will host round two of the inaugural season of the Superleague Formula championship.

The complete championship calendar will include Donington Park (UK), August 30/31, Nurburgring (GER), September 20/21; Zolder (BEL), October 4/5; Estoril (POR), October 18/19; Vallelunga (ITA), November 1/2; and Jerez (Spain), November 22/23.

Each round of the championship features two, 50-minute races – each with a pit stop.

The unique part of the series is that at half time (after race one), the teams change sides – race two will feature a complete reverse grid.

The football clubs and race teams are not just fighting it out for the prestigious silverware – 1 million euro prize money is up for grabs at every race weekend.

Thirteen football clubs have been announced for the championship with the final seven entrants set to be revealed in the lead up to the July Monteblanco test.

The lineup includes AC Milan (Italy), Olympiacos (Greece), FC Porto (Portugal), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), RSC Anderlecht (Belgium), FC Basel (Switzerland), Flamengo (Brazil), Galatasaray (Turkey), Corinthians (Brazil), Sevilla (Spain), Rangers (Scotland) and Al Ain (United Arab Emirates).

The additional entrants will represent clubs from England, Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Asia.

Doornbos joins AC Milan Superleague Formula Assault

Ex-Formula 1 driver and Champ Car World Series race winner Robert Doornbos has been signed as the race driver for AC Milan’s assault on the inaugural Superleague Formula championship.

The 25-year-old Dutchman drove for Minardi and Red Bull in Formula 1 before earning the rookie of the year title and three race wins in Champ Car last year.

“I am so pleased to have reached an agreement with AC Milan and Scuderia Playteam,” Doornbos said.

“For me it is a really exciting as I’ve always been a huge AC Milan fan. My aunt Jeanine actually used to be the physio of the famous successful trio of Dutch players Marco van Basten, Franck Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit.

“At school I could show off and share with my friends all the latest stickers of the club. Now they have left or retired, but current Dutch champion Clarence Seedorf who is currently at the club is my best friend.

“I also drove in F1 for Minardi and I have kept good contacts with Giancarlo Minardi whose son now manages Scuderia Playteam. It’s definitely a small world. My first chief engineer in racing was Gabriele Tredozi – now the technical director for the team.

“I speak fluent Italian also so that will be very handy!” Doornbos will get his first opportunity to drive the 750 horsepower, V12 powered Superleague Formula car at the Monteblanco circuit near Seville from July 9-10-11.

Final Spec Superleague Car Ready for Estoril Test

The Superleague Formula prototype chassis/engine combination is ready for its final development test coming up at Estoril in Portugal from June 2-4.

After an extensive series of tests at Donington Park, Monteblanco, Estoril and Magny-Cours, series technical director Steve Farrell believes the Superleague Formula chassis is now ready to race.

"Each test we have done has produced a discernable improvement in the car and we are now starting to run race simulations, complete with pit stops," Farrell said.

"If we were ready to race tomorrow, I wouldn’t be at all concerned. We have solved 95% of the issues we had with the new car and run all the new parts and designs.

"At the next test we will be putting the final new pieces on the car – we are now very close to production spec. We will be tackling some cooling, gearbox calibration and damper changes but all in all, this car is now ready to race."

Superleague Formula Race Teams to be Unveiled

The line-up of race teams for the inaugural Superleague Formula Championship season will be revealed this Friday at the Nurburgring.

The classic German circuit will host round two of the inaugural football-themed championship (September 20/21) and this weekend will feature one of the world’s toughest endurance events – the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

More than 230 GT teams are signed up for the endurance classic including one of the squads which will run a pair of cars in the Superleague Formula championship one of which will be the Borussia Dortmund car.

BVB was the first club to stage a public unveiling last year and the eye-catching yellow and black liveried Superleague Formula car will be on display throughout the 24 Hour race weekend.

Al Ain Launch Success

Here are some images from last night’s official unveiling of Al Ain’s Superleague Formula car at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, including (L-R above) SF’s Alex Andreu; H.E.Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, Al Ain Club; Middle East Rally star Mohammed Bin Sulayem.

Over 3,000 purple, white and red balloons flew into the strong desert wind of Al Ain, followed by a firework show, which certainly added a new twist to the launch!

While all the fans were dressed in white (which we’re not really used to in Europe or S America), the passion is as strong here in the UAE as anywhere else.

Many thanks to the many kind people that we’ve met in Abu Dhabi, and to everyone at Al Ain for helping us to make this launch a great success… and we look forward to seeing you again in August!

Hot Hot Hot

This weekend’s launch of Al Ain into Superleague Formula went really well, with the SF team making the 150k journey from Abu Dhabi to the club’s home town.

A press conference was held in the Emirates Hotel, attended by UAE Royalty as well as Al Ain Football Club General Manager, Dr Khalid Al Hashimi (see images below).

Later on, the club’s purple and white car even made its way into the red sand desert where the searing heat and soaring temperature (45 degrees!) was almost enough to melt the tyres! Some of the team tried to ride the desert camels (the less said about that, the better)…

Later in the day, they were treated to a very special act by some traditional dancers in front of the Al Ain Palace Museum (above), singing and chanting about the club and the city.

All in all, it was a day to remember, with the UAE culture mixing it with Superleague Formula in style…