2007
News
Speedcar
series debut "a success"
Speedcar Press release, 3 November 2007: The world-premiere
of the Speedcar Series at the Bahrain International Circuit
has been hailed a resounding success by organisers.
With
a 2-day festival of motorsport providing the ideal backdrop,
Speedcar Series had the eyes of the race fans fixed on it as
all the competition's drivers performed exhibition laps to entertain
members of the public for the very first time. Due to the demonstration
nature of the event, no times or results have been published.
Despite
the fact the event was acting as a curtain-raiser to the 2008
competition, which begins at the Dubai Autodrome on January
26, all drivers were looking to gain an early psychological
edge over their soon-to-be rivals, with many taking the opportunity
to put an enjoyable overtaking move on their opponents.
The
17 drivers who made Speedcar Series alive during these 2-day
demo-run where: Jean Alesi, Nico Caldarola, Hamad Al Fardan,
Fabien Giroix, Johnny Herbert, Stefan Johansson, Salman bin
Rashid Al Khalifa, Ukyo Katayama, Narain Karthikeyan, Mathias
Lauda, Alexadre Maus, Hasher Al Maktoum, Ananda Mikola, Gianni
Morbidelli, Nicolas Navarro, Moreno Soeprapto and David Terrien.
Over
the course of the event, some hundreds fans got up close and
personal to meet some of their racing heroes in specially organised
autograph sessions.
Speedcar
Series will on track again in two weeks for a final demo-run
during the Dubai Motorsport Festival on November 16 and 17.
Speedcar organisers and drivers will than turn their attention
to the start of the first season for the series which begins
in just more than two months time.
The
series will be supported at the Dubai Autodrome by the newly-formed
GP2 Asia Championship under the name 'Grand Racing'. Innovation
keeps things fresh, and the latest addition to
Speedcar
series gets green light in Bahrain
Speedcar Press release, 31 October 2007: Innovation keeps
things fresh, and the latest addition to the exhilarating world
of motorsport promises to provide a suspense-filled,high-octane
mix of speed, noise, and genuine excitement. The brand new SpeedCar
series is set to become one of the world’s most competitive
race events and in preparation there will be an exhibition event
at the Bahrain International circuit from November 1st – 3rd.
A
new concept in stock car racing arrives in this region, and
will be showcased at the Bahrain International Circuit, to pit
legendary driver against young upstart; master tacticians facing
off against raw talent. And, all the while, the uniform 620
bhp, 6.0-litre V8 engines of these pedigree racecars are set
to level the playing field between some of the world’s best
drivers.
Household
names from F1, like Johnny Herbert, Jean Alesi, Stefan Johansson
and Narain Karthikeyan, will take on newcomers with attitude
in Bahrain, as part of the blue-ribbon prelude to the scintillating
action of the Australian V8 Supercars event that goes on at
the same time.
Based
on the stock-car concept, Speedcar races are based on the coreskills
of the drivers, and extreme track action is guaranteed when
a genuine level playing field allows drivers to compete against
one another. Speedcar is a series based around manoeuvres: intense
fighting,split-second overtaking and daring challenges provide
the background to one of the most extreme forms of competitive
driving.
While every moment counts for drivers to jostle for position
in the same-spec supercars,the will to win and superlative skill
are critical factors for those in the hunt for the chequered
flag.
As
a three-time winner in F1, Herbert will relish the challenge
of taking on Alesi, a veteran of over 200 Grand Prix races.
Stefan Johansson, meanwhile, will bring all the tactical and
technical know how he developed as a Ferrari regular into the
series, and the subcontinent speed-sahib Karthikeyan will be
a particular favourite in Speedcar’s Asian homeland.
As
well as acting as a showcase for some of the most recognisable
faces from Formula One, Speedcar also plays a crucial role in
promoting the talent of young drivers by inviting new teams
to participate alongside these established drivers on a global
platform.
Tapping
into the upcoming talent of this region, Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum
and David Terrien will be representing the UAE as drivers of
the Union Properties(UP) Team. As a respected young driver Sheikh
Hasher Al Maktoum, UAE Karting Champion and Formula Renault
Campus driver, is joined by David Terrien,former FIA GT World
Champion, forming an impressive duo.
Leading
global tracks such as the Bahrain International Circuit, Dubai
Autodrome, Sepang Circuit in Malaysia and the Indonesian Sentul
International Track have leant their support to the series,
and will form part of the Grand Racing event featuring pulsating
two-day race meetings in partnership with GP2 Asia.
The
cars have been modelled on the extremely successful American
NASCAR racers and comprise tough space-frame construction and
dramatic bodywork. Above all, though, their soundtrack is unique.
Petrolheads can’t get enough of the ferocious volume generated
by true racecars, and the highly tuned Speedcars give anything
from Formula One a run for its money.
The
full race schedule is set to start in earnest at Dubai Autodrome
on 26 January next year, but as a showpiece curtain raiser,
spectators at the BIC will see just how thrilling this form
of motor racing will be.
Herbert
joins Aston Martin line up for Le Mans
Autosport, 20 March
2007: Johnny Herbert will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours
this season with the factory Aston Martin team. The former Grand
Prix racer - and winner of the 1991 Le Mans - was announced
as part of the Prodrive-run squad's 2007 driver line-up yesterday.
Herbert joins Aston regulars Darren Turner, Tomas Enge, Peter
Kox and David Brabham, plus Prodrive returnee Rickard Rydell,
who raced for the team's touring car operations and Ferrari
GT project in the early 2000s.
Herbert
switched to sportscars after the end of his Formula One career,
driving for customer Audi teams and the works Maserati squad,
but sat out most of 2005 and 2006 to work with the Midland F1
team.
He
was keen to return to racing after his role as sporting relations
manager ended following the Spyker takeover, and will compete
at Le Mans in addition to a Grand Prix Masters programme and
a possible drive in the new Speedcar Series.
"Although
Johnny is new to our team, he is a Le Mans veteran, no-one
can question his speed, he just needs to adapt to the DBR9,"
said team principal George Howard-Chappell.
Herbert
will partner Enge - who has taken class poles at each of the
past five Le Mans - and Kox.
"This
is a great opportunity for me to drive for Aston Martin, a
manufacturer with such a name and history behind it," said
Herbert. "We want to go to Le Mans to win it; we are not going
there to do anything else. It is really exciting to finally
be part of it, even more so for me, being British.
"We
know that Tomas is dynamite in qualifying at Le Mans, and
I think that with myself and Peter on board with him, we will
give each other the support we all need to get into a position
where we can actually win the 24 hours of Le Mans for Aston
Martin."
Johnny
second quickest in Speedcar testing
Speedcar Press Release, 7 March 2007: Speedcar Series
new boy Jean Alesi topped the timesheets as the successful first
test session of the brand new stock car championship came to
an end. The Frenchman, who completed 46 laps during the two-day
test at the Virginia International Raceway, USA, posted a best
time of 1'27"88, set whilst running a special qualification
set-up.
The
test was being used by drivers and engineers to perform the
initial shakedown runs on three of the new 600bhp cars, not
to search for ultimate lap times.
Former
three-time grand prix winner Johnny Herbert finished with a
best time of 1'29"57. He was followed by American stock car
driver Tony Ave who posted a best lap of 1'31"10, Stefan Johansson
finished with the fourth best time of 1'31"13, closely followed
by Gianni Morbidelli, who set a best lap of 1'31"20. Completing
the order was Mike Bliss, who is acting as Speedcar Series test
driver, with a lap of 1'33"47.
Johnny
enjoys first day of Speedcar testing
Speedcar Press Release, 6 March 2007: The first testing
day of the brand new Speedcar Series has been hailed a success
by drivers and engineers.
Former
Formula One drivers Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Stefan Johansson,
and Gianni Morbidelli, were joined by American stock car racers
Mike Bliss and Tony Avy, to test three of the championship's
600bhp cars at the Virginia International Raceway, USA, on Monday
(March 5th), completing over 90 laps in total.
The
inaugural championship is scheduled to begin in November, with
24 identical cars competing on tracks across Asia and the Middle
East.
The
drivers were delighted with how the first test had gone. After
completing 9 laps, Johnny Herbert said:
"It
was great to finally get behind the wheel of a car that is
very drivable and fun as well. I think that this will make
for good racing once the series starts. The power of the car
was surprisingly good, but more importantly the drivability
gave great feedback. All in all we have a fantastic prospect
for some great racing."
Three
more drivers join Speedcar series
Speedcar Press Release, 5 March 2007: A host of motorsport
stars will be on hand for the first testing session of Speedcar
Series this week.
Former
Formula One drivers Johnny Herbert, Gianni Morbidelli and Stefan
Johansson, will join Jean Alesi at the Virginia International
Raceway, USA, on Monday and Tuesday (March 5th and 6th), to
sample three 600bhp cars that will be used in the Speedcar Series,
which begins next autumn across Asia and Middle East. They will
be joined by American stock car driver Mike Bliss, who does
not plan to race in the new series, but support the first part
of the programme as a test driver.
Last
week, Alesi was confirmed as the first driver taking part in
the inaugural championship, which features 24 identical cars
competing on tracks in Asia and the Middle East. Johnny Herbert
said:
"It
is a very exciting new series and I am delighted to be part
of it. The competition with the top class drivers will for
sure be very fierce, and together we will have some fantastic
battles on the race track. I can't wait for the racing to
start."
The
first season begins next November, with 18 races running over
nine weekends until April 2008.
Herbert
spearheads revised Grand Prix Masters
GP Masters
Press Release, 4 January 2007: Nigel Mansell will face competition
in the 2007 Grand Prix Masters from four drivers new to the
series: Johnny Herbert, Alessandro Nannini, Roberto Moreno and
Raul Boesel. All four have committed for the 2007 season when
they will join battle with Mansell in a revised and recapitalised
series with engines from Meccachrome and tyres from Michelin.
The series will race at Bucharest in May, Qatar at a date still
to be confirmed, Kyalami in September and at a fourth, as yet
unannounced, venue that is promised to be a 'big surprise'.
Three-time
grand prix winner Herbert, 42, will be the GPM driver with the
most recent F1 experience to date, having contested the 2000
season with Jaguar Racing. Nannini, 47, winner of the 1989 Japanese
Grand Prix for Benetton, is racing for the first time since
his DTM days with Alfa-Romeo in the mid-1990s, where he raced
following an arm-severing helicopter accident in 1990 that brought
his F1 career to a close. Nannini gained much admiration for
his comeback after surgeons succeeded in reattaching the arm.
Moreno,
47, was Nannini's replacement at Benetton and immediately scored
a second place to team-mate Nelson Piquet at the 1990 Japanese
Grand Prix. He continued with the team into 1991 but was famously
dropped to make way for Michael Schumacher after the Belgian
Grand Prix, despite having set fastest lap during the event.
He then took over Schumacher's former Jordan drive and last
drove in F1 for the Corsa Forti team in 1995.
Boesel,
48, drove in F1 for March in 1982 and Ligier in '83 before a
sports car career that encompassed winning the World Sports
Car drivers championship for TWR Jaguar in 1987. Like long-time
career rival and countryman Moreno, he raced extensively in
the American CART series after his F1 career.
Discussions
are also ongoing with two "not-long retired big F1 names" both
believed to be French. If recruited, they will form part of
a squad of 22 drivers for 16 cars. This will allow GPM to vary
the line-up from one event to the next. Mansell - winner of
two of the three GPM races in 2006 - remains very much part
of the line-up.
The
revised GPM cars will be powered by 4-litre V8 Meccachrome engines
in place of the previous adapted champcar Cosworth units. These
specially commissioned 550bhp units will be run and serviced
for GPM by Heine Mader. The deal with the Flavio Briatore-owned
engine company was brokered by GPM driver Eddie Cheever.
In
a parallel process, fellow GPM competitor René Arnoux - the
ex-Renault and Ferrari star of the 1980s - was instrumental
in securing a tyre supply agreement with Michelin. "Arnoux came
to us and was very persuasive," says Michelin's Jean-Michel
Vergas. "Actually it's an interesting challenge for us. We are
making a specific 15-inch tyre for the series. Other European
single-seater series use 13-inch. There will be a single compound
for all the year and although it will be a high-performing tyre,
the essential thing is that it will be consistent and stable
throughout the race, so equalising things for all the drivers."
The
cars remain free of electronic driver aids and the emphasis
continues to be to maximise the race-going public's contact
with the stars, with open paddocks and extensive pit lane access.
"I'm disappointed that so far we haven't been able to do a deal
with a British circuit for '07," says GPM operations director
Bob Berridge, "especially now that we have Johnny to add to
the names of Derek Warwick and Nigel. But the emphasis increasingly
seems to be on corporate work at British tracks rather than
racing. But we're still working away at getting the series back
to a British track. We should be ready with a 2008 calendar
by 1 July this year.
"We're
delighted with our latest recruitments of drivers and suppliers.
Behind that front-of-shop picture is a similar one in terms
of management." Founder Scott Poulter remains on board but in
a reassigned role. "Scott is a brilliant salesman," says Berridge,
"and this structure will allow him to focus on what he does
best - executing deals with the circuits. The company has been
re-financed and we now have a heavyweight chairman in the form
of Peter Owen."
Owen
is also a director of sports management company CSS Stellar
(which as well as its motor racing client base also looks after
the England football team and cricket star Sachin Tendulkar)
and was formerly a senior manager at British Airways.
"It's
all a manifestation of a series that is now moving into an established
position after all the normal start-up fire-fighting and cavalry
charges," continues Berridge. "Those start-up costs amounted
to around £15 million - a bit less than an F1 team will spend
on its transporters, but with the company now re-financed, we
are ready to really begin to exploit the potential of the Grand
Prix Masters concept."
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effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but no
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