Superleague Formula
| File:Superleague formula logo.JPG "Superleague Formula logo" | |
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country | International |
| Inaugural season | 2008 |
| Drivers | 18 |
| Teams | 18 |
| Constructors | Élan Motorsport Technologies[1] |
| Tyre suppliers | Michelin |
| Drivers' champion |  Davide Rigon |
| Constructors' champion |  Beijing Guoan Zakspeed |
| Official website | superleagueformula.com |
 Current season | |
Superleague Formula is a new motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs. It goes by the saying 'The Beautiful Race: Football at 300km/h'.
The first season was won by Chinese club Beijing Guoan, driven by Italian FIA GT Championship racer, Davide Rigon. The season contained a calendar of six double-headers, featuring 18 clubs, and also brought victories for Liverpool F.C., A.C. Milan, PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto, Sevilla FC, Al Ain FC and Borussia Dortmund.
History
League format
Continuing the concept of Premier 1 Grand Prix, the Superleague Formula was announced in 2005, receiving the full approval of the FIA in December 2005.
The goal is to have a starting grid of twenty teams, each of which will have one car. Much of the sales, marketing and technology work will be handled centrally by the league, thus affording a considerable cost-savings to the teams.
Race format
Superleague Formula’s race format will incorporate a Saturday qualification and two Sunday races, one with a reverse grid. For each round, the competing teams will compete for a 1 million Euro prize purse, plus points in a yearly championship.
- Saturday: Free testing and qualifying
- Sunday: Two races (one with reverse grids)
- One-hour race format
- One million Euros prize money per race weekend
Scoring
The championship is decided by points, which are awarded according to the place in which a driver classifies at each grand prix. The points are allocated as follows:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 50 | 45 | 40 | 36 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Unlike in Formula One, the driver does not need to finish the race in order to collect points but does have to start. The same points are awarded for Race 1 as Race 2, despite Race 2 having a reverse grid with the slowest given the advantage at the front.
Champions
| Season | Number of Rounds |
Number of Teams |
Number of Drivers |
Football Clubs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of | Champion | Second | Third | ||||
| 2008 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 18 | Beijing Guoan (Davide Rigon)
|
 PSV Eindhoven (Yelmer Buurman)
|
A.C. Milan (Robert Doornbos)
|
| 2009 | 8 | - | - | - |  TBA
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
Television
Fans are able to view the championship on:
- UK: Setanta Sports
- Sweden: Viasat Motor
- Spain and Andorra: Cuatro
- Italy: Sky Italia
- Portugal: TVI
- Brazil: Sportv
- France: Direct 8
- Netherlands: RTL7
- Greece: Alpha TV
- Cyprus: CytaVision
- Turkey: Show TV
- UAE & Middle East countries: Abu Dhabi Sport
For all the remaining European countries, Eurosport 2, provides live coverage of the race weekend as well as a specific magazine in prime time on Tuesdays.
In addition Superleague Formula is also broadcast on many of the participating club's own networks including:
- AC Milan: Milan Chanel
- Borussia Dortmund: BVB TV
- PSV: PSV TV
- FC Basel: FCB Internet TV
- RSC Anderlecht: RSCA TV
- Galatasaray: Galatasaray TV
- Liverpool FC: LFC TV
- Rangers FC: Rangers TV
- Sevilla FC: Sevilla TV
- Corinthians: Corinthians TV
- Flamengo: Flamengo TV
- Olympiacos C.F.P.: Sport TV
Superleague Formula's debut race was seen in 62 countries across the globe with a potential audience reach of 100 million people.
Future
The organisers of Superleague Formula are looking to expand and evolve the sport very quickly with up to 17 races by 2012 and the possibility of a separate street race series so the fans can get up close to the cars and drivers. Their original plan was to have:
| Season | Races in Europe | Races outside Europe | Total races |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Year 3 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| Year 4 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| Year 5 | 13 | 4 | 17 |
The organisers have since said that there are going to be just eight races in Year 2 (2009). The first season was very successful with a total amount of 100,000 people relishing six races of Superleague Formula and 34,000 fans attending the last race in Jerez that was broadcasted live in 70 countries.[2] In January 2009, they revised the plan by stating:[3]
| Season | Total races (some outside Europe) |
|---|---|
| Year 2 (2009) | 8 |
| Year 3 (2010) | 12 |
| Year 4 (2011) | 17 |
Technology
The car has been built by Panoz under the Élan Motorsport Technologies banner and offically named the Panoz DP09. It will be powered by a 750bhp 4.2-litre V12 engine designed by US-owned Menard Competition Technologies. Élan manufactured the Panoz DP01 for Champ Car, as well as cars for other championships.
The chassis is built on a two-metre wide track with entertainment in mind, using under-body aerodynamics to create the needed conditions for increased overtaking opportunities. The cars have been subjected to the latest FIA safety tests, and the car has continued under development during 2007.
Car Details
- Carbon fibre tub for extreme strength / lightness
- Under-body aerodynamics to facilitate nose-to-tail driving/overtaking
- Hewland 6 speed LSFA gearbox with Hewland semi-automatic system
- Pi “SIGMA” based dashboard / data logging system
- ‘Slick’ racing style tyres with no grooves or tread
Engine Details
- No of Cylinders: 12
- Capacity: 4.2 Litres
- Configuration: 60 degrees V formation
- Weight: 140kg (308lb) Dry
- Peak Power: 750bhp (560kW) @ 11,750 rpm
- Maximum RPM: 12,000
- Peak Torque: 510N·m (376ft·lb) @ 9,500-10,500
References
 |
- ^ "Car & Engine". Official website. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
- ^ "Superleague 2009".
- ^ "Superleague Formula chief Andreu".
External links
