Speedcar series 08-09

[Steven]

Considering the number of former F1 drivers this series is occupied with, I think it's fairly interesting to take a closer look.

The first race is up this weekend:

Date              Circuit        Country      Event
05-06 December    Dubai          UAE          Grand Racing
23-24 January     Sakhir         Bahrain      Grand Racing
27-28 February    Dubai          UAE          Grand Racing
04-05 April       Sepang         Malaysia     F1 Grand Prix
18-19 April       Sakhir         Bahrain      F1 Grand Prix
24-25 April       Dubai          UAE          Grand Racing

In April they will be on schedule the same weekend as the F1 Grand Prix of Malaysia and Bahrain.

Durango, the GP2 team is now also joining speedcar and will have Jacques Villeneuve on board. In addition, Jean Alesi, Johhny Herbert, Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Interestingly, the cars only have 4 gears. Does anyone happen to know the reason for that?

[Scania]

Considering the number of former F1 drivers this series is occupied with, I think it's fairly interesting to take a closer look.

The first race is up this weekend:

Date              Circuit        Country      Event
05-06 December    Dubai          UAE          Grand Racing
23-24 January     Sakhir         Bahrain      Grand Racing
27-28 February    Dubai          UAE          Grand Racing
04-05 April       Sepang         Malaysia     F1 Grand Prix
18-19 April       Sakhir         Bahrain      F1 Grand Prix
24-25 April       Dubai          UAE          Grand Racing

In April they will be on schedule the same weekend as the F1 Grand Prix of Malaysia and Bahrain.

Durango, the GP2 team is now also joining speedcar and will have Jacques Villeneuve on board. In addition, Jean Alesi, Johhny Herbert, Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Interestingly, the cars only have 4 gears. Does anyone happen to know the reason for that?

Because Speedcar is same style with NASCAR (but speedcar is one make race), it is a Stock Car series. so, 6000cc V8 OHV carburettor engine & 4 Speed gear box must be there.

[andartop]

"Former F1 Drivers' Retirement Racing League" or "F1 Drivers' Midlife Crisis Series" sound appropriate names for this as well..
Seriously now, what's the catch? Do they just hand out ridiculous amounts of money in order to draw them in (something like Hollywood actors secretly doing Japanese curio TV ads) or is it really that good (apparently the second best thing after F1!!!) ? ? ?

[andartop]

..And hasn't anyone told Eddie Irvine?!!!
Mika Hakkinen?
Alan McNish?
Mika Salo?
Juan Pablo Montoya? (Oh, I forgot. He participates in "the real thing"!)

[modbaraban]

Mika Hakkinen?
Alan McNish?
Mika Salo?
Juan Pablo Montoya? (Oh, I forgot. He participates in "the real thing"!)

Hey!!!

Since when Le Mans and DTM are not 'the real thing' and the bloody NASCAR is?

[Roland Ehnström]

He just means that NASCAR is "the real thing" compared to Speedcar.

[xpensive]

Eddie Irvine once said something to the fact that motor racing was only F1 and Nascar, the rest was just peanuts. Commercially he was right of course.

But anyway, senior racing tours lake that has its charm, but what would it take to get the upper shelf, like Prost, Piquet, Mansell, Fittipaldi, Lauda, Rosberg, Reutemann, Jones (if you can fit him in a car these days) to compete on Saturdays before the European GP's?
I am certain that Nigel would take it dead serious...

[modbaraban]

A bit OT perhaps, but I've just read that Nigel might join his 2 sons for 24h Du Mans 2009 with Ginetta-Zytek.

[andartop]

Apologize for being off topic, but no one seems to be discussing the WRC anymore, and since you re talking about "family matters", did you hear what Seb Loeb did again? He just went for a Sunday drive - in between official WRC races and F1 testing - and took part in the final round of the French national rally championship. And finished 3rd. Driving a Citroen C2 against WRC cars. Oh, and with his wife in the co-driver seat!!!