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Reception of Superleague Formula's first season consolidates the championship for 2009

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:47:28 GMT

The Championship which began three months ago in the UK, attracted 100.000 football and motorsport fans in six countries during their first inaugural season and lead them to the most emblematic circuits such as Donington in the UK, Nürburgring in Germany, Zolder in Belgium, Estoril in Portugal, Vallelunga in Italy and Jerez in Spain.

The new and original format of the Superleague Formula Championship being open to the public, allowed the fans to visit the boxes of their teams, meet their favorite pilot and even touch the V12 de 750 CV which ran for their colours. Fans who assisted were also able to enjoy the different activities organized in the Paddock which accompanied the Championship throughout this first season. Motorsport lovers, football club fans and their families were quivered by the acrobatics of Ramon Alonso, the world’s air acrobatic champion, the exhibitions of extreme motorcycling stunts by Chris Pfeiffer, the international champion of Streetbike free style, the performance of professional dancers of Break Dance, a Karts circuit of 2.000 m2, football amusement games , etc…

The 18 clubs who participated in the first season of Superleague Formula supported this championship with great enthusiasm and were overcome by the presence of sports celebrity idles such as Franco Baressi, football clubs presidents such as José María del Nido of Sevilla FC, Marcio Braga of Flamengo, Andres Sanchez of Corinthians o Gisela Oeri of Basel, and various top teams footballers.

New incorporations are anticipated for 2009 from the top European leagues and teams from other countries such as France, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Poland or Argentina after having showed a great interest in joining the next championship.

The Championship also gradually gained supporters from the audience in 70 countries where the races were broadcasted, obtaining in its first season, and with only 6 rounds, an average of 6 million fans per race throughout the world, as well as internet uses in 80 different countries who followed the races live with SFTV with the aid of the official website of the championship.

Specialized international media did not keep away from this new competition either who also witnessed the appearance of the first season of Superleague Formula and as a result the championship made headlines in international newspapers which were followed very closely by the press and TVs all over the world, recollecting excellent reviews and recognition from the journalists attending to the races.

El Mundo Deportivo (Spain) : “This is the miracle that Superleague Formula propose. A motorsport championship of high level which joins the vertigo of the high speed and the engines powerful with the passion of football. ”
Algemeen Dagblad (Holland) : " The SF could not have wished for a better ending of the first season. Around 25.000 people in football-outfits in the stands, exciting races on a warm late summer evening, a champion from China and honorary places for PSV and AC Milan. In short, the series look like they will be a success”
Autobild Motor Sport (Germany) : “The format of the qualifying in the style of a football match was really exiting. During the knock-out sprint versus one rival only, the pilots did not only have to be very fast in one lap but also prove really strong nerves. This caused quite a few surprises in the positioning of the grid of the first race. The reverse grid during the second race also provoked various take-overs. Two good ideas that worked very well.”
Racing (Brazil) : “A brilliant goal for motorsport : the series have everything to impress and win new adepts. This is SF’s main goal: bring to the circuits the same passionate fans that fill the stadiums at the football matches.”

Autosport (UK) : “Superleague’s unique qualifying system proved to be fan-friendly, and it also provided an extra test for the drivers….It certainly looked good, essentially creating the sort of tension some of the old F1 did, as cars cross the line only seconds apart.”
Corriere dello Sport (Italy) : "The formation is the classic 2-1-2: two big aggressive tyres at the rear, the driver at the center and two small and fast tyres at the front. On the sides the aerodynamic package, with a powerful midfield thanks to the 750-hp Menard Competition Technologies engine. Forward and defender are the two pedals, the throttle and the brake. It's not fantasy football or fantasy car racing. It is simply Superleague Formula."
Sportday (Greece) : “Yes, these are the kind of events I want to be at. And I am not just referring to the races of Superleague Formula as such, but to the overall weekend activities. The spectacle in the race tracks is just the “jewel” or if you prefer, the element of adrenaline that we miss. In the last weekend in Jerez we had it all; a lot of people, sunshine, speed and the sound of the V12 engine and the 750 horse power. The rest is history.”
A Bola (Portugal) : “Superleague Formula is not only an adventure in itself, it is as spectacular as F1”

Hurriyet (Turquía) : “When football meets formula, it appears at 300 km/h. That’s Superleague Formula.”

During this first season Superleague Formula also attracted sponsors who showed an interest in entering into this new championship and bringing their appearance and support to the competition, amongst which: Puma, Pepsi, Cava One, Michelin, Turk Telekom, Al Qudra, General Electric Digital Cameras, Air Asia, Casino de Estoril o Momo are some of the brand makes who decided to bet for Superleague Formula.

Alex Andreu : “ It’s been a year of putting everything together but we’ve achieved the four objectives which we had proposed and that’s making the format of the classification and qualifying and second race reverse grid appeal to the public, putting together one of most competitive singles eaters on the market, having a high level of international renown pilots, and as an organization, gain credibility and convince the scepticals. The press and the public has shown that they like the competition, that it has great potential and that there´s an important market segment where Superleague Formula can get a place as a worldwide event . Many people thought that we would not have been able to terminate the first season and here we are. We intend to grow in 2009 but we cannot avoid the evident crisis at the moment and we must be cautious. We have new goals to pursue, attract new clubs, open new markets with Russia, Poland, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Spain and France, until we reach a grid of 20 cars. We also hope to increase the number of races in the next season from the six to eight. “

Photo album of first season available at :
http://www.superleagueformula.com/superleague/News-Media/Multimedia/Season-1-Photo-Slideshow

Brit scores for Germany in Superleague last race of the season in front of 34,000 fans

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:03:27 GMT

In front of 34,000 fans, Walker started from fourth on the grid and actually dropped a spot after three laps. Following his pit stop on lap nine, Walker began to move through the pack to grab second place on lap 15.

He then began a pursuit of Galatasaray's Alessandro Pier Guidi who had opened up a large early lead.
The Brit was able take the lead when Turkish car suffered a large spin while trying to hold off the German entry.

Walker was then able to run to the chequered flag to lead home Corinthians driver Antonio Pizzonia and newly crowned Superleague Formula champion, Davide Rigon aboard the Beijing Guoan machine.
Walker's performance is even more remarkable considering the fact he missed an entire day's running yesterday.

The Brit also gave himself a major scare in race one when the removable steering wheel came off in his hands on the formation lap – forcing him to start from pit lane.

Walker becomes the first British driver to claim a victory in Superleague Formula. He also scored his new club's first victory in the championship. Walker's only other Superleague Formula outing this year came at the Nurburgring when he filled in at Rangers to score that club's season best result of fourth.

Liverpool FC's Adrian Valles completed a day to forget after suffering a gearbox issue in race two. The Reds had earlier dominated race one and were headed for victory until suffering a fuel pressure issue on the final lap.

Race one podium finisher Tottenham Hotspur also suffered a gearbox problem in race two, putting Duncan Tappy out the event.

Rangers driver Ryan Dalziel completed a solid final race of the 2008 Superleague Formula season finishing in sixth position.

RSC Anderlecht driver Craig Dolby completed the season as the highest placed British driver after finishing eighth in the final race. Dolby scored 303 points for his Belgian club to finish the championship in sixth position.

Liverpool FC was the highest performing UK club in the series with the Spaniard Valles behind the wheel. The Reds finished fourth overall ahead of Spurs (11th) and Rangers (13th).

Chinese club Beijing Guoan earned the Superleague Formula "Premiership" on 413 points ahead of PSV Eindhoven, 337; AC Milan, 335; Liverpool FC, 325; AS Roma, 307; RSC Anderlecht, 303, FC Porto, 277; Galatasaray, 277; Corinthians, 264; Sevilla, 262; Tottenham Hotspur, 257; Al-Ain, 244; Rangers, 227; Borussia Dortmund, 218; FC Basel, 205; Flamengo, 189; Olympiacos, 161; Atletico Madrid, 132.

James Walker (Borussia Dortmund)
"When I scored fourth for Rangers at the Nurburgring it was a surprise but this was an even bigger surprise.
"I had never been here before and we missed practice and qualifying yesterday so to come away with a victory has done the end of my year a world of good.
"I am actually pretty lucky because on the out lap in race one this morning the steering wheel came off in my hand which gave me a fright and forced me to get it checked and I had to start from pit lane on cold tyres.
"I just stayed out of trouble in the first race and got some more miles under my belt and aimed at really getting stuck in during race two. We have come away with an excellent result."

Duncan Tappy (Tottenham Hotspur)
"The car was fast in race one, it was really really fast, so we brought it home in third and I am really happy with that.
"In the second race we had a gear selection problem and it got to the stage where I could not change up a gear.
"It got so bad that it would not work anyway so I had to bring it in.
"The season in general has been great and I have enjoyed every minute of it.
"It is so different. It has been a breath of fresh air for motorsport and I am hoping I am going to be involved in it again.
"I have proved that when the car is right we are on the money. "

Ryan Dalziel (Rangers)
“Today was mixed, we had a good second race. We started near the front due to the gear box issue in the first race.
"We had good race pace and we made a bad call when we pitted and I think if we had pitted with everybody else we would have finished third or forth.
"We lost a lot of time with old tyres and we went from third to seventh I think but it was a good result, sixth, and it was a good way to finish off the season.
"It has been a difficult season for us, and I kind of wish we could start again at round three.
"Credit goes to Superleague for getting this thing going and it has been impressive for its first year. I have been in a couple of series’ in their debut season, most recently was Champ Cars, and they did not do anywhere near as good a job as this."

Adrian Valles (Liverpool FC)
“We showed the car was good this weekend but we had some problems.
"We deserved to win this championship and I hope I can come back next year and win it for Liverpool.
"In the race I did a good move to take PSV Eindhoven and everything was looking good and then suddenly we started to have problems down shifting
"A few laps later we had fuel problems again and I had to bring it in.”

Craig Dolby (RSC Anderlecht)
“Galatasary dropped a lot of oil and could see the line of oil and it just went round the corner.
"I must have caught a little bit of it and I spun which was a shame because up until then I was driving my socks off.
"I loved it, going round the outside of PSV in turn one, inside of Al Ain, I out braked Doornbos into turn six.
"I loved it and I never ever give up. I want to do well in both races and I want it to be exciting for people to watch.
"If someone had told me I was going to get these results today I would have taken them yesterday so I am over the moon in a way, and the car is back on some kind of form so I am happy with that. It is just a shame it is the end of the season."

RESULTS:
Full results can be download by clicking on this link.

Race 2 - Live comments - SF Round 6 Spain

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:08:34 GMT

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Race 2 - Superleague Formula, Jerez, Spain

44:00 mins remaining Lap 1: Flamengo will lead the field from pole position

43:30 Lap 1: Big charge from new champion Beijing - bit brake lock up in turn 1

43:00 Lap 1: Galatasaray grabbed the lead off the start

41:51 Lap 2: The Turkish club is opening a handy lead

41:33 Lap 2: Top ten are Galatasaray, Flamengo, Rangers, Atletico, BVB, Corinthians, Olympiacos, FC Basel, Beijing and Al-Ain

40:40 Lap 3: Flamengo having to be very defensive to keep Rangers behind

36:15 Lap 6: Galatasaray has opened up a lead of more than nine seconds

34:23 Lap 7: Spin for Andy Soucek and Atletico Madrid - has made for a horror weekend for the Spanish driver

33:43 Lap 7: Atletico is now out - car is beached in the sand trap

32:48 Lap 8: Big day for Brazil - Flamengo 2nd, Corinthians 3rd

31:06 Lap 9: Big crash for Max Wissel - he launched over the back of Olympiacos and slammed into the wall. He climbed out of the car but the FC Basel driver being attended to by the medical staff

29:23 Lap 10: First stops for BVB, Roma, Liverpool, PSV and Milan

28:14 Lap 11: Flamengo, Beijing, Sevilla and Porto pits

26:37 Lap 12: Race leader Galatasaray pits

25:31 Lap 12: Corinthians and Rangers still to pit

25:00 Lap 13: Corinthians pit - Rangers lead

23:24 Lap 13: Anderlecht is fast again - passes AC Milan for 11th

23:00 Lap 14: Rangers continue to lead, but still to stop

22:20 Lap 14: Anderlecht now past rivals PSV to move into the top ten

21:52 Lap 15: Rangers into the pits for their stop

21:00 Lap 15: Problems for LIverpool again - car pulls into pit lane and Valles is getting out

20:25 Lap 16: Galatasaray has a huge lead after the stops - 13.792 seconds over Borussia Dortmund's James Walker

19:38 Lap 16: Spurs now in the pit lane

19:00 Lap 16: Fastest lap so far to Beijing at 1:30.029

18:42 Lap 17: Top ten are Galatasaray, BVB, Corinthains, Beijing, Flamengo, Roma, Rangers, Al-Ain, Anderlecht and PSV

12:39 Lap 21: Galatasaray's lead now down to 4.008 seconds - slower lap last time around

10:00 Lap 22: Gap is shrinking - BVB is catching Galatasaray

9:28 Lap 23: Gap shrinks again - now only 1.087 seconds

8:57 Lap 23: Spin for Galatasaray - he continues, but BVB and James Walker leads

8:00 Lap 24: Huge comeback for James Walker - BVB didn't even make qualifying yesterday

6:53 Lap 24: Flamengo out - car in the barriers

6:25 Lap 25: Top ten now BVB, Corinthains, Beijing, Galatasaray, Roma, Rangers, Anderlecht, Al-AIn, PSV and Milan

3:00 Lap 27: James Walker could be headed for a huge upset win for BVB

1:00 Lap 28: Top ten are still BVB, Corinthains, Beijing, Galatasaray, Roma, Rangers, Anderlecht, Al-Ain, PSV and Milan

0:00 Lap 29: Last lap board will be out next time around

0:00 Lap 30: Final lap - can BVB score its first win

0:00 Cheequered Flag: BVB wins from Corinthains and Beijing

Heartache for Liverpool as Milan scores and Beijing Guoan celebrates

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:55:44 GMT

After a mistake in qualifying yesterday, Davide Rigon drove a steady race from the rear of the grid to finish ninth – earning enough points to clinch the crown. But while Rigon enjoyed a calm finish to his title season, the race at the front of the pack was full of action.

Liverpool FC’s Adrian Valles led off the start and by the time each club had completed their compulsory pit stops, the Reds had opened up a gap of more than 10 seconds.

Atletico Madrid’s Andy Soucek had set his sights on using a long opening stint to challenge for the win but this came unstuck when he spun entering the pit lane.

The Reds looked set to clinch their third victory of the year only to suffer a fuel pressure problem approaching the last lap board.

The Liverpool machine slowed dramatically, allowing AC Milan’s Robert Doornbos to sweep past to grab his second victory of the season. The victory improved upon Doornbos’ recent form which included three runner-up positions in the past four races.

Drama also struck Corinthians driver Antonio Pizzonia. The ex-Formula 1 driver crossed the line in second place but receive a post race 30 second penalty for making his compulsory pit stop outside the prescribed window (lap eight to 20). This allowed FC Porto’s Tristan Gommendy to clinch second ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Duncan Tappy.

The result from Porto backed up Gommendy’s victory at the previous round at Vallelunga and delighted the bus loads of Porto fans who had travelled overnight from Portugal.

RSC Anderlecht’s Craig Dolby clinched the fastest lap of the race en route to fourth place followed by Franck Perera (AS Roma), local star Borja Garcia (Sevilla), Valles (Liverpool), Yelmer Buurman (PSV Eindhoven) and new champion Davide Rigon (Bejing). Al Ain’s Bertrand Bagette completed the top ten.

Beijing now holds a 56 point gap in the championship with 373 points ahead of PSV Eindhoven, 317; Liverpool FC 317; AC Milan, 317; RSC Anderlecht, 280; AS Roma, 275; FC Porto, 263; Tottenham Hotspur, 247; Sevilla FC, 246; Galatasaray, 241; Corinthians, 219; Al-Ain, 218; FC Basel, 199; Rangers, 198; Flamengo, 183; Borussia Dortmund, 168; Olympiacos, 154 and Atletico Madrid, 120.

This afternoon’s second reverse grid will kick off at 2.00pm.

Adrian Valles (Liverpool FC)
“You never wish somebody else has bad luck but after all the misfortune we have had, I’ll take this one.
“When the team said Liverpool had a problem on the radio I didn’t say anything because I didn’t wnat to bring any bad luck on myself.
“I had low gearbox pressure already so I was doing everything I could to bring the car home.
“To grab the victory does feel really good. I knew I had a train of cars behind me because I was having issues with the downshift.
“I had to keep concentrating and make no mistakes - AC Milan, victory - perfect”

TRISTAN GOMMENDY (FC Poro)
“It is really nice to be here again because the race was quite tough. My pit stop was a little bit too late because Liverpool was able to jump ahead because the new tyres make a big difference initially.
“The Corinthians car was slower than me but the team told me that car was going to receive a penalty so I couldn’t push too hard and take any risks.
“It would have been stupid to try to get past and make a mistake. I am really happy for the team and all the Porto fans who made the trip down to see the car this weekend.”

Duncan Tappy (Tottenham Hotspur)
“I don’t know if I actually expected to end up on the podium after starting ninth but I’ll take it.
“I was having a good race and the team came on the radio and told me I was fourth – then as I was coming into the pits after the race they told me I was actually third.
“I was over the moon and it was really good to get a result for Tottenham again.
“I thought it would have been quite possible to pass, especially early in the race because I passed Galatasaray quite easily but I think they had a problem.
“But when I got caught up behind Porto it wasn’t as easy and I just had to play a sensible game and keep the car on the circuit.”

DAVID RIGON (BEIJING GUOAN) - 2008 CHAMPION
“Yesterday was disappointing with my mistake in qualifying.
“I was a bit nervous before the first race and I new Liverpool was in first place and I am very lucky to be the champion.
“It’s very good to be the first Superleague champion and I am very very happy.
“It was a very difficult year because everyone is a professional driver. We pushed very hard and we had a few problems with the car.
“I am going to enjoy myself in the second race but I will try and make the podium.
“I am very happy to have won the championship and it has helped my career. I am only 22 and we will see. I hope that someone from Formula 1 can help me, watch me and hopefully I can try and test for Formula 1 now.”

Race 1 - Live comments - SF Round 6 Spain

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:04:38 GMT

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RACE 1

44:00 mins remaining, Lap 1: Liverpool to lead off the rolling start from pole

44:00 Lap 1: Borussia Dortmund to start from pit lane

44:00 Lap 1: Liverpool leads into first corner from Roma

43:25 Lap 1: Anderlecht making moves on opening lap - past Rangers

43:10 Lap 1: Beijing unable to make up ground yet - still at the back of the field

42:25 Lap 2: Top Ten are Liverpool, Roma, Atletico, Porto, Galatasaray, Milan, Corinthians, Sevilla, Tottenham and FC Basel

40:50 Lap 3: Fastest lap so far to Liverpool at 1:31.136

39:20 Lap 4: Atletico Madrid pushing Roma hard for 2nd. Liverpool opening up a big gap in the lead

37:52 Lap 5: Rangers running slowly on track

37:36 Lap 5: Spin for FC Basel - resumes at the back of the pack

37:04 Lap 5: Beijing now up to 14th place

36:47 Lap 5: Atletico through to second - pushing Roma back to third

36:29 Lap 6: Top ten are now Liverpool, Atletico, Roma, Porto, milan, Corinthians, Sevilla, Spurs, Galatasaray and Anderlecht

35:30 Lap 6: Rangers in the pit lane

33:13 Lap 8: Beijing up to 13th - Flamengo slowed suddenly and Rigon nearly hit the rear of the Brazilian car

32:16 Lap 8L Flamengo and Galatasaray in the pits - problems for both

31:39 Lap 9L Both Flamengo and Galatasaray are out

31:16 Lap 8: Corinthians first to make their compulsory stop

30:20 Lap 9: Race leader Liverpool make their stop

29:62: Lap 10: Stops for AC Milan, Spurs, PSV

29:05 Lap 10: Atletico leads on home soil - but still to stop

28:12 Lap 11: Championship leader Beijing pits along with Porto and Anderlecht

27:31 Lap 11: Basel has pitted as well

26:46 Lap 12: Sevilla and Al Ain pit

26:17 Lap 12: Atletico and Roma going long on their pit strategies - still to make their stop

25:23 Lap 13: Roma makes its stop

24:47 Lap 13: Atletico, Olympiacos and BVB are the only cars yet to pit

24:00 Lap 14: Fastest lap so far goes to RSC Anderlecht at 1:30.101

23:26 Lap 14: Olympiacos makes their stop

22:26 Lap 14: Atletico spins coming into pit lane to make his stop. His podium chances ruined

21:15 Lap 15: Liverpool now leads from AC Milan and Corinthians

20:52 Lap 15: Championship leader Beijing is 10th

20:26 Lap 16: Top ten is now Liverpool, AC Milan, Corinthians, Porto, Spurs, Anderlecht, Roma, Sevilla, PSV and Beijing

18:53 :a[ 17: Huge lead for Liverpool - 10.683 seconds

18:20: Traffic jam behind AC Milan - 2nd down to 6th

17:37 Lap 17: Rangers and Atletico back on track

12:31 Lap 20: Pit lane window closed

12:13 Lap 20: Liverpool lead now out to 11.178 seconds

6:40 Lap 25 Corinthians starting to apply the pressure to AC Milan for second

0:30 Lap 29: Looking like a LIverpool win again

0:00 Lap 30: Liverpool slowing on last lap

0:00 Lap 30: AC Milan leads

0:00 Last Lap: heartache for Liverpool

0:00 Chequered Flag: AC Milan wins from Porto and Tottenham

Liverpool stays in the title fight as Beijing falters in qualifying

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:11:44 GMT

Valles and the Liverpool squad are 62 points behind championship leader Beijing Guoan but their driver Davide Rigon spun early in the qualifying session and will now start from the back row of the grid in tomorrow's first race.

To get the chance to taste championship glory, Liverpool must win both races and hope that Beijing finished worse than 9th in both events.

With the second race staged as a complete reverse grid event, Beijing's poor qualifying performance may not be as big a problem. Valles has his sights set on scoring 50 points from each of the two races – the second event a tougher challenge as the race one winner will start from the back of the grid in race two.

Liverpool earned the pole position after defeating AS Roma's Franck Perera in the shoot-out. The Reds other main rival – PSV Eindhoven – also endured a tough qualifying performance to be 14th fastest.

FC Porto continued its strong form after winning at Vallelunga to qualify third in the shoot-out with Tristan Gommendy while Atletico Madrid earned the honour of the top Spanish club with Andy Soucek starting fourth tomorrow – his best effort in the championship to date.

Robert Doornbos and AC Milan continued their consistent qualifying efforts – making the shoot out for the sixth consecutive event – the only club to earn that honour. Doornbos will start sixth tomorrow

Local favourite Sevilla FC bounced back after losing the front wing in the timed session to sneak into the shootout on the final lap. The team replaced the front wing on Borja Garcia's car and he was able to displace Tottenham Hotspur at the chequered flag. Sevilla will start 7th tomorrow.

Tomorrow's two final 2008 Superleague Formula races will be staged at 11.00am and 2.00pm.

Adrian Valles (Liverpool FC)
"I did what I had to do and pushed on the limit every time I was on the track. We had some problems this morning when the car wasn't really good but we managed to turn it around.
"The car is good now and we have a lot of possibilities for tomorrow considering Beijing had a problem in qualifying and spun off.
"I've got the pole and now I have to win the race and score as many points as I can – the rest is not up to me.
"I'm really happy to get pole position, especially at my home race – it's not home for Liverpool but personally I have many fans coming here so I hope I can do a really good job tomorrow."

Franck Perera (AS Roma)
"It is good to be in the first row again. I raced here quite a long time ago but in practice we worked hard to try to find the right set-up.
"We have been strong in each practice and I knew that if I ended up running against Liverpool in the shoot-out it was going to be tough because he is a little bit faster.
"It is good to be in the first row and the race is quite long and I will certainly be out for the win.
"I came close to winning two times before in Estoril and Vallelunga so we will see tomorrow. I had a problem with a pit stop in Portugual and then had contact with BVB in Italy and also made a mistake on my final lap. But here I think we are very competitive and I am looking forward to tomorrow."

Tristan Gommendy (FC Porto)
"I had a good car today. It is a pleasure to get onto the second row of the grid and tomorrow I think anything is possible.
"Last time out I started eighth and won the race so anything is possible form third.
"The team did a good job and Adrian was very strong as well.
"The reaction from the Porto fans after the win was just crazy.
"Everybody was crying afterwards and it was nice because the club has really supported me all year and it was very rewarding to give them a victory."

Andy Soucek (Atletico Madrid)
"It is the best qualifying I have had all year because it was the first time we haven't had any problems.
"I still had a few problems with the gearbox so I am not really 100 per cent happy.
"Fourth is great but I was expecting to be a little higher after being second and third in practice.
"I'm still pleased and I think we can do a good job tomorrow.
"I think it can be a good weekend and I am very pleased to race here at home. It is nice to have both Spanish teams running here in Jerez."

Qualifying - Live comments - SF Round 6 Spain

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:34:27 GMT

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Qualifying Group A

15:00: Group A will include PSV Eindhoven, Olympiacos, FC Basel, FC Porto, Liverpool FC, Atletico Madrid, Corinthians, Al Ain and championship leader Beijing Guoan

10:32: Problems for the championship leader - Beijing spins off and has beached the car in the gravel trap

9:41: Davide Rigon now climbing out the Beijing car

9:26: Atletico Madrid fastest so far at 1:29.192

8:36: The Beijing car is beached at turn 14

7:14: Spanish drivers are fast around here - Liverpool's Adrian Valles now goes fastest at 1:29.033

6:46: Top four so far is Liverpool, Atletico, Corinthians and FC Basel

3:21: Porto and Corinthians move into the top four

1:00: A number of cars under investigation by race officials -- Porto, Liverpool, Olympiacos and Basel - no news as to why as yet

0:00: Basel runs wide trying to improve

Chequered Flag: Liverpool, Atletico, Porto and Corinthians make it through to the shoot out

Qualifying Group B

15:00: Group B includes Sevilla, Tottenham Hotspur, Flamengo, Rangers, AC Milan, Galatasaray, Anderlecht and Roma

10:49: Roma fastest so far at 1:28.986

10:31: Top four after two flying laps are Roma, Milan, Galatasaray and Anderlecht

7:40: Rangers just outside of the top four by only .004 of a second

7:15: AC Milan aiming for a clean sweep - the only club to make the shoot out at every round of the championship

5:51: Sevilla loses the front wing after running wide - does some other damage as well. Bad news for the home team

3:37: Rangers moves into top four - pushing out Anderlecht

2:30: Spurs knock out their UK rival - they go to fourth, Rangers to fifth

2:00: Top four are now Roma, Milan, Galatasaray and Tottenham

Chequered Flag: Sevilla pulled at time out of the bag on the final lap with a new nose - the top four are Roma, Milan, Galatasaray and Sevilla

Quarter Final 1

Roma v Corinthians - Corinthians to lead

Sector 1: Corinthians leads at Sector 1

Sector 2: Roma flights back in second sector

Chequered Flag: Roma wins - Corinthians to start 8th tomorrow, Roma to semi-finals

Quarter Final 2

Sevilla vs Liverpool - Sevilla leads, Liverpool chases

Sector 1: Liverpool fastest at sector 1 by .290 of a second

Sector 2: Liverpool extends lead in sector 2

Chequered Flag: Liverpool wins. Sevilla will start 7th, Liverpool into the semi finals

Quarter Final 3

AC Milan vs FC Porto

Sector 1: Porto fastest at first sector

Sector 2: Porto again fastest at second sector but now by only .060 of a second

Chequered Flag: Porto does it - through to the semi finals for the first time this season. AC Milan to start 6th

Quarter Final 4

Galatasaray leads, Atlético Madrid to chase

Sector 1: Galatasaray leads at first sector, atletico pushing hard and kicks up some dirt off track on exit

Sector 2: Galatasaray clearly in front at second sector

Chequered Flag: Problems for Galatasaray - slows in final sector, Atletico wins by well over a second. Good luck for the Spanish on home soil - not so good for Turkey

Semi Final 1

AS Roma vs Atlético de Madrid

Sector 1: Atletico Madrid fastest at sector 1

Sector 2: Roma fight back at second sector

Chequered Flag: Roma takes victory over Atletico. Roma through to pole shoot-out, Atletico to start fourth

Semi Final 2

Liverpool v FC Porto

Sector 1: Liverpool leads at first sector

Sector 2: Reds again go fast

Chequered Flag: Liverpool wins - Porto to start third. Reds will challenge Roma for the pole position

Pole Shoot-out

Liverpool vs AS Roma - Adrian Valles vs Franck Perera

Sector 1: Liverpool to lead - Roma to chase

Sector 1: Liverpool fastest at first sector

Sector 2: LIverpool again ahead

Chequered Flag: A Spanish driver in a British car wins the pole on Spanish soil. Liverpool on the pole, Roma to start second

Qualifying Groups - SF Round 6 Spain

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:42:54 GMT

Group A	Group B
Atlético de Madrid (Andy Soucek)	Sevilla FC (Borja García)
Liverpool FC (Adrián Vallés)	AC Milan (Robert Doornbos)
Beijing Guoan FC (Davide Rigon)	RSC Anderlecht (Craig Dolby)
PSV Eindhoven (Yelmer Buurman)	AS Roma (Frank Perera)
FC Porto (Tristan Gommendy)	Galatasaray SK (Alessandro Pier Guidi)
Corinthians (Antonio Pizzonia)	Tottenham Hotspur (Duncan Tappy)
Al-Ain (Bertrand Baguette)	Rangers FC (Ryan Dalziel)
FC Basel (Max Wissel)	Flamengo (Tuka Rocha)
Olympiacos (Stamatis Katsimis)	BVB Borussia Dortmund (James Walker)

Practice 3 - Classification - Round 6 Spain

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:31:45 GMT

POS	No	SF RACING TEAM	DRIVER	TIME
1	22	AS Roma SF Racing Team	F. Perera	1:28.032
2	12	Beijing Guoan FC SF Racing Team	D. Rigon	1:28.251
3	15	Atlético de Madrid SF Racing Team	A. Soucek	1:29.405
4	21	Liverpool FC SF Racing Team	A. Vallés	1:29.800
5	6	Al-Ain SF Racing Team	B. Baguette	1:29.831
6	3	AC Milan SF Racing Team	R. Doornbos	1:30.040
7	14	Corinthians SF Racing Team	A. Pizzonia	1:30.105
8	16	FC Porto SF Racing Team	T. Gommendy	1:30.415
9	4	Galatasaray SK SF Racing Team	A. Pier Guidi	1:30.683
10	18	Sevilla FC SF Racing Team	B. García	1:30.824
11	19	Tottenham Hotspur SF Racing Team	D. Tappy	1:30.882
12	10	FC Basel SF Racing Team	M. Wissel	1:30.992
13	7	Flamengo SF Racing Team	T. Rocha	1:31.080
14	8	RSC Anderlecht SF Racing Team	C. Dolby	1:31.100
15	5	PSV Eindhoven SF Racing Team	Y. Buurman	1:31.208
16	9	Olympiacos SF Racing Team	S. Katsimis	1:31.297
17	17	Rangers FC SF Racing Team	R. Dalziel	1:31.775

Practice 2 - Classification - Round 6 Spain

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:50:56 GMT

POS	No	SF RACING TEAM	DRIVER	TIME
1	3	AC Milan SF Racing Team	R. Doornbos	1:29.080
2	14	Corinthians SF Racing Team	A. Pizzonia	1:29.123
3	4	Galatasaray SK SF Racing Team	A. Pier Guidi	1:29.263
4	22	AS Roma SF Racing Team	F. Perera	1:29.485
5	7	Flamengo SF Racing Team	T. Rocha	1:29.568
6	16	FC Porto SF Racing Team	T. Gommendy	1:29.591
7	10	FC Basel SF Racing Team	M. Wissel	1:29.641
8	17	Rangers FC SF Racing Team	R. Dalziel	1:29.642
9	18	Sevilla FC SF Racing Team	B. García	1:29.964
10	15	Atlético de Madrid SF Racing Team	A. Soucek	1:29.985
11	12	Beijing Guoan FC SF Racing Team	D. Rigon	1:30.011
12	21	Liverpool FC SF Racing Team	A. Vallés	1:30.173
13	5	PSV Eindhoven SF Racing Team	Y. Buurman	1:30.227
14	8	RSC Anderlecht SF Racing Team	C. Dolby	1:30.736
15	19	Tottenham Hotspur SF Racing Team	D. Tappy	1:30.815
16	6	Al-Ain SF Racing Team	B. Baguette	1:30.836
17	9	Olympiacos SF Racing Team	S. Katsimis	1:31.958

Practice 1 - Classification - Round 6 Spain

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:09:58 GMT

POS	No	SF RACING TEAM	DRIVER	TIME
1	3	AC Milan SF Racing Team	R. Doornbos	1:28.763
2	15	Atlético de Madrid SF Racing Team	A. Soucek	1:28.902
3	12	Beijing Guoan FC SF Racing Team	D. Rigon	1:29.197
4	21	Liverpool FC SF Racing Team	A. Vallés	1:29.457
5	4	Galatasaray SK SF Racing Team	A. Pier Guidi	1:29.614
6	18	Sevilla FC SF Racing Team	B. García	1:29.836
7	22	AS Roma SF Racing Team	F. Perera	1:29.961
8	7	Flamengo SF Racing Team	T. Rocha	1:30.441
9	5	PSV Eindhoven SF Racing Team	Y. Buurman	1:30.754
10	16	FC Porto SF Racing Team	T. Gommendy	1:31.100
11	6	Al-Ain SF Racing Team	B. Baguette	1:31.205
12	8	RSC Anderlecht SF Racing Team	C. Dolby	1:31.385
13	17	Rangers FC SF Racing Team	R. Dalziel	1:31.578
14	10	FC Basel SF Racing Team	M. Wissel	1:31.793
15	19	Tottenham Hotspur SF Racing Team	D. Tappy	1:32.149
16	9	Olympiacos SF Racing Team	S. Katsimis	1:32.375

Superleague lights up the streets of Jerez

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:34:50 GMT

The three Spanish drivers ran their machines along Avda. Alvaro Domecq in the city that lends its name to the local racetrack that will host the final round of the inaugural football-themed championship this weekend.

Local fans got a unique preview opportunity to hear the beautiful noise from the V12 machines echoing off the local buildings.

All three drivers have their sights set on a strong weekend on home soil with Garcia in particular looking to delight the local Sevilla fans.

"I had a win at the opening round of the championship, now it is time to finish on a high note," Garcia said.

"Whatever it takes – race one or race two – a win is definitely my target here. There is going to be a lot of fans coming from Sevilla and my aim will be to give them something to celebrate."

Soucek is looking for better fortunes on home soil after a terrible run of recent luck in Superleague Formula events.

"We have been fast every week, but just unlucky with reliability," Soucek said.

"This would be the perfect place to have a good result. It was great to have a run on the streets today – it really reminds you how smooth the race tracks are.

"It is also excellent for the fans to get the chance to see the cars run up and down where many people are usually driving to work."

Liverpool driver Valles still has a mathematical chance of clinching the championship. However, he would have to have a very strong race week and rely on dramatic misfortune for Beijing Guoan's Davide Rigon.

"There is no pressure on me – I just have to go out and win both races. The pressure will all be on Beijing to ensure they don't slip up," Valles said.

"I will be out to finish the year as strongly as I can for Liverpool and add another race victory."

The three Spanish drivers will join the remainder of the Superleague Formula driver line up for this evening's qualifying draw at Alcázar de Jerez – a 12th century Spanish fortress.

Practice and qualifying kicks off for this weekend's final round tomorrow with Sunday's two races scheduled for 11.00am and 2.00pm.

International Live Television Coverage to reach 70 Countries for Jerez Finale

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:56:05 GMT

The former home of the Spanish and European Grands Prix, Circuito Permanente de Jerez, will host the concluding event of the new championship which features the colours of the world's leading football clubs on 750 horsepower, V12 powered single seaters.

Superleague Formula is broadcast on major international broadcasters throughout the world, taking the new championship to the same networks where football fans cheer on their local heroes.

In addition, a 52-minute highlight programme of the race weekend is also produced for the networks. Fans can view the championship on:

UK: Setanta Sports

Spain & Andorra: Cuatro

Italy: Sky Italia

Portugal: TVI

Brazil: SporTV Globo

France: Direct 8

Holland: RTL

Greece: Alpha TV

Cyprus: MiVision

Turkey: Show TV

UAE & Middle East countries: Abu Dhabi Sport

Russia: 7TV

Sweden: Viasat Sport

Norway: Viasat Sport

France: Direct 8

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 to the commercial broadcasters and leading sports networks, coverage of Superleague Formula has been extended thanks to partnerships developed with the football clubs. On-track action 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

Glasgow Rangers: Rangers TV

Sevilla FC: Sevilla TV

Corinthians: Corinthians TV

Flamengo: Flamengo TV

Olympiacos: TV Magic

Liverpool: LFCTV

“The reaction to the television programming we have received from fans around the world has been exceptionally positive," Superleague Formula President and CEO, Alex Andreu said.

"Our broadcast partners have done an exception job in promoting the championship and taking our unique race format to a global audience.

"Our research demonstrated great enthusiasm for the concept by the fans. The reaction we have received from our broadcast partners has certainly quantified that research."

While Superleague Formula has attracted some of the biggest names in world football to the championship, SFTV, the television production division of the new series also recruited some of the main players in sports television production including Host Broadcast Services (HBS) for the race coverage; Gigawave, for the supply of the on-board camera and RF systems; NEP Visions, for the OB editing facilities; Wurmsers, for the on-screen graphics and InBC for the production services.

Chinese club Beijing Guoan holds a 59 point lead in the inaugural championship going into the final round over Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, with Liverpool FC only a single point adrift.

With 50 points available for each race win – these three clubs, plus AC Milan are still mathematically able to claim the title in Jerez this weekend.

Beijing sets sights on premiership glory as Spanish stars set to shine on home soil

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:04:21 GMT

Beijing holds a handy lead heading into the final 2008 event at Jerez in southern Spain next weekend – 59 points separating them from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven with Liverpool FC only a further three points adrift.

Going into the final round, only Beijing, PSV, Liverpool and AC Milan are in contention to claim the championship crown

With 50 points up for grabs for each race win, Beijing can see the finish line – but will still have to complete a solid weekend in Spain to claim the crown.

Two Spanish clubs and a trio of Spanish drivers will have their sights set on a strong finish the championship on home soil. Sevilla’s Borja Garcia took a race victory at the opening round of the championship at Donington Park but has been unable to return to the podium since that round.

Atletico Madrid’s Andy Soucek has recorded a series of fastest lap performances throughout the championship but has been struck with a series of misfortune and mechanical dramas.

Both Spanish teams and drivers will be looking to emulate the performances of Liverpool FC driver Adrian Valles. The Spaniard has recorded two race victories and also scored pole position at the last round of the championship at Vallelunga.

Even if PSV Eindhoven, Liverpool FC or AC Milan score a pair of victories at Jerez, Beijing Guoan can still claim the championship title.

Championship options:
If PSV Eindhoven win both races, Beijing Guoan would win the championship by:
- Finishing second in the opening race
- Finishing third in the first race and simply starting race two
- Collecting a further 42 points from both races, for example 8th and 9th in the two races

If Liverpool FC win both races, Beijing Guoan would win the championship by:
- Finishing third in the opening race
- Finishing fourth in the first race and simply starting race two
- Collecting a further 39 points from both races, for example 9th and 9th in the two races

If AC Milan win both races, Beijing Guoan would win the championship by:
- Finishing 11th in the opening race
- Finishing 14th in the first race and simply starting race two
- Collecting a further 15 points from both races, for example 15th and 16th in the two races

Al Ain driver Paul Meijer continues to face a race against time to be fit for the final round of the championship. The Dutchman broke bones in his hand during the practice crash at Vallelunga and had to sit out the event. Fellow Netherlands driver Dominick Muermans remains on standby to again fill in for Meijer who won the reverse grid race at the Estoril round of the championship.

After five rounds of the inaugural football-themed championship, seven clubs have claimed race victories including Beijing, Sevilla, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Liverpool FC, Al Ain and FC Porto. Thirteen football clubs have also stepped onto the podium throughout the year – the winning seven, plus AS Roma, Tottenham Hotspur, Flamengo, RSC Anderlecht, Galatasaray and Borussia Dortund.

In the unique knock-out qualifying format, only AC Milan’s Robert Doornbos has managed to qualify for the shoot-out at every round of the championship.

DRIVER QUOTES
DAVIDE RIGON (Beijing Guoan)
"Jerez will be a new track for me although I did do a test in GP2 there a couple of weeks ago.
"I'm certainly ready for the final round and I would love to cap the championship off with another victory.
"We will see how we go but I have a very good car and I will do my best. If we have any problems I will make sure I just collect enough points to win.
"The track is very good. They used to have Formula 1 here and it should be a lot easier to overtake here than Vallelunga.
"It will be difficult for the driver and quite challenging to go fast but I am really looking forward to it.
"Going into the final round it is quite unbelievable to have a 59 point lead. There are a lot of fast drivers in this championship and to win the title for Beijing would be fantastic."

ANDY SOUCEK (Atletico Madrid)
"I have raced quite a lot here in Jerez including four years in Spanish Formula 3 as well as a lot of testing.
"It is a track that I really like and I am really looking forward to this weekend.
"We have demonstrated in the past three rounds that we have very good speed with lots of fastest laps. We have lot of potential but mechanically we have had problems so hopefully the team have solved all the issues and we can finish the year with the big result at our home race.
"This will be a very important race for us because a lot of people from the Atletico Madrid club will be attending so hopefully our luck will change.
"I'm not aiming for a podium, I will be out to win. We need to qualify well and work hard on making sure we are on the right tyres at the right time in qualifying.
"The team and I really want to win here."

ADRIAN VALLES (Liverpool FC)
"I have only raced at Jerez once back in 2004 but that isn't a problem for me because I really like the track and I am looking forward to going back this week.
"It is a really nice area and I hope I can do well there.
"It was a shame at Vallelunga that we had a few engine problems which is unfortunate because it put Liverpool FC out of contention for the championship but you have to still push right up until the end.
"You never know what could happen. I will try my best to win the races and see if Beijing has any problems.
"It has a been a really nice championship this year. The car is great and the engine is very powerful. It has been one of the most fun race series I have been involved with in my career."

FC Porto brings down the fall of Rome at Vallelunga

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:15:39 GMT

In a dramatic crash-filled reverse grid event, Gommendy started 11th and gradually worked his way through the pack – making passes and dodging drama to take the Portuguese club's first Superleague Formula victory.

Gommendy passed eventual third placed man Yelmer Buurman on lap 17 and then hunted down fellow-Frenchman Franck

Perera who was leading for AS Roma. Perera looked set to grab a popular home town win only for Gommendy to pull off a pass on the final lap. The ex-Macau F3 Grand Prix winner and Champ Car stormed to victory but struggled to get himself out of the car in parc ferme – nursing an injured left hand which he hurt in a practice crash yesterday.

Only seven cars made to the finish after a series of spectacular incidents. Tuka Rocha (Flamengo) launched off the back of AC Milan's Robert Doornbos at the end of the front straight and then cannoned straight into Brazilian rival Antonio Pizzonia (Corinthians) on the opening lap at Curva Cimini. All drivers emerged unscathed – the same could not be said for their cars.

After a long safety car period, racing resumed with early leader Enrico Toccacelo losing the lead to Atletico Madrid's Andy Soucek. He then tried to fend off Perera at Curva Cimini at the end of the front straight. The Borussia Dortmund and AS Roma touched wheels with the BVB machine turning sharp left and suffering a heavy impact with the inside wall. Fortunately, Toccacelo emerged from the car unscathed.

The final incident took place on lap 27 when promising Greek rookie Stamatis Katsimis spun and was collected by Tottenham Hotspur's Duncan Tappy and Galatasaray driver Alessandro Pier Guidi. Stamatis was sitting in fourth place at the time.

Other race casualties were Sevilla's Borja Garcia (brakes) and FC Basel's Max Wissel (engine) Pit stop issues and eventual gearbox problems eventually curtailed Atletico's assault leaving Roma at the front of the pack.

Perera led from lap 14 through to 29, only to be caught by Gommendy on the final lap. Adrian Valles scored fourth place for Liverpool while Championship leader, Beijing's Davide Rigon, finished in 5th place.

Beijing now holds a 59 point championship lead with only two races remaining. The Chinese club leads on 353 ahead of PSV Eindhoven, 294; Liverpool FC, 291; AC Milan, 267; RSC Anderlecht, 244; AS Roma, 243; Galatasaray, 236; FC Porto, 218; Sevilla FC, 217; Tottenham Hotspur, 207; Corinthians, 205; Al-Ain, 200; Rangers, 190; FC Basel, 183; Flamengo, 171; Borussia Dortmund, 158; Olympiacos, 142 and Atletico Madrid, 120.

The final round of the Superleague Formula championship will be staged at Jerez in Spain on November 21-22.

DRIVER QUOTES
TRISTAN GOMMENDY (FC PORTO)
“I have to thank FC Porto a great deal. They have shown great confidence in me from the beginning and if I am here it is because of the faith they they have shown in me.
“The car was really nice since the beginning of the weekend and unfortunately I made a mistake in the second practice on Saturday and hit the wall and I have quite a big pain in my hand.
“It was very difficult for me in the race because the car was good but was hand was very sore. I knew where to best use the push-to-pass and I think that was the key to the victory.
“To overtake was very difficult but I did a good job to get through on PSV and AS Roma.
“When I overtook PSV I eneded up with a very big flat spot which made it difficult to see.
“It was unfortunate for Franck to lose for Roma here, but it was a big shame what happened to me at Estoril with the engine problem in Portugal. It was a terrible feeling but I am now delighted to give this victory for Porto today.”

FRANCK PERERA (AS ROMA)
“It is very difficult to lose the victory like this on the last lap. It was already tough in the first race because we had a good car but then I had a huge problem with a flat spot on the tyre and had to retire.
“I was going for the win for the fans here. I nearly had a problem in the pits getting around Atletico and then I closed on Borussia Dortmund - he moved over and we touched and that caused the accident.
“After that I wasn’t able to be as fast and it was very difficult to stop the car. I don’t know what the problem was but Tristan was obviously very fast.”
“It’s good to get on the podium but to lose like this is pretty tough.”

YELMER BUURMAN (PSV EINDHOVEN)
“It has been a difficult weekend because we were down on power during qualifying and practice and we had to change the engine for today.
“We were down the back of the grid for the first race and I just did what I could - scored some points but I still struggled with the car a little bit.
“For the second race we changed quite a bit and after the stop I could push quite hard on new tyres.
“After the stop they told me on the radio that I was third and the leader hadn’t pitted yet which was good news.
“The team did a great pit stop which helped quite a bit. Porto was behind me but there was a lot of debris on the track from where BVB crashed. The 50 metre braking marker was gone and I braked a little late and Tristan was able to get through.”

Race 2 - Live comments - SF Round 5 Italy

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:43:50 GMT

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Race 2

Pre-Race: Borussia Dortmund to start from pole position in race two

43:30 Lap 1: Big crash on first lap. Flamengo ran over the back of AC Milan and then collided with Corinthians - three very damaged cars

42:22 Lap 1: Safety car is now out

41:59 Lap 1: All drivers look to have climbed out of the cars without injury

41:02 Lap 2: Beijing was very lucky - running through a lot of debris in the crash

40:19 Lap 2: Drivers now trying to keep engine temperatures down and tyre temperatures up during the safety car period.

38:44 Lap 3: Still under safety car - top ten is Borussia Dortmund, Atletico, Sevilla, Roma, Olympiacos, Al-Ain, FC Basel, Tottenham, PSV and FC Porto

36:57 Lap 4: FC Basel pulls off the track

33:50 Lap 6: Green flag

33:35 Lap 6: Huge brake lock-up from Soucek then Atletico moves into the lead

32:48 Lap 6: AS Roma passed Sevilla for third

32:15 Lap 7: Top ten are Atletico Madrid, BVB, AS Roma, Sevilla, Olympiacos, Spurs, PSV, FC Porto, Al-Ain and Liverpool FC

29:11 Lap 9: Another big crash - BVB and AS Roma touch wheels and BVB has huge impact with the wall. Toccacelo emerges from the car OK

27:59 Lap 10 Lots of debris still on circuit

27:37 Lap 10: Liverpool, Al AIn, Galatasaray and Rangers are the first to make their stops

29:52 Lap 10: Race leader Atletico Madrid makes their stop

26:35 Lap 11 Roma, Sevilla, PSV, Porto, Anderlecht, and Beijing also pit

25:45 Lap 11: Olympiacos and Spurs are the only two cars yet to make their stop

24:36 Lap 12: Sevilla had a problem at the pit stops - dropped back to 11th place

23:50 Lap 12: Olympiacos pits - Spurs lead

23:12 Lap 13: Spurs look ready to come in next lap around

22:00 Lap 14: Atletico had to make an extra run through the pits - penalty for speeding possibly?

21:34 Lap 14: Spurs still lead but have to pit, that will put Roma into the lead

20:30 Lap 15: Spurs pit

19:56 Lap 15: Roma leads in Rome !!!

18:45 Lap 16: Top ten are Roma, PSV, Porto, Olympiacos, Spurs, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Beijing, Anderelcht and Sevilla

17:00 Lap 17: PSV runs wide, Porto charges past the following corner - now up to 2nd

15:54 Lap 18: Beijing now up to 8th placep

12:00 Lap 20: Sevilla now out. Roma runs wide but doesn't lose lead

7:42 Lap 24: Porto is closing on Roma - a battle of the French drivers at the front

7:13 Lap 24: Top ten are Roma, Porto, PSV, Olympiacos, Spurs, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Beijing, Anderlecht and Rangers

6:35 Lap 24: Porto is all over the back of Roma - can he hold on for the home fans

4:57 Lap 25: the gap for the lead is only .420 of a second

2:43 Lap 27: Spin for Olympiacos - Spurs have a touch and spin and then Galatasay hits the back of Olympiacos

1:25 Lap 28: Only seven cars remaining - lots of damage from today's second race

0:00 Last lap: Roma leads from Porto, PSV, Liverpool, Beijing, Anderlecht, Rangers and Al-Ain

0:00 Chequered Flag: Roma runs wide, Porto will win from Roma, and PSV

FC Porto wins!

Beijing extends championship lead with stunning Vallelunga victory

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:36:03 GMT

Racing on home soil, Italian Rigon started third and trailed race leader Liverpool FC (Adrian Valles) and Robert Doornbos (AC Milan) in the opening laps.

Rigon was one of the first to make his compulsory pit stop on lap nine while Liverpool and Milan pitted a lap later.

The Reds suffered a slow stop allowing Milan ahead but Doornbos was unable to hold off Rigon who made a pass while Doornbos was bringing his tyres up to speed on his out lap.

From that pass onwards, the Italian ace was untouchable and Rigon took his third win – backing up his previous victories from Donington Park and Zolder.

Beijing Guoan now hold a 60 point lead in the championship over AC Milan who have now risen to second place.

Milan took its third consecutive second place finish while Galatasaray's Alessandro Pier Guidi also scored his second consecutive third place finish.

For Liverpool, the chance for victory evaporated during the pit stop when the team had trouble changing on of the front tyres – dropping behind AC Milan and Beijing

Valles later began suffering a fuel pressure issue that dropped him back to ninth place overall.

Flamengo's recent run of misfortune turned the corner with Tuka Rocha scoring a fighting fourth place – holding off a trail of cars for much of the race.

Rangers scored a strong finish to move from 10th on the grid to fifth place at the finish while local heroes AS Roma suffered a disappointing finish.

Franck Perera ran wide after locking a brake and lost a number of positions after running in 6th place. The Roma car later retired to pits with only three laps remaining.

Other cars to suffer misfortune during the opening race included Borussia Dortmund (suspension issue) and Spanish clubs Sevilla (flat tyre and subsequent throttle sensor problem) and Atletico Madrid (overheating).

Beijing Guoan now lead on 321 ahead of AC Milan, 261; Liverpool FC, 255; PSV Eindhoven, 254; Galatasaray, 220; RSC Anderlecht, 215; Sevilla FC, 205; AS Roma, 198; Corinthians, 198; Tottenham Hotspur, 189; Al Ain, 177; FC Basel, 175; FC Porto, 168; Flamengo, 166; Rangers, 164; Borussia Dortmund, 148; Olympiacos, 122; Atletico Madrid, 106.

DRIVER QUOTES:
Davide Rigon (Beijing Guoan)
"I really wanted to win here because we had a problem at Estoril when the car was very fast and here I had a very good car and I always try to win when it is possible.
"I was looking to score lots of points and not take too many risks. Robert was still on cool tyres when I made the pass but I pushed very hard and everything went well.
"I am very happy with the result and my team did a great result on the pit stops. My strategy was perfect because it was tough to chase Liverpool and AC Milan early on and pitting early put me in clean air."

Robert Doornbos (AC Milan)
"Maybe I should write my name on the back of the seat here in second place.
"I have to say a big thankyou for my team who did a fantastic job on the pit stop.
"I really pushed on the last lap before the pit stop and was right on the gearbox of Liverpool going into the pits.
"I knew if we made a good stop I had a chance of getting past but then on my out lap I saw Davide coming on hot tyres and it was the same as what happened to me at Estoril.
"I tried to close the door in turn one but I was on cold tyres and I really had to give him room otherwise we would have both crashed.
"It is still great to get a podium in Italy for AC Milan."

Alessandro Pier Guidi (Galatasaray)
"I am very happy to score this result on my home track. It is fantastic.
"A big thankyou to my team because they did an incredible job on the starting grid because we had a gearbox problem which they were able to fix before the start of the race.
"The car was perfect during the race and the pit stop was perfect as well.
"I made a very good start and it is great to get another podium finish."

Race 1 - Live comments - SF Round 5 Italy

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:08:49 GMT

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RACE 1

Pre-race: Sevilla to start from pit lane. Galatasaray had last minute dramas on the grid with a gearbox issue

44:00 Lap 1: Liverpool leads off the start from AC Milan and Beijing

43:42 Lap 1: AC Milan challenging strongly on the first lap

43:11 Lap 1: great start for Galatasaray up to fourth

42:40 Lap 2: Top ten after opening lap are Liverpool, AC Milan, Beijing, Galatasaray, Flamengo, Roma, Corinthians, Rangers, Atletico and PSV

41.43 Lap 2: Borussia Dortmund missing off the timesheet - only 17 cars running

38:37 Lap 4: Trail of cars forming behind Flamengo in 5th place

37:56 Lap 5: Rangers having one of their best races of the season in 8th place

36:12 Lap 6: Fastest lap so far to Liverpool at 1:24.525

32:34 Lap 9: No change in top ten - still Liverpool, AC Milan, Beijing, Galatasaray, Flamengo, Roma, Corinthians, Rangers, Atletico and PSV

31:25 Lap 9: Beijing the first car to enter pit lane for the compulsory stop. Followed by Flamengo, Roma and PSV

30:20 Lap 10: No change from pit stops order

29:50 Lap 11: Liverpool and AC Milan now pit - Galatasaray leads

29:21 Lap 10: rangers, Atletico and Spurs pit

28:12 Lap 12: Anderlecht, Basel, Porto pit

27:19 Lap 12: From the pit stop shuffle - Beijing now leads from Milan and Liverpool

26:50 Lap 13: Galatasaray pits. Corinthians, Olympiacos and Al Ain still to pit

26:17 Lap 13: Beijing now sets the fastest lap at 1:23.600

25:25 Lap 14: BVB may still go out during this race. They have a suspension problem as a result of yesterday's crash. Sevilla is now out - has retired to the pit lane

24:34 Lap 14: Corinthians out in front but has yet to pit

24:01 Lap 14: Corinthians now pits

23:31 Lap 15: Corinthians returns to the track - they made front wing adjustment at the stop

23:10 Lap 15: After the stops, the top ten are Beijing, Milan, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Flamengo, Roma, Rangers, Corinthians, Atletico and PSV

22:29 Lap 15: BVB car is now on track

22:15 Lap 16: Team manager from FC Porto team now being asked to report to race control - not sure why?

19:18 Lap 18: Great battle between Flamengo, Roma and Rangers for 5th, 6th and 7th

13:48 Lap 22: Beijing puts Al Ain a lap down

13:19 Lap 22: Beijing now has a 2.667 gap over AC Milan

11:50 Lap 23: Home town heroes Roma still pushing hard and trying to find a way past Flamengo

9:12 Lap 25: Beijing would be the first three time winner if they can complete this victory

6:59 Lap 26: Huge train behind Flamengo now in 5th - Roma, Rangers, Corinthians and Anderlecht

5:32 Lap 27: Liverpool pushing hard on Galatasaray for 3rd

5:05: Lap 28: Atletico Madrid in the pits

5:32 Lap 27: Liverpool pushing hard on Galatasaray for 3rd

5:05: Lap 28: Atletico Madrid in the pits

3:41 Lap 29: Roma loses places. Locks a brake challenging Flamengo and runs wide - Rangers, Corinthians and Anderlecht get past

3:00 Lap 29: Huge brake lock up for race leader Beijing

2:00 Lap 30: Top ten is now Beijing, AC Milan, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Flamengo, Rangers, Corinthians, Anderlecht, Porto and Roma

0:57 Lap 31: Milan closing the gap slightly to Beijing - now back to 2.030 seconds

0.04 Lap 31: Liverpool starting to slow a little - dropped right back from Galatasaray

0:00 Last lap: Beijing leads from Milan and Galatasaray

0:00 Last lap: Roma pits

0:00 Chequered Flag: Beiing wins from Milan, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Flamengo, Rangers, Corinthians, Anderlecht, Porto and PSV

Injured Meijer out of Al-Ain Car - Muermans to make debut

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:23:24 GMT

Both Meijer and Al Ain's original Panoz chassis are both on the "injury list" – Meijer now out for four weeks with a broken bone in his hand, and the Al Ain car out with damage to the tub.

However, the UAE club will be represented on the grid with a spare chassis pressed into service and re-branded in Al Ain colours.

Superleague Formula test driver Bruce Jouanny actually shook down the car – at that stage in a bare carbon fibre livery - yesterday afternoon during the rookie session.

Dutchman Dominick Muermans will now take over the driving duties aboard the Al Ain machine.

Muermans took also part in the rookie session yesterday afternoon aboard the PSV Eindhoven car but will now switch to the purple and white Al Ain machine.

The 24-year-old has competed in the US this year in the Formula Atlantic championship. He began his racing career in Europe taking part in the Dutch and German Formula Renault championships also competed in the ATS Formula 3 Cup and Dutch F3 series.

Meijer now faces a race against time to be ready in time for the final round of the championship at Jerez.

"The doctor said I will probably be in the cast for about four weeks, but Jerez is three weeks away so I have to see how it goes," Meijer said.

"It is obviously very disappointing. I was trying to keep the car out of the barrier but the wheel caught it and it spun the steering wheel around."

The Al Ain car with Muermans at the wheel will start the opening race today from the back of the grid.

Liverpool topple AC Milan in Vallelunga Pole Shoot-Out

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:38:19 GMT

Italian fans looking to celebrate an AC Milan pole position in Italy had their hearts broken by Liverpool's Adrian Valles at Vallelunga today.

The two-time race winning "Reds" star earned his club's first pole today after beating AC Milan's Robert Doornbos in the pole shoot-out.

Italian fans had already suffered the disappointment of seeing local club AS Roma drop out at the quarter-final stage at the hands of championship leader, Davide Rigon from Beijing Guoan. Roma's Franck Perera will start seventh in the opening race tomorrow.

Valles scored race victories at Zolder and Estoril this season, but today's result was the first pole position for an English club in Superleague Formula.

Brazilian fans also had plenty to cheer about after strong results from both Flamengo and Corinthians.

Tuka Rocha's run of misfortune aboard the Flamengo car looked to have turned the corner with a strong qualifying performance only for him to suffer a misfire in his semi-final against Liverpool. The Brazilian will start fourth behind Beijing's Rigon.

Corinthians star Antonio Pizzonia set the fastest time in group A qualifying but was beaten in his quarter final against Beijing.

Damp more practice conditions claimed a number of victims in the morning with Stamatis Katsimis (Olympiacos), Paul Meijer (Al Ain) and Tristan Gommendy (FC Porto) all making contact with the wall.

Meijer suffered a wrist injury but x-rays confirmed no broken bones. His car however, suffered tub damage and his Al Ain team is unsure whether they will make it onto the grid tomorrow.

Borussia Dortmund is another club that required a "nose job" after Enrico Toccacelo damaged the car on the opening lap of qualifying.

Tomorrow’s first race will kick off at 11.00am with the second reverse grid event scheduled for 2.00pm. Both races are run to 44 minutes, plus 1 lap.

DRIVER QUOTES
ADRIAN VALLES (Liverpool FC)
“Vallelunga is a new track for me so this morning I concentrated on learning the circuit but it was wet and I was a little bit worried to go into qualifying in the dry without any experience.
“We didn’t really perform that well in the qualifying session but it was enough to make the shoot-out. We worked on improving the car during the shoot-outs and I managed to do a really good lap to get the pole.
“The team did a really good job and we are getting close to the right set-up so lets see if we can win again.
“Every race we have been on the pace but we had bad luck at the Nurburgring so I hope we can continue to push through to Jerez with options to still win the championship for Liverpool.”

ROBERT DOORNBOS (AC Milan)
“I am very happy to have performed well but I think it was like the Champions League Final between AC Milan and Liverpool. I think we have the fastest car and I proved that with my semi-final lap of 1:21.6 but in the last shoot-out I was on used tyres against Adrian.
“He did very well to get the pole but we will have an extra new set of new tyres for tomorrow and we are on Roma’s home ground so it should be very exciting.
“I am definitely going for the win tomorrow. I have never raced here before - only testing - and when we ran the AC Milan car here before the start of the season it was extremely hot. The times are a lot faster now and the track is really starting to rubber in.”

DAVIDE RIGON (Beijing Guoan)
“I had a very good car today in qualifying and in the wet this morning. We made a small mistake during the shoot-out and didn’t use the new tyres. I was very close to AC Milan in my semi-final but we will see what happens tomorrow.
“Concentrating on keeping the championship lead for Beijing Guoan is important tomorrow but I have a good car so maybe I can push for the win as well.”

TUKA ROCHA (Flamengo)
“It was very good today but I had a problem with the car in the semi-final which was disappointing because we had new tyres ready if I had made it through to the pole shoot-out.
“It is still good to qualify towards the front because we have had a lot of problems in the last few races.
“It is good to show our potential and lets see how we go tomorrow.
“I’ve been to a couple of Flamengo games recently and they lost both games, but then I went again last week and they won 5-0 so hopefully my luck is going to be similar.”

SFTV NEWSFEED:
SFTV is producing a News Feed of the day’s actions, it will be made available on satellite in the clear on both Saturday (official qualification) and Sunday (2 races) at 15h10 – 15h25 GMT. Any broadcasting media interested should write to broadcast@superleagueformula.com with an email address where SFTV can send the synopsis and the shot list.

AUDIO:
Press conference recordings are available from the Superleague Formula media site. The press conferences are also be available via the Superleague Formula audio podcast feed, via the Itunes Store - click here.

RESULTS:
Full results can be download by clicking on this link.

QUALIFYING NOTES:
Full media notes from qualifying can be read online at link.