Superleague Formula

Infobox motorsport championship

pixels = 250
caption = "Superleague Formula logo"
category = Single seaters
current_season = 2008 Superleague Formula season|2008
inaugural = 2008
drivers = 18
teams = 18
constructors = Élan Motorsport Technologies [citeweb|url=http://www.superleagueformula.com/superleague/Car-Engine/Car-design|title=Car & Engine|publisher=Official website|accessdate=2008-08-28]
country/region = International
website = [http://www.superleagueformula.com/ superleagueformula.com]

Superleague Formula is a new motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs.

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.

Superleague Formula will be open-wheel racing and the teams will be sponsored by and bear the colors of prominent football clubs such as RSC Anderlecht, Galatasaray SK, CR Flamengo, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Liverpool F.C., [citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7582611.stm|title=Liverpool move into motor racing|publisher=BBC Sport|date=2008-08-26|accessdate=2008-08-26] Olympiacos CFP, FC Porto, SC Corinthians, Rangers, AS Roma, Tottenham Hotspur and PSV. Some countries may have non-club sponsored teams. Drivers from A1 Grand Prix, GP2, DTM, etc are being recruited for the 2008 start.

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:

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

External links

* [http://www.superleagueformula.com/ Superleague Formula Official Website]
* [http://www.formulasuperliga.com.br/ Brazilian Reference WebSite]
* [http://www.slf-online.com/news.php Superleague Formula Fan Site]