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Adrián Vallés celebra su título compitiendo entre amigos

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:43:24 GMT

Junto a los nueve pilotos profesionales, estuvo el subcampeón de la Comunidad Valenciana de karting, Dani Foresí, que logró estar con los profesionales tras ganar las carreras clasificatorias disputadas entre los inscritos en la selección llevada a cabo por medio de Facebook.

La jornada se desarrolló con una climatología fría, pero sin la temida lluvia y ante un numeroso público que no se quiso perder el espectáculo ofrecido por los profesionales y los aficionados que ofrecieron un gran espectáculo en la pista de karting de Teulada, propiedad de Adrián Vallés.

La jornada se inició con las eliminatoria entre los 18 seleccionados de los cientos de participantes en la inscripción llevada a cabo a través de la zona Facebook de Adrián Vallés. Después de las eliminatorias, el piloto de Denia, Dani Foresí fue el mejor y pudo participar con los profesionales en el resto de las eliminatorias y carreras disputadas.

Los diez pilotos profesionales llevaron a cabo dos tandas de entrenamientos libres, dos tandas cronometradas, y tres carreras, siguiendo el mismo formato con el que se disputan las carreras de la Superleague Formula. La primera carrera fue para el piloto de F1 Jaime Alguersuari, que en su carrera deportiva ha sido uno de los mejores pilotos del Mundo en el karting. Segundo fue Miki Monrás y tercero Adrián Vallés. En esta carrera, Foresí era uno de los favoritos de cara al triunfo, pero sufrió una salida de pista y quedó último clasificado. En la segunda carrera, con la parrilla invertida, como se hace en la Superleague Formula, Foresí salió desde la pole, y se colocó segundo tras Gommendy, que lideró buena parte de la carrera hasta que fue superado por Foresí, que consiguió una victoria muy celebrada por el piloto de Denia.

En la superfinal, que disputaron los diez pilotos, con la parrilla formada según la puntuación lograda en las dos primeras carreras, el triunfo correspondió a Adrián Vallés, seguido de Alguersuari y de Marco Barba.

El final de fiesta fue una cena, seguida de una velada en la discoteca Barraca de Moraira, que se prologó hasta bien entrada la noche y en la que los asistentes pudieron bailar al ritmo de dos DJs de excepción, Jaime Alguersuari y Miki Monrás.

“Ha sido un magnifico colofón al título. Reunir a tantos pilotos de categoría para una fiesta así, ha sido una gran alegría y algo de agradecer a todos los participantes. A la afición que ha venido a apoyarnos, a todos los que se inscribieron por Facebook, y a los pilotos que no han dudado en dejar sus merecidas vacaciones para estar aquí. Quiero hacer mención especial a Jaime Alguersuari, que desde que le comenté la posibilidad de hacer esta fiesta entre amigos, se ofreció sin dudarlo. Dani Foresí, que llegó a las clasificatorias después de inscribirse en Facebook ha sido una de las sorpresas del día, ya que nos lo ha puesto difícil, y ha ganado una de las carreras. En resumen creo que hemos acercado el karting y los pilotos profesionales al público, y hemos pasado una jornada de competición entre amigos para poner el punto final a la temporada, que ha sido muy fructífera para mí con la victoria en la segunda temporada de la Superleague Formula, que el año que viene alcanzará su mayoría de edad con la disputa de 12 fines de semana de carreras, lo que le convertirá, con 24 carreras en la competición de monoplazas con más carreras del Mundo, y que espero volver a ganar de nuevo”, comentaba Adrián al finalizar la jornada.

La Real Federación Española de Automovilismo premia a Adrián Vallés por su Título en Superleague Formula 2009

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:56:32 GMT

Como cada año, la Real Federación Española de Automovilismo celebró su Gala de Campeones para premiar los triunfos nacionales e internacionales de los pilotos y marcas españoles.

Tras homenajear a los mejores pilotos de todas las especialidades de los Campeonatos de España, la Federación quiso realizar un reconocimiento especial a deportistas y entidades que han cosechado importantes éxitos internacionales esta temporada. Las distinciones fueron entregadas por Carlos Gracia, Presidente de la Real Federación Española de Automovilismo.

Entre los premiados se encuentra Adrián Vallés, por su título en Superleague Formula; Jaime Alguersuari por ser el debutante más joven en la F1; Albert Costa y Epsilon Euskadi por el título cosechado en la Formula Renault 2.0; SEAT, por el título de pilotos y de constructores que han logrado en el Mundial de Turismos; Andy Soucek por su título de F2; Marc Gené y Peugeot por haber ganado las 24 Horas de LeMans, Joaquín Folch, por su victoria en la Clase C del Mundial de F1 para coches históricos y Carlos Sainz Jr. por el título logrado en la Mónaco Cup.

Además, en esta gala se concedió el premio al Mejor Organizador del Año. En esta edición, el galardón fue para Motorland de Aragón, por la organización del Campeonato de España de Karting y también del Campeonato de España de Autocross.

Valles to celebrate title success with first ever karting challenge

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:10:49 GMT

Liverpool’s reigning Superleague Formula champion will welcome the likes of his brother Moises, Toro Rosso F1 driver Jaime Alguersuari, Formula Renault 3.5 combatant Marco Barba, fellow Superleague drivers Kasper Andersen, Tristan Gommendy and Carlo Van Dam, Formula 2’s Miki Monras and Porsche Supercup’s Siso Cunill to compete in a series of races throughout the afternoon.

Uniquely however, the race isn’t just reserved for professional drivers. Ten lucky Liverpool supporters will be invited from Adrian’s Facebook fan page to attend the event, first being coached and then competing over a 12 lap race for the honour to line-up against seasoned pros.

"The idea was to offer the general public a chance to race against professional drivers,” says Adrian. “We would have liked to do it in Moraira, but budget issues have rendered that not possible so therefore it will be at my own circuit. I want it to be a celebration amongst friends, with fun runs, in which the audience have a good time and then join us for a party in Moraira that night where there will be music. It should be great fun spending an unforgettable day together. Hopefully lots of people will turn up. It will be the best way to end an unforgettable season in Superleague Formula.”

For your chance to be selected for the Adrian Valles & Friends Challenge, become a fan of Adrian’s at http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Adrian-Valles/179286066045?ref=search&sid=504046258.2779758062..1

Champion drops in on hometown pupils

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:23:53 GMT

The Spaniard, visiting students at Sant Vicent Ferrer and Cap d’Or Colleges in Moraira, brought along the impressive trophy he had won at the season finale in Jarama earlier this month. Pupils were also each given a t-shirt in the soccer club’s familiar red colours and emblazoned with Adrian’s racing number 21.

Accompanied by Mayor Antoni Joan Bertomeu, Valles received a standing ovation from pupils and told them the crucial values needed to become an elite sportsman – including the importance of a good education.

In return, Adrian answered a succession of questions from the excited youngsters. Amongst the enquiries, some asked at what age Valles had wanted to become a racing driver, others how many trophies he had won and another, who was the better driver; Britain’s Lewis Hamilton or Spain’s Fernando Alonso?

Ian Ayre, Liverpool Commercial Director, Q&A

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:11:36 GMT

Liverpool FC commercial director Ian Ayre was there in person to witness Adrian Valles clinch the Superleague Formula by Sonangol crown for Liverpool in Jarama. A fortnight on, he discusses how highly the title ranks and the role Superleague is playing in the club’s commercial expansion abroad.

SF: Another season and another title for Liverpool FC. What does it mean to have become Superleague Formula champions?

Ian Ayre: It's important for this club to win things. Anything that represents us successfully as a football club is important. We've got a great team and a great driver and for the last two seasons we've been very successful in Superleague Formula. The pinnacle of that was winning the championship and winning it well. We had our Madrid supporters' club there and for all these fans it was a great day. I was there alongside other members of our team and it's great to see how the interest is building. About 30,000 people turned up, so it's clearly growing as a sport and an event. We're contracted to stay involved for several more years and it looks like an exciting proposition. They're expanding where they race and are talking about places in the Middle East and Asia. These are areas where we're very big as a football club so it's a great synergy and a great fit.

SF: Tottenham were your closest rivals for much of the season. It must be satisfying to have beaten a fellow Premiership club?

IA: Their driver, Craig Dolby, was the only one who could have beaten us. He needed to win the second race last weekend and he was actually leading, but Adrian was able to get sufficiently up the rankings to win overall. It was a little bit like the Formula One championship in that Jenson Button didn't win the race but clinched the series. The celebrations were unbelievable. It looked like Adrian had his entire village from Spain up on the podium with him. There was lots of champagne being sprayed about.

SF: Adrian visited Melwood and Anfield in the week leading up to Jarama. No problem with the language barrier I suppose?!

IA: We're all aware of the clear Spanish connection Liverpool Football Club has and having Adrian is great. He had a great day at Anfield the week before. The players keep in touch with him. I know Pepe Reina is a bit of a petrol head and has been in regular contact. Rafa also sent a great message of congratulations to him on the day. He's fitted in really well and is clearly a rising star of motor racing.

SF: Why did the Superleague Formula concept appeal to Liverpool?

IA: There's two things, for me. The first is us licensing our club logos and brand to Superleague. They have a similar arrangement with a lot of other teams. This is a financial opportunity for the club. The second thing, which is perhaps more important, is that it spreads the awareness of our football club. Superleague races in markets that perhaps we don't go to very often as a football club. It attracts a different type of audience and means motor racing fans who perhaps aren't big football supporters become attracted to Liverpool. By the same token, established Liverpool fans can see a bit of motor racing and have a good day out. It's a family event with great access. They have a pit walk and you can walk along the grid as they are preparing for the race.

SF: Is this an example of the way the club is moving forward off the pitch?

IA: Commercially we are making great progress. It's great to see things like this improving our financial position commercially. It's always important to have different commercial strands in a football club. We have grown our family of sponsors and we've improved our retail business - we now have four stores on Merseyside. Our online business is also growing, so in all those areas we're doing well. Superleague is an example of how we're doing with regards licensing, which is another area where Liverpool Football Club has value. People see that value and can create products of their own, and this has a financial reward for us. The combination of all these things is what will continue to increase our revenue and our position.

Liverpool beat Tottenham to 2009 crown after Jarama thriller

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:32:54 GMT

The Spaniard, who came to the final round with a hefty 49-point cushion over his fellow Premier League opposition, finished race 1 seventh before avoiding the potential pitfalls of race 2 to climb from 12th to fourth by the chequered flag.

Spurs’ Craig Dolby meanwhile put in a pair of storming drives, moving from 10th to 4th in the opening race before producing arguably the drive of the season in the second, passing car after car to come through to second after starting 15th. Despite his heroics, the Melton-Mowbray ace still missed out on the championship by 30 points.

Rangers’ John Martin, who wasn’t part of the title battle, had a weekend to forget after first corner incidents in both races wrecked any hopes of a fine season send-off.

Race 1

The tight confines of Jarama were always going to make the start potentially hazardous for the three British clubs crammed in the midfield. And so it proved when Martin found his path into the first corner blocked by those squabbling ahead, leaving him with little choice but to skip across the gravel trap and re-join at the tail of the field.

The Premiership pair meanwhile were rather luckier with both Spurs and Liverpool picking their way through to move up a position each, Dolby to 9th and Valles 13th, although the Spaniard would slip back one spot five laps later. With overtaking opportunities at a premium, they wouldn’t improve again until the seventh tour thanks to Galatasaray’s retirement before Valles re-passed Olympiacos for 12th moments later.

It wasn’t long before the first flurry of mandatory pit stops. Both English clubs stopped on lap nine, slick work from each crew ensuring a quick turnaround and ultimately resulting in places gained once the rest of the field had pitted, Spurs moving up to 6th and Liverpool 10th.

Dolby now needed to push if he was to close his hefty points’ deficit further. But despite running nose-to tail behind FC Basel’s Max Wissel for the next eight laps, the Briton could find no way through before he was demoted himself by AS Roma.

One final sting in the tail remained though. The charging Julien Jousse, having achieved what Dolby couldn’t by passing Basel, set off in pursuit of Corinthians’ Antonio Pizzonia. Once there, he only succeeded in crashing into the back of the Brazilian, eliminating the pair while suitably delaying Wissel for Dolby to sweep by into fourth. The double retirement also helped Liverpool however with Valles finishing seventh to give away just ten points to his rival ahead of the final race. It meant that Dolby would need to climb from 15th to 3rd in the decider, while relying on a Liverpool retirement if he was to steal the crown.

Despite his first corner incident, Martin drove well to recover to tenth for Rangers at the chequered flag.

Race 2

The first corner of the opening lap again saw drama when Olympiacos was squeezed on entry and ended up T-boning PSV Eindhoven, sending the Dutch cub spinning across the track into the path of oncoming traffic. Both Liverpool and Spurs did well to avoid the melee but Rangers were again an innocent third party, Martin reacquainting himself with the gravel trap before continuing.

The carnage left little choice but for the Safety Car to be deployed. When racing resumed, Liverpool sat 7th with Spurs hot on their heels in 9th. Dolby was in no mood to hang around though, overtaking both race 1 winner Anderlecht and Valles around the outside of the first corner, before an epic move on Sevilla’s Sebastien Bourdais and Lyon’s Nelson Panciatici lifted him to fifth. Fourth and third followed within just two laps, before Dolby assumed first when the leaders stopped for fresh tyres.

Staying out ten laps longer than his rivals, Dolby built a 30 second cushion before pitting. He rejoined second, six seconds down on Galatasaray but in a position to score enough points should Liverpool falter. But the experienced Valles, who has seldom made a mistake all season, was not about to do anything rash in his championship hour. Having survived the earlier incidents, and after making the most of his quick pit stop to jump up to 5th, he took advantage of a mistake by Sevilla late on to claim fourth and secure the crown.

Dolby finished second with Martin putting in a storming drive of his own to move from last to eighth by the finish.

Driver Quotes:

Adrian Valles (Liverpool): “It’s fantastic to have won the championship and I’d like to thank the whole team for the great job they’ve done this season. We have been competitive at every round, yet we’ve never had any problems with reliability. To win the Superleague Formula title is a great honour for a driver because the level of competition is so high and the cars are all the same. I’m also really pleased for Liverpool. I met all the players and staff last week and they wished me good luck so I am so happy to have clinched this title for them. They’ve won a lot of trophies in their history so it is nice to have added another one to that list.”

Craig Dolby (Tottenham Hotspur): “I’m obviously very disappointed not to win the championship, but I pushed as hard as I could and had a lot of fun. I managed to make some incredible overtaking manoeuvres - around the outside of Anderlecht and Liverpool into turn 1 and then around the outside of Bourdais later. It was unbelievable and I was screaming down the radio to the boys in the pits at one point! We’ve had some bad luck here and there without which things could have been different, but overall it has been a great year.”

John Martin (Rangers): “Not the best weekend but if you qualify in the middle those sort of things can happen. Once we got taken out at the first corner in both races it was always going to be a case of damage limitation so to come ninth in the second wasn’t bad. It’s not been the season we’d hoped for but at least we’ve got the Donington Super Final victory to show for it. I’ve got unfinished business with Superleague next year though so I’ll definitely be back.”

Anderlecht nets Super Final, but title belongs to Liverpool

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:40:11 GMT

Adrian Valles drove intelligently throughout the final meeting, scoring seventh and fourth place finishes, to protect the healthy points lead he held over Tottenham Hotspur’s Craig Dolby coming into the weekend, despite the British driver’s best attempts to cause an upset in race 2.

Anderlecht’s Yelmer Buurman was the other star of the weekend as he backed up his race 1 victory with a win in the six-car, five-lap Super Final to net a €100,000 prize, while Galatasaray secured their first ever Superleague win thanks to a faultless drive from Ho-Pin Tung in race 2.

The Super Final saw two of the six runners out of the reckoning within seconds of the start as Dolby stalled from pole position and FC Porto’s Tristan Gommendy out-braked himself into the first corner while fighting Sevilla’s Sebastien Bourdais for the lead.

Bourdais also went slightly wide into the first turn, allowing a gleeful Buurman to drive up the inside and take a lead that he would never lose. Bourdais finished second, over one second down, while Valles, already in jubilant mood having clinched the title just minutes earlier, held off Tung’s attack for third.

Race 2 had seen Tung produce a fine drive to give Galatasaray its first win. Starting from third on the fully-reversed grid, the Chinese-Dutch driver, who had shown strong pace all weekend, nailed front row starter Maria de Villota (Atletico Madrid) off the line and passed pole man Kasper Andersen of FC Midtjylland a few laps later to take the lead.

He then set a consistently fast pace throughout the 45 minute race to take a well received victory for the Turkish club.

While Tung’s performance was impressive, it wasn’t quite as spectacular as Dolby’s, who did everything he could to wrestle the title from the grasp of Liverpool and Valles.

Starting down in 15th on the grid, Dolby avoided the first corner chaos which eliminated the cars from PSV Eindhoven and Corinthians and severely compromised the races of Olympiacos, FC Basel and Rangers.

After a short Safety Car period to clean up the wreckage of the PSV machine, Dolby was sensational on the restart, immediately passing race 1 winner Anderlecht and title rival Liverpool. He then followed Sevilla’s Sebastien Bourdais up the inside of Nelson Panciatici in the Lyon car, before demoting Bourdais with a ballsy move around the outside of the first hairpin. Enrique Bernoldi in the Flamengo car and de Villota were then easily dealt with, putting Tottenham into second place.

Dolby stayed out significantly longer than everyone else before finally making his mandatory pit stop, but his rapid pace wasn’t enough to jump Tung, the British driver eventually settling for second.

His display also wasn’t enough to win the title as Valles drove a sensible race for Liverpool, rising from tenth at the start to finish fourth behind FC Midtjylland, securing more than enough to seal the crown. FC Porto was fifth after a charging through-the-field drive from Tristan Gommendy, with Sevilla in sixth.

Atletico Madrid fans had something to cheer at their local event as de Villota held on for seventh ahead of FC Basel, for whom Max Wissel recovered from the back of the field after a trip through the gravel at the first corner, clinching enough points to steal third in the final league table ahead of Anderlecht.

Race 1 winner Buurman saw his race end in bizarre fashion as the pit stop phase began. The Anderlecht driver hit Panciatici in the pit lane entry as the Lyon driver misjudged where the pit lane speed limiter line started and braked too early. Giorgio Pantano, who finished third for AC Milan in race 1, ended his afternoon in the barrier after spinning on the exit of the final corner with ten minutes to go.

Quotes

Adrian Valles (Liverpool): “It’s fantastic to have won the championship and I’d like to thank the whole team for the great job they’ve done this season. We have been competitive at every round, yet we’ve never had any problems with reliability. To win the Superleague Formula title is a great honour for a driver because the level of competition is so high and the cars are all the same. I’m also really pleased for Liverpool. I met all the players and staff last week and they wished me good luck so I am so happy to have clinched this title for them. They’ve won a lot of trophies in their history so it is nice to have added another one to that list.”

Craig Dolby (Tottenham Hotspur): “I’m obviously very disappointed not to win the championship, but I pushed as hard as I could and had a lot of fun. I managed to make some incredible overtaking manoeuvres - around the outside of Anderlecht and Liverpool into turn 1 and then around the outside of Bourdais later. It was unbelievable and I was screaming down the radio to the boys in the pits at one point! We’ve had some bad luck here and there without which things could have been different, but overall it has been a great year.”

Yelmer Buurman (RSC Anderlecht): “It has been a very good weekend and I’m really happy to have won two races. After the crash in race 2 I had to borrow some spare parts from my team-mate so we were a bit lucky to make it to the Super Final. The first corner turned out to be a bit messy, but we emerged in the lead so I was very happy.”

Alex Andreu (Superleague Formula CEO & President): “This weekend has been a fitting finale to a thrilling second season of Superleague Formula. The racing has been exciting throughout and the crowds we have seen here at Jarama have been fantastic and enthusiastically supported our teams and drivers. We’re already looking forward to our third season next year and expanding our calendar to 12 rounds.”

Anderlecht dominates as title fight continues

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:32:41 GMT

Bourdais beat Buurman by just six thousandths of a second in yesterday’s qualifying final to clinch pole position, but a fine passing manoeuvre immediately after the pit stops and then a string of unmatchable quick laps saw the Dutch driver avenge that loss.

Meanwhile, the title fight between English Premier League clubs Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will go all the way to the last race this afternoon as Spurs’ Craig Dolby narrowed the lead of Liverpool’s Adrian Valles by ten points.

The key moment of the race came ten minutes in as Anderlecht emerged from its pit stop with Sevilla’s Bourdais, who had pitted one lap earlier, bearing down the start/finish straight.

The cars were side by side heading into the first corner, but Buurman held his line on the inside of the right hander, sliding into the lead on the exit. From there, Bourdais was unable to match the pace of the Anderlecht man, as Buurman rattled off a string of impressive lap times, including the race’s best, a 1:20.011, finishing over 14 seconds clear at the chequered flag.

Giorgio Pantano completed the podium positions for AC Milan after a lonely run to third. Starting sixth, the Italian made a good start to move up to fourth and then inherited a top-three finish when Galatasary’s Ho-Pin Tung went off early in the race.

Behind him, things were far more chaotic and had a direct effect on the title race.

Both Tottenham (10th) and Liverpool (14th) had started from the midfield but made up places at the start and during the pit stops.

Spurs’ Dolby lost sixth place to a charging Julien Jousse of Roma midway through the race, but then saw a huge slice of luck fall in his favour with just two minutes of the race remaining.

Having passed Dolby and FC Basel’s Max Wissel, Jousse began to close rapidly on Corinthians’ Antonio Pizzonia. He made his move with a couple of laps remaining, but only succeeded in crashing into the back of the Brazilian, ending both their races. In the melee that followed, Wissel was badly baulked by the two stricken cars ahead, allowing Dolby to dive up the inside into fourth.

Wissel crossed the line fifth ahead of FC Porto’s Tristan Gommendy, while Valles managed seventh following a late pass on Lyon, ultimately limiting his losses to Spurs during the late race chaos.

Olympiacos and Rangers both recovered to grab top ten finishes after a scrappy start to the race. Rangers’ John Martin joined FC Midtylland’s Kasper Andersen in the gravel after too many cars battled for two little space at the first corner. Guerrieri, meanwhile, spun on the exit of turn 1 on the opening lap, dropping him to the back of the field and immediately removing one of the pre-race favourites from the lead battle.

There was disappointment for fans of home favourites Atletico Madrid as Maria de Villota spun out on lap 2, although her non-finish means the series’ only female driver will join Andersen on the front row of the completely reversed grid for race 2.

Tottenham’s task is a tough one in the second race if the London club is to deny Liverpool a first Superleague Formula title. Trailing by 39 points, Dolby must finish at least third from 15th on the grid and hope that Liverpool doesn’t finish the race!

Driver Quotes:

Yelmer Buurman (Anderlecht): “The car was great and we also saved some tyres. The start was a bit tricky when Esteban (Guerrieri) nearly overtook me but then I managed to brake a bit later and go around the outside at the first corner. From then on I just followed Seb (Bourdais) who was a bit quicker in the beginning, and pushing really hard. Eventually he spun so I was right on his gearbox again and then one or two laps later he made his pit stop. I was in one lap later and the team did a great job. I rejoined with Seb alongside into the first corner but managed to overtake him there. From then on I just kept my head down and pushed really hard. The car was so good I was able to pull out 1.2 seconds a lap sometimes.”

Craig Dolby (Tottenham): “Finishing fourth’s helped cement the second place now. I was slightly catching the guys ahead and as soon as they made a mistake I put the car in the right position and got past them. When you qualify in the middle you have to try and come through, which is what I need to do again race 2. It would have been a lot easier if I’d qualified up front! We improved on the problems of yesterday. The car’s still not quite right but we’ll hopefully get it sorted for race 2 and see what we can do.”

Adrian Valles (Liverpool): “It was a bit exciting at the end when I overtook one car on the last lap. The gap’s now 39 points so it’s still a good lead. I just need to concentrate and finish the race. I’m just aiming for a good result and to take it easy.”

Bourdais takes first pole as title contenders struggle

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:47:40 GMT

Spurs, who trailed their Premier League rivals by 49 points heading into this weekend’s final round of the 2009 season, missed out on a place in the knockout stages of qualifying by just two one hundredths of a second, meaning driver Craig Dolby will start Sunday’s first race in tenth.

Liverpool driver Adrian Valles will be even further back on the 18-car grid after finishing seventh, two places behind Dolby, in qualifying Group B. The Spaniard was clearly disgruntled when he felt his best lap was ruined after he was caught up behind Anderlecht’s Yelmer Buurman. He will start race 1 from 14th.

The battle for pole position was a stunner as Sevilla beat Anderlecht by six thousandths of a second in the final, the closest margin in Superleague Formula history. Bourdais continued his fine run of form since joining the series from Formula One, with a superb qualifying display. His victory for the Spanish club over Buurman came after the French driver had topped his qualifying group before defeating Nelson Panciatici of Lyon and Esteban Guerrieri of Olympiacos in the Quarter and Semi-Finals.

Buurman’s path to the final saw him produce impressive comeback victories over FC Basel’s Max Wissel, who went fastest of anyone in practice and the group stages of qualifying, and Corinthian’s Antonio Pizzonia, a three time pole winner this season, in the knockout stages. In both match-ups Buurman trailed his opponent in the first two sectors of the 2.391 mile lap but turned things around in the third to win.

Olympiacos will start Sunday’s race from third on the grid ahead of Corinthians, with Galatasaray, for whom Ho-Pin Tung enjoyed one of his best displays of the season, fifth and AC Milan sixth. Lyon line-up seventh, after Panciatici’s best qualifying performance of the season, with FC Basel completing the top eight.

Earlier, in the group stages, AS Roma became the first high-profile qualifying casualty when Julien Jousse failed to make it out of Group A. The Frenchman had set the second best time of anyone in free practice but was knocked out late in the session thanks to superb last gasp efforts from FC Basel and Olympiacos. 2009 race winners Tristan Gommendy (FC Porto) and John Martin (Rangers) also went out.

The biggest shock of all was reserved for Group B though, and both Liverpool and Tottenham will now be anxious to avoid any costly incidents as they try to negotiate a congested midfield in their search for big points at the tight Madrid circuit during tomorrow’s first race.

Driver Quotes:

Sebastien Bourdais (Sevilla): “I’m very pleased to have my first pole position in Superleague Formula. We had a very productive morning in practice and improved the car throughout. It was very strong in qualifying, but the key here is to make as few errors as possible as it is so easy to make a mistake at this circuit, particularly as the tyres start to go off. A good start will be important in tomorrow’s race as it will be difficult to overtake here.”

Yelmer Buurman (RSC Anderlecht): “I’m very happy to be on the front row and to have been fighting for pole position. Of course I can look back and think, ‘maybe I’d be on pole if I’d braked a little later here or there’, but second is still good. I don’t think I slowed Adrian (Valles) in the group stages as he was still a couple of car lengths behind me at that corner.”

Esteban Guerrieri (Olympiacos): “I’m hoping to finish second in the championship this weekend, so the second row is not too bad as the guys I am chasing are quite a bit further back down the grid. You have to be very precise with your driving in order to remain mistake-free here and tomorrow will be very demanding on the tyres. The driver who shows most intelligence in that aspect will win.”

Adrian Valles (Liverpool): “It was a shame because we had some traffic in qualifying so we couldn’t do our best lap. The good news is Tottenham didn’t get through the group either so there’s no pressure for the championship situation. I just hope that there are no crashes or anything tomorrow and that we can do a good job.”

Craig Dolby (Tottenham Hotspur): “We didn’t have optimum traction on the car so there will be some big changes overnight so we’re ready to kick some ass tomorrow! I’m ahead of the red car so that’s all right, and he (Valles) was quite rattled at the end of qualifying which isn’t how you act when you’ve got a 49 point lead! If I was on pole and he was back there then fair enough but when we’re both close together on the grid and he still gets fired up then it makes me think it could be a good day tomorrow!”

Race 1 kicks off tomorrow at 10.00am local time.

Liverpool and Tottenham square off in Spanish title decider

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:09:19 GMT

The pair have been locked together at the top of the league in a fierce battle all season long with Valles having sat atop the standings since the opening weekend at Magny-Cours back in June where he won the first race and lucrative Super Final. Dolby meantime had to wait until the second round at Zolder before recording his first victory of 2009. Now, after five rounds and 13 races, it’s the Spaniard who heads the Briton by 49 points going into the final weekend where only one can be crowned champion. And both men are talking up their chances ahead of this Sunday’s showdown.

Adrian Valles: “I’m quite confident. We’ve got a healthy advantage at the top but that doesn’t mean we can relax because it’s a really tough championship to win. There are a lot of strong drivers out there who will be pushing hard. It’s best to treat it like any other race and hope that things play out like normal. If I start thinking about pressure, trying to win or not crashing instead of racing as I usually would then that’s the wrong mentality. I’m just going to go there and try to do my best. The whole team is working hard for it.”

Craig Dolby: “All Adrian needs is a mechanical failure or to make a mistake and, if I have a good result, I’m right back in it for the second race. In Estoril, where I was taken off in one of the races, I only got something like 28 points so if he has a weekend like that then it will be close. You never say never and as there’s still a realistic chance of the title then I won’t give up. If it wasn’t for the problems in Portugal I think we’d be within 10 points right now. It’s going to be difficult, I’ll admit that, but I can still see there’s a chance there, especially as I think we’ll be fast.”

Statistically, the championship remains a four-horse race with Olympiacos and FC Basel 91 and 97 points adrift respectively. But with only a maximum 100 points still available, their chances appear slim, relying on Liverpool to suffer retirements in both races and requiring victories in each themselves.

After just the two races in Monza at the beginning of October, the Superleague weekend reverts back to its familiar and unique format of two feature races followed by a winner-takes-all Super Final. With the championship out of reach for the majority of the field, it’s a chance to end the season in style by picking up a €100,000 first prize. One man sure to feature is Sevilla’s Sebastien Bourdais who has already won twice in two rounds since joining Sevilla in Portugal while Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri is another in red hot form. Antonio Pizzonia meanwhile will be looking to score his first win of the campaign despite already notching up three pole positions.

Sevilla might be amongst Spanish football’s finest but there’s one club in particular local interest will focus on this weekend. The tight and twisty Circuito del Jarama lies just 30 minute’s drive from the centre of the country’s capital so expect Los colchoneros to be out in force supporting Atletico Madrid and Maria de Villota.

In driver news, Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi returns for Flamengo after missing Monza while AS Roma hang on to Julien Jousse who impressed many with his raw pace and podium finish on debut in Italy.

All three races from Superleague Formula’s final fixture of the season can be seen live on British Eurosport 2 (Sky Digital 411 and Virgin Media 525) this Sunday at 9am, 11.30am and 12.30pm (November 7/8).

Liverpool stars wish Valles luck ahead of Superleague showdown

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:09:46 GMT

Following Tottenham Hotspur title rival Craig Dolby’s guest appearance at White Hart Lane at the end of October, Valles travelled to Merseyside to see the players in action at Melwood Training Ground. Once finished, some of the club’s Spanish contingent, including manager Rafa Benitez, star striker Fernando Torres and goalkeeper Pepe Reina, not to mention club captain and England International Steven Gerrard, took time out to discuss this weekend’s upcoming title showdown before personally passing on their best wishes.

From there it was on to Anfield, Liverpool’s historic home ground and one of the most famous stadiums in world football. First stop was the home dressing room before following in the footsteps of some of the game’s most revered players by reaching up and touching the lucky “This is Anfield” motif that greets teams before emerging from the tunnel and on to the pitch.

After taking in the atmospheric arena and Kop End, the steep bank of seats where the most passionate home supporters gather, it was on to the Anfield trophy room which has housed a record 18 English League titles, seven FA Cups and five European Cups, amongst others.

Adrian said: “It was amazing to be with the players while they trained. Afterwards I spoke to a few of them who said they’d been following the championship with interest before wishing me luck. Then I went to Anfield, which I visited for a match last season, and although it was empty it’s still a very impressive place, one of the best grounds I’ve been to. It’s really important for me and Liverpool fans that I win the championship this weekend. Our destiny is in my hands now but there’s no pressure because if I just go there and drive a normal race the result will come.”

Liverpool’s manager Rafa Benitez added: “It was great that Adrian could join us on Monday and see Anfield for himself. I know the players were looking forward to meeting him as most have an interest in cars and have been following Liverpool's progress in Superleague Formula all season. On behalf of the entire club, I would like to pass on the best of luck to Adrian and the team.”

Liverpool go head-to-head against fellow British club Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday for the Superleague Formula crown. See all three races live on British Eurosport 2 (Sky Digital 411 and Virgin Media 525) at 9am, 11.30am and 12.30pm.

Q&A: Adrian Valles vs Craig Dolby

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:40:33 GMT

Adrian, Liverpool haven’t won a league title for 19 years. How confident are you of bringing that run to an end at Jarama?

Adrian Valles: I’m quite confident. We’ve got a healthy advantage at the top but that doesn’t mean we can relax because it’s a really tough championship to win. There are a lot of strong drivers out there who will be pushing hard. It’s best to treat it like any other race and hope that things play out like normal. If I start thinking about pressure, trying to win or not crashing instead of racing as I usually would then that’s the wrong mentality. I’m just going to go there and try to do my best. The whole team is working hard for it.

Craig, 49 points, although achievable, is still a sizable deficit. Is it realistic to think you can overhaul that?

Craig Dolby: Yes! All Adrian needs is a mechanical failure or to make a mistake and, if I have a good result, I’m right back in it for the second race. In Estoril, where I was taken off in one of the races, I only got something like 28 points so if he has a weekend like that then it will be close. You never say never and as there’s still a realistic chance of the title then I won’t give up. If it wasn’t for the problems in Portugal I think we’d be within 10 points right now. It’s going to be difficult, I’ll admit that, but I can still see there’s a chance there, especially as I think we’ll be fast.

Are you happier chasing down a deficit or would you prefer to be in Adrian’s position?

CD: Obviously I’d prefer the situation to be the other way round because Adrian hasn’t really got to do a lot to win the championship and if he’s clever he’ll drive more reserved to pick up points. That’s a position I’d love to be in but obviously in motorsport anything can happen.

As a Spaniard Adrian, presumably Jarama’s a place you’ve raced at before in junior formula?

AV: I’ve raced there a few times. It’s a really small track and normally big, powerful cars don’t race there. But I personally think it will be amazing – a fast single seater on such a narrow, bumpy and difficult track. It will be really exciting, especially as I’m expecting a big crowd travelling in from Madrid which is nearby. It’s not used that often so it should be full.

Does that previous experience count towards home advantage?

AV: There’s plenty of time for others to learn the track in practice so I’m not sure about that. It’s quite a difficult circuit and I haven’t raced there since 2002 in Formula Renault 1.6 which only has 100bhp compared to the 750 we’ve got in Superleague. So I know the track direction but I wouldn’t say the reference I have from before will be comparable when I return next week.

Can you see anyone from outside you two affecting the championship battle?

CD: With Superleague how it is right now there’s any one of 15 drivers that can be fast enough to be right at the sharp end fighting for the top five. It’s great to be in a championship with so many strong drivers. I guess you could say that Bourdais’ on form at the minute but equally I think that I’m one of the strongest too so I’ll be hoping to pull off some special moves at Jarama, that’s for sure!

You mentioned that you’re tackling the race as if it were any other. There must be some pressure building though?

AV: At the moment there’s no pressure. I’m approaching it like any other race. We know we have a good gap and are close to winning it but we don’t want to put pressure on ourselves. The team and I are working on a set-up to try and win the race which will obviously give us the championship.

Does racing against another Premier League side for the title offer any extra incentive to win?

AV: Of course it’s always exciting when you’re up against another Premier League club and I think it’s going to be a classic; Liverpool vs Tottenham. But we know we have a good advantage which I hope we don’t ruin. I understand that Craig is in a difficult position because he has to push to win the title whereas we could afford just to collect points if necessary. As I said though, we’ll still be pushing hard for the win.

CD: Obviously there’s a rivalry between Tottenham and Liverpool anyway so there’s a bit more because it’s a Premier League club we’re up against and means more to the fans. For me personally though I just want to win and that’s obviously the same in football, regardless of the opposition. It’ll feel a bit more like a Tottenham vs Arsenal game. In my mind it’s a big deal.

Tottenham and Dolby narrow the gap to Liverpool at Monza

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:56:33 GMT

Adrian Valles had another consistent weekend, scoring fourth and fifth positions, to take a still-considerable lead of 49 points into the season finale at Jarama, Spain next month. After struggling with problems in practice, Rangers’ John Martin salvaged an eleventh and twelfth while Tonbridge Wells’ Jonathan Kennard endured a weekend to forget, failing to finish in either.

Race 1
Britain’s two leading contenders both made good ground at the start with Liverpool leaping from eighth to fifth and Tottenham ninth to seventh. With leaders Seville and Olympiacos pulling away at the front, the main interest centred on third with a queue beginning to form behind fellow championship rivals FC Basel’s Max Wissel. Both AS Roma and Galatasaray were quick to dispatch the Swiss club with Dolby, who was now sixth after passing Valles, next in line.

Monza’s long straights and fast corners, coupled with Superleague Formula’s push-to-pass system, provided ideal conditions for overtaking. And Valles was quick to test the theory, disposing of Tottenham and then Basel at the beginning of lap six. Keen not to let his title-rival pull away, Dolby soon followed the Spaniard through, although Liverpool would be up to fourth before the pit stops.

Behind, Rangers’ John martin was involved in a terrific mid-field scrap while Jonathan Kennard was busy trying to climb back through the field after mechanical problems curtailed his qualifying session without setting a lap time.
On lap eight, Tottenham and Liverpool pitted together. The pair returned to the fray nose-to-tail with Alan Docking Racing’s smart pit work allowing Dolby to jump Galatasaray for fifth.

Kennard meanwhile saw his race ruined when a problem during his pit stop put an end to proceedings. Martin was now in the thick of the action after squaring up against FC Basel for the remaining half of the race. The pair swapped positions several times before Wissel finally prevailed, leaving Rangers to come home eleventh.

Back at the front, Seville’s Sebastien Bourdais took victory ahead of Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri. AS Roma were third with Liverpool increasing their lead to 62 points over Tottenham at the top of the standings, the Premier League heavyweights finishing fourth and fifth.

Race 2:
Another close start saw the field rush into the first corner side by side. Kennard, starting second after his race one problem, was jumped momentarily by Pantano but had regained the advantage into the slow first right-hander. Attempting to close out the pass, he clipped Milan’s front wheel, spinning across the Italian and to the back.

Dolby meanwhile was able to profit from the resulting melee to move up from 14th to 11th by the end of lap one as Liverpool struggled to make progress. Fully aware that he needed to beat the Reds to have any chance of fighting for the title at the final round, he embarked on a stunning opening stint, taking advantage of a pit lane mix up for those stopping early to run second by lap 11 before he too pitted. The 21 year-old emerged fourth but was soon past PSV Eindhoven before demoting ex-F1 driver Antonio Pizzonia to third. There he would stay for the remainder of the race, finishing just over six seconds shy of winners Sporting Lisbon.

Liverpool meanwhile had made steady progress through the pack to end up fifth after a damage-limitation exercise by Valles. Rangers’ John Martin was classified 12th despite failing to finish with Kennard spinning out on lap four.

Craig Dolby, Tottenham: “The first few laps were unbelievable and very aggressive, as I knew I had to be. I needed to catch Max in the championship which meant finishing ahead. We caught up and passed before his problem so I did what I’d set out to do. After the issues in qualifying, I thought it would be difficult, but we never gave up. We came fifth in the first race with an engine problem which we fixed and came through from the back of the grid, passing all the people who had problems in the pit stops before they got there. I showed a few people that I am not going to back down and if my car is on the inside I will stay on the inside. A few people tried to push me on to the grass but I went wheel-to-wheel with them. For Jarama, the championship is still wide open so I will definitely be giving it large!”

Adrian Valles, Liverpool: “It was a good weekend where we scored solid points. Now I think it is just me and Tottenham fighting for the championship. They are 49 point behind so it still looks good for Jarama, especially as we have a good car and points advantage. To win the championship is the most important thing. When you finish the season, everybody remembers who won the championship and not the winner of one race. We won a few races at the beginning of the season which gave us a lot of points and a big advantage so we can now control the gap. Hopefully we can arrive in Jarama and secure the championship. It’s not a place I’ve raced at many times before but I’m hopeful of winning the championship in front of the Spanish fans.”

John Martin, Rangers: “Today wasn’t that great really. No other way to put it. I did not finish either race, despite having a good car. We had good speed early on but we just struggled with the brakes and then also so many things happened. I’m looking forward to Jarama now. This weekend is unfortunate as the last two years I have been coming here I have gone quite well. It is still an unbelievable circuit and these cars are fun to drive round here. Never been to Jarama so it’s another circuit to learn but I’d never been to Estoril before either and was quick straight away.”

Jonathan Kennard: “The first race was dire! The philosophy we used to set the car up was wrong. In the first race it was undriveable and new tyres just masked the problem. We are a long way off despite having three good drivers who should have been higher up the field. For the second race I’d saved up new tyres following my problem with the alternator in qualifying, so I had two sets of new tyres starting on the front row of the grid. I was keen to get a win and I knew I was quicker than Petiz. Unfortunately, me and my team mate touched at the first chicane on the opening lap, which left me last. I was an innocent victim in the shunt.”

The final Superleague Formula by Sonangol round comes from Jarama in Spain on November 7/8.

Seville and Bourdais net opening Monza race

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:39:20 GMT

The Frenchman backed up his Shootout win on debut last month by beating fellow Portugal winner Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri down to the first corner before reeling off the 40 minute +1 lap race in relative ease. Series debutant Julien Jousse completed the podium for AS Roma while Liverpool came through from eighth to fourth to increase their lead at the top of the standings from Tottenham, who finished fifth. Fellow title-protagonists FC Basel could only manage ninth.

The start proved typically chaotic as the field ploughed into the braking zone for the first chicane. Both Bourdais and Wissel reacted quickly at the lights and were three abreast with Guerrieri into the corner. And it was the Frenchman who emerged ahead at the other side with Olympiacos surviving to slot into second. Behind, home side AC Milan were shuffled back with Giorgio Pantano slipping from fourth to ninth by the end of lap one.

The top two then began to stretch their legs, Bourdais maintaining an advantage of just under a second from Guerrieri as Wissel dropped back. Soon, a queue of cars had formed behind the German with Monza’s long straights offering plenty of slipstreaming opportunities.

The action was frenetic as Wissel first lost out to Jousse, then Galatasaray’s Ho Pin Tung, before falling into the clutches of championship rivals Tottenham and Liverpool, who had both made ground at the start. By the beginning of lap five the trio were right together with Adrian Valles deploying his push-to-pass system to first dispatch Tottenham’s Dolby and then Basel around the outside of the first chicane. Spurs soon followed suit before Wissel was also overhauled by Corinthians’ Antonio Pizzonia.

There was just time for Liverpool to nip past Galatasaray before the pit stops at the end of lap eight when Seville led in Roma, Liverpool, Tottenham, Milan and Anderlecht. Olympiacos pitted the following lap and although Guerrieri was unable emerge ahead of Bourdais, the gap was down to just half a second. Tottenham meanwhile picked up a place thanks to smart pit work from his mechanics to jump Tung while Milan’s dismal start continued when Pantano endured a lengthy delay.

By lap 13 the leaders were right together as they closed on Atletico Madrid who had inherited the lead by delaying its pit stop. Any opportunity appeared to be over for Guerrieri when Bourdais swept around the outside at Parabolica but the Argentine wasn’t finished, picking up Maria de Villota’s slipstream to scythe past along the pit straight before challenging Bourdais down the inside into the chicane. The Frenchman blocked though, slowing his pursuer and allowing Madrid to re-pass. It would be another half a lap before the Argentine could re-take the position, by which time Bourdais had stolen a march.

Back in the pack, Basel had fallen further behind, running as low as 11th before re-passing Rangers’ John Martin after an entertaining battle with the Australian. Ahead, Dolby’s mirrors were full of a charging Corinthians which had allowed Liverpool to eke out a three second cushion. And with less than five minutes remaining Pizzonia was ahead, the Brazilian immediately setting the fastest lap of the race once in clean air.

His work would go unrewarded however when a fuel surge problem three laps from home condemned him to tenth, still one place ahead of where he’d started.

At the front, Guerrieri’s delay had gifted Seville a two second advantage. Despite the Argentine’s best efforts, he was unable to make up the lost time, taking the chequered flag 0.375 seconds behind race-winner Bourdais.

Julien Jousse offered the Italian fans something to shout about after an excellent run to third on his Superleague debut for AS Roma with league-leaders Liverpool extending their advantage at the top of the standings with fourth. Their closest rivals Tottenham slipped 62 points behind thanks to Dolby’s run to fifth from ninth while Yelmer Buurman put in another solid display for Anderlecht to come home sixth. Tristan Gommendy and FC Porto were seventh ahead of Galatasaray, FC Basal and Corinthians.

Driver quotes:

Sebastien Bourdais, Seville: “It was a good race. The start was in my favour because for some reason the pole is on the left. That sounds like a big issue for the pole-sitter but I was very happy about it! We were side by side at the start but I was on the inside so I made it stick. I think that Wissel was all over me when we got to where the track narrows and I think there was a bit of mayhem behind us as we pulled away. It was good, I was pretty happy with the car although we had a bit too much understeer. Then, on the second to last lap, I made a bit of a mistake at Ascari trying to extend the gap. He closed up and since I had used my push-to-pass he had the advantage.”

Esteban Guerrieri, Olympiacos: “I actually started second when you consider that I was on the outside, which was a disadvantage I would say because pole position at a rolling start should be on the inside. The race was fun. I had a good car and pushed a lot after the pit stop to catch Sebastien. I got him but then got blocked by another car. That allowed him to pull away so I pushed again to try and catch up. We have a strategy with the engineers concerning the push-to-pass but it didn’t work as expected. We got close at the finish but had to settle for second.”

Julien Jousse, AS Roma: “It was a great race and I am happy for myself, the team and AS Roma. It’s the first time I’ve driven the car. The beginning of the race was really hard because I did not understand how the push-to-pass button worked during the first three laps, so I had to learn! Then I found a good rhythm. We made a small mistake in the pit stop because the Rangers mechanics were in the way but my team did a great job and after I just controlled the gap back to Liverpool. I’m looking forward to the second race from the back. It will be more difficult but the car is competitive so I think we can get more points for the team.”

The second race starts at 3.15pm local time.

British contingent suffers difficult qualifying at Monza

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:10:11 GMT

The Spaniard currently enjoys a healthy lead at the top of the championship but will need to avoid any accidents from the middle of the pack at the notoriously tight first chicane tomorrow if he is to prevent title rival Max Wissel, who knocked him out at the quarter-final stage, from impacting on his 59 point advantage.

Tottenham’s Craig Dolby, who lies second in the standings, had a similarly difficult session after failing to make it out of the group stages. The Melton Mowbray ace suffered a gear selection issue during the 12 minute first round window which restricted him to just one flying lap. Bottom of the heap before the final seconds, he did at least manage to vault up to fifth which translates into ninth place on tomorrow’s race 1 grid.

Rangers’ John Martin lines up three places further back in twelfth after the worst qualifying session of his season so far. The Australian had previously featured in the top five for each of the last four rounds but a lack of running in practice thanks to an engine sensor failure saw him still learning the circuit.

Series returnee Jonathan Kennard meanwhile will start from the very back for Brazilian club Flamengo after an alternator broke before the Tunbridge Wells racer had a chance to set any time, although he does at least have three sets of new tyres available for tomorrow’s two races.

At the front, it was Esteban Guerrieri who secured his and Olympiacos’ first ever Superleague Formula pole position after final opponent Sebastien Bourdais ran off the track. The Frenchman lines up second, ahead of FC Basel’s Wissel and AC Milan’s Giorgio Pantano.

Driver quotes:

Adrian Valles, Liverpool: “Our group was quite strong and I qualified fourth. Basel was just really fast on that lap and I didn’t have enough heat in the tyres so the car wasn’t balanced very well, but I tried to push and do my best. It’s not a problem. In the race we will try to be on the pace and get on the podium. I’ve got a good gap in the championship back to Max (Wissel) so I’ll just try to get as many points as I can so we can go to Jarama with a good gap. I think the championship is the important thing now that we’ve reached past half way.”

Craig Dolby, Tottenham: “We went out at the start of qualifying and the system pressure failed in the car so I had no gears and got stuck in sixth. I came straight into the pits and the Allan Docking guys did a great job to fix it to get us back out. I managed to get across the line with only four seconds to go. The tyres were cold and it was full of fuel but I still got within a tenth of making the top four so it was a good lap considering. The car feels great but it’s unfortunate that it happened. There’s a podium for the taking tomorrow and I’d like to think that I can go out there and win it.”

Jonathan Kennard, AS Roma: “It just packed up! I got half a lap in so had to park it up at the back of the circuit. I’ve got a load of new tyres now which we’ve saved so in that sense we’re looking okay. Race 2 should be pretty good I think but it’s just a pain because I think we could have been top five because I haven’t used new tyres all weekend. It’s a shame. I had the same thing happen in Formula 3 and came through from 25th to fourth so anything’s possible here. ”

John Martin, Rangers: “Basically, we struggled a bit because we had a problem in practice yesterday. I didn’t get out in the first session after one of the sensors on the engine went and the car wouldn’t start. Then in the second run we had an over-heating problem, got it fixed but only did four laps and we’re still playing catch up now. We’re finding stuff out now that should have been found out yesterday so it’s unfortunate. We’ll definitely be up there tomorrow though.”

FC Basel to the fore as final Wissel blows

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:13:25 GMT

The 19 year-old, who suffered a frustrating weekend last time out in Estoril where he slipped 59 points behind league leaders Liverpool, posted a best time of 1m37.196s in the dying moments of the day’s second session to edge out Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri by just 0.059 seconds after an equally late effort by the Argentine.

It was an excellent day’s work all round by the young German who ended opening free practice third before proving the most consistent performer of the day.

Home favourite and Monza specialist Giorgio Pantano had earlier stripped long-time pace-setter Nelson Panciatici of the top spot before ending the day third fastest thanks to his 1m37.371s lap, 0.151 seconds clear of Estoril Shootout winner Seville’s Sebastien Bourdais in fourth.

The morning session saw Tristan Gommendy – back at the wheel of his FC Porto car after Alvaro Parente’s Portuguese cameo - go some 0.739 seconds faster than anyone else when he became the only man to duck below the 1m38s barrier. And although the Frenchman would lower that time to a ’37.615 this afternoon, it would ultimately prove only good enough for fifth place.

Championship leader Adrian Valles finished second in the first session but could do no better than 12th in the second after failing to beat his best time of 1m38.734s from the morning. Closest title rival Craig Dolby meanwhile, who sits 58 points adrift of Liverpool in the League, wound up eighth, the Tottenham driver over a second down on Wissel’s ultimate pace.

Another “home” team, AS Roma, finished the day ninth quickest thanks to Superleague Formula debutant Julien Jousse’s 1m38.518s lap, with Antonio Pizzonia and Corinthians completing the top ten, 0.041 seconds further back.

Driver Quotes

Max Wissel, FC Basel: “The day was quite good for us. The first practice we were third and now we’re in first position. We used new tyres but I’m sure about nine or ten others did the same so it looks strong for tomorrow, like the whole year really. I’m really happy to be here, it’s my first time racing at Monza and I enjoyed it a lot. The track is fantastic to drive so I’m looking forward to qualifying, hoping for the best.”

Esteban Guerrieri, Olympiacos: “Today was a bit of a mixed day. At the beginning we had some problems in the last part of first free practice but as everyone was learning the car and circuit it wasn’t too bad. In the second session we found some good pace after sorting out the balance with my engineer, so I’m pleased.”

Giorgio Pantano, AC Milan: “We found a good set-up with the car today so we’re looking in good shape for qualifying tomorrow. At the moment I’ve got a good feeling. We’ll have to see tomorrow when everyone is out there on the same tyres when we’ll know who really is the quickest. We used older tyres which were in good condition so I think that’s a good lap time on those. We saw others were using a new set so I think it looks good for tomorrow.”

Tomorrow’s qualifying session begins at 13.50 local time.

Valles extends Liverpool’s League lead in Portugal

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:45:42 GMT

Race 1
Valles started third and did well to maintain his position on the run down to the first corner after making contact with pole man Antonio Pizzonia (Corinthians). The top three, headed by Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri, then ran nose to tail in the opening laps, dropping the chasing pack in the process.

Less than two seconds separated Liverpool and Olympiacos when the pair pitted at the end of lap eight. Excellent wheel work from the Reds’ crew however erased the gap, allowing Valles to come out comfortably clear. And there was a double reward one lap later when Corinthians emerged from their stop also behind, leaving Liverpool at the head of the field.

Valles then set about establishing a gap back to his pursuers. Guerrieri however was on a charge and having used traffic to his advantage to dispatch Corinthians, set off in pursuit. With his tyres worn and brakes fading, Valles had little chance of keeping the marauding Argentinean at bay, conceding the lead with just three minutes remaining.

Race 2
The second race proved less straightforward after starting 16th of the 18 runners due to the fully reverse grid rule which sees the top performers from race one starting towards the rear.

A bottle neck effect at the first corner can end a driver’s race as quickly as it began and Valles, fighting in the midfield, did well to make it through unscathed. From there on he began to make headway, fighting back up to 11th before making his obligatory pit stop at the end of lap nine. Another spot was found during the stop and when title rivals FC Basel received a 25 second penalty, ninth was also his.

With Tottenham Hotspur, who had been second in the championship prior to the start, failing to finish, Valles was content to save his car and tyres for the Super Final five lap shootout safe in the knowledge that a substantial 58 point cushion at the top of the table was his.

Super Final
Starting third, Valles made a clean start to run second before inheriting the lead when Corinthians ran wide. Former Toro Rosso F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais was right with him though and when the Frenchman shot up his inside, Liverpool was powerless to resist Olympiacos also pushing through. That left Valles third, a position he would hold to the chequered flag.

“Our aim before the start of this weekend was to create a big gap to our rivals for the championship and we have done that,” said Valles. “We’re extremely competitive and more wins are possible for the rest of the season and we need to keep pushing to increase our advantage ahead of the final round at Jarama. We can’t relax because everyone is really quick and teams like Corinthians have shown real pace this weekend which can make them a threat.”

Fellow British club Rangers meanwhile finished fifth and eighth in the two races with Australian John Martin at the wheel. Craig Dolby of Tottenham was eighth in the first race before reliability issues restricted his running to just one lap in the second.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Rangers return to Superleague Formula action at Monza, Italy in a month’s time (October 3/4).

Olympiacos triumph after late comeback victory

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:18:41 GMT

New signing Esteban Guerrieri, a summer transfer from Spanish club Sevilla, made a scintillating debut for his new club but still had to win the hard way. Leading at the first corner from second on the grid, the Argentinian driver was in control of the race early on but dropped to third during the compulsory pit stops. A late charge, aided by some slower traffic, saw him recover the win with clean passing moves on Corinthians and Liverpool in the dying stages.

Liverpool and their driver Adrian Valles will not be too disappointed with second place however, as the British club extended its lead at the top of the Superleague Formula by Sonangol League Table to a healthy 43 points as main title rival FC Basel failed to even make the grid due to gearbox problems.

A messy start to the race combined to give Guerrieri a comfortable lead by the first corner. Pole sitter Antonio Pizzonia in the Corinthians car slowed dramatically just before the cars crossed the start/finish line on the rolling grid which allowed Olympiacos to streak into the lead. Pizzonia’s poor getaway also caused problems for third placed Liverpool, Valles ramming the back of the Cornithians machine, although both drivers escaped relatively unharmed to slot into second and third.

The front three pulled away from the rest of the pack in the opening stages, Guerrieri, Pizzonia and Valles all posting similar lap times in the 1 minute 30 second range as the rest of the field failed to break the 1 minute 31 second barrier.

The pit stops began on lap 9 with leaders Olympiacos and third placed Liverpool both diving in. Despite Liverpool trailing the Greek club by two seconds prior to the stop, a stunning job by the British club’s mechanics saw Valles vault into the lead. Worse was to follow for Olympiacos on the next lap as Corinthians made its stop, Pizzonia also emerging ahead of Guerrieri, but behind new leader Valles.

The gaps between the top three remained fairly stable until the last third of the race when the late-stopping Atletico Madrid car of Superleague Formula by Sonangol’s first female driver Maria de Villota, emerged from the pits right in front of the leaders.

As Liverpool tried to lap the Spanish club, Valles was frustrated at being unable to find a gap, his lead disappearing all the time as Corinthians closed in. After Liverpool eventually squeezed through, it was the Brazilian club’s turn to be stuck behind the tail ender, Pizzonia struggling to get by as Olympiacos closed in behind.

Both clubs eventually made it past but now Guerrieri was right with Pizzonia. Argentina soon got revenge on Brazil for last night’s World Cup Qualifying defeat, as Guerrieri got the better of the former Grand Prix driver after a dice which saw the pair go side-by-side through turn 6 and swap places twice on the run through turn 7 before the move was finally made decisive in the turn 8 right hander.

Guerrieri, who admitted he had been looking after his tyres throughout this period, now began the hunt of Valles and quickly caught the Liverpool man with just five minutes remaining. After stalking his prey for a couple of laps, Guerrieri made his move, diving inside into turn 3 after Valles had run slightly wide on the exit of the previous corner.

From there the win was a formality as Olympiacos celebrated a first ever Superleague Formula by Sonangol victory from Liverpool in second and Corinthians third.

Best of the rest was Belgian club Anderlecht, for whom Yelmer Buurman has been a star performer all weekend. After holding his fifth place off the line, Buurman used the pit window to good effect, tying the time for fastest lap on his first tour on new tyres to jump Rangers and take fourth.

Australian John Martin, who won the Super Final in the last round at Donington Park, guided Rangers to fifth ahead of Italian giants AC Milan and AS Roma in sixth and seventh. Tottenham Hotspur moved to second in the League Table as Craig Dolby avoided the midfield maladies which often come with starting from 13th, to claim eighth, with home outfit Sporting Lisbon and Dutch side PSV Eindhoven completing the top ten.

Sporting’s Pedro Petiz did a strong job in the early stages, charging from 12th to eighth in the first few laps, but he lost several spots at the pit stop and couldn’t recover.

FC Porto were hoping to cause an upset in Sporting’s back yard, especially after Alvaro Parente starred in qualifying during his first Superleague Formula by Sonangol race meeting of the season. He too started strongly, much to the delight of the watching club President Jose Nuno Pinto da Costa and former star goalkeeper Vitor Baia, but just after his pit stop he ended his race in the barriers after spinning in avoidance of the sliding Atletico car.

The cruelest tale of woe from the opening race was reserved for FC Basel and German driver Wissel. A gearbox problem prior to the race, which the team was due to start from fourth on the grid, meant the star of the Donington weekend was forced to sit out the race, severely denting his title bid.

Race 2 will see the entire grid reversed, with Guerrieri, Valles and Pizzonia hoping to charge from the back to score strong points.

Race Quotes

Olympiacos: Esteban Guerrieri (ARG)
“We got a good start and pulled away. Then when I came into the pit lane the cars around us were very close and I couldn’t stop straight. So when I came out I’d lost time. I pushed but not at 100%. I think the other two went a bit harder and wore out their tyres whereas I still had some life left in mine. It will be tough to come through from the back in race two but I’ll try to avoid incidents and get to the front.

Liverpool: Adrian Valles (ESP)
“We had a bit of trouble with the brakes at the end. But I think we’ll be able to have a good second race. The important thing will be to build a bigger gap in the championship before we get to Monza. At the start Antonio was on full power and then on the brakes so I crashed into the back of him. We didn’t damage the car so second place was a good result and important for the championship.”

Corinthians: Antonio Pizzonia (BRA)
“The race director said he would only start when the grid was packed which didn’t happen. There were lines of three cars maybe and Guerrieri was maybe four car lengths ahead of me when the lights went green so it was ridiculous. I was trying to hold everyone up and make sure they were all in line. I was looking in my mirrors and they were everywhere. My diffuser was destroyed although I don’t think we had a car quick enough to win race one anyway. Starting from the back in the second race will be difficult but we’ll see. The target is to make the Superfinal and try to get points.”

Liverpool’s Valles well placed to maintain Superleague lead in Portugal

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:46:02 GMT

That saw him progress through to the semis where Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri was lying in wait. Despite a solid effort on worn tyres, the Argentinean proved too strong, leaving Valles to head up row two alongside nearest championship challenger Max Wissel of Swiss side FC Basel.

The two are separated by just ten points in the standings with Tottenham’s Craig Dolby, who ended the day 13th having failed to make it out of his group stage, a further 11 back.

“We’ll go for the victory tomorrow rather than just try to be safe and score points for the championship,” said Valles. “If you just try to settle for points bad things can sometimes happen. Antonio and Esteban were really fast today but I think third on the grid for the race is pretty good because we have seen guys win from much further back than there in the past.”

Rangers’ John Martin meanwhile is well placed to repeat his heroics from last time out thanks to a steady run to fifth after falling to eventual pole position winner Corinthians’ Antonio Pizzonia. The Australian, who also qualified fifth but finished second in race one at Donington Park, went on to win the Super Final where he netted €100,000.

Catch Eurosport’s Superleague Formula highlights tomorrow evening from 18.30.

Estoril set for derby match-up

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:01:57 GMT

FC Porto scored their first ever series victory in race two at Donington Park last time out to earn their place in the Super Final. Tristan Gommendy was at the wheel that day but the Frenchman will step aside in Estoril to allow Porto-local and GP2 race winner Alvaro Parente to make his Superleague debut.

“The connection with FC Porto has existed since the beginning of the Superleague project, but competing in GP2 has made it impossible to co-ordinate everything,” said Parente. “Happily, this time things are different as I’ve got a window to race for Porto at Estoril, which makes me very happy because they have always been my club. “Although I don't know the car, I’m expecting a good result and that's what I am going to work towards. I know the Estoril circuit quite well, which is always an advantage, and I think my experience in GP2 will also allow me to get up to speed with the car quickly. It's a new challenge in my career and I want to make the most of it. Racing at home is always good and hopefully I will enjoy lots of support from the Porto fans.”

Looming large on his radar is bound to be the green and white hoops of Sporting’s Pedro Petiz who finished runner-up behind Porto in that second Donington race. The Portuguese duo know each other well from childhood but won’t be offering any quarter once the lights go out come Sunday. “Alvaro’s a good friend,” confirmed Petiz. “We grew up and went to the same school together. But that’s all going to be put to one side once we’re out on the track. It’s going to be a great battle. There’s been a lot of media attention regarding the derby between Sporting and Porto. The race has been promoted really well so I’m confident that there will be a lot of green and white in the stands.

“I’m really aiming for at least a podium finish. We were fast at Donington and have improved every single weekend. We’ve worked hard over the first half of the season specifically for this race and the second half of the championship in order to gather as many points as possible. We’re confident. Sporting has put a lot of trust in me so I’m really hopeful we can give them a podium at least.”

The new football season meanwhile has already witnessed a number of teams go head-to-head, both domestically and in Europe, since the championship’s previous round in July where Rangers’ John Martin scored victory in the Super Final, netting himself €100,000. League leaders Liverpool and driver Adrian Valles will be looking to avenge their 2-1 first day Premiership defeat at the hands of Tottenham whose star striker Craig Dolby finished second in Britain and lies third overall. Anderlecht too will be hoping for better fortune on the race track after they were humbled 8-2 on aggregate against Superleague rivals Olympique Lyonnais during Champions League qualifying.

As well as the debut of Parente, round four also marks the 2009 series bow of four other drivers. In a major coup, four-time Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais transfers from Formula 1 to Superleague’s FC Sevilla, Dutchman and reigning Japanese F3 champion Carlo Van Dam takes over the PSV Eindhoven hot seat, Franck Perera swaps his GP2 duties for the familiar surroundings of an AS Roma cockpit (the Frenchman drove for the team in six races last term) while Maria de Villota becomes Superleague Formula’s first female driver after joining Atletico Madrid. Previous incumbent Ho-Pin Tung takes Scott Mansell’s place at Galatasaray while former FC Sevilla driver Esteban Guerrieri is installed at Olympiacos.

Aside from rivalries and driver changes, a new system for deciding the six Super Finalists will debut in Portugal. The standing start first tested at Donington has been retained with the top half dozen point scorers over the two feature races taking their place on the grid. This is in contrast to the two previous Super Finals where the top three from each feature race were rewarded.

Superleague Formula’s show will star on Friday, September 4th when at 16.30 Porto FC, Sporting Club, Corinthians and Flamengo’s car will run around Estoril streets. The program continues with the drivers draw for qualifying, where, at the Casino de Estoril, each of the 18 teams are divided into two groups of nine prior to the weekend’s racing.

You can catch hour-long Superleague Formula by Sonangol highlights on British Eurosport 2 (Sky Digital 411 and Virgin Media 525) on Sunday, 6 September at 6.30pm BST.

To purchase your tickets for the Portuguese round, visit http://www.ticketline.pt/Espectaculo.aspx?IdEspectaculo=778