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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.”

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.

Qualifying - Live comments - SF Round 5 Italy

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:35:57 GMT

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- Three drivers may miss the qualifying session after accidents this morning. Al Ain, FC Porto and Olympiacos.
- Al Ain driver Paul Meijer suffered a wrist injury and was x-rayed at a local hospital. We will publish additional information as soon as we know more.

Group A

15:00 – On track for this session will be Corinthians, Atletico, Galatasaray, Milan, PSV, Tottenham and home town heroes Roma. Al Ain and Porto will be missing from this group

10:15 - Track still a little damp in places but cars are now on slicks

4:51 - Top four so far are Corinthians, Atletico, Galatasaray and Roma

4:32 – AC Milan currently outside the top four – it will be the first time in the championship that Doornbos doesn’t qualify for the shootout

2:40 - Corinthians still fastest at 1:22.702

2:22 - Roma up to second place, PSV up to fourth

2:00 - AC Milan and Galatasaray pushed out of the top four

1:24 - Porto made it out for the session - very late however

0:54 - AC Milan up to second place - pushing PSV out of the top four

1:24 - Porto made it out for the session - very late however

0:54 - AC Milan up to second place - pushing PSV out of the top four

0:10: Galatasaray up to third - pushing Atletico out

0:00 - Chequered flag - but times are still tumbling

0:00 - top four to go through are Corinthians, AC Milan, Galatasaray and AS Roma

Group B

15:00 - This group will include Beijing, Liverpool, Sevilla, Anderlecht, FC Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Rangers and Flamengo

13:00 - Olympiacos is hopeful of getting a handful of laps during the rookie session this afternoon

10:49 - Red flag

10:49 - Borussia Dortmund is off the track and Enrico Toccacelo is out of the car assisting the marshals

10:49: BVB has lost the front wing - in a small touch with the barrier

10:44 - Session restarted4:47 - Top four are Beijing, Flamengo, FC Basel and Sevilla

4:30 - Olympiacos has actually made it out on track

4:04 - Liverpool goes fastest at 1:22.885

3:40 - Rangers into the top four - this would be a first shootout appearance for the Scottish club

2:00 - time running out. Sevilla are only 7th after being fastest this morning

1:30 - Flamengo goes fastest

1:20 - top four are now Flamengo, Liverpool, Beijing and Anderlecht

0:42 - Anderlecht goes second fastest

0:00 - Chequered flag

0:00 - Beijing goes fastest

0:00 - Top four to go through will be Beijing, Flamengo, Anderlecht and Liverpool

Quarter Final 1: Liverpool vs Corinthians.

Liverpool to lead

Sector 1: Corinthians leads at the first sector by .099 of a second

Sector 2: Liverpool pulls out a 2/10ths lead in second 2

Chequered Flag: Liverpool wins - Corinthians will start 8th

Quarter Final 2: hometown heroes Roma vs championship leader Beijing Guoan

Sector 1: Roma fastest at sector 1 by .139 of a second

Sector 2: Beijing bounces back in second sector

Chequered Flag: Beijing wins - Roma to start 7th at Vallelunga tomorrow

Quarter Final 3: AC Milan now take on RSC Anderlecht

Sector 1: Anderlecht leads at sector 1 by .163 - AC Milan has a huge brake lock-up

Sector 2: Milan bounce back in sector 2 to lead

Chequered Flag: Milan wins. Strangely in three quarter finals in a row, the losing club has led at the first sector. Anderlecht will now start sixth

Quarter Final 4: Galatasaray take on Flamengo

Sector 1: Flamengo leads at sector 1 - can he be the first to hang on and win

Sector 2: Flamengo leads again

Chequered Flag: Big win for Flamengo. Galatasaray will now start from position five in the first race tomorrow

Semi Final 1: Flamengo vs Liverpool

Sector 1: Liverpool fastest at first sector

Sector 2: Flamengo slowing - has problem - Liverpool will win

Chequered Flag: Liverpool passes Flamengo to win. The Brazilian car obviously has some kind of technical problem. Flamengo will start fourth

Semi Final 2: Beijing Guoan vs AC Milan

Sector 1: Milan leads at first sector

Sector 2: Milan still in front over Beijing

Chequered Flag: Milan wins - we will have an Italian club on the front row of the grid

Pole Shoot Out: AC Milan vs Liverpool FC

Sector 1: Milan leads at sector 1 - an Italian club on pole?

Sector 2: Liverpool leads at sector 2!

Chequered Flag: Liverpool score the pole - heartache for the Italian fans - the Reds are delighted !pole - heartache for the Italian fans - the Reds are delighted !

Practice 3 - Classification - Round 5 Italy

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:36:17 GMT

POS	No	SF RACING TEAM	DRIVER	TIME
1	18	Sevilla FC SF Racing Team	B. García	1:29.933
2	21	Liverpool FC SF Racing Team	A. Valles	1:31.056
3	7	Flamengo SF Racing Team	T. Rocha	1:31.571
4	12	Beijing Gouan SF Racing Team	D. Rigon	1:32.077
5	22	AS Roma SF Racing Team	F. Perera	1:32.179
6	14	Corinthians SF Racing Team	A. Pizzonia	1:32.271
7	5	PSV Eindhoven SF Racing Team	Y. Buurman	1:32.800
8	4	Galatasaray SK SF Racing Team	A. Pier Guidi	1:33.163
9	15	Atletico de Madrid SF Racing Team	A. Soucek	1:33.236
10	10	FC Basel SF Racing Team	M. Wissel	1:33.301
11	17	Rangers FC SF Racing Team	R. Dalziel	1:34.248
12	19	Tottenham Hotspur SF Racing Team	D. Tappy	1:34.263
13	8	RSC Anderlecht SF Racing Team	C. Dolby	1:34.614
14	11	BVB Borussia Dortmund SF Racing Team	E. Toccacelo	1:34.937

Practice 2 - Classification - Round 5 Italy

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:17:58 GMT

POS	No	SF RACING TEAM	DRIVER	TIME
1	3	AC Milan SF Racing Team	R. Doornbos	1:34.359
2	16	FC Porto SF Racing Team	T. Gommendy	1:34.497
3	18	Sevilla FC SF Racing Team	B. García	1:34.633
4	21	Liverpool FC SF Racing Team	A. Valles	1:35.220
5	12	Beijing Gouan SF Racing Team	D. Rigon	1:35.477
6	15	Atletico de Madrid SF Racing Team	A. Soucek	1:35.622
7	22	AS Roma SF Racing Team	F. Perera	1:35.715
8	10	FC Basel SF Racing Team	M. Wissel	1:35.795
9	4	Galatasaray SK SF Racing Team	A. Pier Guidi	1:35.922
10	7	Flamengo SF Racing Team	T. Rocha	1:36.125
11	8	RSC Anderlecht SF Racing Team	C. Dolby	1:36.170
12	17	Rangers FC	R. Dalziel	1:36.251
13	19	Tottenham Hotspur SF Racing Team	D. Tappy	1:36.593
14	5	PSV Eindhoven SF Racing Team	Y. Buurman	1:36.837
15	11	BVB Borussia Dortmund SF Racing Team	E. Tocaccelo	1:37.365
16	9	Olympiacos SF Racing Team	S. Katsimis	1:39.861
17	6	Al-Ain SF Racing Team	P. Meijer	-

Qualifying Groups - Vallelunga - SF Round 5

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:19:29 GMT

GROUP A	GROUP B
PSV Eindhoven	Beijing Gouan FC
AC Milan	Liverpool FC
AS Roma	Sevilla FC
Galatasaray SK	RSC Anderlecht
Tottenham Hotspur	FC Basel
Corinthians	BVB Borussia Dortmund
Al-Ain	Rangers FC
FC Porto	Flamengo
Atlético de Madrid	Olympiacos

Practice 1 - Classification - Round 5 Italy

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:11:03 GMT

POS	No	SF RACING TEAM	DRIVER	TIME
1	14	Corinthians SF Racing Team	A. Pizzonia	1:33.898
2	21	Liverpool FC SF Racing Team	A. Valles	1:34.191
3	5	PSV Eindhoven SF Racing Team	Y. Buurman	1:34.523
4	12	Beijing Gouan SF Racing Team	D. Rigon	1:34.701
5	3	AC Milan SF Racing Team	R. Doornbos	1:34.744
6	6	Al-Ain SF Racing Team	P. Meijer	1:35.167
7	15	Atletico de Madrid SF Racing Team	A. Soucek	1:35.190
8	16	FC Porto SF Racing Team	T. Gommendy	1:35.275
9	18	Sevilla FC SF Racing Team	B. García	1:35.300
10	4	Galatasaray SK SF Racing Team	A. Pier Guidi	1:35.476
11	19	Tottenham Hotspur SF Racing Team	D. Tappy	1:35.726
12	10	FC Basel SF Racing Team	M. Wissel	1:35.777
13	7	Flamengo SF Racing Team	T. Rocha	1:36.127
14	22	AS Roma SF Racing Team	F. Perera	1:36.563
15	8	RSC Anderlecht SF Racing Team	C. Dolby	1:36.800
16	9	Olympiacos SF Racing Team	S. Katsimis	1:38.009
17	11	BVB Borussia Dortmund SF Racing Team	E. Tocaccelo	1:38.100

Great prizes on offer for SF fans in new competition

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:03:51 GMT

By clicking on the link on the www.superleagueformula.com website, fans can forecast the results of each race in the championship, selecting who they will think will finish in the top eight places in race one and the second reverse grid event.

Points are allocated in the same way as the Superleague Formula championship with the top scorers winning a host of great prizes.

When fans register for the CompeticionVirtual contest, they automatically receive four credits that allow them to select the top eight for this weekend’s first race at Vallelunga.

To add additional credits, fans can use their mobile/cell phones or buy them online to top up their accounts.

Mobile/cell phones transactions are available in the following countries:

Europe: Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Ireland

America: Argentina , Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, México, USA, Venezuela, Bolivia, Oceania: Australia

“Our fans already have a great emotional involvement in our championship, now they will be following the championship even closer with the chance to win great prizes,” Superleague Formula President and CEO Alex Andreu said.

“With the reverse grid race, we have had some very interesting results – the fans who can best forecast the top eight will certainly earn their prize.

“The Superleague Formula teams do battle for 1 million euro on each race weekend, now the fans can fight it out for great prizes as well.”

To enter the competition, follow the link from www.superleagueformula.com or go direct to www.competicionvirtual.com

Greek star takes over at Olympiacos

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:14:36 GMT

In the opening four rounds of the championship, Katsimis participated as the rookie driver of Olympiacos. The promising performances in the rookie free practice sessions have now earned him the opportunity as the club’s main driver.

Katsimis past experience in Italy also played an important part in his selection. The Greek driver has raced at Vallelunga three times previously in Formula Renault, Formula 3 and at a six-hour endurance race.

“My goal is to make a good appearance in the championship and promote the image of Olympiacos, and of Greece as well. I know the Italian circuit pretty well from previous races and I hope we will have a very strong weekend.” Katsimis commented.

“I'm really excited and proud at the same time. Olympiacos is my favourite team and the most popular club in my country. I think our participation in Superleague Formula, could really help grow motorsport in Greece.”

Katsimis has completed more than 50 laps aboard the 750 horsepower, V12-powered Olympiacos machine in the rookie sessions that are staged on Saturday afternoon.

The selection of the 26-year-old Greek driver by Olympiacos Superleague Formula Racing Team managers GU Racing should further boost the popularity of the championship.

“In the first few races the Superleague Formula championship is really famous in Greece because the best football team participates in it,” Katsimis said.

“From my point of view, I feel that the fans would be more interested watching the races in which a Greek driver is participating with Olympiakos, because they would feel closer to the driver and team character and spirit.”

Katsimis takes over from Danish driver Kasper Andersen who has competed for the club in the opening four rounds of the Superleague Formula championship. Katsimis is eagerly awaiting the chance to make his debut at a circuit where he has competed previously – believing his past experience will help during his opening weekend

“In my career, I've been in Vallelunga 3 times in the past. I feel really confident, because I have good knowledge of the circuit, and it is something that can help me achieve good results. I hope to be as fast as possible and earn some strong points for my team,” Katsimis said.

Italian fans have plenty to cheer for at Vallelunga

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:23:50 GMT

Italian clubs AC Milan and AS Roma both qualified on the front row of the grid at the previous round at Estoril and the pair will be out to repeat their podium scoring performances.

AC Milan's Robert Doornbos has proven to be the championship's fastest and most consistent man in qualifying. The Nurburgring race winner has made for the shoot-out portion of qualifying at every round this year – the only man to achieve this feat.

He finished second in the opening race behind Liverpool at Estoril and then charged from the back of the grid to again grab the runner-up spot in the reverse grid race.

Series debutante Frank Perera scored pole on debut for AS Roma and went on to finish third in race one. Unfortunately, a tangle with Liverpool's Adrian Valles put him out of race two, but the young Frenchman who has driven in Formula Atlantic, Champ Car, Indy Lights and IndyCar in the past two years in the US showed he has top-line European pace as well.

But it is not just football clubs lining up as the main attraction for the local fans this week.

Italian Davide Rigon has but his Chinese club Beijing Guoan at the top of the championship table from the opening round of the series.

Rigon finished 5th in both races in Estoril – the second effort impressive after being forced to start from pit-lane in race two. The result extended Beijing's lead at the head of the championship table.

Local Roman Enrico Toccacelo also had impressive pace in Portugal for his new club, Borussia Dortmund.

The unluckiest man in Superleague Formula, Toccacelo has twice led races this season only for technical problems to strike virtually within sight of the chequered flag – the second time happening in race two at Estoril.

Turkish club Galatasaray also has an Italian star installed in its cockpit. Alessandro Pier Guidi has scored two podium results this season – the second coming in the previous round in Portugal.

Italian race teams are also in on the Superleague Formula action.

Both the Galatasaray and AC Milan Superleague Formula Racing Teams are managed by Italian race organisation Scuderia Playteam.

The Corinthians and Atletico Madrid squads also have an Italian influence with Eurointernational charged with their on-track performances.

The Euro-US operation has been the world's busiest major international race team in 2008, running 11 cars on both sides of the Atlantic and scoring a championship victory in Formula BMW in the USA.

Media and fans will get plenty of access to Superleague Formula in the lead-up to the Vallelunga event.

Both drivers will appear at their respective club's home games on Wednesday night – showing off their latest silverware to the local fans.

On track action kicks off on Saturday with practice and the unique knock-out qualifying shootout.

Sunday will feature two races – the second a complete reverse grid spicing up the on-track action.

ROBERT DOORNBOS (AC Milan)
“We had our official pre-season test in Vallelunga and I ended up quickest on two days so I am looking forward to going back there.
“AS Roma has a fast car now so hopefully we can have another all-Italian front row – that will really spice things up for the fans.
“I am going there with a good car and feeling good so I am definitely going for the win.”

ALESSANDRO PIER GUIDI (Galatasaray)
“Vallelunga for me is a home track and I have done a lot of laps around there in the past.
“In August in the Superleague Formula test we were very fast in the Galatasaray car so I am very much looking forward to the next race in the championship.
“It will be great to be racing Superleague Formula in Italy.”

DAVIDE RIGON (Beijing Guoan)
“I’m very much looking forward to Vallelunga. I have raced there before in Formula 3 and Formula 3000 and done well. I scored a pole and finished second in F3000 and also had a runner-up spot in F3.
“For me it will be very important to qualify well at the front. With only two races to go in the championship, I can’t take any risks. Obviously if there is a chance to go for a victory I will because it pays a lot of points.
“I know this track very well and I like it a lot.

ENRICO TOCCACELO (Borussia Dortmund)
“I did my first ever car race at Vallelunga and I won but I haven’t raced there since Formula 3 back in 1999 – ever since then I have been racing around the world.
“I still go back there a few times a year for run driver training courses but obviously coming from Rome I would love to have a good weekend there.
“My luck hasn’t been really good to lose races at the Nurburgring and Estoril while leading but in Portugal our pace was really good and it will be great to have a strong weekend at Vallelunga for the Borussia Dortmund team.”

FRANCK PERERA (AS Roma)
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend because I get the chance to go to an AS Roma football match during the week and met some of the fans.
“Now I’m driving this car, I have thousands of new fans.
“I haven’t run at Vallelunga for a few years but hopefully I can have better luck in the races because we were very fast at Estoril.
“We had a problem in the pits in the first race, then Liverpool ran into me in race two – it was a shame because the AS Roma car was very competitive.
“Hopefully we will see lots of their fans at the track on the weekend.”

Liverpool and Al-Ain score victories in Estoril with 25,000 fans viewing the action

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:58:30 GMT

After his race two Zolder victory, Beijing's Davide Rigon held a 14 point lead heading into Estoril but has now extended that out to 35 points with two rounds remaining.

Beijing finished fifth in both races and now leads PSV by 35 points with Liverpool FC a single point behind.

FC Porto's Tristan Gommendy had a heartbreaking day after retiring from race one with an engine problem while running in fifth place. Despite 30 bus loads of Porto fans making the trip to Estoril, Gommendy was unable to compete in the second race after the team ran out of time to make an engine change.

Liverpool FC's Adrian Valles took the opening race victory over AC Milan's Robert Doornbos and new AS Roma driver Franck Perera. However, in race two the Spaniard clashed with Perera causing him to spin into retirement. Liverpool's race was also ruined after he was forced to pit for a new front wing.

New Borussia Dortmund driver Enrico Toccacelo also had a heartbreaking day. For the second race this year, Toccacelo held the race lead until the closing laps but this time a oil pressure issue ruined his afternoon. A late race gearbox problem ruined his chance for victory in race two at the Nurburgring.

However, new Al-Ain driver Paul Meijer benefited from the Italian's misfortune to score his and his new club's first Superleague Formula victory in the reverse grid race.

AC Milan's Robert Doornbos pulled out an incredible effort to score his second runner-up finish of the day while garage-mate Alessandro Pier Guidi scored third place.

Beijing now leads the championship on 271 points ahead of PSV Eindhoven (236), Liverpool FC (235), AC Milan (216), Sevilla FC (199), AS Roma (190), RSC Anderlecht (189), Galatasaray (180), Tottenham Hotspur (173), SC Corinthians (169), Al-Ain (167), FC Basel (161), FC Porto (145), Borussia Dortmund (143), Rangers (132), Flamengo (130), Olympiacos (110), Atletico (99).

The Superleague Formula round was attended by the football-themed championship's biggest crowd to date with 25,000 fans viewing the action at the former home of the Portuguese Grand Prix.

The championship heads to Italy for the next round of the championship at Vallelunga near Rome on November 1-2.

RACE 1 QUOTES
ADRIAN VALLES (Liverpool FC)
“We did a very good pitstop but it was not enough to overtake Robert, I had to overtake him on the track. It was difficult, but I made it and I am really happy for the win.
“We had a good strategy, a good stop and we worked very hard overnight to make sure I had a good car for the race today.
“It will be difficult off the back of the grid in race two. I was able to overtake Robert because my tires were up to temparature after the stop and I could brake later.
“Now we will be all equal in race two. We always say it will be difficult to overtake the reverse grid but every race we go to we see lots of overtaking, so lets see what happens.”

ROBERT DOORNBOS (AC Milan)
“I started on the front row and obviously I was going for the win, so second place is not where I wanted to be.
“I think it was the most realistic result as we didn’t have the fastest car today but we were definitely in the top three.
“We now have to work on the car for race two and make it quicker. I am really fighting to keep the car on the track and to follow the pace.
“The other teams are developing well but need to do our job as well. Second place is good however for both AC Milan and myself.”

FRANCK PERERA (AS Roma)
“It is good for me to get a podium in my first race, but as Robert said, when you start on the front row of the grid you want to go for the win.
“We had a good car in the beginning and I was able to open up a huge gap but unfortunately we had a problem during the pit stop so we lost the lead. After that I tried to catch both Robert and Adrian but it is difficult to overtake and I was unable to pass them.
“It is a pity because I think we had the fastest car but it is still a good result for myself and AS Roma anyway.”

TRISTAN GOMMENDY (FC Porto)
“We did a pretty good job during the weekend because yesterday the car was pretty difficult to drive and the FC Porto Racing Team worked hard to develop the car during the three practice sessions.
“We obtained a pretty good set-up and the qualifying was OK. With the new tires it was quite difficult but towards the end of the race I was the quickest car on track but unfortunately we had a problem with the engine and we couldn’t change it in time for the second race.
“It was a real shame for the FC Porto fans because there were 30 buses of fans came down from Porto to see the car run today.”

RACE 1 NOTES:
Full media notes from race one can be read online at link.

RACE 1 RESULT- Estoril
Pos.	#	Driver	Club	Result
1	21	A.Valles	Liverpool FC	31 laps
2	3	R.Doornbos	AC Milan	-.948 sec
3	22	F.Perera	AS Roma	- 2.067
4	14	A.Pizzonia	Corinthians	- 3.108
5	12	D.Rigon	Beijing Guoan	- 8.819
6	15	A.Soucek	Atletico Madrid	- 9.243
7	4	A.Pier Guidi	Galatasaray	- 20.472
8	18	B.Garcia	Sevilla FC	- 37.745
9	5	Y.Buurman	PSV Einhoven	- 38.932
10	9	K.Andersen	Olympiacos	- 41.163
11	7	T.Rocha	Flamengo	- 74.376
12	6	P.Meijer	Al-Ain	- 74.914
13	17	R.Dalziel	Rangers	- 89.690
14	8	C.Dolby	RSC Anderlecht	- 1 lap DNF
15	19	D.Jackson	Tottenham Hotspur	- 1 lap
16	16	T.Gommendy	FC Porto	- 6 laps DNF
17	22	E.Toccocela	Borussia Dortmund	- 30 laps DNF
18	10	M.Wissel	FC Basel	- 31 laps DNF

RACE 2 QUOTES
PAUL MEIJER (Al-Ain)
“The weekend started off really tough for me and I had problems with the set up. The track was new for me and the car wouldn’t go as well as I would like.
“I made a few mistakes in race one and we made more changes in race two. I made no mistakes in race two and that is what kept me up front.
“I was settling in for second place then all of a sudden I really started catching the BVB car really quickly. After I was leading it was an amazing feeling. It is great for Al-Ain and hopefully this is the first of many for us.”

ROBERT DOORNBOS (AC Milan)
“I was smiling so much inside the car. The first couple of laps were just great - the outside, inside, I was passing people everywhere.
“I had a very strong pace and I was gaining a lot on the people in front of me. I did have a radio failure so I didn’t know when to come in but we had to work with the pit board. I had a good stop and was pushing hard and I couldn’t believe it when I saw P3 on the board.
“It was going well and I ended up second. It has been a great weekend for me with two podium results and do it in front of a lot of fans is brilliant.”

ALESSANDRO PIER GUIDI (Galatasaray)
“The team has done a great job today, especially after yesterday when my car wasn’t very quick and the set-up wasn’t good.
“Our team worked very hard overnight and today the car was perfect and it is great to get on the podium.
“The next race at Vallelunga for me is a home track and I have done a lot of laps there in the past. I did a lot of kilometres there in testing in August and I was very fast so I am confident for the next race.

RACE 2 NOTES:
Full media notes from race one can be read online at link.

RACE 2 RESULT- Estoril
Pos.	#	Driver	Club	Result
1	6	P.Meijer	Al-Ain	30 laps
2	3	R.Doornbos	AC Milan	- 1.859 sec
3	4	A.Pier Guidi	Galatasaray	- 5.447
4	14	A.Pizzonia	Corinthians	- 5.749
5	12	D.Rigon	Beijing Guoan	- 15.566
6	22	E.Toccocela	Borussia Dortmund	- 17.757
7	18	B.Garcia	Sevilla FC	- 21.363
8	5	Y.Buurman	PSV Einhoven	- 22.138
9	8	C.Dolby	RSC Anderlecht	- 22.891
10	7	T.Rocha	Flamengo	- 40.439
11	19	D.Jackson	Tottenham Hotspur	- 62.199
12	21	A.Valles	Liverpool FC	- 1 lap
13	9	K.Andersen	Olympiacos	- 7 laps DNF
14	10	M.Wissel	FC Basel	- 10 laps DNF
15	17	R.Dalziel	Rangers	- 25 laps DNF
16	22	F.Perera	AS Roma	- 26 laps DNF
17	15	A.Soucek	Atletico Madrid	Did Not Start
18	16	T.Gommendy	FC Porto	Did Not Start

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.

Al Ain scores first Superleague win against Football's top guns

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:14:53 GMT

New driver Paul Meijer started from position six on the grid and made a great start to emerge in fourth place at the first corner.

The Dutchman moved up to third on lap seven before making his pit stop on lap nine. He settled into second place in the second half of the race behind Borussia Dortmund – the car Meijer piloted at Zolder. New BVB driver Enrico Toccacelo looked set to take his first victory before oil pressure problems struck with four laps to go – causing an intermittent engine cut-out problem for the Italian.

Meijer shared the podium with AC Milan's Robert Doornbos in second and Galatasaray's Alessandro Pier Guidi in third.

The performance by Doornbos mirrored that of RSC Anderlecht's Craig Dolby at Nurburgring who also finished second in the opening race, then stormed from the back of the pack to finish second in the reverse grid race.

Antonio Pizzonia scored fourth place for Corinthians – his second top four of the day while Toccacelo held on to finish sixth behind championship leader Beijing Guoan (Davide Rigon).

Race one winner Adrian Valles (Liverpool) tangled with fellow race one podium finished Franck Perera (AS Roma) on lap six – Perera spinning into retirement while the Liverpool driver had to made an additional stop to replace his front wing.

The Liverpool problems enabled Beijing Guoan to extend its championship lead from 14 points to 35 with two rounds remaining.

"The weekend started off really tough for me and I had problems with the set up. The track was new for me and the car wouldn't go as well as I would like," Meijer said.

"I made a few mistakes in race one and we made more changes in race two. I made no mistakes in race two and that is what kept me up front.

"I was settling in for second place then all of a sudden I really started catching the BVB car really quickly. After I was leading it was an amazing feeling. It is great for Al-Ain and hopefully this is the first of many for us."

Race 2 - Live comments - SF Round 4 Portugal

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 13:10:56 GMT

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Race 2

44:00 Pre Race: Beijing Guoan to start from the pit lane after a gearbox change

44:00 Pre Race: Anderlecht stalls on the grid and smoke is billowing from the back of the Atletico car

43:44 Lap 1: Basel leads at turn 1

43.27 Lap 1: Tottenham up to second - lots of action - Liverpool runs wide, PSV runs wide, Beijing runs wide - all in the dirt

42:28 Lap 2: Spurs leads at turn 1

40:40: Lap 3: top ten are Spurs, Basel, BVB, Al-Ain, Rangers, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Flamengo, AC Milan and Anderlecht

40:00 Lap 3: FC Porto were unable to make the start after a water pump failure in race 1

39:50 Lap 3: Atletico also have dropped out prior to the start

39:20 Lap 4: BVB through into the lead - passes Spurs

37:20 Lap 5: Spin for Rangers - drops from 5th place to the back of the pack

36:50 Lap 5: Contact between Liverpool and Roma. Roma spins and Liverpool loses the front wing

36:23 Lap 6: Franck Perera climbs out of the Roma car - they are out.

36:02 Lap 6: Liverpool pits to get the front wing looked at. Rangers also makes a stop. Liverpool getting a new front win fitted

35:21 Lap 6: Basel through on Spurs for second place. BVB now has a huge 3.796 second lead

34:02 Lap 7: Top ten are now BVB, Basel, Spurs, Al-Ain, Olympiacos, AC Milan, Flamengo, Corinthians, Sevilla and Galatasaray

33:09 Lap 8: Liverpool has now been lapped - is stitting behind BVB Enrico Toccacelo

32:24 Lap 8: BVB's lead is 6.561 seconds

31:46 Lap 9: Spurs starting to slip down the pack - now back to 6th place.

31:27 Lap 9: Pit lane window now open. Top three are BVB, FC Basel and Al-Ain

30:15 Lap 10: AC Milan on the charge - up to 4th place

29:52 Lap 10: Al-Ain, Tottenham and Flamengo are the first to pit

29:59 Lap 10: Liverpool pits for compulsory pit stop

29:40 lap 11: Beijing makes their stop

27:51 Lap 11: Olympiacos now pressuring FC Basel

27:04 Lap 11: Galatasaray, PSV and Anderlecht make their stops

26:47 Lap 12: Corinthians also impressive in this race - up to 5th place after starting on the 7th row

25:44 Lap 12: Pit stops for FC Basel, AC Milan and Sevilla

25:02 Lap 13: Problems for FC Basel - slow getting away from the stop - gearbox issues??

24:15 Lap 13: Race leader BVB makes their stop - followed by Corinthians

23:40 Lap 14: BVB delayed slightly exiting pits - having to wait for Corinthians to pull into their pit box

22:54 Lap 14: Olympiacos now will have the lead - the last car to pit

22:04 Lap 15: Olympiacos has a 27 second lead over BVB - probably not enough time to keep the lead. Very long pit exit here at Estoril

21:00 Lap 16: Olympiacos still running hard - gap shrinking back to BVB - now 25.510 seconds

20:15 Lap 16: Top ten are Olympiacos, BVB, Al-Ain, AC Milan, Galatasaray, Sevilla, Beijing, Corinthians, PSV and Anderlecht

19:27 Lap 17: Three more laps before Olympacos has to pit

18:00 Lap 17: Olympiacos now pits - where will he come back out in the pack

17:42 Lap 18: BVB leads

17:01 Lap 18: Olympiacos back out in 7th

15:50 Lap 19: Top ten are now BVB, Al-Ain, AC Milan, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Beijing, Corinthians, Sevilla, PSV and Anderlecht

11:17 Lap 22: Problems for FC Basel - pulls off the circuit

9:14 Lap 23: Olympiacos pushing hard and challenging Galatasaray for fourth

8:00 Lap 24: Olympiacos now pulls into pit lane - late problems

4:00 Lap 27: Top ten are BVB, Al AIn, AC Milan, Galatasaray, Corinthians, Beijing, Sevilla, PSV, Anderlecht and Flamengo

2:34 Lap 27: Al Ain leads ! BVB now back to second with AC Milan right on his tail

0:50 Lap 29: Ac Milan now up to second - BVB must have a problem

0:00 Lap 30: Last lap for Al Ain

0:00 Last lap: BVB dropping back

0:00 Last Lap: Galatasaray up to third

0:00 Chequered Flag: Al Ain wins from AC Milan and Galatasaray

Liverpool leaps to Estoril victory

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:04:03 GMT

After starting fourth, Valles slotted into third place off the start which was marred by dramas for FC Basel's Max Wissel and Borussia Dortmund's Enrico Toccacelo.

Wissel's car finished beached in the sand trap while Toccacelo retired shortly after with severe damage to the nose of the car.

AS Roma rookie Franck Perera raced into the lead off the start followed by AC Milan's Robert Doornbos and Liverpool's Valles.

Perera held the lead until the compulsory pit stops where he was delayed with a problem changing one of his rear tires.

Doornbos and AC Milan assumed the lead after the stops but was passed at the end of the back straight by Liverpool's Valles on lap 11.

The Spaniard then held on for the remaining laps to take his second victory of the series. This is the second round in a row where Valles and Liverpool has claimed the opening race victory of the weekend.

Doornbos (AC Milan) finished second ahead of Perera (AS Roma) while Corinthians driver Antonio Pizzonia scored his best Superleague Formula finish to date by finishing fourth – passing championship leader Beijing Guoan (Davide Rigon) on lap 26.

Local fans' hopes for FC Porto were shattered with six minutes remaining when Tristan Gommendy pulled off the circuit on lap 26 when his car lost power while running in sixth place.

The victory by Liverpool has shrunk Beijing Guoan's championship lead from 36 points down to 18.

FC Basel and Borussia Dortmund will make up the front row for this afternoon's reverse grid race that kicks off at 2.00pm.

Race 1 - Live comments - SF Round 4 Portugal

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:09:36 GMT

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RACE 1

44:00 remaining Lap 1: AS Roma Leads at turn 1

43:40 Lap 1: Basel off at turn 1, BVB also runs off and loses front wing

41:53 Lap 2: Roma leads from AC Milan, Liverpool, Porto, Beijing, Corinthians, Anderlecht, Galatasaray, Sevilla and Flamengo

40:10 Lap 2: BVB retires to the pits with bad damage to the nose

39:52 Lap 3: Great start from Tottenham Hotspur – up to 11th from the back row of the grid.

39:22 Lap 4: Beijing has got past Porto into fourth place

39:00 Lap 4: Very tight race for second between Milan, Liverpool and Beijing

38:32 Lap 4: Olympiacos has got delayed – now running at the back of the pack

38:15 Lap 4: Fastest lap so far to AS Roma at 1:28.197

36:30 Lap 6: Top 10 now Roma, Milan, Liverpool, Beijing, Porto, Corinthians, Anderlecht, Galatasaray, Sevilla, Atletico

34:36 Lap 7: Roma extending the lead - now out to 4.056 seconds

30.25 Lap 10: Pit stops behin - Roma, LIverpool, Anderlecht, Tottenham, and PSV pit

29:44 Lap 10: Great stop from Liverpool - has now stolen the lead from AS Roma

29:50 Lap 11: AC Milan and Beijing pits

26:34 Lap 12: Sevilla pits

26: 51 Lap 13: Galatasaray and Atletico pits

26:00 Lap 13: Porto leads on home soil - still to make their stop however

22:55 Lap 15: Porto makes their stop

22:10 Lap 15: Corinthians and Olympiacos still to make their stop

21:31 Lap 15: Race leader Corinthians makes their stop

21:00 Lap 16: Olympiacos pits

20:44 Lap 16: Liverpool now leads from AC Milan and Roma

20:12 Lap 16: gravel on the circuit at turn four

19:30 Lap 17: Top ten after all the pits stops is now Liverpool, AC Milan, AS Roma, Beijing, Corinthians, FC Porto, Galatasaray, Atletico, Sevilla and PSV Eindhoven

15:18 Lap 19: Liverpool leads by 1.266 seconds - AC Milan are starting to close the gap

11:23 Lap 21: Still no change at the front - Liverpool leads from Milan and Roma

7.47 Lap 24: Fastest lap goes to Atletico Madrid at 1:26.711

6.58 Lap 25: Liverpool's lead is now down to 1.027 seconds

6:30 Lap 26: Dramas for the hometown heroes FC Porto - Gommendy pulls off on Lap 26

4:00 Lap 27: Corinthians up to fourth - passing Beijing

0:00 Lap 30: One lap to go - Last lap

Liverpool wins! AC Milan 2nd and AS Roma 3rd