Speedcar Series
Q&A with Benoit Lamonerie (General Manager Speedcar
Series)
Q: Benoit, tell us a little about yourself and your
background.
A: I am thirty year-old Frenchman, and former racing driver,
member of the "Filiere Elf" in 1997. My career moved
into event management when I started working for the French
Motorsport Federation and later with Stephane Ratel on the
Super Racing Weekend (SRW) series. I was put in charge of
organising the first SRW meeting at the Dubai Autodrome, and
moved to the country as part of that. When that event was
extremely successful, I accepted a job at the Dubai Autodrome
itself. After 3 years setting it up, I have accepted the offer
from Speedcar Investors to run the series for them.
Q: What about the new Grand Racing event, when will
it begin?
A: We will be announcing the full 2007/08 Grand Racing schedule
soon, but the first event will happen in Dubai on November
10 this year. That weekend will see the debut of the brand
new Speedcar Series, which will be supported by the GT3 Championship.
GP2 Asia will be added to the race programme at the beginning
of 2008. Any teams or drivers interested in taking part should
get in contact with our Team Manager, Batti Pregliasco, through
our website www.speedcarseries.com
Q: A number of star drivers have already been confirmed
for the Speedcar Series, will all the cars be filled by experienced
racers?
A: So far we have announced five drivers, Jean Alesi, Johnny
Herbert, Stefan Johansson, Narain Karthikeyan and Gianni Morbidelli,
and another from the far-east will be confirmed soon. However
this is not just a championship for former F1 drivers only.
We decided to target former F1 drivers that are still professionally
active, not drivers who retired from competitions a long time
ago. But we want to create our own young stars too, that can
develop and reach the top of the competition. This was a good
reason for adding GP2 Asia to the Grand Racing programme,
as that series has a reputation of promoting talent, and this
partnership will create a natural link for young drivers to
try both series.
Q: What is the involvement of Union Properties with
Speedcar Series?
A: Union Properties own the Dubai Autodrome that will host
the first race of the championship, and our organization will
be based there. They are, as the other tracks that Speedcar
will visit, key players in the success of the series.
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