PORTUGUESE MOTORSPORT STARS KEEN TO SEE FC PORTO SCORE
FC Porto fans celebrated the unveiling of their Superleague
Formula car at Estádio do Dragão tonight with
a stunning 4-0 victory over SC Braga.
The blue and white 750 horsepower V12-powered machine was
revealed at the "Dragon's den" by a group of young
FC Porto junior players.
Superleague Formula President and CEO Alex Andreu was also
presented with an FC Porto shirt by club President Pinto da
Costa.
While the fans had their turn tonight, a couple of well know
FC Porto supporters had a sneak preview of the car at yesterday's
media launch.
Ex-Formula 1 driver and SEAT World Touring Car Championship
star, Tiago Monteiro and 2007 World Series by Renault championship
winner Alvaro Parente took the opportunity to try the car
on for size.
They were joined by fellow Portuguese racers including Pedro
Matos Chaves, Ni Amorim, Tiago Petiz, Armindo Araújo,
Miguel Ramalho and Rui Martins.
A Formula One driver in 2005 and 06, Monteiro is an avid
FC Porto supporter and believes the Superleague Formula championship
is a great idea – particularly the plan of having the
second race as a reverse grid event.
"I think it’s a great concept. To join the fans
and strength of football with motorsport is a project that
can only have success because there are so many fans in those
two sports. Bring them together and it will be very popular,"
Monteiro said.
"I'm a professional driver and all these championships
are very interesting and it is a matter of looking closely
at it. I have a contract for 2008 with SEAT in the World Touring
Car Championship but you never know, maybe it is possible
to do something.
"For the reverse grid concept, as a driver it is always
frustrating because you have done all the hard work and won
the first race and then have to start from the back. It is
certainly hard, but I think it is good for the show and at
the end of the day you have to make the fans happy –
that's what they want to see, lots of passing."
Parente won the 2005 British Formula 3 Championship and backed
up that title winning success by earning himself a Renault
Formula 1 test by claiming the 2007 World Series by Renault
Championship.
"The concept is very good. To mix football - which is
the biggest sport - with car racing is really incredible,"
Parente said.
"Right now I am concentrating very heavily on advancing
my career and getting to Formula 1 and I have a test coming
up very soon which is my main priority However, the car certainly
looks very interesting and who knows, if the dates don't clash,
you never know.
"I am used to seeing FC Porto winning on the football
pitch and if we can see the same in Superleague Formula, that
would be brilliant."
While Monteiro and Parente are already keen FC Porto supporters,
Team West-Tec's Gavin Wills and John Miller are now also Dragons
fans after being selected as the race team for FC Porto.
The British duo attended tonight's clash with SC Braga in
the President's box and are now fully aware of the expectations
of the fans and the responsibility they have taken on.
Team West-Tec have an outstanding championship pedigree,
winning the British Formula Ford championship, the Formula
Ford Festival, the British Formula Renault Championship, twice
a championship winner of the UK "Days of Thunder"
Stock Car Series, and this year claiming the Spanish Formula
3 Cup title.
"What we find most attractive about Superleague Formula
is the opportunity to bring the racing to an entirely new
audience," Wills said.
"Football has one of the biggest spectator bases in
the world and this is a excellent opportunity to introduce
motorsport to new fans and new sponsors - its great for the
sport.
"We are very excited for Team West-Tec to be involved
in Superleague Formula. We are clearly aware of the huge fan
base of FC Porto and that brings an added level of responsibility
for us to deliver to those loyal supporters.
"We have been fortunate to have great success and won
championships in every class we have been involved with but
this is a new challenge and we certainly are not underestimated
what is going to be involved."
FC Porto will be part of a 20 strong grid when the championship
kicks off at Donington Park in the UK on August 30/31 this
year.
So far, they will be joined by AC Milan, Olympiacos, PSV
Eindhoven, Borussia Dortmund, RSC Anderlecht, Flamengo, FC
Basel and Galatasaray SK.
An additional club announcement is expected this week with
the grid now starting to fill fast. At each of the six championship
rounds, teams will compete for prize pool of 1 million euro
at each race meeting.
The Elan Motorsport Technologies, Panoz-built Superleague
Formula car is now nearing completion and is expected to hit
the track in early March. The Menard Competition Technologies
V12 engine will run on the dyno for the first time this month.
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