Is GP2 Asia defunct for 2010-2011?

[schiattarella]

I notice that GP2 main series is racing in Abu Dhabi F1 ths year 2010. does this mean that the next season Gp2 Asia series is not going ahead or will it still continue?

Thanks

[Juntos]

Crikey! What is the purpose of GP2 Asia if they don't even race in Asia or have Asian drivers?

[skells22]

the web site still ha GP2 Asia on it meaning we better wait for the dates before we can say anything about a shut down

[NaBUru38]

Since the pseudo-European GP2 Series has taken over the Middle East, the GP2 Asia Series could switch focus to the Far East, joining F1 races at Malaysia, China, Japan and Singapore.

[Dan Friel]

And the reasons it ended up as a Middle East series were...

[NaBUru38]

It seems that GP2 Asia isn't that dead: from 2011 to 2013, teams will have to race in both. Now the question is where and when.

[Mekola]

And how many rounds will have the Asian series.

[p-matt]

I'm assuming they wanted the Asia Series to run from January onwards rather than have the situation of being run over two calendar years. It makes sense as we got stronger driver lineups for the Abu Dhabi race in February than in November. A lot of teams were trying out drivers that were already confirmed or close to being confirmed for the Main Series.

With that being the case they could probably have standalones at Abu Dhabi, Qatar and possibly Dubai and Korea, and link up with the F1 calendar for Bahrain, Malaysia and China.

I can't help but think that insisting the teams compete in both series is a way of amalgamating the two series at some point down the line.

It also raises questions for Racing Engineering and Meritus. The latter would be in a reasonable position to get an entry for the Main Series I would have thought.

[JakeC]

Does anyone know where the old GP2 Asia cars have gone? I know one is racing in Boss GP, but where are all the others??

[JohnMiller]

For sale mainly

[JakeC]

Do you know who bought them? I'm sure they're not just sitting in workshops, they must be racing somewhere?

[bella]

i'm not sure how, there's not a great deal of series that can accomodate those cars apart from the 2 euroboss variations?

[kipper]

Originally Posted by JakeC

Do you know who bought them? I'm sure they're not just sitting in workshops, they must be racing somewhere?

Austrian Ingo Gerstl is racing one (ex Super Nova, I believe) in BOSS GP and I have read that he owns a second chassis. Damien Charveriat has appeared in EuroBOSS in a GP2 car and Andreas Zuber also raced at their Brno meeting in one.

[Valker]

Originally Posted by bella

i'm not sure how, there's not a great deal of series that can accomodate those cars apart from the 2 euroboss variations?

Interserie, maybe?

[Valker]

Originally Posted by kipper

Damien Charveriat has appeared in EuroBOSS in a GP2 car and Andreas Zuber also raced at their Brno meeting in one.

Zuber drove one at Slovakiaring. Brno race was about to take place this weekend but was cancelled.

[skells22]

here is the dates for GP2 Asia therefore answering the thread title starting in Abu Dhabi Feb 11-12 follow a week later with Bahrain 1 on Feb 18-19
Bahrain then ends the GP2 Asia championship on Bahrain Grand Prix weekend of March 12-13.

[NaBUru38]

I suppose that the first two races will support the V8 Supercars.

If GP2 Asia had a proper calendar, drivers would be encouraged to race there, because they would learn all these Asian tracks.

[Lam Pak]

oh gosh no race in china

[chunterer]

Disappointing. Only 3 rounds, 2 of which are at the same venue, although they're double headers but I expected at least 2 more Malaysia and Shanghai or something.

It's just a glorified testing campaign for the new chassis surely?

I think the relatively late end to the main season meant that there may have only been room for one round before christmas, but then I think it was the same for the last series?

[Morris Dancer]

That sounds about right.

Why would any commercial organisation pay six figures to sponsor a team/driver in a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' series with no obvious marketing value?

The GP2 website has little to persuade potential sponsors to join up. Not even confirmation that it will be televised.

The farce continues.

[p-matt]

The first Bahrain race is probably looking a bit shaky now as the V8 Supercars will not be racing there that weekend as first thought. I sincerely hope it won't be a two round championship. They might as well just absorb the two rounds into the Main Series championship.

[Speed-freak]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

That sounds about right.

Why would any commercial organisation pay six figures to sponsor a team/driver in a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' series with no obvious marketing value?

The GP2 website has little to persuade potential sponsors to join up. Not even confirmation that it will be televised.

The farce continues.

I agree, it's a farce, there is litlle marketing value, why do they even bother other than just a long distance test.

[medler]

Originally Posted by Speed-freak

I agree, it's a farce, there is litlle marketing value, why do they even bother other than just a long distance test.

I think it's GP2 Ego, somebody might lose face if it was dropped. For some teams and driver it already seems to be nothing more than winter testing. I think many of the teams would have liked to drop it, but GP2 were ahead of them and made doing the Asian series part of the agreement to get a main series entry.
With them using the same car I and teams I can see the races being added to the main series, but as a stand alone series it's a joke.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by medler

I think it's GP2 Ego, somebody might lose face if it was dropped. For some teams and driver it already seems to be nothing more than winter testing. I think many of the teams would have liked to drop it, but GP2 were ahead of them and made doing the Asian series part of the agreement to get a main series entry.
With them using the same car I and teams I can see the races being added to the main series, but as a stand alone series it's a joke.

It's clearly a way to get used to the new chassis this timeround but when the series started 3 years ago no-one was complaining then were they? It was deliberately started to promote top level motor sport in the East (where money is) and also appeared an attempt to encourage many of the A1 teams to run their GP2 cars instead I felt, plus they got additional mileage and the chance to test out newcomers etc to boot.

The winter/off season racing concept is excellent (otherwise therre wouldn't have been 2-3 different categories competing to attract drivers recently) and the fact that it's able to continue at all in the current climate is pretty good.

Things change though and i would be sorry if it bit the dust after this series.

I suspect that if GP2 want it to continue it jolly well will though.