Premier 1 GP v2.0

[cos]

It's been a few years, but someone's got it into their head again that a single-seater series with each car representing a major football (or soccer, if you're that way inclined) team is a good and viable idea, hooray!

Nothing to do with the much postponed and eventually abandoned Premier 1 Grand Prix... this is a completely new and original series called Superleague Formula!

http://superleagueformula.com/

They hope to combine the best elements of football and motor racing - "entertainment, passion, fair play" (that element not from football presumably) "and exhilaration".

Tracks/calendar? The first season will "stretch" from August to November 2008 at "top circuits" around Europe.

Teams? Four teams have signed up apparently already, with drivers to be "selected" from an "exclusive crop of new, up-and-coming future stars".

Why? "Other motor sports" are apparently "dominated by technology" (er, GP2, F3 or GP2 anyone?)

To appeal to fans they're also taking the new and innovative step of giving fans "acess to the open paddock" and "to the rear of the garages (which will be open for viewing)".

Roll on August 2008

Further reading: http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=30935

edit: just seen that Robin Webb is involved in this venture; he was of course operations director for Premier 1 all those years ago... make of that what you will!

[Ranald]

Time to put my sceptical hat on I'm afraid. This has been tried before and failed miserabley at the time. IMHO we already have too many single seater series around and I believe this will fall by the wayside. Although part of me wants to be proved wrong I kinda hope it doesn't work out.
The car looks cracking too and that motor looks to be a good'un.

[Suze]

I saw this car being built in Panoz last September and found out about it then - only seen the nose so far (bar pics above) when it was part built and there's been discussion on here not so long ago debating what this new car Panoz were building is.

To be honest, I can't see it working. The "concept" didn't really take off with Premier 1 and I think they're in danger of trying to be another A1GP which whilst working, hasn't been short of it's problems and think that one is a better idea. As Ranald says above we already have plenty of single seater racing series and I'm not sure we need another - football clubs involved or not.

[MikeHoyer]

Not this again! What's the need to try and combine sports like this?

A1GP was the best idea of the lot.

[ss_collins]

Well time will tell if it works - I can see them getting tams and drivers but perhaps spectators will be hard to come by.

Its all about the business model at the end of the day A1 has a good one but its dragging its feet rather..

[kipper]

I would be surprised if this ever takes off. Ultimately it failed to deliver last time and whilst that is no guarantee that events will repeat themselves, I feel that the market would be harder this time with A1GP and maybe Grand Prix Masters competing for a similar type of market.

[dazbaz_99]

Another single seater series, and in my opinion they are clutching at straws with this idea, I dont see how it will take off. I can just imagine a load of football hooligans going along to watch some fast cars and getting drunk. Im an Arsenal fan but I wouldnt go along to a race track to support them driving a car! That doesn't appeal to me.

Football should remain on a football pitch and Single Seater racing should remain on the race track, dont merge the two like this.

As previously mentioned A1GP has been by far the most successful series based on a franchise formula.

What next, Rugby teams joining forces to have there own Tin Top series...

[Alex K]

Geez, A1, P1, E3000, FSuperfund, FNippon, CCWS, ICS, GP2 Series, FR3.5... There's no room for Superfunds (this idea isn't dead yet) and Premier 1. A1 and CCWS has big financial difficulties. Where will they find drivers with required budgets? Unless club and its sponsors will pay for drivers and entries, but I can't see this happening.

[cos]

Originally Posted by dazbaz_99

Football should remain on a football pitch and Single Seater racing should remain on the race track, dont merge the two like this.

Indeed. Besides, during weekends football fans would rather be out watching matches, either at stadiums, pubs or at home on Sky. Even the most casual Man Utd/PSV/FC Porto fan would surely prefer to watch a bit of football live/on TV at the weekend instead of trekking out to Brands Hatch/Zandvoort/Brno only to see their "team" possibly crash out after the first corner...

[Asa]

Originally Posted by Alex K

Unless club and its sponsors will pay for drivers and entries, but I can't see this happening.

Indeed, clubs will only be interested if it brings in revenue for them.

If you tell the fans it is football mixed with motorsport and clubs like AC Milan, Man Utd, Bayern Munich...etc are involved, then people will expect to see the football stars like Kaka, C Ronaldo and Makaay when they reach the track, which will not happen.

I don't really see many promoters lining up to host the race at their tracks.

[duke_toaster]

This idea is even worse than glowpucks, the XFL, ten cent beer at Baseball and, er, Shafted.

If someone wants teams and racing, how about this.

Something like ARUSA cars wise (but open wheeled), a team versus team thing (each team having a home arena) with temporary tracks on ice hockey rinks - 4 races in each meeting, old F1 style points.

[ensign14]

The Chelsea car will have the biggest budget.

The Man U car will have an annoying whine.

The Arsenal car will punt everyone else off but the driver will claim not to have seen anything.

The Juventus car will have all sorts of random decisions given in its favour.

The Real Madrid car will be driven by Ralf Schumacher - overpaid and underperforming.

The Lyon car will look promising until it really matters.

And the Liverpool car will have the fastest pitstops - no-one can whip wheels away better than the scallies.

[Speedblood]

Originally Posted by dazbaz_99

What next, Rugby teams joining forces to have there own Tin Top series...

Wouldn't suprise me, they both seem to have a lot of bashing in them!

Anyway, I think the idea is rubbish and hopefully will flop. To put it bluntly...

[META4]

this concept has already been done in Argentina With TRV6 Touring car and Football clubs , maybe Mekola can tell us more on it

http://www.trv6.com.ar/noticias/p20070403154927.php

[Knowlesy]

This whole concept irritates me. I can't think of a single person who would actually want a series that has cars adorned and backed by football clubs. It is pointless.

It'd basically be a series of mediocre drivers in dull races advertising football clubs a lot. Frankly it's a stupid idea and I can't wait to see the whole thing go belly up even quicker than the last attempt did.

[SALEEN S7R]

Whilst I agree that the concept behind the series isnt fantastic if this series does materalise and we do get a grid of 20 top line single seaters producing 750bhp I will be very happy indeed. Yes we already have F1 and GP2 and A1 and WSR but there is room I think for another Championship at GP2/A1 GP level here in Europe.

Shame about the concept but the car seems to be pretty good. IMO.

[Suze]

Why is there any need for another GP2 / feeder series? What's wrong with the many we have?

There's enough championships nationally and internationally not to want another as far as I'm concerned.

[Craig]

Is John Batchelor involved again this time?

[ensign14]

Not sure York City is quite the target market.

[Craig]

Much as I'd love to see a York City or Accrington Stanley car out there (it might yet happen given the current levels of interest!), JB's involvement previously was behind the scenes.

[Knowlesy]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Whilst I agree that the concept behind the series isnt fantastic if this series does materalise and we do get a grid of 20 top line single seaters producing 750bhp I will be very happy indeed. Yes we already have F1 and GP2 and A1 and WSR but there is room I think for another Championship at GP2/A1 GP level here in Europe.

Shame about the concept but the car seems to be pretty good. IMO.

It's all very well getting twenty top line single seaters, but who, prey tell, will drive them?

A load of Ricardo Teixeiras probably.

[Mathias]

And who, prey tell, will pay for them? What I read in the 'Sprout implied that there would be no cost to the football clubs. I thought the point of the football/motorsport tie in was to cream some of footie's surplus cash off for something worthwhile!

Personally, I don't know why the Premier 1 concept has stuck. Virtually all football fans of my acquaintance are quite dismissive of motorsport, so I can't imagine many of them moving on to single-seaters just for the sake of supporting their team.

Old regular readers might remember me being quite positive about the first incarnation of this, but that was back in the day when F3000 and WS by Nissan weren't stirring much interest, and GP2, WS by Renault and A1GP weren't established. Now we've got a bunch of world class F1 feeder series, and the various F3 series look reasonably healthy, and there is IFM, the WTCC support series too. Why would anyone want to invest in a new series now?