|
August 16th, 2007 The Speedcar Series will begin in November, and form part of an eight-round championship across Asia and the Middle East. The series will feature 24-identical 620bhp cars, with a mixture of former F1, international and celebrity drivers. The series will run with GP2 Asia at five meetings as part of the Grand Racing events, and alongside the Formula One World Championship at two races in 2008. A 3,000,000 US dollars prize fund is available for all 24 competitors, with the eventual champion receiving 600,000 US dollars. Narain Karthikeyan, AT&T BMW Williams F1 Test Driver, along with Indonesian saloon car racer Moreno Soeprapto and his brother Ananda Mikola were joined by Swiss regional stock car racer Alexandre Maus and Italian rally driver Nico Caldarola, to test two of the championship's 650bhp cars at the Dubai Autodrome, completing over 60 laps in total. Commenting after their runs the drivers agreed that the Speedcars offer race drivers an exceptionally fun racing experience which will create tight competition and good entertainment for the crowds. NARAIN KARTHIKEYAN said "I had a good feel for the car, expecting some sliding from such a heavy car I had no surprises. But I have to say the car is a good car, despite its weight it is very balanced and pretty forgiving, it has a strong engine and is quick on the straight. The breaking distances are very long compared to those of single-seater cars of course and that took some getting used to. The Speedcar will create a close grid which will promote good racing and overtaking. The end of each of the Speedcar races should be very interesting as the tires will be run down and physical exhaustion will overcome most drivers, it will be interesting to see the battle between the younger and former F1 star drivers. It was really a fun car to drive, the weather was a challenge though with over 40 degrees Centigrade it gets very hot in the car. I look forward to coming back and seeing some more of the Speedcars." The test was being used by drivers and engineers to perform tests on a new break system, not to search for ultimate lap times. Test Summary Driver / Laps / Best Lap Time Narain
Karthikeyan / 22 / 1.50.34 (Car No. 09) * break testing set up ** END ** |
|||
