After much chopping and changing this year, Superleague Formula has closed its doors on 2011 following the cancellation of its final rounds.
For the cars to make the rounds in China scheduled for early next month, the chassis’ would have had to leave today; however yesterday competitions director Robin Webb stated that:
“…it was simply not possible to travel to China with certain details still to be agreed. That this announcement has come so close to the first scheduled event is testament to the championship’s tireless attempts to stage the races as planned, especially after the warm welcome we received in China last season.
Naturally I am as frustrated as anyone that the championship will not be visiting Asia this year. I would like to reassure fans however that plans are already well advanced in putting together a much-improved package for 2012, announcements on which will be made in due course.”
In what has been a disastrous year for Superleague Formula, the series also cancelled several European rounds, as well as ventures to South America, the Middle East and New Zealand.
With only two rounds having taken place this year, the future of Superleague Formula is in doubt, despite the series’ mutterings of a potential new car for 2013.
However if Superleague cannot manage a steady season this year, it is more than like that 2013 will carry on without them. At this stage, there are also no plans for Superleague in 2012.
Superleague Formula has been one of those odd little championships that turns up every so often as a potential alternative to Formula 1, but rarely ever lasts beyond four to five years in what is an already heavily saturated single-seater market.
Although Superleague Formula has not officially been given the last rites, it is certain to join the likes of A1GP, British Formula 1 (the AFX Aurora Series) and others as another championship that tried… but ultimately failed.
For what its worth, the 2011 series was won by Team Australia’s John Martin.
Much like that second cousin-twice removed that you barely ever speak to at family functions, will anyone actually notice that Superleague Formula has actually left the room?
Can’t say that I’m surprised to hear this, since I could never really figure out where the series was supposed to fit in to the greater scheme of world motorsport (really? Racing + soccer = big success? OK…), but it’s still too bad that a series with glorious, big V12s is going to go the way of the dodo.
I’ve seen several attempts to link motorsport with football (soccer), but I’ve never once seen it work. They tend to be completely different audiences – in Europe at least – so I struggle to see why folks continue to try to roll it out.
Have there ever been any attempts to tie motorsport with American Football out your way and, if so, have they ever worked?
Can’t recall any, other than having football players serve as grand marshalls for races and what not. I’m trying to remember if NASCAR did any sort of an NFL tie-in at any point, and other than maybe Joe Gibbs Racing putting some Redskins or NFL logos on its cars at various times (Gibbs won a couple of Super Bowls as the head coach of the ‘Skins before he was a carowner), I can’t think of any. Like you say, I don’t know why people keep trying that stuff when it’s pretty clearly two separate audiences. Whatever. Their money, I guess.