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Flamengo unveils Superleague Formula entry |
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Saturday, 24 November 2007 |
The passionate supporters of leading Brazilian
football club Flamengo today got their first chance to see their
colours adorn the V-12 powered, 750 horsepower single seater racing
car that will represent them in the new Superleague Formula championship.
The new series will feature the world's leading football clubs doing
battle on track – 20 high-tech racing cars fighting it out
from August, 2008.
In a country renowned for its football and motor sport prowess,
it seemed only natural that a Brazilian club would be represented
in the championship. With an estimated 33 million supporters, 29
Rio de Janeiro State Championships, five Brazilian national titles
and a World Club Championship victory to its credit – Flamengo
was the obvious choice.
Flamengo's star line-up including captain Fabio Luciano plus leading
players Ibson, Obina and Bruno saw the car for the first time today
– the Superleague Formula car unveiled inside the club's official
trophy room.
On Sunday, it will be the fan's turn – the Flamengo Superleague
Formula car will be unveiled for the first time in front of 95,000
spectators at Estádio do Maracanã prior to Flamengo's
final home game of the 2007 Brazilian Serie A Championship against
Atlético Paranaense.
Flamengo joins leading European clubs AC Milan, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven,
Olympiacos, RSC Anderlecht, Borussia Dortmund, FC Basel and Galatasaray
SK as the first teams onto the grid.
Marcio Braga – the club's President – believes the club's
fans should enthusiastically embrace the new project.
"We are sure that our fans, who always give unique demonstrations
of their unique passion for the club, will react the same way in
such a special moment like this," Braga said.
After a challenging start in the 2007 season, when the club won
only one of its first ten games, Flamengo has completed a storming
finish to the year by running for a place in the 2008 Libertadores
Cup.
Superleague Formula President and CEO Alex Andreu is eagerly awaiting
Sunday's game where the largest ever crowd to see a Superleague
Formula launch will be on hand.
Completed in 1950, Estádio do Maracanã hosted the
1950 FIFA World Cup Final. Although now an all-seater stadium with
a capacity of 95,000, an official attendance world record was set
at a game between Brazil and Paraguay in 1954 when 183,513 spectators
entered the stadium with a ticket.
The famous venue has also played host to leading music acts including
The Rolling Stones, Sting, Frank Sinatra, Tina Turner, Paul McCartney
and Madonna as well as other major sporting events including the
Pan American Games and a Harlem Globetrotters basketball match.
Pope John Paul II presided at a rally of Catholic families from
around the world at Maracanã in 1997.
"Estádio do Maracanã is a wonderful historic
venue and we are delighted to present the Superleague Formula car
to the Flamengo fans in such a brilliant and significant setting,"
Andreu said.
"Since announcing Flamengo's participation in August this year,
we have been swamped with enquiries from Brazilian fans. Our website
has had tens of thousands of visitors from Brazil and the country
has clearly demonstrated an enormous passion for the Superleague
Formula concept.
"We have no doubt this club is going to be one of the most
fiercely supported in Superleague Formula. While plans for our debut
season centre on six races in Europe – I am sure we are going
to come under extreme pressure to bring the championship to Brazil
in future years."
The Flamengo unveiling comes at a busy time for the Superleague
Formula Championship. Following on from the Brazilian launch, the
championship will unveil entries from RSC Anderlecht in Belgium
and FC Basel in Switzerland in successive weeks.
Next year, Flamengo will join the other clubs battle on track at
Donington Park (UK), August 29/30; Nurburgring (Germany), September
20/21; Zolder (Belgium), October 4/5; Italy – location TBA,
October 18/19; Estoril (Portugal), November 1/2; and Jerez (Spain),
November 22/23.
* subject to FIA confirmation.
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