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Corinthians Superleague Formula car unveiled |
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Saturday, 01 March 2008 |
Superleague Formula returns to
the football-mad country of Brazil this week with Corinthians fans getting their
chance to see their 750 horsepower, V-12 powered machine for the first time.
The Corinthians Superleague Formula entry will be revealed to the fans on Sunday
prior to the game against arch-rivals and fellow São Paulo club, Palmeiras.
Corinthians becomes the second Brazilian club to launch an assault on the
Superleague Formula championship – Rio-based rivals Flamengo kicked off their
assault on the series at a major launch in December last year.
The two
Brazilian clubs will be looking to follow in the footsteps of their national
football team which has claimed five World Cup trophies. With the majority of
the Brazilian football season taking place during the European summer,
Corinthians and Flamengo do not regularly get the opportunity to challenge their
European rivals in any sporting competition.
Superleague Formula however,
will enable both clubs to compete against the world’s biggest names in 12 races,
split over six rounds starting from August this year.
With São Paulo also
the home of the internationally renowned Interlagos circuit, the combination of
football and motorsport is an ideal mix for the São Paulo market.
“The
mix of football and motorsport is perfect for São Paulo and I believe our two
Brazilian clubs are going to be two of the most heavily supported in our
championship,” said Alex Andreu, Superleague Formula President and
CEO.
“We will have a race within the race as the far as Brazilian fans
are concerned. The inter-country rivalry will be enormous in Brazil and I am
sure our friends at Corinthians will be doing their utmost to topple their Rio
rivals – and vice versa.
“Our Flamengo launch last year demonstrated the
passion for our product in this part of the world. We quickly realised it was
vital for our championship to include both a Rio and São Paulo club in the
series.”
The pair of Brazilian rivals will fight it out with European
clubs AC Milan, Olympiacos, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven, Borussia Dortmund, RSC
Anderlecht, FC Basel and Sevilla FC.
In total, 20 leading international
football clubs will do battle for 1 million euro prizemoney at the six
Superleague Formula rounds in 2008. The new Superleague Formula car ran for the
first time this week in the UK and is due to begin major on-track testing and
development next week.
Corinthians earned the FIFA World Club
Championship crown in 2000, taking the first ever title awarded when they
toppled Vasco da Gama on penalties (4-3) at Rio's Maracana Stadium.
The
club has four Brazilian Serie A titles to its credit, the most recent being in
2005. They also won the Brazilian Cup in 1995 and 2002 and the Brazilian
Supercup in 1991. On their home turf in São Paulo – Corinthians have earned the
state championship on 25 occasions.
“Since the announcement of
Corinthians joining the Superleague Formula championship, our fans have been
eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see the car for the first time,” Corinthians
Chairman Andrés Sanchez said.
 “Sunday will be a great opportunity to see
the black and white colours on this beautiful car. The people of São Paulo
passionately follow both football and motorsport – this is now a beautiful
moment for them.
“We can’t wait to see our car doing battle with some of
the biggest names in international football. We not only want to beat our rivals
from Rio, but also ensure Corinthians are battling for the championship against
the other great clubs from around the world
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