2008 Zolder Superleague Formula round

Pole position
Time	1:20.826
Podium (1st race)
Fastest lap (1st race)
Time	1:38.031 (on lap 14)
Podium (2nd race)
Fastest lap (2nd race)
Time	1:37.370 (on lap 11)

2008 Zolder Superleague Formula round; Superleague Formula round Belgium
	Circuit Map
Date	October 5, 2008
Location	Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium
Course	Permanent racing facility ; 2.492 mi (4.010 km)
Laps	24 & 26
Pole position
Time	1:20.826
Podium (1st race)
Fastest lap (1st race)
Time	1:38.031 (on lap 14)
Podium (2nd race)
Fastest lap (2nd race)
Time	1:37.370 (on lap 11)

Last updated March 03, 2019

The 2008 Zolder Superleague Formula round was the third round of the inaugural Superleague Formula championship, with the races taking place on October 5, 2008. Eighteen football teams were represented on the grid, the same number of teams as there was at the Nürburgring. There were three driver changes for this round of the championship: Ryan Dalziel returned to the Rangers F.C. car (replacing James Walker), after missing the previous round due to a clash with his Rolex Sports Car Series commitments at Miller Motorsports Park. Two drivers made their debuts, with Dutchman Paul Meijer replacing Nelson Philippe in the car representing Borussia Dortmund and Belgian Bertrand Baguette replaced Andreas Zuber in the Al Ain car. The meeting saw a first win for Liverpool F.C. and a second win for championship leaders Beijing Guoan. However, the championship lead for the Chinese side was cut to 14 points.

The 2008 Superleague Formula season was the inaugural Superleague Formula championship. The season started very late in 2008 with the first round being on August 31 at Donington Park. There were six rounds in total with the successful season finale at Circuito Permanente de Jerez on 23 November. In the 18 cars on the grid were established A1GP and GP2 drivers as well as two ex-Formula One race starters, Robert Doornbos and Antônio Pizzonia.

Superleague Formula was an open wheel single seater motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs. It used the slogan 'The Beautiful Race: Football at 300 km/h'. By 2011 the link with football was fading with more than half the teams no longer associated with football teams. It was founded by businessmen Alex Andreu and Robin Webb. On 19 May 2010, Andreu stepped down in his role as series president, with his successor named as Alfredo Brisac not many weeks later. The season ran between April and November at the same time as most other European race series. Every team used identical cars and 750-horsepower V-12 engines. The Sonangol Group was the series' title sponsor from June 2009 until the end of the 2010 season.

Nürburgring race track in Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

The Nürburgring is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer Nordschleife "North loop" track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. The north loop is 20.8 km (12.9 mi) long and has more than 300 metres of elevation change from its lowest to highest points. Jackie Stewart nicknamed the old track "The Green Hell".

Report

Qualifying

After the random draw which split the eighteen-car field into two groups, the fastest four qualifiers from each progressed into the knockout stages to decide places 1 to 8 on the grid. For the third race in succession, drivers missed out on places in the knockout stages, despite setting a faster time than the fourth-placed qualifier in the slower group. On this occasion, three Group A drivers were eliminated despite setting times up to half a second faster than the fourth-placed qualifier of Group B. The unlucky drivers turned out to be Max Wissel (FC Basel 1893), Ryan Dalziel (Rangers F.C.) and Enrico Toccacelo (A.S. Roma), who were all quicker than Craig Dolby's R.S.C. Anderlecht machine, which made it through from Group B. A.C. Milan and Atlético Madrid topped their respective groups and were expected to face each other in the final, yet both teams were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Anderlecht and Paul Meijer's Borussia Dortmund machine. Sevilla FC and Liverpool F.C. were the other semi-finalists, yet neither would make the final as Meijer and Dolby sealed their places by beating the somewhat more experienced GP2 Series drivers Borja García and Adrián Vallés. In the final, Dolby would not set a time, thus giving Meijer a debut pole, becoming the third different polesitter in three races.

Maximilian "Max" Wissel is a German racing driver.

FC Basel 1893 Superleague Formula team was a motor racing team representing Switzerland's FC Basel in the Superleague Formula championship.

Ryan Dalziel, is a British professional racing driver. Dalziel has seen the most success in his career in the United States, racing in the American Le Mans Series GT1 class and the Champ Car World Series, and winning the 2010 24 Hours of Daytona.

Race 1

A wet raceday greeted the drivers on Sunday, and it was all action right from the rolling start. Fifth-placed Davide Rigon (Beijing Guoan) and seventh-placed Robert Doornbos (A.C. Milan) came together, with Doornbos being unsighted due to the spray. The accident caused terminal damage to both cars, yet would aid them for the second race of the afternoon - thanks to the reverse grid system. Dolby had taken the lead off Meijer ahead of the midfield chaos, due to a tentative start by the Dutch rookie. The two ran in very close formation, until a safety car was called for on lap 4, with García in the wall at the Lucien Bianchi Bocht, having dropped a wheel on the wet grass. The mandatory pit stop window came as the safety car was out, and after the race went green, the first of the leaders came in - Vallés from third, complaining of a vibration and balance issues on the Liverpool car. These new boots had an effect on the Spanish driver rattling off a series of fastest laps and coupled with shoddy pitstops by Dolby and Meijer, a first win was on the cards. Not even a late safety car for spinners Toccacelo and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Galatasaray S.K.) could halt the Vallés steamroller, as he would go on to win by 2.257 seconds from Dolby, recording his third runner-up placing in five races. Following them home were Meijer, Wissel, Andy Soucek (Atlético Madrid), Tristan Gommendy (F.C. Porto), Yelmer Buurman (PSV Eindhoven), Dalziel, Tuka Rocha (CR Flamengo), Antônio Pizzonia (SC Corinthians), Bertrand Baguette (Al Ain), with Duncan Tappy (Tottenham Hotspur) completing the finishers, having suffered a puncture.

Davide Rigon is an Italian professional racing driver. Rigon is currently part of the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One test driver team.

Beijing Guoan Superleague Formula team is the racing team of Beijing Guoan, a football team that competes in China in the Chinese Super League. The Beijing Guoan racing team competes in the Superleague Formula. They are operated by Alan Docking Racing. They would not return until 2010.

Robert Michael Doornbos is a Dutch racing driver. He has been test and third driver for the Jordan and Red Bull Racing Formula One teams, as well as driving for Minardi and Red Bull Racing in 2005 and 2006. Doornbos then drove for Minardi Team USA in the 2007 and final season of the Champ Car World Series. He competed in the Superleague Formula racing series in 2008, and drove for the Netherlands team in A1 Grand Prix's 2008–2009 season. In 2009, Doornbos competed in the IndyCar Series. He began the season with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, but switched to HVM Racing after the race in Kentucky Speedway.

Race 2

After the first race clash between them, Rigon and Doornbos lined up together on the front row and just like the first race, the outside of turn one saw the second-place starter overtake the polesitter around the outside, with Rigon skating his way around the Dutchman. But again, the safety car came out for a first-lap incident. Pizzonia had misjudged his braking point for the Klein Chicane, barrelled past a number of cars and skated straight into Dalziel, causing both to retire. After this safety car period, Rigon strolled off into a 23-second victory, leaving the rest of the field in his wake. The battle for second was on with both Doornbos and Toccacelo struggling with car setups. Buurman made a mistake while trying to pass the Italian, knocking his pit limiter on and lost ground. García spun again, with an almost carbon copy of his race one spin - this time, he stayed on circuit. With all the problems about him, Tappy moved through the melée and ended up second, ahead of Buurman, Doornbos, Wissel, Vallés, Toccacelo, García, Kasper Andersen (Olympiacos CFP), Baguette, Meijer, Pier Guidi, Soucek, Rocha and Gommendy. With the win, Rigon managed to get back some of the damage caused to the points lead in race one - Guoan's championship lead now stands at 14 points from PSV with Sevilla falling further back.

Kasper Mengers Andersen is a Danish race car driver. He was the 2004 Nordic Formula Renault champion, also competing in German Formula Renault in the same year. His 2003 debut was in Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup, where he drove two races. In 2007 Kasper won 2 races in Formula Masters and took two podiums in the Italian F3000 Championship. For 2008 Kasper has teamed up with Italian Trident Racing in Formula Masters. Trident is also racing the GP2 series, in with Kasper will be testing in the 2008 season. He is not related to Norwegian basketball standout Kasper Aunan Andersen.

Olympiacos CFP Superleague Formula team is the racing team of Olympiacos CFP, a major Greek multi-sport club, based in Piraeus, Athens. The Olympiacos CFP racing team competes in the Superleague Formula. It has been operated by GU-Racing International in both seasons.

Results

Qualifying

In each group, the top four qualify for the quarter-finals.

Group A

Pos.	Team	Driver	Time
1	A.C. Milan	Robert Doornbos	1:17.309
2	Sevilla FC	Borja García	1:17.383
3	Liverpool F.C.	Adrián Vallés	1:17.587
4	Borussia Dortmund	Paul Meijer	1:17.733
5	FC Basel 1893	Max Wissel	1:17.798
6	Rangers F.C.	Ryan Dalziel	1:17.839
7	A.S. Roma	Enrico Toccacelo	1:17.949
8	Olympiacos CFP	Kasper Andersen	1:18.812
9	PSV Eindhoven	Yelmer Buurman	1:19.285

Group B

Pos.	Team	Driver	Time
1	Atlético Madrid	Andy Soucek	1:16.969
2	F.C. Porto	Tristan Gommendy	1:17.341
3	Beijing Guoan	Davide Rigon	1:18.131
4	R.S.C. Anderlecht	Craig Dolby	1:18.313
5	Tottenham Hotspur	Duncan Tappy	1:18.389
6	Galatasaray S.K.	Alessandro Pier Guidi	1:18.563
7	CR Flamengo	Tuka Rocha	1:18.981
8	SC Corinthians	Antônio Pizzonia	1:19.017
9	Al Ain	Bertrand Baguette	1:19.115

Knockout stages

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Pole Shoot Out

A1

A.C. Milan

1:18.169

B4

R.S.C. Anderlecht

1:17.296

B4

R.S.C. Anderlecht

1:17.191

A3

Liverpool F.C.

1:17.418

A3

Liverpool F.C.

1:19.006

B2

F.C. Porto

1:18.657

B4

R.S.C. Anderlecht

no time

A2

Sevilla FC

1:17.104

A4

Borussia Dortmund

1:20.826

B3

Beijing Guoan

1:17.901

A2

Sevilla FC

1:17.423

A4

Borussia Dortmund

1:17.418

A4

Borussia Dortmund

1:17.223

B1

Atlético Madrid

1:17.772

Grid

Pos.	Team	Driver	Time
1	Borussia Dortmund	Paul Meijer	1:20.826
2	R.S.C. Anderlecht	Craig Dolby	no time
3	Liverpool F.C.	Adrián Vallés	1:19.006
4	Sevilla FC	Borja García	1:17.423
5	Beijing Guoan	Davide Rigon	1:17.901
6	F.C. Porto	Tristan Gommendy	1:18.657
7	A.C. Milan	Robert Doornbos	1:18.169
8	Atlético Madrid	Andy Soucek	1:17.772
9	Tottenham Hotspur	Duncan Tappy	1:18.389
10	FC Basel 1893	Max Wissel	1:17.798
11	Galatasaray S.K.	Alessandro Pier Guidi	1:18.563
12	Rangers F.C.	Ryan Dalziel	1:17.839
13	CR Flamengo	Tuka Rocha	1:18.981
14	A.S. Roma	Enrico Toccacelo	1:17.949
15	SC Corinthians	Antônio Pizzonia	1:19.017
16	Olympiacos CFP	Kasper Andersen	1:18.812
17	Al Ain	Bertrand Baguette	1:19.115
18	PSV Eindhoven	Yelmer Buurman	1:19.285

Race 1

Pos	No	Team	Driver	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Pts.
1	21	Liverpool F.C.	Adrián Vallés	24	45:51.628	3	50
2	8	R.S.C. Anderlecht	Craig Dolby	24	+2.257	2	45
3	11	Borussia Dortmund	Paul Meijer	24	+4.045	1	40
4	10	FC Basel 1893	Max Wissel	24	+5.928	10	36
5	15	Atlético Madrid	Andy Soucek	24	+8.201	8	32
6	16	F.C. Porto	Tristan Gommendy	24	+9.111	6	29
7	5	PSV Eindhoven	Yelmer Buurman	24	+11.435	18	26
8	17	Rangers F.C.	Ryan Dalziel	24	+11.601	12	23
9	7	CR Flamengo	Tuka Rocha	24	+12.784	13	20
10	14	SC Corinthians	Antônio Pizzonia	24	+13.650	15	18
11	6	Al Ain	Bertrand Baguette	24	+14.482	17	16
12	19	Tottenham Hotspur	Duncan Tappy	23	+1 Lap	9	14
13	22	A.S. Roma	Enrico Toccacelo	18	Spin	14	12
14	4	Galatasaray S.K.	Alessandro Pier Guidi	18	Spin	11	10
15	9	Olympiacos CFP	Kasper Andersen	17	Spin	16	8
16	18	Sevilla FC	Borja García	3	Accident	4	7
17	12	Beijing Guoan	Davide Rigon	1	Accident	5	6
18	3	A.C. Milan	Robert Doornbos	0	Accident	7	5
Fastest lap: Adrián Vallés (Liverpool F.C.) 1:38.031 (91.526 mph)

Race 2

Pos	No	Team	Driver	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Pts.
1	12	Beijing Guoan	Davide Rigon	26	47:23.624	2	50
2	19	Tottenham Hotspur	Duncan Tappy	26	+23.436	7	45
3	5	PSV Eindhoven	Yelmer Buurman	26	+24.504	12	40
4	3	A.C. Milan	Robert Doornbos	26	+26.176	1	36
5	10	FC Basel 1893	Max Wissel	26	+29.097	15	32
6	21	Liverpool F.C.	Adrián Vallés	26	+31.260	18	29
7	22	A.S. Roma	Enrico Toccacelo	26	+34.194	6	26
8	18	Sevilla FC	Borja García	26	+34.270	3	23
9	9	Olympiacos CFP	Kasper Andersen	26	+34.742	4	20
10	6	Al Ain	Bertrand Baguette	26	+50.926	8	18
11	11	Borussia Dortmund	Paul Meijer	26	+50.948	16	16
12	4	Galatasaray S.K.	Alessandro Pier Guidi	26	+51.286	5	14
13	15	Atlético Madrid	Andy Soucek	26	+55.993	14	12
14	7	CR Flamengo	Tuka Rocha	26	+1:13.191	10	10
15	16	F.C. Porto	Tristan Gommendy	26	+1:21.368	13	8
16	8	R.S.C. Anderlecht	Craig Dolby	18	Transmission	17	7
17	17	Rangers F.C.	Ryan Dalziel	1	Suspension	11	6
18	14	SC Corinthians	Antônio Pizzonia	0	Accident	9	5
Fastest lap: Andy Soucek (Atlético Madrid) 1:37.370 (92.147 mph)

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References

External links

Official results from the Superleague Formula website

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2008	Donington Park Nürburgring Zolder Estoril Vallelunga Jerez
2009	Magny-Cours Zolder Donington Park Estoril Monza Jarama
2010	Silverstone Assen Magny-Cours Jarama Nürburgring Zolder Brands Hatch Adria Portimão Ordos Beijing Navarra
2011	Assen Zolder ( Cancelled:* Beijing* Curitiba Goiânia Seoul Shanghai Smolensk TBC - New Zealand)

2008 Zolder Superleague Formula round

Contents

Report

Qualifying

Race 1

Race 2

Results

Qualifying

Group A

Group B

Knockout stages

Grid

Race 1

Race 2

Related Research Articles

References

External links