Speedcars rev engines for debut season

Speedcar Series stock cars will line the grid on the 25th and 26th of this month at the Dubai Autodrome for its inaugural season. Last week the V8 620 brake horse power identical stock cars passed the FIA dynamic crash tests in Europe and are preparing to race in their debut 2008 series as part of the FIA calendar.

The FIA testing came with a price however, causing a delay in the stock cars being ready for the first race in a little over a week. The rain, unprecedented and unexpected in Dubai, recorded as the highest nationwide for January blocked most major roads and highways as well as access to the circuit while flooding a few of the garages. In addition, delays in shipments of parts have slowed work down further despite mechanics working around the clock.

Fourteen stock cars will be ready in time for the Grand Racing events this month which will also feature GP2 Asia. Due to the fact that all 18 competitors currently registered with Speedcar Series will not have their race cars ready in time for the event in Dubai, the first race that allocates points towards the overall Speedcar Series Champion title will be held on the 16th and 17th of February at the Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia.

The drivers currently confirmed in the first event in Dubai are as follows:

Driver	Country	Car No.
Jean Alesi	France	27
Nico Caldarola	Italy	12
Fabien Giroix	France	17
Johnny Herbert	United Kingdom	69
Stefan Johansson	Sweden	07
Narain Karthikeyan	India	05
Ukyo Katayama	Japan	06
Mathias Lauda	Austria	21
Hasher Al Maktoum	United Arab Emirates	85
Ananda Mikola	Indonesia	18
Gianni Morbidelli	Italy	10
Nicolas Navarro	France	71
David Terrien	France	20

The Technical Manager of Speedcar Series, Benjamin Durand said: "Having decided to have the stock cars FIA approved ensures the highest level of driver safety. The Speedcars being housed in Dubai are in the process of being modified by experienced teams of mechanics according to the specifications put forward by data gathered during the testing."

Benoit Lamonerie, General Manager of Speedcar Series is extremely pleased with the outcome of the crash tests saying: "The event in Dubai will give spectators a taste of the adrenalin, excitement and family-day-out atmosphere they can expect from all our races to come. We are confident of making an impact in the Middle East and Asia by providing a racing platform that is growing in popularity everyday in these regions."