Renamed Open Wheel Series kicks off in 12 days
The series started in 1999 as Italian Formula 3000, organized by Pierluigi Corbari and using old Lola chassis with Zytek engines. The teams used the Lola T96/50 in the first two years. At the beginning nearly all races were held in Italy, but very quickly the series expanded and had venues in different European countries.
It became European Formula 3000 in 2001, when the FIA-run Formula 3000 series became "International". The next three years (2001-2003) saw the Lola B99/50 in use. For 2004, Superfund became the series' title sponsor, planning to use a new car with a new set of regulations, named Formula Superfund, but the funding was pulled before the 2005 season got under way.
That year, the series reverted to an Italian national-level championship, now organized by Coloni Motorsport. In 2006, Coloni reestablished a new European championship named Euroseries 3000 with the Lola B02/50.
In 2007, the Italian Formula 3000 championship returned, running inside the Euroseries 3000 calendar. In 2009, the organizers announced that the first-generation A1 Grand Prix cars were allowed alongside the Lola F3000 chassis, replacing the old cars completely from 2010.[1]
The championship itself will be rebranded for the 2010 season, with it adopting the Auto GP name. As well as that, the championship will offer a €200,000 prize fund at each of its six rounds – Brno, Imola, Spa, Magny Cours, Navarra, and Monza