FPAUDI: Series line-up continues to take shape

International look to 2009 grid

The 2009 Formula Palmer Audi Championship line-up continues to take shape with thirteen drivers already confirmed and several more due to be announced in the coming weeks.

Three of last season's challengers Richard Plant, Adam Foster and Paul Rees have re-joined the series and the trio will expect to be genuine title contenders. Plant finished fourth in last years standings after taking one win and a total of five podiums, Adam Foster was the top rookie and Paul Rees took one pole position on his way to a top ten overall finish in the championship.

Frenchmen Maxime Jousse, Tristan Vautier and Julien Gerbi have also signed up for the 2009 campaign. Jousse, brother of F2 driver Julien, joins FPA after a season of racing in Formula Renault 2.0 WEC, as does Vautier who finished sixth in the championship after scoring two podium finishes. Gerbi returns to Europe following a competitive season of Skip Barber racing in North America where he took one win and ten podiums from 14 races, ending up fourth in the Eastern Regional series.

Howard Fuller and Kenny Andrews are joined by world renowned fashion designer Luca Orlandi and famous restaurateur Giuseppe Cipriani in contesting their first full season of FPA racing, and all four have experienced FPA in the past.

British driver Ashley Babbra joins after finishing an impressive third overall in Formul'Academy Euro Series in 2008, and Pakistan racer Syed Ovais Naqvi and Swiss driver Philipp Frommenwiler are also confirmed in the line-up.

The Formula Palmer Audi website has been re-launched at www.formulapalmeraudi.com, where the full line-up will be revealed ahead of the first round at Donington Park on the 17/18 April.

An official group test will take place on 6 April at FPA's test track, Bedford Autodrome.

-credit: fpa