: Series 2008 season review

RECEPTION OF SUPERLEAGUE FORMULA'S FIRST SEASON CONSOLIDATES THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 2009

* A total amount of 100.000 people relished six races of Superleague Formula this season in different European circuits.

* 34.000 fans attended the last race in Jerez and was broadcasted live in 70 countries.

The Championship which began three months ago in the UK, attracted 100.000 football and motorsport fans in six countries during their first inaugural season and lead them to the most emblematic circuits such as Donington in the UK, Nurburgring in Germany, Zolder in Belgium, Estoril in Portugal, Vallelunga in Italy and Jerez in Spain.

The new and original format of the Superleague Formula Championship being open to the public, allowed the fans to visit the boxes of their teams, meet their favorite pilot and even touch the V12 de 750 CV which ran for their colours. Fans who assisted were also able to enjoy the different activities organized in the Paddock which accompanied the Championship throughout this first season. Motorsport lovers, football club fans and their families were quivered by the acrobatics of Ramon Alonso, the world's air acrobatic champion, the exhibitions of extreme motorcycling stunts by Chris Pfeiffer, the international champion of Streetbike free style, the performance of professional dancers of Break Dance, a Karts circuit of 2.000 m2, football amusement games , etc...

The 18 clubs who participated in the first season of Superleague Formula supported this championship with great enthusiasm and were overcome by the presence of sports celebrity idles such as Franco Baressi, football clubs presidents such as Jose Maria del Nido of Sevilla FC, Marcio Braga of Flamengo, Andres Sanchez of Corinthians o Gisela Oeri of Basel, and various top teams footballers.

New incorporations are anticipated for 2009 from the top European leagues and teams from other countries such as France, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Poland or Argentina after having showed a great interest in joining the next championship.

The Championship also gradually gained supporters from the audience in 70 countries where the races were broadcasted, obtaining in its first season, and with only 6 rounds, an average of 6 million fans per race throughout the world, as well as internet uses in 80 different countries who followed the races live with SFTV with the aid of the official website of the championship.

Specialized international media did not keep away from this new competition either who also witnessed the appearance of the first season of Superleague Formula and as a result the championship made headlines in international newspapers which were followed very closely by the press and TVs all over the world, recollecting excellent reviews and recognition from the journalists attending to the races.

El Mundo Deportivo (Spain) : "This is the miracle that Superleague Formula propose. A motorsport championship of high level which joins the vertigo of the high speed and the engines powerful with the passion of football."

Algemeen Dagblad (Holland) : " The SF could not have wished for a better ending of the first season. Around 25.000 people in football-outfits in the stands, exciting races on a warm late summer evening, a champion from China and honorary places for PSV and AC Milan. In short, the series look like they will be a success"

Autobild Motor Sport (Germany) : "The format of the qualifying in the style of a football match was really exiting. During the knock-out sprint versus one rival only, the pilots did not only have to be very fast in one lap but also prove really strong nerves. This caused quite a few surprises in the positioning of the grid of the first race. The reverse grid during the second race also provoked various take-overs. Two good ideas that worked very well."

Racing (Brazil) : "A brilliant goal for motorsport : the series have everything to impress and win new adepts. This is SF's main goal: bring to the circuits the same passionate fans that fill the stadiums at the football matches."

Autosport (UK) : "Superleague's unique qualifying system proved to be fan-friendly, and it also provided an extra test for the drivers....It certainly looked good, essentially creating the sort of tension some of the old F1 did, as cars cross the line only seconds apart."

Corriere dello Sport (Italy) : "The formation is the classic 2-1-2: two big aggressive tyres at the rear, the driver at the center and two small and fast tyres at the front. On the sides the aerodynamic package, with a powerful midfield thanks to the 750-hp Menard Competition Technologies engine. Forward and defender are the two pedals, the throttle and the brake. It's not fantasy football or fantasy car racing. It is simply Superleague Formula."

Sportday (Greece) : "Yes, these are the kind of events I want to be at. And I am not just referring to the races of Superleague Formula as such, but to the overall weekend activities. The spectacle in the race tracks is just the "jewel" or if you prefer, the element of adrenaline that we miss. In the last weekend in Jerez we had it all; a lot of people, sunshine, speed and the sound of the V12 engine and the 750 horse power. The rest is history."

A Bola (Portugal) : "Superleague Formula is not only an adventure in itself, it is as spectacular as F1"

Hurriyet (Turquia) : "When football meets formula, it appears at 300 km/h. That's Superleague Formula."

During this first season Superleague Formula also attracted sponsors who showed an interest in entering into this new championship and bringing their appearance and support to the competition, amongst which: Puma, Pepsi, Cava One, Michelin, Turk Telekom, Al Qudra, General Electric Digital Cameras, Air Asia, Casino de Estoril o Momo are some of the brand makes who decided to bet for Superleague Formula.

Alex Andreu : "It's been a year of putting everything together but we've achieved the four objectives which we had proposed and that's making the format of the classification and qualifying and second race reverse grid appeal to the public, putting together one of most competitive singles eaters on the market, having a high level of international renown pilots, and as an organization, gain credibility and convince the scepticals. The press and the public has shown that they like the competition, that it has great potential and that there's an important market segment where Superleague Formula can get a place as a worldwide event . Many people thought that we would not have been able to terminate the first season and here we are. We intend to grow in 2009 but we cannot avoid the evident crisis at the moment and we must be cautious. We have new goals to pursue, attract new clubs, open new markets with Russia, Poland, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Spain and France, until we reach a grid of 20 cars. We also hope to increase the number of races in the next season from the six to eight. "

-credit: superleagueformula.com