When motorsport had its own “Superleague” formula

The plans of the ESL, which is made up of 12 founding clubs, including the “Big Six” of the Premier League, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur ‘beautiful game’.

Regardless of how the plans go, the ESL’s announcement will have a significant impact on football in the weeks, months and beyond, as determined opposition build-up on all sides leads to optimism that it can be stopped.

If a football-based Super League motorsport fan sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Between 2008 and 2011, a single-seater series called Superleague Formula showed cars with livery from football clubs – including the ESL founding clubs Liverpool, Spurs and AC Milan.

What was the Superleague formula?

The Superleague formula was the brainchild of Robin Webb, who was previously involved in the Premier1 series on football that didn’t get off the ground shortly after the turn of the millennium.

The first lap at Donington Park in 2008 consisted of 16 vehicles, with two more added for the remainder of the season. The starting line-up remained stable over the following seasons, peaking at 19 in 2010 before shrinking to 14 for the final 2011 season, shortened after two rounds with nations joining football clubs.

The series used a fleet of identical Menard V12 chassis with 750 horsepower, built by Panoz Elan Technologies according to 2008 Formula 1 safety standards. With the pressure to pass to help overtake, and without the help of driver aids, they were big, heavy, and loud.

Maria De Villota, Team Spain Atletico Madrid

Photo by: Sutton Images

How did it work

The Superleague formula had an experimental weekend format, with drivers going head-to-head qualifying matches to determine the starting grid for the first race. The target order of the first race was completely reversed for the second race.

The teams with the highest scores in the two races would take part in a five-lap super-final with “Dash for the Cash”, in which € 100,000 could be won. From 2010 the superfinal also counted points.

The same scores were given for races 1 and 2, with the winner being offered a maximum of 50 points. Second place was 45, third 40, fourth 36 and fifth 32. All finishers scored points.

Neither driver has ever won both races, although three drivers were one second ahead – Craig Dolby (Nürburgring 2008), Robert Doornbos (Estoril 2008) and Max Wissel (Ordos 2010).

The 2008 season started on August 31st and ended with the sixth round on November 23rd in Jerez. All events took place in Europe.

The 2009 season was similar: Another six-round series took place entirely in Europe and began on June 28 in Magny-Cours and ended on November 8 in Jarama.

The 2010 calendar was expanded significantly to 12 laps over the course of the season, including two races in China at Ordos Circuit in Mongolia and a road lap in Beijing – although the latter did not score points as the circuit failed a safety inspection.

Craig Dolby 2010 Superleague Formula Ordos

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Which teams were there?

The British clubs Liverpool, Spurs and Rangers were supported in the first season of the Superleague Formula by a number of international clubs with different profiles.

The giants of Serie A, AC Milan and AC Roma, the La Liga hitters Atletico Madrid and Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund from the Bundesliga were regular players in the Champions League, while the Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Corinthians and the Chinese Beijing Guoan and Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates helped give an international feel.

Other players in the following seasons were the French clubs Lyon and Bourdeaux, while the Portuguese Sporting Lisbon moved to compatriot FC Porto.

However, a successful football legacy didn’t always translate into success in the Superleague formula. Titles in the three full seasons went to Beijing, Liverpool and the Belgian club Anderlecht.

Italian rider Davide Rigon won in 2008 and 2010 with Beijing (Zakspeed) and Anderlecht (Azerti), both sides of Adrian Valles’ success with Liverpool (Hitech Junior Team) in 2009.

The shortened 2011 season was won by John Martin (Australia).

Davide Rigon celebrates winning the 2010 title in Navarra

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Who was driving it?

The Superleague Formula starting field consisted of a mix of former Formula 1 drivers and young shooters who had 58 drivers in the four years of their existence.

A total of seven drivers had F1 experience, with Sebastien Bourdais joining the Superleague immediately after losing his seat at Toro Rosso in 2009. Robert Doornbos, Giorgio Pantano, Franck Montagny, Narain Karthikeyan, Enrique Bernoldi and Antonio Pizzonia also competed in both categories.

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But the brightest lights in the Superleague were usually lesser-known drivers looking to advance their careers in racing. Davide Rigon, now a Ferrari GT works driver, used his title success in 2008 and 2010 to start his entry into GP2, while championship props Yelmer Buurman and Craig Dolby also made successful transitions into GT racing.

The success of the Adrian Valles Championship in 2009 helped restore the reputation of the Spaniard who, after finishing second after Robert Kubica in the 2005 Formula Renault 3.5 Championship, had been hit in the GP2 with Backmarker teams.

What was different about it than in the European Super League?

In contrast to the proposed European Super League in football, the Superleague Formula was a start-up series that organically attracted racing teams without having previously participated in an equivalent national series. Beyond the name, they have very little in common.

Sebastien Bourdais 2010 Superleague Formula Magny-Cours

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Who was it run by?

The Superleague Formula was organized by a predominantly Spanish group led by Championship President Alex Andreu until his departure in 2010 and Robin Webb. The championship technical director, former BAR F1 chief engineer Steve Farrell, was responsible for the legality of the cars.

What happened to it

The series ran aground in 2011 when event after event in the original eight-round schedule was canceled. The planned expansion to stage races in Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and New Zealand never took place, while replacement races in South Korea and China also fell by the wayside.

The cars were eventually sold to a private buyer and the popular championship died a silent death.