They may no longer feature in the sport, but Minardi will still go down in history as the team that brought Formula One to the streets of Bulgaria, courtesy of their globetrotting F1x2 vehicle.

Although Bulgaria has failed to produce a formidable racing driver, the country is becoming increasingly aware of motorsport, even going as far to suggest building a circuit with an attempt at hosting an F1 grand prix in the future.

To whet the appetite though, former Minardi driver Zsolt Baumgartner piloted the two-seater car around the streets of the capital, Sofia in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans, ending the program with a smoke-engulfed 'donut' spin in front of the Sofia Hilton Hotel.

“It's always great to drive in front of a big crowd and put on a show for them,” said Baumgartner at the end of an event that was also attended by Niki Lauda. “The course was very short by our standards, because it's on city streets, but it was still possible to give a good demonstration to the people of Sofia, many of whom probably have not seen or heard a Formula One car before. Judging by the expressions of the passengers this evening, I think they enjoyed the experience as well!”

Minardi team owner Paul Stoddart was delighted to have given the F1x2 another run out around city streets, not least because it added another new landmark to its repertoire.

“It's an honour for the Minardi F1x2 Team to have been invited to visit Bulgaria and put on a demonstration in front of the people of Sofia. The two-seaters have run on the streets of some of the most famous cities in the world over the last six years, and we are proud that we can now add Sofia to that list.”

The team now moves to the Bojurishte airfield, 15 kms from the centre of Sofia, where the remaining passengers will experience modern Formula One performance first-hand over the next three days.