Having been forced to give up on his dream of leading an F1 team following Direxiv's change of heart, and having relinquished his seat in the DTM, Jean Alesi has finally been confirmed that he will be a part of a brand new Middle East-based stock car championship.
Scheduled to kick off in the autumn and covering both Asia and the Middle East, the Speedcar Series hopes to attract a host of well-known names to campaign some of the 24 identical 600bhp race cars in its inaugural season. The organisers plan 18 races over nine weekends between November 2007 and April 2008, and has already attracted the backing of F1 commercial guru
Bernie Ecclestone.
"It seems that motorsport is really becoming a reality in Asia and the Middle East, and I would like to think this is due to the popularity of
Formula One," he said, "The new Speedcar Series will consequently add even more interest."
Based on the NASCAR concept, the cars will be built specifically for the series, with tubular fibreglass-clad 'silhouette' chassis mated to engines built in the Nextel Cup heartland of Charlotte, USA. A team of motorsport experts is currently being assembled to run the series, which will be officially launched in Dubai ahead of the inaugural season. Alesi, meanwhile, is the first confirmed signing.
"I cannot wait to make my debut in the Speedcar Series," the Frenchman said in a statement, "I have driven many different types of cars from all across the world, including
F1, DTM, sportscars, touring cars, rally cars and ice racers, but stock cars are the only type that I still want to try.
"I am truly excited to be involved in this innovative new championship right from the start. This is a fantastic opportunity, and I am really pleased to work with an excellent group of people to make the series grow, and challenge for the title. I am looking forward to driving the car at the first testing session, held at VIR [Virginia International Raceway] in the USA on 5-6 March."
