MARCH 28, 2002

Formula 3000 gets underway at Interlagos

IT has been a rough winter for the International Formula 3000 series but in Brazil this weekend there will be 20 cars for the opening round of the 12-race series (all of which will take place as supporting events for the F1 Grands Prix).

The leading lights in the 2002 field are expected to be Williams test driver Antonio Pizzonia (Petrobras Junior Team), Toyota's young protege Ryan Briscoe (Coca-Cola Nordic Racing) and Sebastien Bourdais (Super Nova Racing). Former Prost Grand Prix driver Thomas Enge, runner-up last year in F3000, however will start the season as the favorite in his Arden Team Russia entry.

The series features the new Lola B2/50, designed by former F1 designer Frank Dernie, and built to the same dimensions as Formula 1 cars although the Zytek V8 engines will be kicking out only around 480 horsepower. There are seven rookie drivers in the entry: Brazil's Alex Sperafico (who joins his two cousins Riccardo and Rodrigo in the series), Portugal's Tiago Monteiro, Sweden's Bjorn Wirdheim, Dane Nicholas Kiesa, German Tony Schmidt and the Australians Briscoe and Rob Nguyen.

With the disappearance of DAMS, Super Nova Racing is well ahead in the list of the most successful F3000 teams and in fact cannot be overtaken for that honor even if another team wins all the races this year.