APRIL 15, 2005

Formula 1 ambitions in Spain

It is no secret that engineer Enrique Scalabroni wants to have his own Formula 1 team. He has tried several times to make that dream happen, the most recent plan being with the Asiatech engine company. Prior to that he was involved in a project led by Japanese racing entrepreneur Tetzu Ikuzawa. After Asiatech closed in 2002 Scalabroni bought the assets of the Nordic Formula 3000 team and has run a team called BCN Competition in partnership with Spanish racing entrepreneur Jaime Pintanel, who was a successful team owner in Spanish GT racing in 1999-2001 and then entered open-wheelers in the Nissan World Series. The team won its first FIA International Formula 3000 victory at the Nurburgring in 2004 and Scalabroni is once again talking about a future in F1. The team is based in Spain and with interest in the sport booming in the country because of the success of Fernando Alonso, now may be a good time to try to move up. The Granollers-based team (which has a factory close to the Circuit de Catalunya) is now looking at 2008.

Much, of course, will depend on the rules and the political situation in F1.

It is perhaps worth noting that BCN is probably not the only Spanish team with big ambitions. The same can probably be said for Racing Engineering, which is now in GP2 and is run by Prince Alfonso de Orleans-Bourbon, a cousin of the King of Spain. The Prince has been running teams since 1999 and has been very successful in Formula 3 and in the Nissan World Series. There was talk not long ago of a Champ Car team but it seems that the Jerez-based operation is going to concentrate on Europe instead.