The 2008 racing season heralds the arrival of a new name in motorsport: CR
Scuderia. The new team will race Ferrari 430s in the FIA GT
and British GT Championships, alongside a single-seater campaign in the Formula
Renault UK Championship.
Although the CR Scuderia (CRS) name is new, the team has strong roots in the
industry. The team is the brainchild of Chris Niarchos, Chairman of the
Cobra Group*, a long-time sponsor of British motorsport talent. As the Team
Principal of CRS, Chris has built a strong team around him to take on the formidable
challenge of entering three competitive championships.
The Team Director at CRS is Andrew Kirkaldy, a former winner of the McLaren
Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award, who has also run his own successful
race team. Malcolm Swetnam is the CRS Team Manager and with 20 years
of experience with manufacturers such as Ferrari, Ford, Honda and Seat, he
knows a thing or two about running a top team. CRS has a group of top
engineers, including Steve Bunkhall, Eddie Hinckley and Lee Penn, along with
mechanics and marketing personnel with long careers in the worlds of Formula
One, Touring Cars, sportscar racing and single-seaters.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for CRS in 2008 will be the FIA GT Championship.
The team will run two Ferrari 430s in the fiercely competitive GT2 category,
fielding a group of talented drivers who know what it takes to win at an international
level. Andrew Kirkaldy will be joined by the current Le Mans Series
GT2 Champion, Rob Bell, creating what could turn out to be an unbeatable partnership.
In the sister car Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen will recreate the successful partnership
that brought them many race wins and the title victory in the 2006 British
GT Championship.
“We have taken the time to talk to the best people in the industry to
make sure we build a team with a winning pedigree,” said Team Principal,
Chris Niarchos. “I’m excited about our FIA GT line-up for
2008 as I think we have created something very special. There’s
a lot more to come as we are currently finalising our British GT and Formula
Renault line-ups and I can’t wait to unveil our sponsors and partners
at Autosport International in January. We have some very exciting times ahead
of us.”
CRS will also run three Ferrari 430s in the British GT Championship and enter
a full team into the Formula Renault UK Championship. The AKA Cobra Formula
Renault team, co-owned by Chris Niarchos, Andrew Kirkaldy and Paul Jackson,
will become the CRS Formula Renault team in 2008. More details, including
driver line-ups, for both of these championships will be announced soon.
Links:
www.crscuderia.com
www.fiagt.com |