A1GP cars to top new race bill

Formula Acceleration 1, for lightly-modified versions of the Lola-Zytek that formed the basis of the A1 Grand Prix World Cup of Motorsport in 2005-08, will race on the same bill as one-make series for V8-powered Legends and Pick-Ups, as well as two production-based bike categories.

The package, which will be combined with music events, is designed to encourage new fans into motorsport, according to the group behind Acceleration 2014.

The idea, which was launched earlier this month, is the brainchild of former 125cc grand prix bike racer Loek Bodelier, whose organisation already has approximately 15 A1GP cars, has commissioned the fleets of Legends and Pick-Ups and has a 10-race calendar in place.

Bodelier said: "In motorsport today, everything in Europe is going down with the exception of Formula 1 and MotoGP; that was our starting point.

"We want to attract more people to come to motorsport, especially families, and we believe we can do that by offering something different."

Bodelier insisted that his organisation already has the necessary funding in place to turn his ideas into a reality and that the series would kick off on schedule at the Autodromo do Algarve in Portugal next April.

Other circuits on the calendar include Navarra, the Nurburgring and the Automotordrom Grobnik in Croatia. A June date in the UK is currently listed as the only TBA on the Acceleration 2014 calendar.

No teams have been announced for any of the series as yet. Bodelier explained that the first step had been to announce the series and that he expected to start revealing entrants imminently.

He believes he can attract entries to his premier formula from AutoGP, which also uses the Lola-Zytek.

Read more about it in AUTOSPORT magazine, available here.