Chelsea commits to Premier1 GP

The south London-based club will join Leeds United, Benfica, Anderlecht and newly-crowned UEFA Cup champions Feyenoord on the grid when the series is due to kick-off next year. The championship, which will cost 125 million pounds to set up, had been postponed from its original start date of July 2002 due to a shortage of time to build and test the 50 identical V10-powered machines that have been earmarked for the series.

"Premier1 Grand Prix presents an exciting opportunity to a progressive club like ours," said Chelsea chairman Ken Bates. "The club has always nurtured an attractive style of football and we see Premier1 Grand Prix as a brilliant chance to broaden our fan base, both here and abroad, and entertain them with action from a very different but equally passionate sporting arena."

Premier1's operations director Robin Webb has said that the championship is "right on course" to sign up the 24 clubs it requires for the series, which is now scheduled to start next March.

"Many of our partners have been involved in the final stages of major national and international competitions, and details of their involvement in Premier1 GP will be announced as soon as their football commitments allow," he said.