Jacques Villeneuve to make sportscar return in Azerbaijan street race

Ex-Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will return to sportscar racing in the inaugural City Challenge event on the streets of Baku in Azerbaijan next month

The former Peugeot Le Mans 24 Hours driver, whose last sportscar start came at the wheel of a Mosler in the 2009 Spa 24 Hours, will race a Porsche 911 GT3-R on the Baku street circuit on October 6-7.

Villeneuve will share the car, which is likely to be fielded by the Muhlner Motorsport squad, with fellow grand prix veteran Jos Verstappen.

Villeneuve, who has raced three times in V8 Supercars in Australia and twice in the NASCAR Nationwide Series so far this year, said: "I know Jos from the time we raced together in F1. He hasn't been racing much for the past couple of years, but I am sure he will be just as determined to go out, do well and have a great time in Baku as I am."

The event in Baku, to be held on a 1.3-mile circuit laid out around the Azerbaijan government building, is a pilot fixture for the City Challenge, which will over the next two years grow into a full series held over the winter months.

Series organiser Hartmut Beyer, who created the Bucharest street race of 2007-08, is planning five city-centre races next year and 10 to 12 the season after.

The Baku event and future City Challenge rounds will be run to GT3 regulations. Each event will be made up of two one-driver qualifying sprints and a one-hour main race for two drivers.

Teams so far confirmed for Baku include Muhlner, the Vita4One BMW squad and its sister Italian operation, which runs Ferraris, and three teams fielding Lamborghini Gallardos, Reiter Engineering, Leipert Motorsport and GRT Grasser Racing.

shares
comments

Moscow GT1: Hexis McLaren's Stef Dusseldorp and Fred Makowiecki boost title hopes with Russia win

Azerbaijan City Challenge street race pushed back three weeks

How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition

How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition

Plus
Plus
GT
James Newbold

How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition

The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar 

The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar 

Plus
Plus
GT
GP Racing

The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar  The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar 

How to get the best out of amateur racers

How to get the best out of amateur racers

Plus
Plus
GT
James Newbold

How to get the best out of amateur racers How to get the best out of amateur racers

The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics

The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics

Plus
Plus
GT
James Newbold

The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics

The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership

The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership

Plus
Plus
National
James Newbold

The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership

The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion

The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion

Plus
Plus
GT
James Newbold

The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion

The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever

The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever

Plus
Plus
GT
James Newbold

The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever

Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage

Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage

Plus
Plus
GT
Kevin Turner

Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage

Subscribe