Superleague: Review of the pilot

It's all about perspective. How successful you think the inaugural Superleague Formula event was depends on whether you're coming at it from a racing point of view or a football one.

Racing people, cynical though we are, realise that any new series is bound to have the breakdowns they had at Donington Park last weekend. The Superleague cars sound good, are pretty quick, and demonstrated the potential to overtake. That's something fans of big single-seaters have been crying out for, for a long time.

That might explain why the response in the specialist press has been pretty positive.

The field rushes through the Craner Curves during the first Superleague Formula race © LAT

But football followers, whom the series hopes to attract, are coming from an entirely different place. They are used to being able to see all the action in a sport that is easy to understand. And they probably expect racing cars to be reliable, especially if they have a passing interest in F1.

Seeing loud cars flash past for a few seconds, with little hope of hearing the commentary to keep them informed, is unlikely to match up to the involvement they can feel at a football tie.

And then there's the atmosphere. Very few circuits can create the sort of buzz you get at a packed Premiership, La Liga, or Campeonato stadium. There's nothing Superleague can do about that - it's in the difference between the two sports - but it will have an impact on how successful the series is at attracting new motorsport fans.

One area that does work well is the qualifying shoot-out, the top eight places on the grid being decided by one-on-one one-lap competitions with the two cars running seconds apart. Providing the commentators keep the crowd updated, the short, sharp sessions should create excitement and play on football rivalries.

The reverse grid race two, though offensive to racing purists, also helps the show. That is assuming the teams don't get so good at setting up the cars that they can't overtake.

Beyond that, a football journalist colleague raised the question of what does Superleague actually have to do with the beautiful game? The answer seems to be very little at the moment.

There was no real presence from football squads or players at Donington, perhaps not surprising given that it clashed with several big games. There's still a chance, of course, that the clubs associations with their car, mainly in the form of the colour scheme, will be enough to persuade some fans to take a look. But greater involvement from the clubs is surely the best way to encourage people across.

So will it work? As a racing concept, it's different to the norm and is bound to attract a few motorsport fans. The Donington crowd was around British F3 level (i.e. low) and that's been around for years. Now that it's up and running, more of us will surely take a look.

The AC Milan squad with their Superleague Formula entry © SL

But getting the football hordes across is a different matter, and that could depend on geography. It was noticeable that the South American and Southern European contingents at Donington were more enthusiastic than the rest.

Whether that's because some of their squads are sporting clubs (with supporters already used to cheering them on in other sports), the people are more passionate, or British fans are more cynical remains to be seen.

It may take time and the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea for Superleague to take off in this country. Even then, there is already plenty of football and motor racing in Britain for those interested in both to get their fill.

So don't expect Superleague to challenge the BTCC in terms of British popularity. In Brazil, Italy, Spain and Portugal, however, it might just catch on. It'll need good promotion, skillful big-match avoidance, and some luck, but there's enough about Superleague to give it legs.

It just depends on where you're coming from.