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Dubai: UAE-based Indian driver Zaamin Jaffer has been confirmed as one of the competitors in the brand new i1 Super Series, which will start early in the New Year with a star-studded entry list, headed by 1997 FIA Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.
Beginning an exciting new chapter in Jaffer's fledgling career, his participation in the i1 Super Series will mark the 21-year-old's first experience of racing sports cars, as the category features 18 identical Radical SR3 racers.
Nine teams, each representing a different Indian city ‘franchise', will field two cars and the prize purse of $2 million (Dh7.34 million) has attracted some major names.
Joining the Indian ace on the entry list for the opening round at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on January 21 and 22 will be several ex-Formula One stars, including Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mika Salo, Giancarlo Fisichella and Vitantonio Liuzzi.
The new championship was officially launched during an event at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
In the 20-minute test there, Jaffer, who has most recently been winning races in the Dubai-based Formula Gulf 1000 Championship, immediately proved his worth, lapping within just 0.6 seconds of outright pace-setter Frentzen.
Posting a best time of 1min 1.153sec, the youngster broke into the top 10 overall, just 0.3 seconds shy of Liuzzi and ahead of vastly experienced international racers such as Salo, Alex Yoong and Sakon Yamamoto. "We've been working really hard to try and be involved in the first season of the i1 Super Series so I'm absolutely delighted to have been announced as one of the Indian drivers," Jaffer said.
"I can't wait for the first race, it's going to be incredible competing on track with so many top drivers and it'll be the highlight of my career so far for sure.
Exciting times
"The championship has been eagerly awaited for a long time and it's going to be massive for Indian motorsport — it's really exciting to be part of it from the inception and a huge opportunity. Having an F1 Champion like Villeneuve and Grand Prix winners like Frentzen and Alesi involved is fantastic. The first test went really well — to have been faster than someone like Mika Salo is a great feeling."
Beginning an exciting new chapter in Jaffer's fledgling career, his participation in the i1 Super Series will mark the 21-year-old's first experience of racing sports cars, as the category features 18 identical Radical SR3 racers.
Nine teams, each representing a different Indian city ‘franchise', will field two cars and the prize purse of $2 million (Dh7.34 million) has attracted some major names.
Joining the Indian ace on the entry list for the opening round at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on January 21 and 22 will be several ex-Formula One stars, including Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mika Salo, Giancarlo Fisichella and Vitantonio Liuzzi.
The new championship was officially launched during an event at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
In the 20-minute test there, Jaffer, who has most recently been winning races in the Dubai-based Formula Gulf 1000 Championship, immediately proved his worth, lapping within just 0.6 seconds of outright pace-setter Frentzen.
Posting a best time of 1min 1.153sec, the youngster broke into the top 10 overall, just 0.3 seconds shy of Liuzzi and ahead of vastly experienced international racers such as Salo, Alex Yoong and Sakon Yamamoto. "We've been working really hard to try and be involved in the first season of the i1 Super Series so I'm absolutely delighted to have been announced as one of the Indian drivers," Jaffer said.
"I can't wait for the first race, it's going to be incredible competing on track with so many top drivers and it'll be the highlight of my career so far for sure.
Exciting times
"The championship has been eagerly awaited for a long time and it's going to be massive for Indian motorsport — it's really exciting to be part of it from the inception and a huge opportunity. Having an F1 Champion like Villeneuve and Grand Prix winners like Frentzen and Alesi involved is fantastic. The first test went really well — to have been faster than someone like Mika Salo is a great feeling."
