Auto GP set for opener round

• Italiano

The 2014 Auto GP series is set for its grand opening this weekend at the Marrakech street course as the championship promoted by Enzo Coloni is ready to re-fire the engines for its fifth season. Starting with the opening round of the series in Morocco, many drivers will try to fill the shoes of 2013 champion Vittorio Ghirelli, who cruised to title with Super Nova in 2013 and succeeded to Romain Grosjean, Kevin Ceccon and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs.

Last weekend, the teams went on-track for testing in Valencia. At the Spanish venue, Virtuosi UK scored first place and a new track record with Belgian racer Sam Dejonge. He will be partnered by returning Andrea Roda and Richard Gonda. Super Nova will rely two drivers, with German driver Markus Pommer lining-up alongside Italian female racer Michela Cerruti, the first woman to line-up for a full Auto GP season.

Zele Racing will field two quick and experienced team-mates: Tamas Pal Kiss and Sergio Campana have the clear goal of fighting for the title. Eurotech will rely on a fresh new pair with Kevin Giovesi as their frontrunner and Loris Spinelli as the new kid on the block, making his series debut. Ibiza Racing team is set to field two drivers that already lined-up with them in 2013: Giuseppe Cipriani and Francesco Dracone. For the opening round in Morocco, Kimiya Sato (this year regular driver in the GP2) will be partnering Euronova Racing alongside Yoshitaka Kuroda, with the Italian squad also supporting Michele La Rosa and his team, MLR71.

The weekend’s schedule will be featuring two, 30-minute free sessions. Qualifying will feature a brand-new shootout format with Q1 and Q2. Race 1 is set to start on Saturday, while Race 2 will round the weekend out on Sunday. Both races will be televised live by Eurosport.

• » Auto GP 2014 - Marrakech (round 1+2) - Entry list