Superstars to Donington for first international event

The Superstars International Series heads to Donington for its first international race meeting of the year. The race will only be valid for the International Superstars Series, whereas the Italian championship will resume at Mugello in two weeks.

Two big names in motorsport will join the Superstars circus at this event. Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert comes back to the FG Group championship after being a regular competitor over the last few seasons, this time at the wheel of the Maserati Quattroporte, which is expected to perform well at the Brit’s home track after winning both races last year in the hands of Andrea Bertolini.

Another local hero, Tom Onslow-Cole, will join with a Ferlito Motors Jaguar XF-R, teaming up with former Superstars champion Max Pigoli.

Current championship leader Johan Kristofferson will skip the Saturday action due to a clash with the STCC, in which he drives a Volkswagen Scirocco. The Swede will head to Donington after the race day, which is on Saturday, and will take part in both races, starting from the back of the grid in Race 1. A rather risky choice for Kristofferson, who has only had the chance to drive at Donington in a road car for a limited number of laps.

Kristofferson currently leads the championship by a mere two points, with Thomas Biagi following him very closely. The BMW is also likely to be competitive in Great Britain, and the Italian will be desperate to exploit Kristofferson’s absence on Saturday to jump into the lead in the championship.

Tied on points in third are Max Pigoli, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Andrea Larini. The Jaguar driver had a great weekend in Monza as opposed to the nightmare he lived in Imola. However, the former Superstars champion is eager to take his lead back after losing it in the second event of the year.

Liuzzi also had a tough time at Imola, only managing to collect eight points after winning on his debut in the series at Monza. Larini emerged from both events with 21 points in his hands and is looking for a win after being in the leading pack for most of the time this year.

Gianni Morbidelli will also be very motivated after only collecting 18 points since the season started. The former Grand Prix driver needs to deliver after failing to step onto the podium for a last-lap car failure in Imola, while he was fighting for the win against his team-mate Kristofferson.

The qualifying session starts at 17.10 CET, while the two races will be held at 10.15 and 15.15 on Sunday.