One of Europe’s most multi-faceted sporting clubs is the latest team to unveil its 2008 assault on the new motorsport championship that features the colours of the world’s leading football clubs.
Greek football champions Olympiacos unveiled its Superleague Formula entry in Athens today with manager Takis Lemonis and club captain Predrag Djordjevic revealing the 750-horsepower V-12 powered machine to their team-mates and local media.
Champions of Greece for the past three years, Olympiacos was one of the original four clubs announced when Superleague Formula was launched earlier this year.
Olympiacos joins AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto, Borussia Dortmund, RSC Anderlecht, and Flamengo on the club roster that is growing towards the 20 cars to line up on the grid for the first race in August 2008.
The legendary Greek club has won a total of 60 major championships including 35 Greek championships and 22 Greek cups.
Based in the Athens port of Piraeus, Olympiacos now adds motorsport to an extensive list of sports contested by the club including football, basketball (9-times Greek champions), volleyball (32-times Greek champions), water polo (36-times Greek champions), swimming (49-times Greek champions), sailing (36-times Greek champions), table tennis (124 total Greek championships in mens, women’s, doubles and mixed competitions) plus boxing, athletics, shooting, weight lifting, wrestling, tennis and rowing.
The addition of Olympiacos to the Superleague Formula championship has provided the new series with extensive media exposure in the Greek market. While the country annually hosts a round of the World Rally Championship, the club’s Superleague Formula entry is the highest profile Greek road-racing project ever conducted.
“Olympiacos is an amazing sporting club and we are thrilled to have them as one of the founding teams of Superleague Formula, ” said Alex Andreu, Superleague Formula CEO and President.
“The club is involved in so many different sports; it seemed only natural that it would add motorsport to that list.
“We are very excited about the Greek market. Being able to tap into Olympiacos’ passionate fan base will introduce a virtually new sport into this region. ”
The fleet of Superleague Formula Panoz-chassis are currently under construction at Elan Motorsport Technologies in the US. The car will test for the first time early next year with the Menard Competition Technologies 4.2 litre, V-12 engine.
“It is the club’s mission to promote sport and activate youth, ” said club CEO Petros Kokkalis.
“Faithful to our establishment, Olympiacos invests in being the most significant multisport club in Europe.
“Today the club operates 17 different “Olympic” sport departments. To this direction we are always interested in new sport-related projects. Motorsports and Superleague Formula will be accepted with tremendous interest by our fans. ”
The red and white Olympiacos machine will be presented to the club’s fans tomorrow at Karaiskákis Stadium prior to the club’s Greek match against Apollon Thessalonikis.
“I am confident that our supporters will exhibit the same level of enthusiasm and passion as in top level club competitions like UEFA Competitions. Superleague Formula is a mega event that we are all looking forward to, ” continued Kokkalis.
“We are very proud to be the first Greek club participating in Superleague Formula. Olympiacos has the infrastructure and know-how to meet the requirements of such a project.
“We are confident that the club’s participation in terms of organisation and crowd involvement will fully compensate the Superleague Formula for their wise choice. ”
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