Following the news that Ferrari was in discussions with A1GP, the international racing series has announced that the two racing outfits have signed a six-year contract with Maranello. The terms of the agreement have Ferrari supplying the V8 engines for all the national teams competing in the series starting the season after next, when the current deal with Lola and Zytek expires. In addition to powering the new cars, Ferrari will also consult on the design of the chassis, which will be built by an as-yet undisclosed third party.
The deal gives Ferrari a de facto feeder series of its own, not unlike Formula BMW and the GP2 series owned by Renault principal Flavio Briatore. A1GP chairman Tony Teixeira also announced the formation of a second, lower-rung regional series to be called A2GP – taking a possible similar relationship as the Atlantic series to Champ Cars – with which Ferrari will also collaborate, supplying detuned versions of the engine. The deal should give Ferrari a place to field up-and-coming younger drivers and bring in extra revenue, while lending the open-wheel series added prestige on the world motorsports stage. AutoBlog.com
The deal announced Thursday lasts through 2014, and also covers a second series, A2GP, for which testing will begin in 2009. The A1 series was launched in 2004 and features teams from 22 nations competing with equal cars on five continents.
Ferrari will replace current A1 engine supplier Zytek.
“Partnering with a world class organization like Ferrari will officially position A1GP as one of the most significant motor sport series in the world. CanadianPress
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