Doornbos joins Superleague series - Superleague - Autosport

Former grand prix racer Robert Doornbos is the first high-profile driver to commit to racing in the new Superleague Formula, which kicks off in September.

The series features cars representing major football clubs, and Doornbos has signed up to drive the AC Milan car.

The 25-year-old Dutchman, who raced for Minardi and Red Bull in F1 and finished third in the Champ Car standings last season, is delighted to be linking up with the Italian club.

"It's really exciting for me because I've always been a huge AC Milan fan," he said. "Clarence Seedorf, who is currently at the club, is my best friend, and my aunt actually used to be the physio for Milan's famous Dutch players Marco van Basten, Franck Rijkaard, and Ruud Gullit.

"I speak fluent Italian, which will be very handy. I kept in good contact with Giancarlo Minardi, whose son manages the Superleague team, and my first chief engineer in racing, Gabriele Tredozi, is the technical director. It's definitely a small world."

Doornbos will drive the 750bhp Superleague car for the first time in the series' first group test at Monteblanco in Spain on July 9-11.

The prototype chassis will have its final development test at Estoril on June 2-4, and the full line-up of Superleague teams will be unveiled at the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend.