Auto GP, sometimes referred to as the Auto GP World Series and formerly known as both Euro Formula 3000 and the Euroseries 3000, was a European
formula racing
Formula racing, also known as open-wheel racing in North America, is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. A "formula", first devised by FIA for its post–World War II single-seater races, is a set of regulations for ...
series.
The series' roots can be traced back to 1999 and the Italian Formula 3000 series, organised by Pierluigi Corbari, which used old
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lol ...
chassis with
Zytek
Gibson Technology is an automotive and motorsport company based at Repton, Derbyshire, England. It was founded by Bill Gibson and Brian Mason as Zytek Engineering in 1981.
Ownership history
In 1981 Gibson and Mason founded the Zytek Group wi ...
engines. The teams used the
Lola T96/50
The Lola F3000 cars is a series of open-wheel formula race cars, designed, developed and built by British manufacturer Lola.
T950
The Lola T950 was used for Formula 3000 racing in 1985.
T87/50
The Lola T87/50 was built for use in the Inte ...
in the first two years. At the beginning nearly all races were held in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, but very quickly the series expanded and had venues in different European countries.
The series became European Formula 3000 in 2001. The next three years (2001–2003) saw the
Lola B99/50
The Lola F3000 cars is a series of Open-wheel car, open-wheel Formula racing, formula race cars, designed, developed and built by British manufacturer Lola Cars, Lola.
T950
The Lola T950 was used for Formula 3000 racing in 1985.
T87/50
The Lo ...
in use. For 2004,
Superfund
Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...
became the series' title sponsor, planning to use a new car with a new set of regulations, named Formula Superfund, but the funding was pulled before the 2005 season got under way and the series was cancelled.
For 2005,
Coloni Motorsport
Coloni Motorsport, also known as Scuderia Coloni, was an auto racing team from Italy. Founded by former racing driver Enzo Coloni in 1983, the team participated in Formula Three between 1983 and 1986, before racing in Formula One as Enzo Coloni ...
established an Italian national-level championship, using the Italian Formula 3000 name. In 2006, Coloni expanded this to form a new European championship named Euroseries 3000 with the
Lola B02/50. The Italian series continued to run as part of Euroseries races.
In 2009, the organisers announced that the first-generation
A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix Operations Ltd. operated as A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) was a "single-make" open-wheel auto racing series that ran from 2005 until 2009. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themse ...
Lola B05/52 were allowed alongside the Lola F3000 chassis, replacing the old cars completely from 2010.
The championship itself was rebranded for the 2010 season, with it adopting the Auto GP name. As well as that, the championship offered a €200,000 prize fund at each of its six rounds.
2015 marked the start of the Auto GP World Series working with ISRA, a company from the Netherlands who set up the 2014 FA1 Series, this partnership, however, has not lasted long with the Auto GP Organisation announcing at Round 1 (of the 2015 season) that the two companies have parted ways. The 2015 season was "archived" midway through the season and midway through the 2016 season the series merged with the
BOSS GP
The BOSS GP Racing Series is a motor racing series in Europe. The category originated in 1995 as the BOSS Formula series and evolved into the EuroBOSS Series. BOSS is an acronym that stands for Big Open Single Seaters.
History
The BOSS serie ...
series.
Results
Formula 3000 era
Auto GP
Scoring system
Current system
Teams only score from their two highest placed cars. 48 points is the maximum possible haul for one driver in a race weekend.
Previous points systems
References
External links
Official website for Euroseries 3000F3000 history at Unofficial F3000
{{Class of Auto racing
Recurring sporting events established in 1999
Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2016