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March 19, 2010
Published on tags: Superleague
As only a few days separate us from the start of one of the most anticipated GPVWC Superleague seasons ever, the GPVWC Media Office is to take you on an in-depth journey within the 12 teams that will line up on the grid on Thursday for the year-opening Australian Grand Prix. This season preview will introduce two teams each day - until the very night before the opening race in Melbourne. Here are the first two teams:



Nordsjoen Racing

The reigning World Champions enter the 2010 season on the back of the first Drivers' Championship in their 9-year history, and seem determined to celebrate their tenth birthday with another crown. The team suffered the potentially crippling setback of golden duo's Joe Consiglio and Adam Rouse's inability to commit to a full season - but bounced back to hire the services of Consiglio's main opponent in 2009, Janne Tanskanen, and a very promising David Stanton to deputise in the 50% of races Consiglio will have to miss. With the introduction of a new Research & Development system, the Italian team is promising to use the wagon-loads of experience it can boast to make the best out of one of the best cars on the grid. On a different note, Nordsjoen (as with EIRE in its previous incarnation) always seemed to struggle when marked as pundits' favourite and excel when dismissed as underdog. How the blue-and-orange team will cope with a number 1 on the nosecone and everyone's bets on remains to be seen.

Drivers:

Joe Consiglio (Malta): the 2009 World Champion crowned an excellent season winning the title he seemed destined to since he first stepped into a GPVWC car in 2002. A complete driver, rarely making mistakes, can help the potential of every car to the surface. Unfortunately, overwhelming committments with the band he fronts, Cenacle, mean the Maltese ace will need to take a step back from the Superleague: testing potential, however, highlighted how Consiglio will surely be in with a say in any race he takes part in.

Janne Tanskanen (Finland): the biggest surprise of the 2009 season, the charismatic Finn mounted an extremely determined challenge to Consiglio and finished the season rueing missed chances and backmarkers' mistakes - all leading him to see P2 slip from his hands at the very last race. Nonetheless, Tanskanen emerged as a pure talent, as he has been showing in the pre-season, dominating some test sessions and never finishing far from the top. The improved reliability of the 2010 Nordsjoen, and an earlier start time which will allow him to race in all events, should see the Flying Finn compete for the crown all the way to Singapore.

David Stanton (England): newcomer David Stanton is one of the most interesting stories of the Melbourne Grand Prix. When the Englishman will take the car out of the pits in Australia, he'll be sharing his seat with the current World Champion, driving one of the best cars in the pack and will need to face an outstanding pressure to deliver results from the beginning. However, some solid performances in testing and the true grit shown in the Megane Trophy in winter speak well for Stanton.

Adam Rouse (England): a driver that requires no introduction, Rouse has been fighting for points and racking up praise and wins in the GPVWC over several seasons. Real life commitments might force him away from the track for the first few months of the season, but no one doubts his ability to step into the car and deliver at any moment. The Englishman is expected to be part of the season - and potentially contribute to shaping its final outcome - as early as the summer, so keep an eye out for the distinctive red and blue helmet.

OVERALL TEAM ASSESSMENT

Pros:

One of the best team/car/drivers package in the league Experience in R&D and four quality drivers should give the team a good edge in many occasions Janne Tanskanen expected to truly shine in 2010 Cons:

Part-time employment of Joe Consiglio a big blow for the team Driver rotation system can destroy momentum and create instability Tend to underperform when marked as big favourites

Woods Racing

Woods Racing embodies the character and determination that teams in the GPVWC should all have: a winning mix of promising drivers given an early chance, a committed manager and never-flinching loyalty to the league turned the hapless outfit that joined in 2004 - a "backmarker by definition" - into a solid front-runner, and a race winner, in 2008 and 2009. The only thing missing from the Woods' trophy cabinet is a World Championship, and team manager Ollie Woods seems determined to fix this shortcoming as soon as possible: in Kieran Ryan, he found an amazing driver to partner a Mark Wicks in the shape of his life (the two have been the most closely matched pair of teammates throughout the winter season); Mercedes engines should provide the grunt for the car and the financial and R&D solidity of the team is proven. As Woods Racing lines up in Melbourne, the drivers will know they have the means to mount a challenge for points and podiums - and potentially more - in each race. 2010 could be the year for yet another Woods breakthrough.

Drivers:

Mark Wicks (England): the most reliable driver in 2009 - and potentially, the most reliable driver EVER, Wicks got on points in 16 out of 18 occasions last year (and that would have been 17/18 had the new code of points been in place). Even where his car lacked the power of the Evans Blue Racing or Nordsjoens, the Cornish ace ensured a mistake-free race that made the most of any chance the other drivers would offer - the way he clinched P2 in the Drivers' Championship in Singapore is a good example. A veteran of the GPVWC (he first raced for CVRT in 2002), Wicks scored a handful of wins in 2008 and itches to add to his tally. With the challenge the 2010 cars bring and his ability to keep out of trouble, he has a great chance to come back to the highest step of the podium.

Kieran Ryan (Ireland): always fast and always trying to improve his skill, Kieran Ryan finally steps back into a race-winning car, and will want to make the most of it. Runner-up in his rookie season in 2002 and a multiple race winner, Ryan admittely comes back from a disappointing 2009 in which he couldn't find a way to mix it with the top boys (besides some masterful displays of skill - France on top of all); in true Kieran style, his move to Woods signifies his desire to come back to where he really belongs. In Mark Wicks, Ryan finds a good team-mate who can really push him to perform to his best, as Mikko Jakonen and Daniel Wilkinson, among others, did before. The talented Irishman, however, will need to gather all his skills - and stay away from the walls - to come out on top of what is the most even of driver pairings. Against Mark Wicks, finishing all races becomes a fundamental issue.

Dan Rusu (Romania): Dan Rusu had a brief stint at Woods at the end of last season, and was retained as a Test Driver - and potential Supercup prospect - for 2010. In the previous season, his lack of a wheel provided a whole host of problems for the young man from Bucharest, who nevertheless often managed to out-qualify wheeled opposition. While he has no race finish in the Superleague to his name, the purchase of a wheel and a solid showing in the Megane Trophy mean we haven't seen the end of a potentially good driver.

OVERALL TEAM ASSESSMENT

Pros:

Team has been progressing ever since foundation and has momentum One of the most solid and reliable driver pairings in the whole league Mark Wicks in the form of his life; Kieran Ryan ready to avenge a poor 2009 Cons:

Lack of test-driver participation in tests affecting car's development Potential for in-fighting within the team for "lead driver" position Weight of expectations as team starts first season as acknowledged front-runner