Difference between revisions of "2011 Superleague season"
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Red Archer secured their first Constructors Championship title. Drivers Jason Muscat and David Jundt proved to be remarkably fast and consistently throughout year. Nordsjoen Racing ensured the battle went right down to wire in Singapore, but a retirement from Jyri Lylykorpi ended the Italian team’s hopes of a 4th straight Constructors win. | Red Archer secured their first Constructors Championship title. Drivers Jason Muscat and David Jundt proved to be remarkably fast and consistently throughout year. Nordsjoen Racing ensured the battle went right down to wire in Singapore, but a retirement from Jyri Lylykorpi ended the Italian team’s hopes of a 4th straight Constructors win. | ||
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==Pre-season== | ==Pre-season== |
Revision as of 08:21, 23 January 2014
Competition | Superleague |
---|---|
Title Sponsor | N/A |
Platform Used | rFactor v1.255 |
Rounds | 20 |
Mod base | Custom (Based on FSONE 2009) |
Carshape base | 2007 F1 (MMG) |
Engine Supplier(s) | Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, BMW |
Tyre Supplier(s) | Pirelli |
Drivers | 43 |
Teams | 12 |
Drivers' Champion | Joe Consiglio |
Teams' Champion | Red Archer VRT |
Superleague Seasons | |
2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 |
The 2011 Superleague season was the 12th GPVWC Superleague competition. 2011 marked a new level of professionalism in GPVWC. Superleague events were broadcast live for the first time and car development would play a more vital role than ever before.
The Drivers Championship was decided at the pen-ultimate race in Holland. Joe Consiglio took his 2nd title for Nordsjoen Racing after an intense year long battle with Lee Morris of Draig Racing. Morris had started the year on superb form but as Draig hit mid-season financial trouble, a lack of car updates made it impossible for the Englishman to maintain his lead in the championship.
Despite it being a 20 Round championship, there were surprisingly only four different winners in 2011. Consiglio took a total of 10 wins, Morris won 7, Jason Muscat scored 2 victories while Dave Carr-Smith triumphed in streets of Monaco.
Red Archer secured their first Constructors Championship title. Drivers Jason Muscat and David Jundt proved to be remarkably fast and consistently throughout year. Nordsjoen Racing ensured the battle went right down to wire in Singapore, but a retirement from Jyri Lylykorpi ended the Italian team’s hopes of a 4th straight Constructors win.
Contents
Pre-season
Testing
From the very first few laps of 2011 it was clear the Driver’s Championship would be contested by two men, Joe Consiglio (Nordsjoen Racing – Mercedes) and Lee Morris (Draig Racing – Ferrari). Morris topped the timesheets in Jerez and Hockenheim, while Consiglio blasted his way to the top in Portimao and Monza. With only tenths separating the two in all sessions, the theme for the upcoming season was set.Synergetic’s Sam Millar looked like he would be able to at least challenge the top two and both Red Archer drivers looked in good shape to feature regularly in the top 5. The surprise of pre-season testing came from new kids on the block Midnight Motorsport. Dave Carr-Smith and Nick Rowland had both shown a promising turn of speed and would surely be capable of points and podiums in 2011.
Engines would again play a significant role in the Superleague season. Renault emerged as the strongest power unit and were holding a large advantage over the other manufacturers; particularly in low end torque. Ferrari and Mercedes were said to be 2nd and 3rd with Toyota and BMW bringing up the rear.
Report
At the first race in Australia, Consiglio took pole position closely followed by Morris in P2. The two drivers ran different strategies and after the last round of pitstops converged, things looked set for a grandstand finish. Consiglio was in front and looked favourite to win until his brakes failed with 9 laps to go. Morris therefore inherited an easy victory with Dave Carr-Smith 2nd and Sam Millar in a well earned 3rd.
At the next round in Abu Dhabi Consiglio once again lined up on pole. Due to a penalty Morris was demoted to 7th on the grid but wasted no time making his way up to P2 and keeping Consiglio in his sights. By mid-distance it became clear Morris was on a 2 stop strategy and Consiglio was on three. As the final pitstops played out Consiglio emerged behind the Draig driver with quarter of the race still to run. The Maltese ace caught and followed Morris all the way to the line but it wasn’t enough to stop the Englishman taking his 2nd win of the season. With Consiglio only 6 tenths behind in 2nd, Jason Muscat crossed the line in a fine 3rd for Red Archer.
The 2011 Japanese Grand Prix turned out to be a classic. Consiglio took his third pole in as many races with Morris once again in P2. However at the start it was the lightly fuelled Sam Millar who rocketed into the lead ahead of the Nordsjoen and the Draig. The two championship contenders were both two stopping as opposed to the Scotsman who was on a three stop strategy. Although Millar was quick he couldn’t break away from Consiglio and therefore after his first pitstop ran most of the race in a lonely 3rd. Consiglio re-emerged from his final pitstop just behind Morris as the two began a glorious battle for victory. Consiglio managed to pass Morris after a few laps, but after applying a huge amount of pressure Morris repassed the Nordsjoen driver on the very last lap. Consiglio tried to respond at 130R but Morris held his line and took the chequered flag less than two tenths ahead of the Nordsjoen.
By now the development race was in full flow and Red Archer had stolen a march on the competition with a massive pre-China upgrade. This translated to a first ever pole position for Jason Muscat. Mark Stanton surprised the paddock with a career best 2nd while Morris and Consiglio lined up on row 2. In the race, a mistake by leader Muscat gifted Morris the win but the Red Archer driver had shown he now had the car and skill to challenge for victories. Dave Carr-Smith rounded off the podium for Midnight Motorsport with Consiglio recovering to 4th after a first corner incident with Sam Millar.
As the circus moved to Kyalami, the undefeated Lee Morris was looking for his 5th win of the year. Morris and Consiglio lined up on the front row but only after grid penalties had been applied to Muscat and pole sitter Millar. At the start Morris held off Consiglio into turn 1, meanwhile Muscat had had an absolute flyer and was already up to 3rd. The two Maltese drivers began a 10 lap battle for 2nd with the Red Archer eventually winning out. All this had helped the three stopping Morris establish a massive leader in the early stages. In the latter stages of the race Consiglio span himself out of contention whilst Muscat launched his attack on Morris for the win. However the English driver once again resisted the pressure and headed off the Red Archer all the way to the line. Consiglio wound up a distant and somewhat fortunate 3rd.
At the next race in Austria, Sam Millar took pole ahead of Jason Muscat in 2nd and Lee Morris in 3rd. At the start Muscat sprinted into the lead while Consiglio (P4) launched past Morris and Millar for 2nd. Muscat then made a small error exiting turn 3 and that was all Consiglio needed to move into P1. Later in the race, Muscat repassed Consiglio and at that stage was looking favourite to win. However, at the final round of pitstops, the Red Archer driver made a mistake and thus Consiglio was brought back into play. Meanwhile Morris had also quietly driven himself into contention, setting up a wonderful three way battle for the win. The fight had spectators and pundits on the edge of their seats as lap after lap the lead position changed hands. In the end, the top three drivers were separated by a mere two tenths, making it the closest GPVWC podium of all time. Jason Muscat was first man over the line, taking his 2nd career victory for Red Archer. Consiglio took a useful 2nd, finishing for first time in 2011 ahead of Morris in 3rd.
The Magny Cours circuit returned to the GPVWC after an absence of three years. Consiglio lined-up on pole but only after a grid penalty had been applied to Muscat who had been quicker in qualifying. Morris was 2nd on the grid but suffered a terrible start and dropped to 7th by turn 1. In the opening laps, the three stopping Consiglio made the most of an unfortunate disconnection for Muscat and the fact Morris was being held up in traffic. Eventually the two stopping Morris made it up to 2nd but by then Consiglio had established a massive lead over the Englishman. By mid-distance Consiglio had affectively made his extra pitstop back and with fresher tyres began to climb all over the Draig gearbox. At two thirds distance Consiglio passed Morris at the hairpin with a nicely judged switchback move. The Maltese driver emerged from his final pitstop just 1 second ahead of Morris. However with fresh rubber Consiglio easily extended his lead to 3.5 seconds, a gap he would keep all the way to the chequered flag. After an unlucky start to the season Consiglio had finally nabbed his first win of 2011.
In Monaco it was pole-sitter Lee Morris who was in a class of his own in every session. Dave Carr-Smith lined up an impressive 2nd on the grid with Consiglio qualifying 3rd for Nordsjoen. At the start Carr-Smith got the jump on Morris with Consiglio maintaining 3rd position into turn 1. Eventually Morris passed Carr-Smith for the lead and proceeded to pull away at a staggering rate. By mid distance it was clear the top drivers were all on the same strategy. Morris had established a huge lead over Carr-Smith who in turn was well ahead of Consiglio. By lap 61 the race looked well settled until veteran Kieran Ryan spun off at the swimming pool section and beached his Woods right on the apex of the fast left-right chicane. Seconds later, 3rd placed man Consiglio came round, fully committed in 5th gear and didn’t see the Irishman until it was too late. The resulting crash involved Consiglio hitting the Woods at full speed, bouncing into the barrier and then being hit by race leader Lee Morris. As the two championship protagonists tried to make it back to the pits it was clear their cars would not be repairable. When both men eventually retired it was Carr-Smith who capitalised on the situation and took his first victory of 2011.
The big news just before Silverstone 2011 was that Draig Racing were facing imminent financial bankruptcy and would be unable to further develop their car for the rest of the season. The race itself turned out to be another battle of strategies between Morris and Consiglio. With the two championship leaders lining up on the front row it was pole-sitter Morris who led into turn 1. Consiglio followed in 2nd but on lap 2 was passed by Muscat into Brooklands. However, on lap 3 the Red Archer driver made a mistake at the new Abbey chicane and this was all Consiglio needed to reclaim 2nd place. The Nordsjoen driver was then able to slowly pull away from his Maltese compatriot and keep Morris just within his sights. By mid-distance it became clear that Morris was 3 stopping whilst Consiglio was only scheduled to stop twice. Indeed, Morris emerged from his final pitstop 5 seconds down on the Nordsjoen with only 8 laps to go. On fresh rubber the Englishman sliced into Consiglio’s lead at around half a second per lap. On the last lap the two were nose to tail but onlookers were denied a grandstand finish after an unfortunate collision at Vale. From a fair way back Morris had tried to outbrake the 2009 champion but in doing so made the slightest of contacts with the Nordsjoen’s left rear tyre. This was enough to send Consiglio into a spin. However, in a great show of sportsmanship Morris acknowledged responsibility for the incident by immediately handing the position back to the Maltese driver. So after a very intense race it was Consiglio who picked up his 2nd victory of the season.
In Bahrain Jason Muscat took pole alongside his Maltese compatriot Consiglio. However both men were planning three stops as opposed Morris and David Jundt (P3 and P4) who were only scheduled to stop twice. Muscat maintained the lead on lap one but Consiglio was quickly passed by Morris on lap two. As Muscat and Morris fought for the lead on different strategies, it was clear Consiglio was in a losing battle for 3rd with Jundt. As Morris stormed to his 6th victory of the season, Muscat crossed the line in 2nd with team-mate Jundt picking up his maiden GPVWC podium in 3rd. Consiglio ran most of the race in a lonely 4th and finished some 8 seconds behind the Swiss driver.
Two weeks later, Morris took his 3rd pole of the year in San Marino. Championship Rival Consiglio lined-up alongside the Draig and with Muscat unable to race it was Ojay Clark who did a great job to take 3rd for Williamson Dynamics. At the start Consiglio got an excellent launch and comfortably led into the first corner. The faster Morris pressured Consiglio for the entire first stint and it was clear the Maltese ace was finding his Nordsjoen a real handful. After the two swapped positions in an exciting exchange, it was the Englishman who eventually won out. Before the first round of pitstops Morris was around 3 seconds ahead of Consiglio. However the ex-champion lost time queuing behind Kieran Ryan in the pits and this left him 6 seconds adrift of the Draig. At this point of the race Consiglio found some pace and by mid-distance the gap between the leading pair was down to 4 seconds. The charge ended a few laps later though when a gearbox blip sent Consiglio into a spin at Piratella. The final order was Morris followed by Consiglio with new team-mate Pavel Loknovski an excellent 3rd.
Round 12 of the championship saw the paddock arrive in Istanbul, Turkey. Consiglio took his fourth pole of the season with Jason Muscat 2nd and Lee Morris in 3rd. At the start Consiglio made his now customary flier and led into turn 1 without any issues. Muscat followed the Nordsjoen in 2nd but a slow getaway from Morris saw the Draig slip all the way down to 7th. As Consiglio and Muscat pulled away from Nick Rowland (Midnight Motorsport) in 3rd it became clear that the Maltese pair would be the two main contenders for the win. By the first round of pit stops Consiglio had managed to build a 6 second lead over the Red Archer. However on lap 23 Muscat got disconnected for the 2nd time this season, another bitter blow for the young star. This left Consiglio with a substantial lead over Rowland in 2nd and Morris who by now had made it up to 3rd. The battle for 2nd was decided when a mistake from the Midnight driver handed Morris P2 in the closing stages of the race. Meanwhile Consiglio took a dominant victory some 27 seconds ahead of his championship rival.
Mexico saw Jason Muscat storm to pole position in his Red Archer. Morris lined up 2nd with Jundt and Loknovski 3rd and 4th. Joe Consiglio was demoted to the back of the grid after illegally entering his pitbox at the end of Q1. In the race the Red Archer’s pace proved too much for Morris’s underdeveloped Draig. Muscat held a comfortable lead throughout and was tracked by his team-mate all the way to the line. Morris secured a useful 3rd position whilst Consiglio could only manage 5th behind Nick Rowland. At this stage of the championship Morris had opened up a 36 points advantage over Consiglio in 2nd and was starting to look unstoppable in the championship.
After a four week break the field returned to Montreal for round 14 of the championship. The paddock gossip was that Nordsjoen Racing had brought a considerable upgrade package to the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in an effort to resurrect Consiglio’s now ailing title challenge. Qualifying saw the Maltese driver take his 5th pole of the year by half a second. Jason Muscat lined up 2nd with Lee Morris in 3rd and Dave Carr-Smith in 4th. At the start Muscat got the jump on his countryman and led going into turn 1. However, Consiglio was in no mood to follow the Red Archer and made a decisive pass into the final chicane later that lap. With Muscat suffering an electronic glitch and being sent into the barriers, Consiglio was left free to run away at the front. Behind, Carr-Smith made it past Morris and took 2nd place. Morris attempted to repass the Midnight driver but a collision dropped the championship leader behind his team-mate Ryan Walker in 9th. Worse was to strike the Englishman as he suffered a disconnection with only 15 laps to go. After a race that largely consisted of monitoring brake wear, Consiglio cruised to his 4th victory of the season, 22 seconds ahead of David Jundt in 2nd. With Consiglio winning and Morris non-scoring the title race had been reopened with six races still to go.
At the Brazilian Grand Prix a week later Consiglio once again lined up on pole position. David Jundt qualified alongside the Maltese driver with Pavel Loknovski doing an excellent job to secure 3rd on the grid. Lee Morris could only manage 6th in his underdeveloped Draig. At the start Consiglio led into turn 1 without issue, behind however Dave Carr-Smith managed to jump from 4th to 2nd with Loknovski slotting into 3rd ahead of Jundt. As Consiglio sped off into the distance, team-mate Loknovski passed Carr-Smith for 2nd at turn 4. As the race settled it became clear Consiglio was in a league of his own out front. However the battle for 2nd was an intense one, during the race no less than five drivers would be in the hunt for the runner up spot, Loknovski, Jundt, Carr-Smith, Morris and Nick Rowland all wanting their piece of the pie. Eventually it was the Nordsjoen of Pavel Loknovski who won the fight for 2nd, securing his best ever Superleague finish in the process. With Consiglio taking the win by over a minute, it was Nordsjoen’s first 1-2 of the season and a fantastic result for the team. David Jundt continued his good run of podiums to finish 3rd while Morris completed an eventful race in 4th. The championship gap between Morris and Consiglio was now down to just 14 points.
In Italy Consiglio took his 7th pole of the year. Joining him on the front row was none other than his Nordsjoen team-mate Pavel Loknovski. Lee Morris lined up 5th in the difficult Draig. Unfortunately the start was nothing short of chaos for half the field. In the long drag into turn 1 Jason Muscat made contact with Nick Rowland and the resulting puncture saw the Maltese youngster slip way down the order. Further back David Jundt spun off the line and collected numerous drivers along the way. None of this bothered Consiglio who made a clean getaway and easily led into turn 1. Loknovski maintained 2nd as Morris found himself in a surprising 3rd. As Consiglio pulled away at a staggering rate Loknovski made a mistake and dropped to 5th. By lap 10 Consiglio was comfortably ahead of the pack, however the Nordsjoen driver had had an eventful opening to the race. On lap 3 the 2009 Champion lost time overshooting turn 1 due a brake marker being swiped by another car. A few laps later Consiglio also suffered some damage after taking a tap to the rear when lapping Ben Warren. This meant a reduced pace and a long first pitstop for Joe but despite this set back the Maltese driver still maintained a decent lead throughout. By mid distance Loknovski had made it up to 3rd and eventually over took Morris for 2nd. However another error from the Estonian driver saw him drop to 3rd in the closing stages and an incident with the lapped Kieran Ryan put pay to any last gasp attempt to recapture 2nd. At the finish Consiglio crossed the line 27 seconds ahead of championship rival Lee Morris. Morris had definitely outperformed his car at Monza and in doing so minimised the pain of yet another dominant Consiglio win. With Jason Muscat once again disconnecting and Jundt only managing 8th, Nordsjoen were now only 1 point behind Red Archer in the Constructors Championship.
In many ways the Spanish Grand Prix represented a turning point in the Drivers Championship. Technical issues meant both Lee Morris and Jason Muscat were unable to enter the event and thus Joe Consiglio found himself with a massive opportunity to take the lead in the standings. As expected Consiglio lined up on pole position alongside Nordsjoen reserve driver Tom Parker. David Jundt qualified 3rd whilst Muscat’s replacement for the rest of the season Gregg Lawson managed 4th on the grid. A clean start saw everyone get away in their respective grid positions. The Nordsjoen drivers had opted to go for a 3 stop strategy and duly pulled away from the 2 stopping Red Archer’s in the opening laps. Consiglio set a blistering pace at the front but unfortunately Parker suffered a disconnection after the first round of pitstops. By two thirds distance Consiglio was 30 seconds ahead of Jundt and looking unstoppable for the victory. However on lap 48 the lapped Ryan Walker tagged Consiglio into a spin which sent the Nordsjoen backwards into a wall. As well as the lost time spent in the gravel pit Consiglio had to endure a lengthy pitstop to repair his rear wing. The 2009 champion emerged from the pits only 3 seconds ahead of Jundt with 18 laps to go. Fortunately Consiglio still found plenty of pace in his damaged car and after some time to settle began to extend the gap to the Red Archer once again. So after a dramatic final stint Consiglio took the chequered flag a healthy 15 seconds ahead of Jundt in 2nd. Lawson finished his first race for Red Archer in an impressive 3rd.
A week later at the classic Spa-Francorchamps circuit Consiglio was once again untouchable in qualifying. The Maltese driver led another Nordsjoen front row, this time taking pole position by a massive 1.3 seconds. David Jundt was 3rd on the grid with Dave Carr-Smith just edging out Lee Morris for 4th. At the start the two Nordsjoen’s got off the line cleanly but behind was a different story. Sam Millar collected Lee Morris on the approach to La Source, triggering more accidents further down the grid. Morris managed to trundle back to the pits but the Draig pitcrew couldn’t repair his car’s heavily damaged suspension. With Morris out of the race Consiglio put the hammer down up front and by the end of lap 2 was already 4 seconds in the lead. With Consiglio pulling away at over a second a lap all eyes turned to the fight for P2 between Pavel Loknovski and David Jundt. With Nordsjoen and Red Archer still locked in the Constructors championship battle, both drivers fought hard for the runner-up spot and those vital extra points. In the end it was Jundt who came out on top, ensuring Red Archer still held a slight advantage over Nordsjoen in the standings. After leading every lap of the race Consiglio took his 8th win of the season in style. With Morris not scoring, the Nordsjoen driver was now 19 points in the lead with only 2 rounds to go.
Joe Consiglio headed to the Dutch Grand Prix knowing that a second place finish would guarantee him the title. Qualifying saw the Maltese driver take his tenth pole of the year, ahead of David Jundt. Lee Morris qualified 3rd but due to a grid penalty had to start the race in 14th. At the start Consiglio got to the first corner first, whilst team-mate Pavel Loknovski moved up from 3rd to 2nd. At the end of lap 1 Consiglio led a Nordsjoen 1-2 and with Jundt stuck behind Dave Carr-Smith things were looking very good for the Italian team. However Loknovski was suffering from serious lag issues which eventually led to the Estonian’s retirement before mid distance. By the first round of pitstops Morris had worked his way up to 4th. Unfortunately the Englishman made a mistake at the fast turn 7 kink and crashed out of the race. Consiglio thereby clinched his 2nd Superleague World Drivers' Championship and took victory over a minute ahead of Jundt. Gregg Lawson rounded out the podium and with Loknovski’s accident, Red Archer took a 10 point advantage over Nordsjoen in the Constructors Championship.
The final race of the season was held in Singapore. With an almost full compliment of drivers on the grid all eyes were on the Constructors Championship fight between Red Archer and Nordsjoen. Newly crowned champion Consiglio took pole position, a crushing 1.9 seconds ahead of David Jundt. Jyri Lylykorpi was drafted in to drive the #0 Nordsjoen at the very last minute and despite almost no preparation time did a remarkable job to line up 3rd on the grid. At the start Consiglio surged into turn 1 comfortably ahead of the fast starting Mark Wicks in 2nd. As Consiglio once again drove into the distance, Lylykorpi made his way up to 2nd on lap 2. However Lylykorpi’s lack of track time finally caught up with him and an accident ended the Finn’s race before mid distance. With Jundt holding 2nd and Gregg Lawson finishing solidly in the points, Red Archer took the Constructors Championship crown for the first time in their history. Consiglio claimed his 10th win of season as Lee Morris rounded out the podium for Draig.
Teams and drivers
† Mal McKee replaced himself as test/reserve driver with Liam Hatchell after the Japanese grand prix.
‡ Adam Rouse pulled out of the competition after the Austrian grand prix.
† Philip Cullen parted ways with Triple-Double Racing to free up a driver slot for Ric Scott in June.
New entries
The first new team to secure a place in the Superleague was Nijo Racing, owned and managed by Chris Williamson. Nijo came straight in from a successful Masters season, bypassing the Supercup, and looking eager to carry that success into the Superleague. Initially having signed Tom Parker and Ashley Walsh, the team underwent many changes in driver line-up in the first half of the season, with Parker pulling out after only a few races.
Triple-Double Racing was the next team to secure a place in the Superleague, founded and initially managed by Ben Warren before Phil Perkins took the reins scant days before the opening race. Driver Jyri Lylykorpi was initially linked with the team, however the team secured GPVWC stalwarts Adam Rouse and Phil Perkins.
The final new team to secure a place was Midnight Motorsport. Driver Nick Rowland's brainchild, the team managed to secure both himself and experienced racing driver and manager Dave Carr-Smith, which seemed to promise a strong team in bid for the Constructors' and Drivers' Championships. Reliability problems and bad luck were the order of the day for the beginning of the season for Midnight, however.
Team changes
- Due to inactivity there were three teams that became defunct at the end of 2010 - Argentina Racing Team, Oz Racing and CSG Racing. A lot of CSG's assets and expertise would end up going to the new Midnight Motorsport outfit.
- Whilst the management initially remained the same, the Yellowbirds GP team had new sponsors and so were rebranded as Computrac Motorsports for 2011. Gavin Thomas took over the management of the team mid way through the season.
- Williamson Dynamics moved their base of operations from their traditional base in England to the German city of Berlin and accordingly added the prefix 'European' to their team name. They too experienced a management change mid-season, as Adam Smith took over day to day operations of the team.
- A dispute amongst the Triple-Double Racing team in the opening races saw Ben Warren depart his own team, which was then taken over by Phil Perkins.
- Having had a bad 2010 season, Draig Racing threw caution to the wind and invested heavily in engines and drivers, leading the team to be in financial trouble part way through the season. The league then placed strict limitations on the team in relation to testing and development for the rest of the season.
Driver changes
- The decision of reigning champion Janne Tanskanen not to take part, along with the full return of Joe Consiglio meant a significant change to the Nordsjoen line-up. Jyri Lylykorpi was brought in to partner Consiglio, but he was replaced by test driver Pavel Loknovski from San Marino onwards.
- Having quit CSG in 2010, Lee Morris returned to GPVWC action with Draig Racing and was joined there by Scotsman Ryan Walker. Liam Hatchell initially joined the team, but bitter dispute unfolded after the start of the season and led Hatchell to return to Synergetic.
- Red Archer leader Nikos Evangelidakis took a step back from racing and hired Swiss driver David Jundt to partner Jason Muscat.
- 2010 Supercup champion Christoph Lichtenstein opted to move to Synergetic Motorsports alongside Sam Millar. He was replaced at Computrac by Gavin Thomas who partnered GPVWC 'newcomer' Wayne Mullins (who drove under the pseudo-name Ben Morgan.
- Nordsjoen reserve driver David Stanton returned to a full race seat at the ST Racing team.
- Dutch based driver Abdel Damghi joined Nijo Racing as the sudden disappearance of lead driver Ashley Walsh sparked a driver merry-go-round which eventually saw Tom Parker depart the team.
- GPVWC veteran Adam Rouse elected to withdraw from the series after Round 6 and was replaced at TDR by Supercup challenger Bart De Vos.
- Luis Fernando Laaff returned to GPVWC racing, replacing William Ponissi for a several races at Constant Racing.
- Several other drivers made their Superleague debut in 2011, including Ojay Clark, Petter Kaasa and Teemu Toikka.
- In the week between the Canadian and Brazilian rounds, Ryan Walker and Phil Perkins swapped places in the Draig and TDR teams.
2011 Calendar
Changes
- The calendar was extended to an unprecedented 20 Grand Prix for 2011 - 1 more than the previous season.
- The Hungarian Grand Prix and the Portuguese Grand Prix were both dropped from the calendar for 2011. The Argentine Grand Prix had initially been included in the calendar, but was later dropped in favour of the Turkish Grand Prix.
- 3 Grands Prix returned to the calendar in 2011 - The South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, the Austrian Grand Prix at the A1-Ring and the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
- While the British Grand Prix remained at Silverstone, the track layout was changed to post-2010 version of the circuit.
Rule changes
- The R&D system was tweaked to include a new area of car development - 'Draft', which focused on car's ability to closely follow another car.
- Rules on 'punting' were tightened after the Australian Grand Prix, so that anyone causing a minor collision had to surrender any positions gained as result or face a penalty.
Qualifying
- 2011 saw a dramatic change to the Superleague qualifying system with the introduction of a 2 part session with a knockout element. The first 20 minutes session would be open to all drivers, with only the top 12 runners going through to the final 15 minutes Q2 session.
- Along with the new qualifying format, parc ferme rules were introduced meaning that most setup options become locked after each driver's first qualifying lap.
Results and standings
Grands Prix
Scoring system
Points are awarded to the top 10 classified finishers.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Drivers standings
|
Bold - Pole |
† Drivers did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.
‡ Ojay Clark finished 6th but was disqualified from the race for excessive corner-cutting. Positions behind him were therefore promoted by one place.
Constructors standings
|
Bold – Pole |
† Cars did not finish the Grand Prix, but were classified as they completed over 75% of the race distance.
2011 Car Gallery
Preceded by: 2010 Superleague season |
2011 Superleague season 2011 |
Succeeded by: 2012 Superleague season |