Why Superleague's China dates make sense

As Superleague Formula expands beyond Europe, Charles Bradley explains why the football-based single-seater series could find its niche and build a bright future

My usual reaction to a racing series adding a round in China? "Ugh." Be it Formula 1, the DTM, A1GP, etc, I never ceased to be underwhelmed by it. A bit like in the mid-'90s, when Britpop ruled the airwaves and all you'd hear about is bands "trying to crack America". To paraphrase Barry Davies: "Frankly, who cares?"

But for Superleague Formula, the football club-based single-seater series, China most certainly is the right place to race. I've got a few friends who work in football, and they tell me that the Far East is their golden goose that keeps on laying. Why do you think you saw so many adverts flashing up in Chinese on advertising hoardings during the World Cup? There is massive fanbase for football developing there, with an economy third-only to America and Japan. Crucially, it is also the fastest-growing, and new money is hard to find thesedays.

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