---MSM Official Brazil Stock (Copa NEXTEL Stockcar) '08 Thread---

This thread is locked for now as the season is still some time away. It will become unlocked around one week before the first race is scheduled to start.

All comments of this racing series made elsewhere will be directed here by the mods and myself.

For those unfamiliar with this series, it's basically like a mixture of NASCAR and DTM... or very much like the old V8Star championship in Germany. (What happened to that anyway?) The cars are 'stock' variety, but have wings to aid downforce as it's a track-racing series. Absolutely no ovals here!

There are three competing marques: Chevrolet (Astra), Mitsubishi (Lancer) and Peugeot (307). And there's stunning driving talent on show too... many ex-F1 drivers in fact. Just last year they had Tarso Marques, Luciano Burti, Ricardo Zonta and Antonio Pizzonia. So it's also like DTM in the respect that it's an ex-F1 driver haven. DTM for European drivers, Stockcar for South American.

Here's a pic of a race last season (2008):

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So let's dive straight into the upcoming season:

Agência WE wrote:

Changes for 2009 Season: Business Plan

The business plan of 2009’s season was presented on Wednesday morning on Credicard Hall, in São Paulo. Drivers of the main category of the national race, guests and press were on the event.

The opening was commanded by Reginaldo Leme, broadcaster of TV Globo, which spoke about the importance of the partnership between the channel and Stock Car. The station has an agreement to transmit all the twelve races in 2008 and maintain this partnership in 2009’s season.

Carlos Col, president director of Vicar, Stock Car’s organizer, fortify Reginaldo Leme’s speech and the good investment that Stock Car represents today for the 160 companies that sponsor the teams and drivers. "In the begging there were a total of twenty cars in all categories. Now a day, in Stock Car, Vicar, Stock Jr. and Pick Up Racing, there is more than a hundred cars. Stock Car is a success."

Col added to his words the launch of 2009’s season calendar, informed about the continuity of Corrida do Milhão (the One Million Dollars Race) and also present two other news: the Corrida Verde (Green Race) and the Corrida de Rua (Street Race), that should take place in Salvador (capital of Bahia).

"The One Million Dollars Race had free publicity in newspapers and on television. In printed media, only in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, there were one hundred and sixty peaces. On television were thirty seven peaces that discuss the race. This was an outstanding cover and repercussion, which take us to repeat the race on the next year", says Col.

The Green Race, another novelty, will be all about ecological preservation and remission of global warming. This race will take place on the city of Curitiba and will have all the publicity material printed in recycled paper.

The focus of the event, 2009’s season, had a main character: the new car. The driver Ingo Hoffmann was invited to join Carlos Col to reveal the new model to the guests. The car, in black and gold, received the number 17 in honor to Ingo for his contribution in so many years of Stock Car.

Here is a picture of that new Chevrolet Astra:


Looks pretty darn sweet to me... like a kewler, sleeker version of the DTM Opel Astra of a few years back. Although the Black and Gold colours do make it look slightly tacky IMO.