Felix Rosenqvist and fellow countryman John Bryant-Meisner will form part of an all-Swedish entry for the first official test ahead of the new ACCELERATION motorsport festival concept set to be introduced in 2014.
The two Swedes will share driving duties in a brand new 550-bhp Formula ACCELERATION 1 (FA1) car run by the country’s premier single-seater outfit, F3 squad Performance Racing, for the two-day test – which takes place at Circuito de Navarra in northern Spain on November 29-30. The test will be used for pure assessment purposes by Performance Racing as it evaluates a potential entry into the series for next year.
Rosenqvist was part of Performance Racing’s 2010 driver line-up in the German-based ATS Formula 3 Cup, and has since gone on to establish himself as one of the most exciting prospects in international single-seater racing – finishing second overall in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with ten wins to his tally this season. Bryant-Meisner’s more recent association with the Gothenburg squad, meanwhile, netted him two race wins during the 2013 ATS Formula 3 Cup campaign, and also saw the 19-year-old put in a dominant performance on a British F3 guest appearance at Silverstone back in May.
The ACCELERATION event platform promises to combine high-level single-seater racing with off-track entertainment activities and live music, with the proposed 2014 calendar featuring ten rounds spread across Europe – including one at former Swedish Grand Prix venue Anderstorp in June. FA1 will mark the main category on the event programme, which will also contain various other lower-performance series.
BOBBY ISSAZADHE (Team Principal, Performance Racing): “At Performance Racing, we have always embraced new ideas and concepts, dating back to our days in A1GP and encompassing everything we’ve done since. The ACCELERATION platform – although still in its early stages – is exciting, and therefore something we want to evaluate for the future. We will not just assess the cars and infrastructure, but also the possibility of launching a project which allows us to showcase the true talent of Swedish motorsport. To that cause, I’m glad that the first two to take care of driving duties as we dip our toes into the water will be Felix and John – two great kids, and two very gifted drivers.”
FELIX ROSENQVIST (driver): “I’m looking forward to trying out the new FA1 car; it certainly seems to be a bit of a beast, with wide tyres and a 550-bhp engine. It can only add to my experience, and it’ll be good to work with Bobby and the rest of Performance Racing again following our successful season together in 2010. I’ll obviously do my best to help the team out with the evaluation of the car at Navarra – and I’m sure I will enjoy it a lot!”