Sports Gazette

Only two Brazilian teams, Corinthians and Flamengo, made it to the podium this Sunday, during the Estoril (Portugal) round of the Formula Superliga. Created in 2008, the category features races featuring cars adorned with the colors and symbols of various football clubs around the world.

Taking pole position in the first race, Pizzonia finished third in the opening heat of the stage, finishing behind Olympiacos of Greece and Liverpool of England. It was the first time the Mediterranean team had won in history. Interestingly, the race marked the debut of Argentine Esteban Guerrieri on the team, replacing Italian Davide Rigon, last year's champion with Beijing Guoan.

Only 13th in this race, Enrique Bernoldi's Flamengo took advantage of the reverse grid at the start of the second race and finished third. Portugal's Alvaro Parente delighted the fans by leading Porto to first place, followed by Sevilla's Sébastien Bourdais. Timão finished fifth.

Recently fired from the Toro Rosso Formula 1 team, Bourdais did even better in his Super League debut, triumphing in the Super Final, a race between the top six teams based on points from both races. Second place went to Olympiacos, followed by Liverpool. Pizzonia didn't fare well in this race, as did Anderlecht and Milan.

The Reds lead the 2009 season in the category, with 282 points, compared to another English team, Tottenham, with 224. After the races, Corinthians moved up from sixth to fifth place, with 211, just one behind Milan. Flamengo is tenth, with 150. The next doubleheader of the Super League is scheduled for October 3rd and 4th in Monza, Italy. After that race, there will be just one more doubleheader, in Spain.