Minardi Team USA drivers, Dan Clarke and Robert Doornbos spent this past week taking part in the Champ Car World Series European Media Tour, each participating in a press conference in their home country, as well as in other European cities. source: champcarworldseries.com Dan and Robert played an active and very important role in helping to promote Champ Car's current, and future, expansion into Europe. In addition to the drivers, Minardi Team USA co-owners Paul Stoddart and Keith Wiggins also have deep roots in European racing. Paul Stoddart's recent presence in Europe as a Formula One team owner and successful entrepreneur is well-known. His European Aviation Group was a major sponsor of Tyrrell in the late 1990s, before he started his own F3000 team, European Formula Racing. Stoddart is originally from Melbourne, Australia, but now lives in Ledbury, England. He purchased the Minardi F1 team in early 2001, and rapidly became known as a tenacious defender of the rights of the smaller, independent teams in the sport. He sold the Minardi F1 Team at the end of the 2005 season, but will return to competition in Europe with Minardi Team USA, less than two years after departing the Formula One scene. Keith Wiggins had unrivalled success in Europe before making the jump across the pond to the United States. Wiggins, who hails from London, competed as a driver in British Formula Ford, and also as an engineer in British F3 and European Formula 2000. He then formed Pacific Racing in 1984, which is the only team to have won every single-seater European Championship below Formula One. He then established Pacific Grand Prix, which competed in Formula One in 1994 and 1995. Wiggins embraces his return to racing in Europe, both for himself and for the entire Minardi USA team. "To me, Champ Car's decision to return to Europe is great for the Series and for the teams," comments Wiggins. "It is a motorsport enthusiast's market, with the fans being both knowledgeable and passionate about good racing. "Last time we went to Europe, it was a success, but even so, we weren't able to show our true performance due to the requirement to race on an oval and a small road course, with the same car, on back-to-back weekends. Now with two road courses and no restrictions, we should be able to show the fans how competitive and close our events are, which is exactly what they like." He added, "From a personal standpoint, I have won championships in both these Benelux markets, and in fact have lived in both countries. I have also taken drivers from both Belgium and Holland to championship wins, so I am very familiar with the countries and the fans, and have a great deal of good memories relating to those days. I still enjoy going back, and obviously want to do well there. "Europe is where I started my team and my career, so I'll probably feel more comfortable and look forward to going there more than some of the other team owners. I suspect the places and the spectators have changed a little now, as time moves on, but hopefully, not all the journalists and fans I knew have retired yet!"
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