September 22, 2012
Published on tags: Superleague
What is the one disadvantage of heading to Brazil right after being in the States? It definitely has to be trying to lose the extra two inches off the waist line from the American diet. I feel like I need to invest in some of those ultra quick weight loss programmes to get ready for the scantily clad Latino?s in two weeks time.

Luckily, I?ve worked off quite a bit as I ran up and down the Road America paddock (seriously, the size the of place had me wanting to requisition a segway to get around.) So after more than a week without any juicy gossip, some of you are no doubt in withdrawal. Hopefully I can satisfy your fix in this helping of paddock talk.

Jason Muscat is reportedly been lined up by Red Archer to replace the ailing David Jundt. The Maltese ace was scheduled to partner Jundt this season before a number of technical issues put a halt to those plans. Recently Muscat has been able to overcome those obstacles and team owner Nikos Evangelidakis is said to be wasting no time about getting the former grand prix winner back into a Superleague car. Sources say that Muscat could be in the car before the end of the season.

It has been poor season for Jundt, who is coming off a surprising run to third in the championship last year. Despite having one of the better cars on the grid, he has struggled to match the performances of Janne Tanskanen and Ojay Clark. Many in the paddock thought the enigmatic Swiss driver would be safe for another season given his strong bond with the team. This seems to be no longer the case with Muscat solving the issues that have kept him out of the highest tier.

Should Jundt become available, options are expected to be limited. Nijo Racing may be interested if they are unable to tie down the services of this year?s silent assassin, Ruud Heesterbeek. Not much has been said about the Dutch man who has been a consistent point?s scorer this season. His stock has risen with each passing race and has regularly found himself as ?best of the rest? in the neon green and white car.

Nordsjoen have long been touted as a potential destination for the Dutch man. Team owner William Ponissi has never been shy of his admiration for Heesterbeek as he searches for a proper replacement for Joe Consiglio. Despite a poor season for the team that has been blighted by inconsistency and incidents, Nordsjoen are still regarded as a desirable option for most drivers to land.

Dave Carr-Smith is naturally in consideration again after reportedly been offered Consiglio?s vacant seat back at Monaco. Simon Cattell and Ojay Clark are also said to be on the team?s wishlist while Ponissi is also considering an aggressive move for leading Supercup contending driver Petter Kaasa. The Norwegian, a long-time member of the Torrent Motorsports group, is said to be considering his options as it is uncertain whether the team will be granted entry to the Superleague next season.

One man that won?t be in Nordsjoen colours next season is current incumbent Bart de Vos. The current Supercup champion announced he would not be taking up an option to continue with the team in 2013. Don?t expect Jarl Teien back either. The quick but incident prone driver has not been seen Monza and no longer is contracted with the team.

Pavel Loknovski may be spared the axe as the team searches for some consistency going forward. The Estonian has endured a series of highs and lows in his first full Superleague season. However, while results have not matched expectations, he has impressed many with his determination to work through the raft of issues and is likely to be retained for his efforts in a troubled season for the fallen giants of Superleague.