Super Nova Racing
Super Nova Racing was a British racing team that has competed in Formula 3000/GP2 and the A1 Grand Prix series. Super Nova first entered racing in 1991. Super Nova was a new incarnation of the pre-existing David Sears Motorsport, sponsored by the Nova chain of Japanese English schools and also ran the Danish Den Blå Avis outfit.
| Founded | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Nozomu Saruhashi David Sears |
| Folded | 2015 |
| Base | Griston, Norfolk, England |
| Team principal(s) | David Sears |
| Former series | Auto GP Formula E Formula 3000 A1 Grand Prix GP2 Series GP2 Asia Series |
| Teams' Championships | International Formula 3000: 2000 A1 Grand Prix: 2006-07 Auto GP: 2012, 2013 |
| Drivers' Championships | International Formula 3000: 1995: Vincenzo Sospiri 1997: Ricardo Zonta 1998: Juan Pablo Montoya 2002: Sébastien Bourdais Auto GP: 2012: Adrian Quaife-Hobbs 2013: Vittorio Ghirelli |
| Website | http://www.supernovainternational.com/ |
In July 2007, naming sponsor Nova's legal problems became the subject of intense media coverage in Japan, and by the end of September 2007 the company was reported to be unable to pay staff salaries or rent, being declared bankrupt in November 2007 amidst a widening scandal about business improprieties, but SuperNova continued to list Nova as a sponsor. On 24 June 2008, President Saruhashi of the Nova chain of English schools was taken into police custody and faced charges of embezzlement. In August 2009, Saruhashi was convicted and sentenced to a 42-month jail term.
In February 2012, it was announced that Super Nova would withdraw from the GP2 Series. They were replaced by the Italian team Lazarus.
On 1 July 2014 Super Nova announced that it will be competing in the FIA Formula E Championship under the Trulli GP name.