Euronova Racing will run Japanese duo Shinya Michimi and Yoshitaka Kuroda at this weekends round in Monza but current Auto GP World Series championship leader Kimiya Sato is absent. Michele La Rosa will also race in the sister MLR71 by Euronova entry.
Sato’s absence will give title rivals such as Tamas Pal Kiss, Markus Pommer and Kevin Giovesi the opportunity to close down the gap at the top of the standings. With the Japanese driver also set to miss the Austrian round in July, it could blow the championship wide open.
Michimi makes his series debut in his place, and the 20-year-old tested for the team in Adria earlier this week.
“I am very excited to compete in a highly competitive series like Auto GP with a Euronova Racing prepared car,” said Michimi. “My test in Adria went well, and although I am taking a big step, I feel ready for the challenge of the Auto GP series.
“I am also very excited to race on such a historic track like Monza, as it has a fantastic classic layout, and has held so many great Grand Prix in the past.”
Michimi is not the only driver making their first appearance of the season at Monza in Auto GP. Swiss driver Christof von Grünigen makes his debut for Zele Racing, while the Zele team also hand young Venezuelan Samin Gomez her first start of the year. A total of 14 entries have been announced, the most of any race so far in 2014.
