Rumors have it that Antti Buri is skipping Wales and Knockhill in favor for Alastaro Formula Ford NEZ.
Racing in the UK has not gone too well for the LMS Racing protegé, so focusing on NEZ is perhaps a good move. Most of Buri's challenges relate to issues with the Duratec, but at this stage it is unclear if the underlying root cause is in the engine itself (three have blown...) or something in the auxiliary systems and car. Overall it seems for this season that Buri's gamble going for the Mtec (ex-Comtec) car is not paying off, unfortunately. On the other hand, Antti and the team are definitely building some important learnings and knowledge, which was a key part of the objectives for this season.Rumors indicate that the NEZ championship is some form of Cup this year, but this remains to be confirmed. Apparently Danish drivers are heading to Zandvoort the same weekend, so there will be limited participation from that direction. However, some Swedish racers will be present, and thus something like 4 or more Duratecs should be seen on the grid, running gasoline. The Zetecs running in the Finnish Championships will be running on ethanol.
The Alastaro weekend is a bigger event in particular thanks to the visiting Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series. This means we can expect a full grid and a range of professional teams manning the paddock. Last years' racing, dominated by Valtteri Bottas, certainly provided a good show and thus this year should be no exception.
