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Fernando Alonso and Jimmie Johnson will come together at the Bahrain International Circuit later this year and swap cars. The pair have been teasing an announcement on social media over the last number of weeks, with Friday seeing confirmation of the event.
The run will occur one day after Alonso's final race in F1, as he confirmed earlier this year that he would be walking away from the series at the end of the current season. The Spaniard has been linked with a move to America to compete in IndyCar, where he made his debut in 2017.
Alonso racked up two world titles in his 17-year stint in F1, claiming back-to-back championships in 2005 and 2006. Johnson is one of the most successful NASCAR racers of all time, winning 83 races in his career so far. He sits in third place on the all-time win list in the modern era, only behind Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip.
He is also joined top for the most NASCAR championships with seven, along with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. It is believed that the event will be much more than a simple car swap and different to the run that took place between Lewis Hamilton and Tony Stewart at Watkins Glen in 2011.
Johnson will get behind the wheel of the MCL33 in Bahrain after spending time in the simulator, while Alonso will try out the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that Johnson has been racing in throughout 2018.
#JJxALO@JimmieJohnson pic.twitter.com/s8LwPyXURT
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) November 2, 2018
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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Replies (5)
Login to replyajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Nice, I don't know why we don't have this events more often. It's a win-win for everyone involved and it's nice for the fans of both sports.
blade
Posts: 341
Yep, agree entirely - can't wait to see this.
Norbert
Posts: 108
Lewis Hamilton spanked Tony Stewart at the Watkins Glen demo. “The track is drying out.” Stewart said nervously when it was pointed out. Alonso will face a hard challenge beating Jimmie Johnson’s times. I hope he sleeps well on the plane.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I remember. For Jimmie and Nascar's sake they better not have them go against each other. It would be very embarrassing for the Americans. Nascar is a joke. Other categories like Indy are serious places with proper athlete/drivers. But Nascar is a damn joke.
Bhurt
Posts: 320
Nice. Another thing I must remember to not watch.