During the 20 years of International Formula 3000 as the main training ground for Formula 1, before it was replaced by GP2 in 2005, many motorsport legends passed through without becoming champion. From drivers that went on to become F1 race winners to Indianapolis 500 conquerors and sportscar heroes, we've attempted to rank the best nearly-men of F3000 during the latest episode of the Autosport podcast, which features special guest David Sears.

Boss of the Super Nova Racing team that delivered titles with Vincenzo Sospiri, Ricardo Zonta, Juan Pablo Montoya and Sebastien Bourdais between 1995 and 2002, Sears joins chief editor Kevin Turner and Plus editor James Newbold to dissect our resident F3000 enthusiast's list. He also shares his anecdotes of the Super Nova drivers that made our list and reflects on those he raced against during a glittering driving career that morphed into becoming a team owner and driver manager.

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