Gerstl wins opening race in Assen
Austria’s Ingo Gerstl showed a smart move in the dying seconds of race 1 at the TT Circuit in Assen to nick the triumph from local hero Klaas Zwart
Dutchman Zwart delighted his fans by taking the lead when the lights went out and managed to keep archrival Gerstl behind him for most of the race.
However, due to a spin of Salvatore de Plano, the Safety Car had to neutralise the competition, and when the green flags returned, Gerstl reacted a split second quicker than Zwart and slid past to take the lead.
Showing three laps in qualifying speed, the Austrian opened up a three-second-lead over Zwart, which he carried across the finish line to take his fifth victory of the season.
On his way to victory, Gerstl broke the official track record lapping the circuit in 1:19.92 minutes.
Zwart came runner-up ahead of countryman Frits van Eerd. “After the Safety-Car phase I simply reacted too late. I was looking for Ingo in my mirrors, while he slipped past me”, Zwart explained. “But the pace is there, so I will try to fight back Sunday.”
In the FORMULA Class Gary Hauser crowned his comeback with his third win following the double at the season opener in Hockenheim.
“I am delighted about winning here on this renowned track. The two F1 cars were too quick, of course, but I could control the rest of the pack”, the Luxemburg driver was all smiles.
Hauser also profitted from the retirement of his closest pursuer, Swiss Christof von Grünigen. The Zele Racing driver had to retire his car after 6 laps with a clutch failure.
“Christof was doing a great job, but then his clutch basket exploded. We already had problems with the clutch ahead of the race, but seemed to have solved them before the start. It’s a pity, but we will attack again tomorrow”, team boss Michael Zele said.
Standings leader Christopher Brenier finished second, while Mexico’s Luis Dorrbecker was third. “P2 is a good finish. Gary was untouchable for me today, so I have achieved maximum points from what was possible”, Brenier was content.
The second BOSS GP race of the weekend will take place Sunday at 13:50 local time.