Categoria: Generale

“Le monoposto sono il mio mondo”

Abbiamo parlato con l’austriaco Michael Aberer (50) in vista della sua gara di casa al Red Bull Ring (3-5 giugno 2022) e abbiamo scoperto perché ammira Niki Lauda, ma la sua Dallara da GP2 sarà in griglia con la livrea retrò di Jochen Rindt.

Cosa la spinge a guidare una vettura GP2?

MICHAEL ABERER: “In termini di dimensioni, la macchina mi si addice. Io peso 90 chili, in Formula 3 ne servono 70, 75: è semplicemente una macchina più piccola. Quindi la GP2 è più adatta a me da un punto di vista puramente fisico. E comunque le monoposto sono il mio mondo!”.

Ha un eroe in particolare?

ABERER: “Niki Lauda, ce l’ho sul muro come poster da quando ero bambino. Ma anche Gerhard Berger, a cui probabilmente sono più vicino in termini umani. Come lui, mi sono occupato di tutto: auto da corsa, affari… discoteca e, naturalmente, ragazze (ride)”.

Ma la sua auto è dipinta come la Lotus del campione del mondo Jochen Rindt, come mai?

ABERER: “Ci sono arrivato insieme a Ingo Gerstl. Lui ha pensato che fosse un po’ di storia e mi ha mostrato immagini di modelli memorabili del motorsport. Il rosso-bianco-rosso è ancora una volta il mio colore, quindi ho pensato: “Ok, sarà Jochen Rindt”. Poi c’era anche il 50° anniversario della sua morte (2020, n.d.r.) e così tutto è andato a posto. Anche se Jochen Rindt ha corso prima del mio tempo, come austriaco la sua storia mi interessa”.

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Recentemente, a Hockenheim, Michael Aberer ha fatto parte del gruppo di testa della classe FORMULA.

Qual è la sua storia nel motorsport fino ad oggi?

ABERER: “In modo classico, karting e slalom automobilistico. Ho avuto molto successo nello slalom automobilistico, 30 anni fa con una Golf GTi nel Vorarlberg. Ora è diverso, ma in passato si trattava di vere e proprie auto da corsa, con una gabbia all’interno, e anche la comunità dello slalom automobilistico era grande. Nel frattempo mi sono preso una piccola pausa. Poi ho ricominciato a fare karting per hobby e quindi sono passato alla Formula 3. Nel 2006 sono diventato campione del campionato di Formula 3. Nel 2006 sono diventato campione della cosiddetta serie B”.

Poi si è preso un’altra pausa…

ABERER: “Sì, nel 2012 ho smesso completamente e ho lasciato guidare mio figlio Lukas. Due anni fa, però, ho ricominciato. Ora vorrei guidare ancora un po’ la macchina e poi lascerò che sia Lukas ad andare per primo”.

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Aberer nella sua stagione di debutto nel 2020 con una World Series by Renault (qui a Spa).

Due anni fa ha corso per la prima volta nella BOSS GP Racing Series. Com’è composta oggi la sua squadra?

ABERER: “Attualmente ho ingaggiato il team Asche Racing con Flo Leitinger come capo meccanico. Sono bravi e per me ha senso soprattutto che si occupino della macchina, così sono molto più libero. Loro avvitano e io guido, come un pilota di Formula 1 (ride)”.

Cosa le piace di più del BOSS GP?

ABERER: “Mi piace la comunità. Qui si riuniscono molti piloti di diverse nazioni, tutti della stessa età. Sulle piste ci divertiamo, la sera ci sediamo insieme al barbecue. Prestazioni elevate, ma anche comfort. Non saremo più campioni del mondo di Formula 1, quindi abbiamo altre ambizioni. Dal punto di vista sportivo, il mio obiettivo quest’anno è salire sul podio e poi vedremo”.

Foto: Angelo Poletto & Michael Kavena/BOSS GP

Preview: Red Bull Ring Spielberg

This coming weekend (June 3-5), the BOSS GP Racing Series will be returning to the Red Bull Ring with the fastest racing cars in the world. Among them cars from Vettel, Klien and Berger.

Before the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix is held at the Red Bull Ring in just over a month’s time, priceless showpieces can already be spotted in racing action at Spielberg this coming weekend. Europe’s fastest racing series, BOSS GP, will gather several thousands of horsepower on the grid from Friday to Sunday. 22 Big Open Single Seaters – Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula 2 and GP2, World Series by Renault and Nissan – will ensure a program at the Red Bull Ring that cannot be overheard.

The orchestra includes, among others, the Toro Rosso STR3, with which Sebastien Vettel celebrated his first race victory in the rain at Monza, Christian Klien’s first Formula 1 car, the Jaguar R5 and Gerhard Berger’s last winning car, the Benetton B197. In addition, the US IndyCar bolide of Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport) also joins the colorful starting field. A familiar face will also be making his comeback in the BOSS GP Racing Series: Frits van Eerd (NLD, VES Racing), ProAM World Champion in the 2021 World Endurance Championship and a long-time BOSS GP driver, will try to stand up to opening double winner Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 with his Jaguar R5.

NumberNameNationTeamClassModelBuild inModel
1Ingo GerstlAUTTop SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006STR1
2Florian SchnitzenbaumerGERTop SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006STR1
5Frits van EerdNLDVES RacingF1Jaguar2004R5
7Ulf EhningerGERESBA RacingF1Benetton1997B197
10Harald SchlegelmilchLVAHS EngineeringOPENDallara2012World Series by Renault
11Anton WernerGERRyschka MotorsportOPENDallaraIRL
21Bernd HerndlhoferAUTH&A RacingFORMULADallaraGP2
22Michael AbererAUTAM MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
27Marco GhiottoITAScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
28Bruno JarachITAEesti MotorsportFORMULADallara2008GP2
31Paul O’ConnellIREHS EngineeringFORMULADallara2012World Series by Renault
32Simone ColomboITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2017F2
37Luca MartucciITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
43Giancarlo PedettiITANannini RacingFORMULADallara2014GP2
44Thomas JakoubekAUTTop SpeedFORMULADallara2008GP2
47Walter StedingGERScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
51Zdenek Chovanec LopezCZEMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
69Thomas JackermeierGERTop SpeedFORMULADallaraGP2
110Bianca SteinerAUTSteiner MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
111Alexander GeierAUTGeier RacingSUPER LIGHTSTatuus2003World Series by Renault
115Andreas HaslerAUTHasler MotorsportSUPER LIGHTSDallara2009World Series by Nissan

Local heroes:
The starting field also includes seven Austrian racing drivers: Beside Gerstl from Salzburg, Formula 1 TV expert Bianca Steiner (GP2, Steiner Motorsport), Bernd Herndlhofer (GP2, H&A Racing), Michael Aberer (GP2, MA Motorsport), Thomas Jakoubek (GP2, Top Speed) and the two V6 World Series cars of just 16-year-old Alexander Geier (Geier Racing) and Styrian local hero Andreas Hasler (Hasler Motorsport) will also be present.In addition, the Burgenland-based team HS Engineering has entered two cars for Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA) and Paul O’Connell (IRE).

Timetable (CEST):

Friday, 3 June 2022
13:30–13:55          Free practice 1
15:30–15:55          Free practice 2

Saturday, 4 June 2022
09:50–10:20          Qualifying
14:00–14:20          Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 5 June 2022
14:00–14:25          Race 2 (25 minutes)

Support races:

Motorsport fans will be offered a total of 17 races at the Rundstreckentrophy 2022 in addition to the free practice sessions and qualifying sessions. In addition to the two BOSS GP races (Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. each), several sports and touring car series and Formula 3 will start in the supporting program. Admission to all open grandstands is free, and fans can also visit the paddock free of charge and look over the teams’ shoulders as they work or get an autograph from one of the drivers.

Picture: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Hockenheim Race 2

In the fight for victory in the FORMULA classification, the action came to a head on the last lap. Class wins for Gerstl, Schlegelmilch, Colombo and Hasler.

BOSS GP rookie Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International) set an incredible pace for almost twenty minutes and already looked like the secure winner when his tyres started to degrade badly. Chovanec-Lopez’s GP2 car clearly started to drift more and more. In a powerslide he still tried to keep the fast-approaching Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) behind him, but the effort was in vain. Colombo managed his Pirelli P-Zero slicks better and thus took the FORMULA victory in Sunday’s 25-minute race.

Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was again able to collect a trophy at the podium ceremony, he finished third. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) crossed the finish line in an unthankful fourth place. The experienced Italian defeated Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport), who kept Martucci busy at the beginning of the race. Today, Aberer was able to score a good result after his retirement yesterday.

Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) finished sixth in class, ahead of Giancarlo Pedetti, who put in a clean performance as he did yesterday in his BOSS GP debut race. The best German was Walter Steding (Scuderia Palladio) in eighth place. Despite a collision at the start of the race, Alexander Seibold (GER, Scuderia Palladio) was also able to finish the race. Much to the delight of many fans, because Seibold started with a special helmet design as a tribute to the unforgotten Swiss Formula 1 and sports car racer Jo Siffert.

Well-attended grandstands in best early summer weather at the Jim Clark Revival in Hockenheim

The other classes:

The OPEN category of the Formula 1 cars was again a straightforward affair for Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the first car of Scuderia Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri). Despite an early technical knockout, Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) and Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) were able to score second and third respectively.

Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in the yellow-and-black World Series V8 machine performed as he did in Race 1 and, starting from last place on the grid, managed to overtake most of the field in the opening laps. The Latvian left all FORMULA cars behind and won the new classification of the modified BOSS GP cars.

After Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) could not take part in the race yesterday, the Austrian was eager to get through today. He succeeded and even more: Hasler claimed victory in the SUPER LIGHTS six-cylinder classification.

The two races in the Bosch Hockenheim Historic can be watched in replay at www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

The next two races of the BOSS GP Racing Series will follow in four weeks’ time (3-5 June 2022) as part of the Rundstreckentrophy at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

Note: The overall standings are currently still unofficial, as the modified FORMULA car class is only just being added to the regulations.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Hockenheim Race 1

Tens of thousands of fans listened intently as the BOSS GP made its comeback at the Hockenheimring.

In the first race of the 2022 season, Latvian Harald Schlegelmilch (HS Engineering) achieved the rare feat of taking FORMULA class victory from the last grid position. After a couple of laps, the former German Formula 3 trophy winner was already in the top three of the class, and on the sixth lap he finally overtook the FORMULA leader Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International). Schlegelmilch thus won for the fourth time in the BOSS GP Racing Series after Spielberg and Brno 2021. Chovanec-Lopez was also delighted with second place in his BOSS GP debut race.

Behind them, a three-way battle between the Italians Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio), Simone Colombo and Luca Martucci (both MM International) was going on for a while – including tyre lockups and a couple of overtake attempts. On the penultimate lap, Colombo managed the decisive braking manoeuvre against Ghiotto in the hairpin. Colombo thus jumped onto the podium “last minute”.

With a light gap, the Irishman Paul O’Connell (“I’m living my dream”) from HS Engineering finished in sixth place. 7th place in class was still being fought for all the way to the finish line: Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport), who had already passed Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) in the meantime, complained about a sudden loss of power. In the end, it was just not enough to challenge Steding for seventh place. Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) also finished his debut race in the BOSS GP Racing Series in the top ten with a ninth place.

OPEN race winner Ingo Gerstl from Team Top Speed

The OPEN class was once again safe for Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso F1. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) from Tübingen in a Benetton F1 kept out of all the FORMULA class fights and secured second place. His Benetton twin Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom) was only seen for a short time, he had to retire from the race early on due to technical problems.

Michael Aberer (MA Motorsport) was among those beaten in race 1: The Austrian did it like Sebastien Vettel once did and sunk his chances for a top position in the gravel bed of the Sachs curve – but the damage to his GP2 car should be repaired by the second race. Start time for race 2 is tomorrow Sunday at 3:55 p.m. (CEST), before that the warm-up runs at 11:05. You can follow all the action via livestream on www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Hockenheim Qualifying

Already on Saturday morning, the grandstands in the Motodrom were well attended and the open paddock at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic was crowded. Early birds were rewarded with V10 and V8 sounds from the BOSS GP.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), the BOSS GP champion from 2008, 2016 to 2020, took the first pole position of the year. Unsurprisingly, the man from Salzburg set the superior fastest time in this season’s first qualifying session with 1:21.093 in his Toro Rosso STR1. BOSS GP rookie Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International) will start the race alongside him. The 17-year-old with Formula 3 experience was thus the fastest driver in the FORMULA classification. Behind him, his teammate Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), last year’s FORMULA runner-up, will start the race. Fourth place was taken by Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom) in the 1997 Formula 1 Benetton, who despite a small spin at the start of qualifying managed to finish well ahead.

Due to his high demands, three-time BOSS GP champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) in the original GP2 car of Charles Leclerc was somehow disappointed with his 5th place. The Italian already complained yesterday about not coping well with the medium-fast track. Behind him Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport) will start into race one. Despite two spins, he was able to keep improving until the end of the session and move up to sixth place.

Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) and Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) will start the race from row 4. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) will only start from grid position nine due to a penalty, Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport) will start from 10th after little practice time on Friday.

Bianca Steiner in her GP2 car

The 17-strong grid will be chased this afternoon by Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering). After very good practice times, former BOSS GP race winner will only start the race from second-last place on the grid. Already in the outlap the drive shaft broke on the modified World Series by Renault bolide. However, the Austrian team will be able to repair the car before the race start (3:30 p.m. CET). Hopefully, local hero Andreas Fiedler will also be able to do the same, as he and his team will try to fix the temperature problems on his bilious green GP2 car.

The first of two races this weekend will be over a distance of 20 laps. Please remind, that the OPEN class drivers will already see the checkered flag after 15 minutes. BOSS GP’s race 1, like the other races at the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring, can be followed via livestream from 3:20 p.m. CET today: www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview: Hockenheim

Three years after its last appearance at Hockenheim, the BOSS GP Racing Series will be back at the start of the traditional event in honour of Jim Clark next weekend. We have summarised everything you need to know.

Tens of thousands of fans will return to the Motodrom from 6 to 8 May 2022 to honour the widely honoured Scottish racing driver Jim Clark, who tragically lost his life in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim in 1968. They will all bring the past back to life this weekend through intense racing action.

However, the organisers of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic are not afraid of building a bridge to the modern age. And so the BOSS GP Racing Series has not only been a regular part of the Jim Clark Revival for years, but also a real crowd-puller. The Big Open Single Seater series was born out of a fundamental question: What should be done with the numerous old cars from classes such as Formula 1, IndyCar, GP2, Auto GP, A1 GP, Superleague Formula or even the World Series? Put them in a museum? Or bring them back to the race track? The answer was obvious. And so the BOSS GP 2022 enters its 28th season this coming weekend. Here are the entrants for the first of six season events in 2022:

No.NameNationTeamClassCarBuild inModel
1Ingo GerstlAUTTop SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006STR1
7Ulf EhningerDEUESBA RacingF1Benetton1997B197
8Phil StratfordGBRPenn Elcom RacingF1Benetton1997B197
10Harald SchlegelmilchLVAHS EngineeringOPENDallara2012World Series V8 by Renault
15Christian FerstlAUTTop SpeedFORMULADallara2011GP2
22Michael AbererAUTAM MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
27Marco GhiottoITAScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
28Bruno JarachITAEesti MotorsportFORMULADallara2008GP2
31Paul O’ConnellIREHS EngineeringFORMULADallara2012World Series by Renault
32Simone ColomboITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2017F2
37Luca MartucciITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
43Giancarlo PedettiITANannini RacingFORMULADallara2014GP2
44Thomas JakoubekAUTTop SpeedFORMULADallara2008GP2
46Alexander SeiboldDEUSeibold Auto + SportFORMULADallara2005GP2
47Walter StedingDEUScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
51Zdenek Chovanec LopezCZEMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
66Andreas FiedlerDEUFiedler RacingFORMULADallara2008GP2
110Bianca SteinerAUTSteiner MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
111Alexander GeierAUTGeier RacingSUPER LIGHTSTatuus2003World Series by Renault
115Andreas HaslerAUTHasler MotorsportSUPER LIGHTSDallara2009World Series by Nissan

Support races:

In addition to the BOSS GP Racing Series, five other formula series will be part of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic: Formula 2, plus the Historic Race Car Association‘s racing cars represent the legendary junior Formula Ford, Vee, Super Vee and Formula 3. The Raceclub Germany is home to various single-seater categories up to Formula 1. The Lurani Trophy is a reminiscence of the legendary Formula Junior, which formed the springboard for a great career for countless top talents. And the Historic Formula Vee Europe is, as the name suggests, about one of the most successful and long-lived junior formulas in history. They all open up a glimpse into a past in which perhaps not everything was more beautiful, but in which legends were written and which is associated with numerous and varied memories, not only among older racing fans.

Fans of historic touring cars, GTs and prototypes will also get their money’s worth at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic. Five other racing series are dedicated to the automotive jewels with roofs, some of which date back to the 1950s, and which offer absolute highlights in the colourful programme of the traditional event, and not only in the form of the brute racers of the legendary Group C.

Timetable and livestream:

Friday, 6 May 2022
12:40–13:10     Free Practice 1
16:45–17:15     Free Practice 2

Saturday, 7 May 2022
09:40–10:10     Qualifying
15:30               Race 1 (20 minutes) LIVESTREAM

Sunday, 8 May 2022
11:05–11:15     Warm-up
15:55                Race 2 (25 minutes) LIVESTREAM

The programme on Saturday and Sunday, including the two races of the BOSS GP, can also be watched for free from home in the livestream with live commentary: www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Side events at the Hockenheim Historic

An event like the Bosch Hockenheim Historic thrives above all on interaction with the fans. The paddock and pit area are open and visible to everyone. All the action on the race track will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday via a large video screen in the Sachs Curve, so that the spectators in the inner grandstand will be well informed at all times about what is happening on the rest of the 4.5-kilometre Grand Prix circuit. In addition, a wide range of information is displayed on the big screen. And if you want to enjoy some quiet time before, during or after your visit to the paddock and grandstands, you can simply visit the Jim Clark exhibition in the congress pavilion.

Tickets:

The ticket prices reflect the family character of the event. Friday tickets start at 10 euros, day tickets for Saturday and Sunday are available from 30 euros, and those who want to experience the entire weekend up close and personal can get in for 45 euros. And for those who like it a bit more exclusive, VIP packages are available from 200 euros. Tickets are available via the online ticket shop or by calling the hotline at +49 6205 950 222.

Picture: Michael Kavena/BOSS GP

Ritratto del nuovo coordinatore della serie

L’italiano Dario Pergolini, esperto di corse, è il nuovo coordinatore della serie BOSS GP Racing Series.

Dall’inizio di quest’anno, Dario Pergolini coordina le sorti dell’organizzazione della serie di corse più veloce d’Europa. Il pilota di origine italiana vive in Liechtenstein e può vantare un curriculum ricco di benzina: dal 2019 al 2021, Pergolini ha curato la Benetton di Formula 1 del tedesco Ulf Ehninger ed è diventato anche campione di classe OPEN con il Team ESBA Racing.

Durante questi anni, Pergolini ha conosciuto e apprezzato personalmente la BOSS GP Series e i suoi partecipanti. “Sono stato sorpreso che il consiglio di amministrazione di BOSS GP mi abbia chiesto di assumere questo compito impegnativo. Ora sono felice di far parte di una squadra così grande. Mantenere e far crescere questa serie di corse in questi tempi difficili non sarà facile ed è certamente un compito impegnativo”, dice Pergolini.

Dario conosce anche lo sport come una scuola di vita: “Il motorsport in ogni sua sfaccettatura è una sfida che sono abituato a padroneggiare fin dalla mia gioventù – con tutte le sue avversità, ma conosco anche i successi!” L’italiano non è stato solo un creatore di campioni una volta: nei primi anni 2000, è diventato campione nella Coppa Alfa 147 tre volte di fila con il top team tedesco di touring car Engstler Motorsport. Nel 2008, lui stesso è arrivato terzo nella STM e terzo nel campionato ADAC Procar come pilota di un’Alfa Romeo. Con la sua squadra, è stato secondo classificato nella Porsche Cup tedesca nel 2013. Al volante in quel momento: l’ex pilota della Boss GP Reinhard Kofler.

Dario al volante nel Campionato svizzero di Turismo

Pergolini descrive i suoi punti salienti come un pilota attivo come “certamente il terzo posto assoluto nel 2016 in un prototipo Ligier alla 24h ore di Zolder così come il mio impegno alle 24h ore storica di Daytona in una Lola T70 Spyder”. Pergolini ha anche fatto alcuni giri lui stesso nella BOSS GP Racing Series a Spa e al Mugello in una Dallara GP2 del Team Top Speed. “Abbiamo così tante grandi squadre e piloti da tutta l’Europa continentale, il Regno Unito e gli Stati Uniti che sono fedeli alla nostra serie di corse. Ogni stagione vogliamo offrire loro di nuovo come BOSS GP una piattaforma professionale dove le auto di formula della classe più alta possono essere guidate in un modo che si addice alla loro specie – tutto questo su piste selezionate con i più alti standard di sicurezza FIA”.

Pergolini ha lavorato come ingegnere per il pilota ESBA Racing Ulf Ehninger (Benetton B197)

Pergolini succede a Malin Strandberg nel suo ruolo di coordinatore della serie, una posizione che ha ricoperto con cuore e anima per molti anni. La svedese dedicherà più tempo al suo compito di team manager del Team Top Speed. Per i team e i piloti, Pergolini è il primo punto di contatto tra e durante i weekend di gara della BOSS GP Racing Series.

Foto: Geoffrey Reynard/DreamArtMedia, Archiv Dario Pergolini, Robert Lösch

Formula 1 ”just for fun”

Ulf Ehninger from Tübingen in Germany surprisingly won the BOSS GP OPEN class title in 2021. We spoke to the defending champion ahead of the season opener in Hockenheim (6-8 May 2022) to discuss the speciality of running a classic Formula 1 car.

Let’s look back to 2021: What are the strongest memories of your masterpiece?

ULF EHNINGER: “Probably that we made it at all! We didn’t even realise it until Monza. It was only when Thomas Hummer from Pirelli told me at the podium ceremony that we had a chance that we started thinking about it. Before that, we wanted to be completely relaxed about it – it was just for fun. I learned that if I take the pressure off, it works better. Ingo Gerstl helped me to understand the set-up of the car. I didn’t feel comfortable in the car for a long time, now I feel the car and its limits much better.”

Was verbindet dich mit dem Benetton B197?

EHNINGER: “The car is great, I often stand languishing in front of it. Actually, the car is much too beautiful to drive. You should know, that it’s probably also the Formula 1 car with the most kilometres worldwide!”

What do you need to be able to do to drive a car like that?

EHNINGER: “James Hunt once said, ‘big balls’. Before I get into a car like this, I have quite a mental dilemma When you sit in it, however, it’s gone. But it’s still a huge challenge to drive it. After the first free practice session I’m completely blown away – and confronted with a lot of impressions – that takes a lot of effort. Gerstl pulls the trigger, I have to feel my way. Engineer Dario Pergolini helped me a lot with his analysis tools. I can’t even describe the feeling of driving such a racing car. Acceleration is the quickest thing to get used to, but I’ll never get used to the cornering speeds.”

How did it come about in the first place? You don’t buy a Formula 1 car in a supermarket …

EHNINGER: “I drove endurance races for a long time. But my dream was always to drive a Formula 1 racing car, which I wanted to do for my 50th birthday. The fact that I now own and drive one myself and have already driven almost 3,000 kilometres in it – that’s a dream come true. I drove a sports car in the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring in 2018. We broke the drive shaft. After the repair, we walked through the paddock late at night. As we passed Phil Stratford’s pits, a sticker said ‘Sale’. Rather jokingly, we then called the number and ended up with Kevin Mansell and Phil Stratford, who informed us about the car the very next day. It then took some time, as the car was in the USA, until we could get started. But our goal has always been to run the car ourselves and not have another team look after it.”

That sounds good, but not easy.

EHNINGER: “I do most of the work myself and also drive the truck. The search for parts can be very tiring, it can take three months to find something. In winter, everything is checked – every sealing ring, the entire chassis for possible damage and so on. The spare parts have to be rebuilt. We are currently working on a solution to increase the short running times of the gearbox. After the race at the Red Bull Ring (3-5 June 2022, note), the engine will then come in for an overhaul.”

Why can’t you get enough of it anyway?

EHNINGER: “I think it’s nice to spend a race weekend together with others. I have been super well welcomed into the BOSS GP. It was always said that only the rich ‘snobs’ race there – but it wasn’t like that. So we enjoy spending a weekend like this as a community rather than attending track days somewhere anonymously. Last year the Italians invited us for dinner, and even though we didn’t know Italian and they didn’t know German, we had a delicious evening of conversation.”

Your team ESBA Racing originally comes from endurance racing, how are you set up?

EHNINGER: “As you rightly say, ESBA already existed before the Benetton, roughly since 2016. We had already bought a truck for it, which we still use today to spend the night at the race tracks. Jochen, with whom I’ve been friends for over 30 years, has been with me from the beginning. When I’m driving, he’s with me. When he rides, I’m with him. I met Jens through a friend. He has become a valuable team member and is now also involved with Glickenhaus. He’s passionate about Benetton, and without him it wouldn’t work at all. Then there is Dario, who has brought professionalism to the team.

Can you briefly summarise your racing career so far?

EHNINGER: “Career is perhaps a little overstated (laughs). More than 20 years ago, I really wanted to race on the Nordschleife. Together with friends we built a BMW E36 M3 – without much time or money. Later I also drove an Audi and a Porsche – even the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring twice. The Nordschleife is certainly the greatest track there is.

What I like about the BOSS GP Racing Series is the way the people tick, that you can have fun together and that politics is in the background. With Pirelli, we have a strong partner and are certainly on the right track. I wish, more being done for young talent.”

What are your plans for the new season?

EHNINGER: “In addition to a few races in the BOSS GP, I will also try to drive another historic race car a few times, namely a V8 Star bolide (German silhouette series from the early 2000s, note) – the original Hasseröder car from Harald Grohs.”

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Now or never

Teams and drivers can only register for this season until Friday (18 February 2022) at a special price.

Interested petrolheads can find the registration form (available as a PDF and as a Word document) under this link. Compared to individual entries, full season registration is cheaper and planning for the organisation is much easier.

The BOSS GP Racing Series will continue to offer participants and fans a spectacle for all the senses in 2022. Seven racing events on the best and safest race tracks in Europe are planned for the Big Open Single Seater. The fastest monopostos of the past 25 years will be brought to life and raced in this series. These include Formula 1 cars, IndyCars, Formula 2 or GP2 cars and bolides from the World Series by Renault. Also eligible are monopostos such as the Rodin FZED or Lotus T125, which are specially designed for use on track days and for gentleman drivers. With the still young class of SUPER LIGHTS, Formula 3000 cars and cars from the World Series by Nissan with the six-cylinder engines also get a new home.

For more information on registration and regulations, please contact BOSS GP General Manager Dario Pergolini at office@bossgp.com or +41 78 670 15 00.

BOSS GP Racing Series Events 2022:

  • 6-8 May | Jim Clark Revival Hockenheim (Germany)
  • 3-5 June | Red Bull Ring Spielberg (Austria)
  • 17-19 June | French Historic Grand Prix Le Castellet (France)
  • TBA | Race to be announced
  • 9-11 September | Masaryk Racing Days Brno (Czech Republic)
  • 14-16 October | Forza Fanatec Mugello (Italy)
  • 4-6 November | Pirelli Grande Finale Misano (Italy)

Photo: Angelo Poletto

Registrazione 2022

A partire da ora, le squadre e i piloti possono registrarsi per la BOSS GP Racing Series stagione 2022.

La registrazione per la stagione 2022 è ora aperta e durerà fino al 18 febbraio 2022. Rispetto alle iscrizioni individuali, la registrazione per è più economica. Gli interessati possono trovare il modulo di registrazione (disponibile come PDF e come documento Word) a questo link.

La BOSS GP Racing Series offrirà nuovamente ai partecipanti e ai fan uno spettacolo per tutti i sensi nel 2022. Sette eventi di gara sui migliori e più sicuri circuiti d’Europa sono previsti per la Big Open Single Seater. Le monoposto più veloci degli ultimi 25 anni saranno portate in vita e mosse con decisione in questa serie.

Per ulteriori informazioni sulla registrazione e i regolamenti, si prega di contattare il direttore generale di BOSS GP Dario Pergolini a office@bossgp.com o +41 78 670 15 00.

BOSS GP Racing Series Date 2022:

  • 6-8 maggio | Jim Clark Revival Hockenheim (Germania)
  • 3-5 giugno | Red Bull Ring Spielberg (Austria)
  • 17-19 giugno | French Historich Grand Prix Le Castellet (Francia)
  • TBA | Gara da annunciare
  • 9-11 settembre | Masaryk Racing Days Brno (Repubblica Ceca)
  • 14-16 ottobre | Forza Fanatec Mugello (Italia)
  • 4-6 novembre | Pirelli Grande Finale Misano (Italia)

Foto: Robert Lösch