Rising star Massimiliano Cuccarese (high school student from Pignola in South Italy) made a fantastic debut in BOSS GP last time at Assen. Before his home race in Mugello the MM International driver explained why the BOSS GP Racing Series has captivated him.
When did your adventure with motorsport begin?
MAX CUCCARESE: “I became passionate about motorsport after watching MotoGP races on TV, but when I got older I rather preferred cars, especially single-seaters.”
Assen in August 2024: Max Cuccarese’s debut in a GP2 car
Tell us about your path from karting to BOSS GP
CUCCARESE: “I started in 2020 (when he was 13 years old, note) with karts in the IAME X30 junior category in the Campania regional championship. Due to the COVID pandemic participating in races was only possible one year later (i.e. in 2021). I finished the championship in 3rd place, unfortunately after missing a race for family reasons. In 2021 I took part in my first Italian Championship and WSK Euro Series in Sarno in the OK Senior category. The following year I switched to single seaters and did some tests with Formula 4 on Italian circuits. In 2023 I moved to Formula 3 and did a couple of tests with the Dallara F317. At the beginning of 2024 I did a test with the Dallara F320 before moving on to the fantastic GP2 of the MM International Motorsport team last June.”
Can you describe your emotions during your first race weekend in a super-fast single-seater last time with BOSS GP in Assen?
CUCCARESE: “It’s been a while since my last race and without knowing the track, I didn’t know what to expect, also because it was my first race in this car. But as soon as I got on the track during Free Practice I immediately got an excellent feeling and I realized that with the hard work of the all team members we had the speed to get on the podium in both races. As soon as I crossed the finish line of race 1 in place 2 I was really emotional and felt very happy for myself and the whole team.”
First race, first podium: Max (le.) finished second in Assen behind Simone Colombo (centre) and ahead of Marco Ghiotto (ri.)
How do you like the environment in BOSS GP?
CUCCARESE: “It’s a really pleasant environment, there is great respect between all the drivers and teams on and off the track. The fans are amazing, with a unique passion and support. I would also like to thank my team MM International Motorsport for the trust they have placed in me and for the work they do with real passion.”
What goal do you have? What are you aiming for in motorsports?
CUCCARESE: “My future goal is to race the fastest single seaters such as the F2 World Championship, Super Formula, IndyCar and maybe even F1.”
95,000 fans saw the City Showrun on Thursday as an appetiser in the centre of Assen and another three days of great racing on the TT Circuit. The championship remains wide open after round 4 in the Netherlands.
In addition to Formula 1 star David Coulthard, BOSS GP driver Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Team Top Speed) attracted a lot of attention when he accelerated his Toro Rosso STR1 next to the canal and then skilfully performed a few pirouettes. Gerstl’s team-mate Erich Zech attracted similar attention when he drove his roaring 1997 Ferrari Formula 1 around the 4.555-kilometre track during the demo runs.
The City Show Run in the centre of Assen was a blast
F1
It was also Gerstl who won both races in the F1 class and set the lap record on the legendary MotoGP circuit with a lap time of 1:16.791 in qualifying. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) finished second twice, which was enough to keep him at the top of the standings. The Benetton driver goes into the race in Mugello with a 44-point lead, which is also the last chance for the Formula 1 cars to score points this year. Due to the track licence, only the OPEN, FORMULA and SUPER LIGHTS classes are eligible to start at the grand finale in Misano.
Ulf Ehninger celebrates 2nd place twicein BOSS GP’s F1 category
FORMULA
After Juju Noda (MM International) not only secured her first pole position at the Red Bull Ring, but also won a BOSS GP race for the first time, the 17-year-old Japanese driver followed this up with another pole position in Assen. However, Noda found herself behind her team-mate on the way to turn 1. It was then a close call with Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), who squeezed past Noda on the inside of turn 1. While Noda lost places at the start, Michael Fischer (AUT, Red Rosa Racing by LRT) made up positions at the back of the field. After a technical failure in qualifying, he made up 13 places in the race compared to the starting grid and ultimately finished fourth in the FORMULA classification.
Simone Colombo wins race 1
While Colombo controlled the pace at the front and took his fifth win of the season, newcomer Max Cuccarese (ITA, MM International) surprised everyone with a confident drive and second place in his very first race in a GP2 car. The youngest driver in the field confirmed this performance on Sunday with another podium finish (3rd). Marco Ghiotto scored the same number of points as Cuccarese with 3rd and 2nd place.
Two BOSS GP youngsters: race winner Juju Noda (18 years) with Max Cuccarese (17 yrs.)
Noda made a much better start in the second race, enabling her to defend her lead over Colombo. As the two MM drivers in their GP2 Dallara looked set for another duel this season, Colombo retired. As this happened in the first half of the race, the defending champion was only awarded half points instead of full points. The third retirement of the season was another setback for the fast Italian in the battle for the championship title. Marco Ghiotto remains in the lead. The 2019-2021 champion is scoring points with consistency and is now 22 points ahead of his compatriot Colombo.
Marco Ghiotto drives by the fans in the grandstand
Martin Kindler (SUI) also left Assen with a smile on his face. The Swiss returnee to the series not only qualified for Q1 (top five in free practice), but also delivered two strong results with 6th and 5th place. Andreas Fiedler (GER) was able to put the problems of the last races behind him and scored twice with 7th and 6th places, while Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) was able to regain his old form in the races after a mixed training session and finished 8th twice in the fiercely contested FORMULA class. After an accident in the first race, Phil Stratford’s (Scuderia Palladio) team was able to repair the car for the second race and the American finished the second race in 7th place.
Stephan Glaser is the front-runner in this year’s SUPER LIGHTS championship
SUPER LIGHTS
Stephan Glaser (SUI, Jo Zeller Racing) was once again unbeatable for his rivals. With wins number 5 and 6 this season, the BOSS GP rookie extended his lead in the championship to 34 points. While race 1 in this class was a smooth affair, race 2 was particularly remarkable. Firstly, Glaser parked his car at the side of the track on the last lap. Second-placed Stefan Scho (GER) was unable to capitalise on this, however, as he also stopped with technical problems on the final lap. Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) was already two laps down after going off track into the gravel on lap 1 and was also unable to capitalise on this. This meant that the order on the podium on Saturday and Sunday was Glaser ahead of Scho and Clausnitzer. In addition to Stephan Glaser and Henry Clausnitzer, a third driver, Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing), is still in contention for the championship title despite a challenging weekend for him.
Podium ceremony in the SUPER LIGHTS category: from left Scho, Glaser and Clausnitzer with the Jack’s Racing Day grid girls
Races 9 and 10 of the season will take place on 12 and 13 October 2024 in Mugello. All four classes of the BOSS GP Racing Series can be seen and heard for the last time all together this season as part of the PNK Racing Weekend.
From the next race in Assen (2–4 August 2024), BOSS GP and tyre supplier Pirelli will bring back a medium dry tyre in addition to the soft compound.
In addition to the mandatory soft compound, which can be recognised by its red colour like in Formula 1, BOSS GP will supply teams and drivers with a medium compound (yellow) at all the upcoming events of the 2024 championship season. This includes the races in Assen, Mugello and Misano later this year.
This option for the P-Zero dry tyres expands the teams’ strategic options on race weekends. The medium tyres should work better at higher temperatures in particular and also have a longer durability thanks to their harder rubber compound.
All drivers registered for the races will receive a new order form shortly and can now submit their orders to BOSS GP tyre service Reifen Hollerweger.
With a 1991 Formula 3000 in vintage colours and still with a genuine manual gearbox, the Austrian from Vienna has become a crowd favourite in the BOSS GP Racing Series.
Why does it have to be a historic racing car and not a modern one?
STEFAN EISINGER-SEWALD: “I’ve been dealing with historic cars for more than ten years now. To me, the value of a historic vehicle is much higher than that of a modern one. I just like the old stuff – it’s still real racing!”
So you still drive an H-pattern gearbox?
EISINGER-SEWALD: “Exactly, I still drive a very old, ’empty’ H-gear. Technically, of course, there are already much better things. We have also tried to convert it, but it doesn’t work. So for the moment, we’re running it as it was designed in ’91.”
His race car: Ralt RT23 Formula 3000
Your car bears the famous colours of a cigarette manufacturer – what is your relationship to this design?
EISINGER-SEWALD: “As a small child, I always liked the colours on the Williams. Now I’ve kept it, because we also had it on the Pedrazza prototypes before. The whole teamwear is based on this design and, as I’m a thrifty person, I didn’t want to design something new (laughs).”
Where does your technical expertise come from?
EISINGER-SEWALD: “I learnt it from my motocross days in my youth. You quickly learn what you’re interested in. Today, Walter Vorreiter and the Fischer Motorsport team from Mödling support me.”
The Red Rose Racing Team around Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (f. right)
What is your favourite track?
EISINGER-SEWALD: “Spa, actually. Spa was my most successful race in my Formula Ford 1600 days. We competed there with a small delegation from the Histo Cup. I finished fourth out of 44 cars – that was my biggest success in the four-wheel sector apart from the 2022 championship title in the Histo Cup Austria.”
What can you learn from racing for your professional life or vice versa?
EISINGER-SEWALD: “Ambition and never giving up! Our company specialises in doing projects where others have said: ‘That’s not possible’. That makes it even more exciting for me to look at it in detail.”
As a child, you were a fan of …
EISINGER-SEWALD: “… always Ayrton Senna. The way he approached things and his daredevil attitude impressed me. Similar to a James Hunt, who could go out and have fun the day before and still be invincible the next day!”
Stefan Eisinger-Sewald came 2nd in last year’s SUPER LIGHTS standings
Pirelli will remain the exclusive tyre supplier of the BOSS GP in 2024.
The Italian tyre manufacturer offers a unique product for the participants of the BOSS GP: Formula 1 technology combined with easier handling when warming up the tyres. Together with the Hollerweger tyre service, this partnership guarantees a reliable supply of the “black gold” throughout the season.
In its 30th season, the BOSS GP Racing Series once again offers a unique platform for Big Open Single Seaters. The season starts in early May in Hockenheim.
Applications for the six championship events of the 2024 season are now possible. There will be no season registration this year, only individual entries for the races. Interested drivers and teams can find details on the adapted registration process and the form at www.bossgp.com/forteams
To allow us to plan the races in the best possible way, we recommend submitting the required documents in good time.
By New Year’s Eve, the BOSS GP Racing Series has published its dates for its anniversary season.
In the 30th year of Europe’s fastest and, for many, most exciting racing series, the teams and drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series will once again be on tour in Europe. The organisers have succeeded in combining familiar race tracks and new events. Once again, only circuits with the highest safety standards were selected. This ensures that the infrastructure offers only the best conditions and that the drivers compete on the same tracks where Formula 1 and MotoGP are usually in action. Not to forget the unforgettable atmosphere at events such as the Jim Clark Revival in Hockenheim or Jack’s Racing Day in the Netherlands.
RACE TRACKS AND EVENTS
The 2024 season will once again kick off at the Hockenheimring (3-5 May), where tens of thousands of spectators will once again await the cars and their drivers in the packed Motodrom. Three weeks after the ADAC Hockenheim Historic, the long-awaited comeback will take place at the Nürburgring (24-26 May). The Nürburgring Classic at the legendary circuit in the Eifel will be one of the highlights of the season.
Following this, we will hit the track for the series’ home race in Spielberg (7-9 June), where the BOSS GP Racing Series will make its second appearance as the highlight of the Red Bull Ring Classics. This will be followed by another appearance in Assen (2-4 August), where a full house at the legendary TT Circuit will once again get to hear the unique sound of our line-up at Jack’s Racing Day (free entry!).
The finale will again be a double-header in Italy in Autumn. First up is one of the favourite tracks of many drivers, the Mugello Circuit (11-13 October) in Tuscany. This will be followed three weeks later by the “Grande Finale” at the Misano World Circuit (1-3 November), a track that has delivered exciting races in recent years and has been well appreciated by the teams and drivers. Due to the track grading, no Formula 1 cars will be on track at the finale.
ENTERTAINMENT WITH FORMULA 1 CARS: THIS IS F1 CAR LEGENDS
However, after the successful test event in Brno in 2023, these cars will have the opportunity to compete in a new show race format called “F1 Car Legends” in 2024. The two dates at the Grand Prix de France Historique in Le Castellet (19-21 April) and at Jack’s Racing Day in Assen from the 2nd to the 4th of August have already been confirmed. More details on this offer for Formula 1 car owners will be available shortly at www.bossgp.com
RACE FORMAT AND APPLICATION
As in the past, there will be two races per race weekend in addition to the practice and qualifying sessions. Whoever collects the most points in his or her class at the end of the year will be crowned champion. Last year, this was the case for Ingo Gerstl (BOSS GP F1 Class), Antonio Pizzonia (OPEN), Simone Colombo (FORMULA) and Henry Clausnitzer (SUPER LIGHTS).
The regulations for the 2024 season and the registration forms will be published on www.bossgp.com soon. The documents from the previous year are available as a reference for interested participants: www.bossgp.com/forteams
Photo: WF Racing
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