Tag: Benetton

Report Qualifying Monza

A turbulent qualifying session for the GlobeAir Grande Finale at the Royal Park of Monza ultimately brought a pole position for Ingo Gerstl and a tragic hero in Phil Stratford.

Right at the beginning of Q1 Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso brought out the hammer, set a 1:29.0 on his first flying lap and improved again by 1.6 (!) seconds on the second lap. All the others were beaten by this time. The closest was Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing), who only managed to move up to second place with just one timed lap. Before he caused a red flag.

“Unfortunately, the gearbox got stuck in 6th gear, we had problems yesterday as well.  My mechanics worked all night, we only finished 5 minutes before qualifying, they are true heroes,” the US driver knew to thank his crew. At the moment, the crew is trying to get the Benetton from the 1997 season running again for the race. The second Benetton in the field, driven by Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing), made it to the second row of the grid in 4th place.

FORMULA driver Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International Motorsport) broke the phalanx of Formula 1 cars with the GP2 Dallara and achieved an excellent starting position for a possible first win of the season with grid position 3. Behind them it tightened up – Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International Motorsport) rushed around the track in pairs, gave each other slipstream and shared the third row of the grid in the end.

In the meantime, qualifying was interrupted again by a red flag. Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) had lost control of the GP2 when braking for the first chicane and brought the car to a halt on a sausage curb. However, race control quickly radioed the all-clear and, with the help of the marshals, the rookie was able to resume his drive. Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport) had a similar incident. Nevertheless, the Austrian still managed to finish 11th on the grid.

In between, Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio), Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International Motorsport) and Paul O’Connell (IRL, HS Engineering), four drivers in positions 7 to 10 on the grid, still have a chance of a podium in the FORMULA class.

The first race in the Temple of Speed will start today at 15:35 local time.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report Races Brno

Double wins for Ingo Gerstl and Harald Schlegelmilch at the Masaryk Racing Days.

The fourth event of the season brought the BOSS GP Racing Series to the Czech Republic’s largest racetrack in Brno on the first weekend of September. On the traditional date of the Masaryk Racing Days, the lively racing programme included some of the fastest race cars in the world, racing against each other.

OPEN class
Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) was once again unbeatable in the screaming Toro Rosso STR1 with a V10 Cosworth engine from 2006. The rivals are still missing, so Gerstl is driving towards the next title. It would be his sixth championship title in the OPEN class of Formula 1 and IndyCar cars. It would bring him up to par with his former rival and BOSS GP record holder Klaas Zwart (NLD). Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) made his debut on the Brno circuit in the popular 1997 Benetton. Despite not having a chance against Gerstl’s much more modern car, Ehninger presented himself in the best possible way on the Czech rollercoaster with two second places – thus keeping the championship open for Ehninger.

FORMULA class
Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) showed early on this weekend that he is the favourite to win in class. After his successful performance at the Red Bull Ring earlier this year, the former Formula 3 professional once again showed the more established competition what he is capable of. Even though championship leader Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) put a lot of pressure on him in the first race, Schlegelmilch kept his nerve in the last generation World Series car and won race 1 by a narrow margin. The next day in the second race Ghiotto started better and took the lead right at the rolling start. But Schlegelmilch, who was a bit slower on the straights, was able to brake later into the corners and take the lead before the halfway point of the race.

Third place in both races was taken by Luca Martucci, who is now just one point behind his team-mate Simone Colombo (both ITA, MM International) in the overall standings. With two fourth places, rookie Colombo got the best out of a weekend that started with an accident in practice. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio; 5th twice) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport; 6th and 7th) also scored solid points. Unlike Andreas Fiedler (GER) and Christian Ferstl (AUT), who were both affected by technical problems.

The next two races of the 2021 BOSS GP Racing Series are on the schedule at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 2 and 3 October.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto and Erwin Strassnig/BOSS GP

Report Free Practice Spielberg

The BOSS GP with pictures for the ages? Impressive show run with Formula 1 cars and IndyCars on Friday.

Usually, the Red Bull Ring is home to the Formula 1 World Championship and MotoGP, but this weekend the BOSS GP Racing Series is a guest in Styria. After the six-week break since the Season Opening in Mugello, the track time was used extensively on Austria’s most beautiful racetrack and enough kilometres were recorded – the weather also played along on this Friday. It stayed dry all day, so all the drivers were able to test their cars extensively. Especially for the first-time starters, every metre on the 4.3-kilometre track around the iconic bull counted. Among others, Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka) drove a Chip Ganassi IndyCar from the mid-2000s today.

At the start of the second practice session, there was a memorable moment in BOSS GP’s history: there was a phalanx of Big Open Single Seaters on track that had not been seen for a long time, with the two Benetton B197s, the Sauber C30, a Jaguar R3, two Toro Rosso STR1s, Vettel’s winning STR3 car and two Ryschka IndyCars. During this showrun, impressive footage of man and machine was captured by a camera team and will soon be shown on the BOSS GP social media channels.

In total 22 drivers set a time today. Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) dominated both practice sessions in his 2006 Toro Rosso. Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Competiton) in the Jaguar R3 was second fastest in the combined times from the first and second practice session. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was third fastest FORMULA driver today. Rounding up the top five were Simone Colombo and Luca Martucci (both ITA, MM International). These five have gained a bit of an advantage that way, they will have the track to themselves in Q1. Depending on the weather conditions, it will be decided tomorrow, Saturday, whether qualifying will start in two groups as usual or whether there will be a 30-minute session with all drivers. The chances of rain are increasing until tomorrow. In any case, there will be two races on Saturday (11:20 and 15:55).

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report Race 1 Mugello

Marco Ghiotto beats everyone in the first race of the season. Premier victory for Ulf Ehninger in OPEN class.

Hectic hustle and bustle just before race start on the grid. Most of the teams changed from the Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres to the P Zero slicks. The rain had stopped before the start of the race, so that a large part of the 5.2-kilometre-long track had dried up. Nevertheless, a small group of drivers including Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport) and Formula 3000 individual Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino), relied on the wet weather tyres from exclusive supplier Pirelli.

It was soon clear that they had bet on the right card. Ghiotto was already in front under hard braking into the first corner. Pole setter Marc Faggionato, who was cautious at the start, immediately lost a few places. Gianluca De Lorenzi (SMR, GDL Racing) slid into the gravel with under-tempered slicks in the wet, but was able to continue and Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) was also only just able to avoid a spin in the first couple of corners.

Marco Ghiotto’s first pursuer was Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who started the race from only 11th on the grid and crossed the start-finish line in second place after lap 1. But on lap 4, the German parked his GP2-Dallara in the paddock and was sad about the missed chance.

But the action continued: Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), who had started from pitlane with his Formula 1 Toro Rosso, tried to get through the packed field. In lap 5 he had reached the front of the pack and started chasing Ghiotto, until tyre blistering stopped him as well. At that time Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) took over second place. Martucci drove the fastest race lap but lost too much time to Ghiotto in the early stages of the race. Meanwhile, the 2020 and 2021 FORMULA champion was looking for every wet spot on the asphalt to keep his rain tyres alive. A late safety car period helped Marco Ghiotto to clinch the race victory.

f.l. Martucci, race winner Ghiotto, OPEN winner Ehninger and De Lorenzi

Martucci finished second and made up six places compared to qualifying. Gianluca De Lorenzi recovered quickly from his initial excursion into the gravel trap, third place is the well-deserved reward on his BOSS GP debut. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) benefited from Gerstl’s retirement, but the Benetton driver can still refer to a controlled race in slippery conditions. Even a short ride through the gravel could not stop Ehninger. He was awarded with a well-deserved winner’s trophy in the OPEN class – the first of his BOSS GP career!

Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport) had a lap-long duel. Matile in the Auto GP was slightly faster in the corners, Jarach in his GP2 on the straights. In the end Matile was able to beat Jarach, which meant sixth place for the Monegasque.

The race of Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) ended unhappily in the gravel bed of turn 1. In the duel for the podium, the two collided slightly. The revenge of the beaten may follow tomorrow. Race 2 starts at 14:25 local time. The race will be broadcast on Italian television (MS Motortv) and on race organiser Gruppo Peroni’s YouTube channel. Before that, a warm-up will be run at 10:00 am.

Photos: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report: Free Practice Spa

Marco Ghiotto in his GP2 Dallara

Here we go: The BOSS GP Racing Series has started its race weekend in Spa.

Two free practice sessions were on the schedule for BOSS GP on day 1 of the 2-day event with the DTM in Spa. On such a difficult and long racetrack, every lap counts and therefore the drivers and teams used every opportunity to prepare for tomorrow’s race day.

Two free practice sessions were on the schedule for BOSS GP on day 1 of the 2-day event with the DTM in Spa. On such a difficult and long racetrack, every lap counts and therefore the drivers and teams used every opportunity to prepare for tomorrow’s race day.

Several BOSS GP drivers have not driven at Spa for a long time, some even compete on the Formula 1 circuit for the very first time. It is even more remarkable that, apart from a few breaking lockups, both practice sessions were completed without major incidents. Only Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Racing) had an accident in Eau Rouge due to a technical defect in his Jaguar R3. His team is working hard to be able to compete in tomorrow’s qualifying.

Fastest today was Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 with a time of 2:04.369. Best FORMULA driver was Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) ahead of Marc Faggionato (MCO, Top Speed) and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International). The three pilots are also considered as favourites for tomorrow’s class win. FORMULA champion Ghiotto also completed the most laps (20) today.

Despite significantly fewer laps Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Team Hoffmann), team boss and driver in one, burned the sixth fastest overall time into the asphalt today, ahead of the experienced Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER, Top Speed), who is sitting in the cockpit of a GP2 Dallara for the first time this year at a race. Also back is Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who is driving in an unusual black car. We expect a significant increase of his performance tomorrow.

The qualifying starts tomorrow Sunday at 9:45 am. With 40 minutes, the session is longer than usual, giving all BOSS GP drivers more opportunities to set their best times. Race 1, usually lasting over 20 minutes, will follow at lunchtime at 12:05, race 2 (25 minutes race length) at the conclusion of the DTM event at 16:05. This time, all three sessions can be followed in the free livestream at www.bossgp.com/livestream.

Preview & Guide Spa

The Big Open Single Seaters are going to rock the Ardennes this weekend.

The fastest racing series in Europe returns to Spa and its famous surroundings: Eau Rouge, Blanchimont and Stavelot. On August 1 and 2, the BOSS GP Racing Series will visit the legendary 7-kilometer Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – after a nine-year break! The wishes of the drivers and teams as well as the circumstances of the last months have finally made a comeback possible. Among others, Ingo Gerstl’s Toro Rosso STR1, Riccardo Ponzio’s Jaguar R3, Ulf Ehninger’s 1997 Benetton as well as numerous GP2 cars will be seen at the event.

Similar to the season opener in Imola three weeks ago, this is also a two-day event. The schedule with almost three hours of driving time is accordingly compact: On Saturday, two practice sessions will be held, followed by qualifications on Sunday and, as usual, two races. In addition to the Formula 1 and Formula 2 racing cars from the last eras, the German Touring Car Masters and the new GT support series “DTM Trophy” will be competing at Spa.

When are the BOSS GP cars on track?

Saturday, 1 August 2020:
11:30–11:55 Free Practice 1 (25 minutes)
16:00–16:35 Free Practice 2 (35 minutes)

Sunday, 2 August 2020:
09:45–10:25 Qualifying (Q1 13 minutes, Q2 24 minutes)
12:05–12:25 Race 1 (20 minutes)
16:05–16:30 Race 2 (25 minutes)

Where can fans follow the races online?

Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to visit the race site due to the prevailing Covid-19 restrictions. Nevertheless, fans of the BOSS GP Racing Series can still get a piece of the action: in front of the TV, computer, or smartphone – all thanks to the free livestream on www.bossgp.com/livestream, YouTube or Facebook. The Sunday programme with the qualifications session as well as both races will be streamed. The broadcast will start ten minutes before each session.

You find all results on bossgp.com
Updates as well on Instagram @bossgpofficial and Facebook @bossgpofficial

Preview & Guide Imola

BOSS GP brings back world-class motorsport to Italy this weekend.

The 26th BOSS GP racing season kicks off with Forza Fanatec in Imola (July 11th-12th), where the season finale is set to take place just 15 weeks later. The BOSS GP races are the first major motorsport event in Italy after the lockdown. Just like the races in Spa at the beginning of August (1-2), the meeting is a two-day event without spectators on site.

In Imola, there are a couple of new drivers and cars on the grid. All eyes are certainly on the 22-year-old Italian Riccardo Ponzio, who will make his debut with a 2002 Formula 1 car from Jaguar. With Ulf Ehninger (Benetton B197) and OPEN champion Ingo Gerstl (Toro Rosso STR1) two more Formula 1 cars are in the mix.

Other debutants are Austrian hill-climb specialist Christian Ferstl, former touring car ace Roman Hoffmann (both GP2) and Michael Aberer (AUT, WSbR). Also participating for the first time in the FORMULA class are Estonian Bruno Jarach and Italian Roberto Vanni, who will compete in the only Formula 3000 car.

They will take on champion Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio), Luca Martucci (MM International) and Florian Schnitzenbaumer (Top Speed), among others. We can also be excited about the first appearance of Salvatore De Plano in the A1GP Lola car of Coloni.

The new dry tyre from Pirelli in purple also makes its debut. This tyre is intended to enable experienced drivers to achieve faster lap times and make it easier for less experienced drivers to handle the “black gold”.

Modern and historic sports car and touring car series will round up the Gruppo Peroni event, as well as the Lotus Cup and the Alfa Revival Cup.

When are the BOSS GP cars on track?

Saturday, 11 July 2020:
10:35–11:05 Free Practice 1 (30 minutes)
12:50–13:20 Free Practice 2 (30 minutes)
16:10–16:40 Qualifying (Q1 20 minutes, Q2 8 minutes)

Sunday, 12 July 2020:
11:15–11:35 Race 1 (20 minutes)
16:15–16:40 Race 2 (25 minutes)

Where can fans follow the races online?

Gruppo Peroni livestream on www.youtube.com/user/PeroniRace
Livetiming and results on www.autodromoimola.it/live-timing-imola
All results on bossgp.com as well
Up-to-date with Instagram @bossgpofficial and Facebook @bossgpofficial