Tag: BOSS GP

Report: Races Misano

Posted on July 23, 2023 by - General

The fourth race weekend of the 2023 BOSS GP Racing Series in Misano was a good reason for the Brazilian drivers to celebrate Carnival.

The Italian race organiser PNK Motorsport invited samba dancers into the paddock and proved to have a lucky hand, as two Brazilians were at the front of the grid after qualifying.

Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) was the favourite for overall victory at the Misano race. In the absence of Formula 1 cars, for which the Misano circuit is not approved, the ex-Formula 1 driver fulfilled expectations. The wins were the first two overall victories for the driver in the World Series V8 car and the next double in the OPEN category. HS Engineering teammate Paul O’Connell (IRL) was suffering with electrical problems throughout the weekend. At least in race 1, he was able to score with second place in the OPEN category.

Harald Schlegelmilch: World Series beats GP2

In the first race, the FORMULA classification was fiercely contested only in the starting phase. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) briefly took the lead from third on the grid in class before returnee Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) stormed to the front and claimed a historic victory: For a long time no Dallara World Series car (in Schlegelmilch’s case from the 2012 generation) had won against Dallara’s GP2 cars, which were slightly faster on paper.

The duel of the weekend was between Schlegelmilch and Adriano Buzaid (BRA, MM International) in the second race on Sunday afternoon. After Schlegelmilch had ensured that HS Engineering triumphed in two classes on Saturday, Buzaid was able to convert his pole position into a victory on Sunday. The two were together for the entire race distance, with no more than one second separating the dominant duo during the longer Sunday race. In the end, Buzaid crossed the finish line with a lead of only 0.8 seconds.

Nicolas Matile (f.) was the best-placed driver with an Auto GP car on Sunday

Once again, only a tiny margin separated the winner and the runner-up in the FORMULA class, but the debut victory of the Brazilian Buzaid is also a sensation. After racing at the front of the British Formula 3 Championship more than ten years ago, the now 35-year-old took an extended break from racing. This weekend, he returned to a single-seater racing car for the Italian team MM International in Misano and finished 2nd and 1st. MM International had more than one reason to be happy, because Simone Colombo also beat his arch-rival Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) in the duel for third place, narrowly but nevertheless, to take two more podium places and the next important points for a possible title defence.

Fabian Vettel (GER, Top Speed) finished fifth in the first of the two races this weekend, which was remarkable after he even had to go to hospital on Friday for a closer check-up after an accident. However, he was then able to take part in qualifying and the race in a replacement car of his Austrian team Top Speed after receiving medical clearance. In Sunday’s race, “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) finished fifth. Best Auto GP car within the FORMULA class: in race 1 Jean-Christophe Peyre (FRA, Zig-Zag), in race 2 Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag).

After Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) won SUPER LIGHTS twice last time at the Red Bull Ring, it was now Henry Clausnitzer’s (WF Racing) turn again. The German continues to make his mark with season wins 5 and 6 in the six-cylinder car class. Although, Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Racing) in the 1996 Formula 3000 set a good pace, especially in the second race. The Italian finished second twice in his home race.

Complete podium after race 1: f.l. Colacino, Buzaid, O’Connell, Pizzonia, Schlegelmilch, Clausnitzer, Colombo

There’s a sequel in three weeks’ time. The BOSS GP Racing Series returns to the TT Circuit in Assen from 11 to 13 August, where tens of thousands of spectators are expected at Jack’s Racing Day.

Report: Race 2 Red Bull Ring

Posted on June 11, 2023 by - General, General

Sixth race of the BOSS GP Racing Series season: Gerstl, Pizzonia, Colombo and Eisinger-Sewald celebrate double wins. Vettel again on the podium today.

15 minutes for the BOSS GP F1 Class and 25 minutes for the other drivers were on Sunday’s timetable. Many visitors took advantage of Father’s Day in Austria to make the trip to the Red Bull Ring. Ingo Gerstl in the Formula 1 Toro Rosso did not miss the opportunity to stay longer on the track with his F1 (in compliance with the regulations) and to duel with Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) in the tuned World Series 4.5 for the overall victory – much to the delight of the spectators. In the end, Gerstl also won the sixth race of the season in the F1 class ahead of Ulf Ehninger (GER) in the 1997 Benetton.

Like yesterday, OPEN participant Antonio Pizzonia took the overall lead for a while on Sunday. After a full course yellow period, the Brazilian was able to hold on to the lead for a few more laps and further improved on his times from yesterday with lap times just over 1:15 min, which was easily enough to win the class. Second place went to Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) in the 3.3-litre World Series, who finished well ahead in the overall standings today.

The FORMULA class was turbulent at times. Lapping, many position changes but finally the same winner again: Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) remained untouched today, even though it was close at times. In the early stages, Fabian Vettel (Top Speed) was the first to take the lead. The 24-year-old German overtook Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) already in the first corner and stayed with Colombo for a long time afterwards. But like yesterday, Vettel lost pace at the end of the race. This gave Marco Ghiotto another chance to overtake Vettel’s Fanatec GP2. Colombo used this stage of the race to pull away decisively. With season win no. 5, the Italian is now also pulling away from his opponents in the championship standings. Behind Marco Ghiotto, Fabian Vettel also took third place today. With two third places, Vettel proved his driving qualities in an open-wheeler, a return at Misano is possible.

“Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) remained without any mistakes today and stayed close to the Top-3 until the end. With 4th place, the ambitious Italian scored a lot of points for the overall ranking. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) was able to hold his own against his opponents in the midfield despite used tyres. Bruno Jarach (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) followed in 6th place in the class, ahead of Thomas Jakoubek (Top Speed) as the best Austrian in 7th place. Team boss Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International) also found a satisfying end to his comeback weekend as a driver with 8th place.

Alexander Geier (GER, Geier Racing), on the other hand, experienced a painful end to his race. The man from Salzburg was already in second place in front of Vettel. A few laps before the chequered flag, he was disappointed to end the race in the pits with a gearbox problem.

SUPER LIGHTS driver Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) was happy that today’s race was five minutes longer. After a spin in turn 3 and a second one when coming back onto the track, he had already fallen far behind Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing). Two laps from the end, however, Eisinger-Sewald in the Ralt Formula 3000 managed to catch up and finally overtook Clausnitzer’s less powerful World Series car. For Eisinger-Sewald it was a celebrated double victory, but Clausnitzer remained the leader of the standings. Third place went to Walter Colacino (ITA), who shared the car with his colleague Sebastiano Sibani (ITA) this weekend.

The BOSS GP continues the European tour already in mid-July. On 22/23 July 2023 will visit World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano. Points will than be awarded in the OPEN, FORMULA and SUPER LIGHTS classes.

Pictures: Erwin Strassnigg/BOSS GP

Report: Race 1 Red Bull Ring

Posted on June 11, 2023 by - 5, General

The BOSS GP Racing Series was the highlight of the first race day at the Red Bull Ring Classics 2023, with Gerstl and Pizzonia taking the next wins, Colombo claiming FORMULA victory and a maiden win for Eisinger-Sewald on home soil.

In front of a huge crowd and in the best spring weather, the world’s fastest single-seater cars put on a great show in Spielberg. In the first half of Saturday’s 20-minute race, Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso F1, Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in the Benetton F1 and Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) in the modified World Series Dallara stayed close together. Pizzonia quickly passed Ehninger and made his way towards Gerstl. The latter played along and the two experienced drivers swapped positions. Pizzonia led the field after a safety car interruption, but Gerstl shifted up a gear and took the lead again with lap times under 1 minute and 15 seconds, winning for the fifth time this year. While Antonio Pizzonia secured the full points in the OPEN class, Ulf Ehninger took second place in the Formula 1 cars. Second place in the OPEN class went to Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering), who missed out on a much better overall finish with a flat spot on one of the front tyres.

The top positions in the FORMULA class were again closely contested: Even though Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Fabian Vettel (GER, Top Speed) made several attempts to challenge Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) for the win, Colombo remained patient while overlapping slower cars and won again just ahead of Ghiotto. Fabian Vettel was able to separate the Italian duo in the middle of the race, but after the safety car phase Ghiotto was able to pick up the pace faster and overtook the German again. Vettel, however, was extremely satisfied with third place on his debut in a Formula racing car.

Podium on Saturday: f.l. Ghiotto, Clausnitzer, O’Connell, Ehninger, Pizzonia, Colombo, Gerstl, Eisinger-Sewald, Vettel

Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) also had a stunning FORMULA debut. The young Austrian managed the second-best lap time in the class with his Dallara GP2, finishing fourth in the classification behind Vettel. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) followed in 5th place, Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) in 6th. Seventh placed “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) lost a better position shortly before the end with a spin. Marco Minelli (ITA, AM Sport System) was also unlucky on his debut. He spun at the end of the second lap at the last corner and had to retire from the race early on.

Austrian Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (Red Rose Racing) drove to a home victory in the SUPER LIGHTS class. After a problem with the gearshift linkage in qualifying, the Formula 3000 car of the BOSS GP rookie ran flawlessly. He thus prevailed over the German Henry Clausnitzer (WF Racing) at his second race weekend in the BOSS GP Racing Series.

The second race starts on Sunday at 10:40a.m. local time.

Photos: Erwin Strassnigg/BOSS GP, Michael Jurtin

Report: Qualifying Red Bull Ring

Posted on June 10, 2023 by - General

New Pirelli tyres were used in the hunt for the fastest time in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring Classics. Best starting positions for Gerstl, Pizzonia, Colombo and Clausnitzer.

Many spectators ran even faster from the car parking to the grandstands, when they heard the roar of the Formula 1 engines. The packed ranks followed 19 BOSS GP Racing Series cars in qualifying on Saturday morning. With a speedy time of 1:11.524 min, Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) showed incredible pace in his ten-cylinder Toro Rosso from 2006. With an average speed of almost 220 km/h, the man from Salzburg amazed numerous visitors. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) was unlucky in the 1997 Berger Benetton. The 2021 champion spun in turn 3 on his first fast lap and was not able to restart the car afterwards.

Still without traction control, but with a lot of driving pleasure, Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) sets the tone in the OPEN class in the World Series Dallara with 4.5-litre Gibson engine. Team-mate Paul O’Connell (IRE) was afflicted with engine problems on Friday, but he was able to take part in qualifying and qualified 11th overall.

Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) did not miss a beat in the third qualifying session of 2023. The Italian secured pole position in the first qualifying session and thus starts the races at the Red Bull Ring with the best starting position in the FORMULA class. But it was close again, only one tenth of a second was left by long-term rival Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) on his fastest lap compared to Colombo. Ghiotto tactically went out late in Q2, so he stayed out of traffic, improved lap after lap and came close to Colombo’s best time on his last fast lap.

The fight for pole position was also taken up by Fabian Vettel (GER, Top Speed) in the second Fanatec GP2. The German brilliantly performed in his premiere in a single-seater racing car. He went out on track late in the session for a finale shot. After setting the best time in the first sector he lapped the 4.318-kilometre circuit in 1:19.411 – which earned him third place by the narrow margin of not even two tenths of a second. “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) confirmed his consistent performance just behind the front runners with fourth place in class and will start the race with a chance of a podium finish. Behind him was Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who is again in a promising position after his return to the podium last time out in Hockenheim. Behind the two Top Speed drivers Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER) and Thomas Jakoubek (AUT), Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) made a good debut in the GP2 car.

In the class of the SUPER LIGHTS, again only one driver was able to stay unscathed: Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) secured pole position in the V6 World Series car, while both Sebastiano Sibani (ITA, Colacino) and Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) had to pit early in their Formula 3000 cars.

The first of two races starts today, Saturday, at 15:50 local time and runs over a distance of 20 minutes (F1 Class 15 minutes). Tickets are still available at the box office. The races can also be followed via live timing.

Photos: Erwin Strassnigg/BOSS GP

Report: Race 2 Hockenheim

Posted on May 7, 2023 by - General

The Hockenheim Historic once again offered a lot to the spectators on Sunday. Double wins for Gerstl, Pizzonia, Colombo and Clausnitzer.

Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) was clearly enjoying himself as he held the lead for a while with the World Series V8 ahead of the Formula 1 of Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed). For several laps the two swapped the lead in the race until Gerstl finally picked up the pace and saw the black and white chequered flag for the BOSS GP F1 Class first. The race for the premier class ended after just 15 minutes to reduce the running time of the valuable cars. For Pizzonia, it continued for another ten minutes, which he filled with more lap times just short of the 1:30 barrier. Pizzonia, who drove to class victory yesterday with a failed traction control system, also secured full points in OPEN class today. Climbing onto the class podium with him was team-mate Paul O’Connell (IRE) in a Dallara World Series car that had also been modified.

Duel in SUPER-LIGHTS category: Jody Stadelmann (le.) and Henry Clausnitzer (ri.)

Once again Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) met on the track. The “eternal duel” in FORMULA class continued, at least in the early stages, until Colombo was able to shake off his rival with strong lap times after a safety car interruption. With his third victory in four races this season, Colombo was already able to build up a cushion on his fiercest rivals. Behind Ghiotto, Alexander Seibold (GER, Seibold Auto + Sport) held third place until shortly before the end. Marc Faggionato (ITA, MM International) stopped at the pre-start and then rushed after the field. Shortly before the end of the race he caught up with Seibold and tried to overtake the German several times. Seibold held his ground for a long time, but then had to give way in front of the Mercedes grandstand. However, with 4th place Seibold got his best BOSS GP placing so far. As the best German he also stayed ahead of Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who had started with used tyres and therefore could not start any more attacks to the front. A collision between Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER, Top Speed) and “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) ended their race. Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) also spun off the track in a promising position at the exit of the Bernie Ecclestone bend.

In the SUPER LIGHTS class, “to finish first, you first have to finish” was the key this time. Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) went home to the workshop already on Saturday evening after a gearbox failure, but Jody Stadelmann (SUI) in the Formula Nippon was able to take part in today’s race after a steering failure yesterday. The victory, however, went to Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing), who has become a series winner with his fourth victory in the fourth race.

f. le.: Stadelmann, Ghiotto, O’Connell, Ehninger, Pizzonia, Colombo, Clausnitzer, Gerstl, Faggionato

It is now five weeks until the third event of the season. For the first time, BOSS GP will be part of the Red Bull Ring Classics programme from 9 to 11 June.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto

Report: Race 1 Hockenheim

Posted on May 6, 2023 by - General

In front of a record crowd at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic, the BOSS GP Racing Series brought Formula 1, Formula 2 and co. back to the Hockenheimring. Podium finishes for the Germans Henry Clausnitzer, Ulf Ehninger and Andreas Fiedler.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) dominated the BOSS GP F1 Class in the Toro Rosso STR1 and controlled the pace ahead of Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in the nine-year older Benetton B197. For Gerstl it was the third victory, for Ehninger the third podium of the new season.

Once again, Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) focused on the hunt for the fastest lap. With a time of 1:29.007 min, he succeeded in doing just that in the World Series Dallara-Gibson. Paul O’Connell, who had travelled from Ireland and was also serviced by HS Engineering, was moved to the OPEN class after qualifying. His car is a 2002 World Series Dallara with a 3.3 litre Nicholson McLaren tuned Cosworth V8 giving it significantly more power than originally. O’Connell classified in the front group among the Formula 2 and in second place in the OPEN class behind Pizzonia.

The BOSS GP orchestra played big

There were numerous movements in the FORMULA class over the 20-minute race. Despite a safety car phase after a spin by Alexander Seibold (SUI, Seibold Auto + Sport), Andreas Fiedler still had enough time to advance into the top three. The German made his way from 8th on the grid and defended the last spot on the podium against “Checco” Malavasi, who had to settle for 4th. For Fiedler, it was his first podium since 2020 right on his debut in a 2008-generation GP2 Dallara.

At the front, it was another epic duel between Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), which kept coming to a climax all the way to the finish line. In the end, 0.085 seconds decided victory and second place. Colombo kept the upper hand, took his second win of the season and extended his lead in the standings.

Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER) recovered from a spin in the early stages and still managed to finish 5th ahead of Top Speed team-mate Thomas Jakoubek (AUT). The duel between Thomas Jackermeier (8th) and his son Simon (10th) was won by Thomas. He will also be on display at the BOSS GP Hypercar Demonstration tomorrow Sunday at 9:35 am when he will pilot his over 1,000-hp Aston Martin Valkyrie around the 4.6-kilometre circuit.

Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) could hardly believe it as he took victory in the SUPER LIGHTS for the third time in three races. Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) was still able to take home the trophy for second place in the class. However, due to a clutch failure and subsequent damage to the gearbox, he had to retire from the race early. As this is irreparable on site, Eisinger-Sewald’s Ralt RT23 Formula 3000 will not be seen again until the next event at the Red Bull Ring.

A second race over the longer distance of 25 minutes will follow on Sunday. The race start is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. and can again be followed in the livestream.

Photos: Angelo Poletto

Report: Qualifying Hockenheim

Posted on May 6, 2023 by - General

Pole position for Gerstl in the Toro Rosso STR1. FORMULA: Colombo finishes slightly ahead of Faggionato. O’Connell in front in his comeback in the SUPER LIGHTS class.

Thousands of spectators crowded into the Motodrom early in the morning. The Hockenheim Historic is expecting a record number of spectators on Saturday. The qualifying of the BOSS GP Racing Series at the Hockenheimring took place early this morning in perfect spring weather. The best grid positions for the two races were determined.

In the BOSS GP F1 Class there was no surprise: Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) took pole position for the second time this year in his 2006 Toro Rosso Formula 1, with a lap time of 1:21.140 min, just slightly behind his pole time from last year. He will be joined on the front row of the grid in both races by German Ulf Ehninger (ESBA Racing) in the Benetton B197.

19 years after his last appearance at Hockenheim, Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) is back at Hockenheim. The ex-Formula 1 driver will start for the second time this weekend in HS Engineering’s modified World Series Dallara. The Brazilian will be back in the hunt for the Formula 1 cars in his OPEN class race car.

Florian Schnitzenbaumer shows strong pace at his motorsport comeback

The FORMULA class had never been so close in qualifying. The top 5 were separated by less than one and a half seconds on the fastest lap. The Italian MM International team celebrated a row one “lockout”: Simone Colombo (ITA) beat Marc Faggionato (MCO) by one tenth of a second. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) follows in 3rd place, who has his usual more difficult time at the Hockenheimring. “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER, Top Speed) also expect to have a chance of a podium finish. The latter, on his return after a break of several years, is to be found at the front of the field right away and was able to set a good lap time despite an aborted second attempt. Alexander Seibold (GER, Seibold Auto + Sport) also had a fantastic qualifying session in his first BOSS GP race in 2023. The German will start from 7th in class in an eye-catching design combination with a homage to Valentino Rossi and Jo Siffert.

In the SUPER LIGHTS, after the solo of Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) last time in France, there is a lot going on this time. An outstanding best time was set by Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering), who is driving an older Dallara with a eight-cylinder engine this year. With a best time of 1:32.368 min he qualified in the middle of the field of GP2 cars. The two newcomers Jody Stadelmann (SUI) in a G-Force-Mugen from Japan and Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) follow in 2nd and 3rd place on the grid.

The start times are 14:40 on Saturday and 14:05 on Sunday. Both races will be livestreamed.

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview: Hockenheim

Posted on May 4, 2023 by - General

From 5 to 7 May, one of the biggest international classic events of 2023 will take place at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg. The highlight for fans in the Motodrom: the BOSS GP Racing Series with Formula 1 drivers and cars from the 1990s and 2000s.

“Racing to see, hear, smell, taste and touch” – in short: “Enjoying Motorsport” is the motto of this year’s Bosch Hockenheim Historic. The event is held in honour of the Scottish Formula 1 World Champion Jim Clark, who died in a Formula 2 race at the Hockenheimring on 7 April 1968. Traditionally, the event always attracts around 500 starters and more than 20,000 fans in spring. This year, motorsport fans will be offered even more.

Entries

20 drivers have entered the second event of the BOSS GP Racing Series season after the season opener in Le Castellet in April. The world’s fastest racing cars will not only be presented to a large audience in Hockenheim, but there will also again be a battle for points in four classes. The BOSS GP Formula 1 class will feature Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 and Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing), the 2021 champion from Tübingen. Ehninger will start in a former Hockenheim winner’s car, the Benetton B197. Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed), who last competed in a Toro Rosso STR3, could surprise the crowd. However, his start in another ten-cylinder car is still questionable.

A “must-see” for many is the entry of Antonio Pizzonia (BRA) in a World Series car from HS Engineering in the OPEN class. The Brazilian last competed at the – already rebuilt – Hockenheimring in 2004. At that time, he raced for BMW-Williams in Formula 1.

In the FORMULA class, the Italian regulars such as Simone Colombo (MM International), Marco Ghiotto and “Checco” Malavasi (both Scuderia Palladio) will be joined by several returnees to the series. Among others, the Germans Alexander Seibold (Seibold Auto + Sport) and Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) will make their comeback with their GP2 cars. We can also look forward to the Hockenheim debut of Paul Ricard winner Marc Faggionato (ITA, MM International).

In the SUPER LIGHTS category, Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing), who won both races at Le Castellet in the Tatuus World Series car, will have new opponents at Hockenheim. With Joey Stadelmann (SUI, G-Force) in a Japanese Formula Nippon and the well-known Paul O’Connell (IRE, O’Connell Motorsport) and the Austrian Histo Cup winner Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (Red Rose Racing) in a Ralt Formula 3000, there are three new opponents for Clausnitzer this time.

Timetable

Friday, 5 May
13:30–14:00 Free Practice 1
17:05–17:35     Free Practice 2

Saturday, 6 May
09:35–10:05     Qualifying (two groups)
14:40–15:00     Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 7 May
14:05–14:30     Race 2 (25 minutes)

all times CEST

Tickets and live stream

Friday tickets start at 15 euros, day tickets for Saturday and Sunday cost 35 euros and 30 euros respectively. If you want to experience the entire weekend, tickets start at 49 euros. Tickets can be purchased via the online ticket shop, at the open box offices on site or by calling the hotline at +49(0)6205 950-222. The races of the BOSS GP Racing Series as well as a large part of the other programme on Saturday and Sunday can also be followed from home: The link to the live stream is www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Support events

As part of the race programme, BOSS GP driver Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) will contest a few demo laps in the brand-new Aston Martin Valkyrie on Sunday. Visitors to the Bosch Hockenheim Historic can watch the hypercar premiere from 9:35 am.

Around 500 participants from all over the world will captivate the many expected fans in their partly priceless historic racing cars in eleven different series. They will be able to admire the “Touring Cars of the Golden Era”, the four categories of FIA Masters Historic Racing represented at Bosch Hockenheim, the Group C Supercup, Raceclub Germany, the Historic Racecar Association, the Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior racers and the Historic Formula 2.

Photos: Angelo Poletto

Report: Race 2 Paul Ricard

Posted on April 9, 2023 by - General

In the longer race on Easter Sunday, Ingo Gerstl, Antonio Pizzonia and Henry Clausnitzer were able to add a second victory. Simone Colombo takes revenge in the FORMULA class.

In front of thousands of spectators and once again in the best spring weather in Le Castellet, Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 continued his winning streak. As Didier Sirgues (FRA, LRS Racing) could not start the Jaguar R2 today, Gerstl and Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) remained among themselves in the BOSS GP F1 Class. Gerstl therefore took a more relaxed approach and left the fastest lap to another driver. With 50 points from the first two races, the Austrian is already setting the path for the next title. Who can challenge him at Hockenheim?

The runner-up, Benetton driver Ulf Ehninger, was pleased to be able to present Jean Alesi’s former car to the fans twice over the full BOSS GP F1 race distance. Next up is his home race at the Hockenheimring.

Former Formula 1 driver Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) put the pedal to the metal again today and set the fastest lap time of 1:47.991 (lap average 194.7 km/h). Towards the end of the race, the OPEN driver made his pit crew sweat again as he allowed the FORMULA group’s gap to melt down to 0.8 seconds. Pizzonia will be racing the entire season for HS Engineering.

Pizzonia leads the second group, behind are Faggionato, Colombo and Ghiotto

In the FORMULA class, today was the day of Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International). After a turbulent duel with compatriot Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio) in the first race of the season, the order was quickly sorted this time. At the start Ghiotto tried to overtake Colombo, but this was not successful and as the race progressed the lead increased to around five seconds. Finally, Colombo crossed the finish line 2.5 seconds ahead of Marco Ghiotto and 24.7 seconds ahead of “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio). Malavasi thus repeated his podium finish from yesterday.

Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) fought his way to a great fourth place. For a long time he was involved in a duel with David Moretti (FRA, Griffith’s), who delivered an excellent performance today. Until the last lap he was on course for fourth place before he had to park his car on the Mistral straight. Marc Faggionato (MCO) in the MM International GP2-Dallara was also out of luck: After the Monegasque had competed in no less than three races at the Grand Prix de France Historique yesterday and took victory in all of them – including the BOSS GP – he had to retire early today in both the Formula Ford race and the second heat of the BOSS GP. Faggionato was thus denied the chance of another double victory after Brno 2018.

Fourth place in FORMULA class for GP2 driver Thomas Jackermeier, who supposed to be in his Toro Rosso ST3

Rookie Henry Clausnitzer (GER) and his team WF Racing celebrated another finish at their first BOSS GP race weekend. He was rewarded with another 25 points for the class win in the SUPER LIGHTS six-cylinder class.

The next opportunity for teams and drivers to take to the track in their Big Open Single Seaters is in Baden-Württemberg in just four weeks’ time (5–7 May). Traditionally, the BOSS GP Racing Series competes there at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic in honour of Jim Clark.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Race 1 Paul Ricard

Posted on April 8, 2023 by - General

Anglo-American Peter Mann’s Formula 1 Ferrari F2008 led the BOSS GP Racing Series field into the first race of the season. This was just one of many highlights at the Grand Prix de France Historique on Saturday.

Once again, both Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) and his Toro Rosso STR1 Formula 1 car kept a “cool head”. The record-breaking champion secured the winner’s trophy at the first of 14 races of the 2023 season. The Salzburg native was presented with his winner’s trophy by French racing legends Jean Alesi, Rene Arnoux and Franck Montagny in the atmospheric setting of the paddock. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in second place and Didier Sirgue (FRA, LRS Racing) in third place in the BOSS GP F1 Class also enjoyed the applause of the fans.

At the grid walk the spectators got a closer look to the BOSS GP jewels

Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) was busy handing out autographs before the start, before he burned lap times under 1:50 minutes into the asphalt a few minutes later. Finally, to the delight of his team, he set an impressive best time of 1:47.092 in the World Series car – victory in the OPEN class was only a formality. It was the first victory for Pizzonia in a single-seater car since his triumph in the AutoGP championship eight years ago.

The FORMULA class was explosive: Pole setter Marc Faggionato (MCO), wearing the MM International colours for the first time, stalled at the start of the warm-up lap and had to take the flying race start from the back of the field. However, after just a few corners, the Paul Ricard specialist was back in the leading pack. There, the duel between Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) in their GP2 Dallara cars resumed on the first lap. After a mistake by Colombo and a subsequent collision between the two Italians, the race was over for Ghiotto, Colombo on the other hand had to pick up a new car nose in his pit. All this helped Faggionato overcome the incident at the pre-start and race towards victory. The Monegasque took his third BOSS GP win today after double victory in Brno 2018, while Colombo was similarly rewarded for a race to catch up, taking second. Unimpressed by the duels around him, “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) remained successful with third place. Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) in a strong fourth place was unfortunate to just miss the podium. Jean-Christophe Peyre (FRA, Zig-Zag) finished fifth in his home race in the only AutoGP car on the grid.

Rene Arnoux (l.) with the successful BOSS GP drivers

Due to the incidents in the FORMULA class, SUPER LIGHTS driver Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) was also able to finish the race in the top-10 and take a class win in his very first BOSS GP race.

The second race over 25 minutes starts tomorrow at 15:15 local time and can again be seen with extensive pre-race coverage in the livestream.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP