Tag: Championship

Season 2023 & Champions Night

BOSS GP 2023: 5 countries – 7 events – 14 races – 4 classes – 20 teams – 40 drivers – 11 nations.

This year’s Champions Night of the BOSS GP Racing Series took place on Saturday, November 25, 2023. The participants in Europe’s fastest racing series met in the wonderful ambience of the M23 restaurant on Mönchsberg, with a great view over the city of Salzburg. In the 29th year of the BOSS series, the races were held over seven weekends in five European countries. Twenty participating teams fielded their cars in four classes and sent a total of 40 drivers from 11 nations to the events.

In the BOSS GP F1 Class, the class of pure-bred Formula 1 vehicles, the Austrian Ingo Gerstl won again with his Toro Rosso STR1 Cosworth from Team Top-Speed. It is the Salzburg native’s eighth overall success, making him the sole record winner in the list of successes in the BOSS GP series. The world-famous artist and sculptor Jos Pirkner, guest of honor of the evening at Mönchsberg was the creator of the legendary design of the Toro Rosso Formula 1 racing car, presented Ingo Gerstl with the trophy for the BOSS GP overall victory. The German Ulf Ehninger came second in the Formula 1 class with his Benetton B197-F1 from ESBA-Racing ahead of the Frenchman Didier Sirgue from LRS Racing in the Jaguar R2-F1.

The BOSS GP OPEN Class was won by Antonio Pizzonia from Brazil. The former Williams and Jaguar Formula 1 driver was successful in a Dallara World Series V8-T12 from the Austrian team HS Engineering supported by ZELE Racing. This means that the lovable Brazilian was not only always in the slipstream of Ingo Gerstl’s Toro Rosso, but also at the top of the podium 13 times in the 14 races in the Open Class. Second place went to the always good-humored Irishman Paul O’Connell, whose Dallara NME World Series was also performed by HS Engineering / ZELE Racing.

The BOSS GP FORMULA Class was the most heavily populated in terms of numbers and the Dallara-Mecachrome 4.0 V8 GP2 cars dominated again. A total of 29 drivers appears in the points rankings of the FORMULA Class, with the first three places going to Italy. Particularly noteworthy was the year-long duel at the top between the eventual winner Simone Colombo from MM International and Marco Ghiotto from Scuderia Palladio / Team Nardi Compressori. The fights between this two drivers were tough, but always very fair. Several times only a few centimeters separated the two at the finish line. Cecco Malavasi, also from Scuderia Palladio, took third place overall in the FORMULA Class ahead of the best German driver, Andreas Fiedler from Fiedler Racing / Team Leonhart, who missed the podium in the overall standings by just one point. Also very strong in this FORMULA Class was Marc Faggionato from Monaco in a car from the Italian team MM International. He even achieved a class win in Paul Ricard at the beginning of the season and then made it to the podium several times throughout the year. Also worth noting is the Austrian Roland Rupprechter, who, as a newcomer to the BOSS GP series, appears ninth out of 29 drivers in the FORMULA Class points rankings.

The victory in the BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class goes to Henry Clausnitzer from Germany from WF Racing on a Tatuus World Series V6. The Austrian Stefan Eisinger-Sewald from Red Rose Racing, who always drove with full commitment, came with his beautiful Ralt RT23-F3000 on second in the class for racing cars with lower displacement. The Italian Walter Colacino / W. Colacino Racing came third in the SUPER LIGHTS on a Lola T96/50-F3000.

Next year, in 2024, the BOSS series will celebrate 30 years since its founding by Roger Cowman and his friends in Great Britain. There are six race weekends in the calendar for this anniversary season in 2024, plus two dates on which F1 show runs will take place.

Full results 2023 BOSS GP Racing Series – all classes
Photos 2023 CHAMPIONS NIGHT

Text: SMW MEDIA
Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Season registration open

We invite all interested drivers and teams to register for the upcoming BOSS GP Racing Series season at the latest before February 28, 2023.

In 2023, the BOSS GP Racing Series will once again offer the most professional platform for “gentleman drivers” and young talent to race with Big Open Single Seater cars. Between April and October, races will be held at seven premium European race tracks in five different countries. A race weekend includes two Free Practice sessions, the qualifying and two races.

07–09 AprilCircuit Paul RicardLe Castellet (FRA)
05–07 MayHockenheimringHockenheim (GER)
09–11 JuneRed Bull RingSpielberg (AUT)
21–23 JulyWorld Circuit Marco Simoncelli MisanoMisano Adriatico (ITA) without F1 Class
12–13 AugustTT Circuit AssenAssen (NED)
9–10 SeptemberAutomotodrom BrnoBrno (CZE) F1 Show Race
22–24 SeptemberMonza CircuitMonza (ITA)
30 September–1 OctoberCircuit de Nevers Magny-CoursMagny-Cours (FRA) F1 Show Race
06–08 OctoberMugello CircuitMugello (ITA)

As usual you can download the Season Application form and the Sporting and Technical Regulations from our website www.bossgp.com/forteams.

The registration form must be completed and sent to office@bossgp.com as well as the registration fee paid by 28/02/2023 at the latest. Please keep in mind, after the 28th of February only the more expensive Guest Driver Application is possible.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Race 1 Misano

Harald Schlegelmilch takes his ninth win of the season with a lap record. Simone Colombo manages to win the FORMULA title with a second place. Victory for Alexander Geier in the SUPER LIGHTS category.

While the Cinturato rain tyres were fitted in the morning, there was no more talk of this before the first race. It dried up just in time. So everything was set for a high-speed festival at the Pirelli Grande Finale 2022 at the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano. After all, there was still a championship title at stake.

BOSS GP OPEN Class

But first all eyes were on the lap times of Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in his Dallara World Series. The V8 car completed the lap of the Italian circuit near the Adriatic Sea as fast as no other car had ever done before. Schlegelmilch not only took his ninth win of the season in the OPEN classification, but also made history with a new sensational lap record of 1:21.822. The previous lap record, set in a Euroseries 3000 race, was a time of 1:25.380 by Clivio Piccione. On the technically demanding and rather twisty MotoGP circuit, this meant an average speed of 186 kph for Schlegelmilch.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) once again did everything in his control to keep his title chance alive. But the race win in the first heat was not enough. A second place was sufficient for Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) to win the title early. This means that Ghiotto has to vacate his “throne” after three titles in a row. For Colombo it was the crowning of only his second BOSS GP season. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) completed the Italian celebrations with third place. Martucci was slow to get going, but the longer the race went on he overtook rival after rival and was subsequently delighted with his first podium of the year.

Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) also claimed his best finish of the season with fourth place. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) made up further points on Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) in the championship with fifth place. In the last race of the season, he has a good chance of moving up to fourth position overall.

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

After a surprising fourth place in a wet qualifying session, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) was in the front of the field, but Geier, in the underpowered 6-cylinder World Series, held his own in the race and was even in fourth place overall for a long time. Only Martucci was able to overtake him in the closing stages. With fifth place among the GP2 cars, the 16-year-old once again showed his talent. The class win in the SUPER LIGHTS was an easy matter, Walter Colacino (ITA, Walter Colacino Racing) in the older Formula 3000 finished second behind Geier.

Tomorrow Sunday the V8 and V6 engines will be fired up one more time this BOSS GP season. The race start for the twelfth race of the season is at 11:05 am local time. Admission is free.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview: Pirelli Grande Finale Misano

The final decision will be made on the last race meeting of the year: the Pirelli Grande Finale in Misano from 4 to 6 November 2022.

Updated Entry List on 3/11/2022, 10:35 CET

Ingo Gerstl (BOSS GP F1 Class), Harald Schlegelmilch (OPEN) and Andreas Hasler (SUPER LIGHTS) have already been crowned the new champions of 2022 ahead of the Pirelli Grande Finale. The situation is completely different in the FORMULA class, where two drivers can still become champions after two dramatic races in Mugello. On the one hand, defending champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio). After two titles in a row, compatriot Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) could break his winning streak this year. Colombo leads by 38 points after ten of the season’s twelve races and has two more victories than Ghiotto under his belt. With a maximum of 50 points up for grabs, Ghiotto will be going all out to repeat his victory double from last year at Misano in his 2011 GP2 car. Colombo (2017 GP2 car), on the other hand, has known since the second race at Mugello at the latest how quickly a race can end in the gravel bed. How much risk will he take this time?

With Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), another Italian wants to finish his season in the best possible way. In the championship, he could still move up to third place. Whether the track record of 1:24.761, set by Marco Ghiotto in qualifying 2021, will fall this year is unclear. The weather forecast promises a high chance of rain for all three days of the event. Unfortunately, due to stricter noise regulations, the Formula 1 cars are missing on the BOSS GP Racing Series grid this time. The favourite for the overall victory is expected to be Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in his 4.5-litre World Series car.

Entry List:

NumberNameNationTeamClassManufacturerYearModelEngine
10Haralds Slegelmilhs LVAHS EngineeringOPENDallara2012WSbR – T12Gibson 4.5
22Michael AbererAUTAM MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2Mecachrome
27Marco GhiottoITAScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
28Bruno JarachITAEesti MotorsportFORMULADallara2008GP2Mecachrome
31Paul O’ConnellIREHS EngineeringFORMULADallara2012WSbR – T12Gibson
32Simone ColomboITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2017F2Mecachrome
37Luca MartucciITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
43Giancarlo PedettiITANannini RacingFORMULADallara2014GP2Mecachrome
47Walter StedingGERScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
55Lothar OberlaberAUTTeam Top SpeedFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
34Giulio Tine’ITAWalter Colacino RacingSUPER LIGHTSLola1998F3000Alfa Romeo
36Walter ColacinoITAWalter Colacino RacingSUPER LIGHTSLola1998F3000Alfa Romeo
111Alexander GeierAUTGeier RacingSUPER LIGHTSTatuus2003WSbRNissan

Track:

The BOSS GP Racing Series makes its second stop at the 4.2-kilometre Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this year after last year’s premiere. The track has been in operation near the Adriatic coast since 1972, with the biggest reconstruction taking place in 2006 and 2007, when the direction of the track was rotated (now clockwise) to create more space for run-off areas. Today, like all the other tracks on the BOSS GP Racing Series calendar, the circuit has the highest safety standard and regularly hosts MotoGP, World Superbike Championship and the Fanatec GT World Challenge.

Timetable (CET):

Friday, 4 November 2022
10:35–11:05     Free Practice 1
14:35–15:05     Free Practice 2

Saturday, 5 November 2022
10:00–10:30     Qualifying
14:35–14:55     Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 6 November 2022
11:05–11:30     Race 2 (25 minutes)

Support races:

Like last time in Mugello, several Italian racing series will support the BOSS GP Racing Series in Misano. These include the Master Tricolore Prototipi sports car prototype series, the Lotus and Renault Clio RS one-make championships and the Mitjet Italia Racing Series silhouette championship. The line-up will be rounded off by regularity races of the Porsche Club GT. Saturday’s programme starts at 8:45 a.m. and goes until 9:20 p.m. with floodlights. Sunday starts at 8:30 a.m.

Live Stream:

The race programme on Saturday and Sunday will be partly broadcast on promoter Gruppo Peroni’s YouTube channel.

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP, PR & Event Keke Platzer (Poster)

Report: Race 1 Mugello

Andreas Hasler takes the title in the BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS. Wins for Gerstl (F1) and Schlegelmilch (OPEN) as well as a crucial victory for Simone Colombo in the FORMULA classification.

The Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres stayed in the garages this time. The ninth of twelve races of the season in Tuscany took place under partly cloudy skies and in the best climatic conditions. 20 minutes had to be completed as usual in Saturday’s race at the “Forza Fanatec” in Mugello. The group of Formula 1 cars was started in the proven manner with a gap to the other three classes.

BOSS GP F1 Class

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) controlled the first race of the weekend from pole position. In the 2006 Toro Rosso STR 1 the 7-time BOSS GP champion set the pace, only Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) was able to keep up at times on his F1 debut at the Mugello circuit. Jackermeier held his own against the fastest driver from the OPEN classification, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering), who hung on to the rear of the Toro Rosso STR 3 after an early restart. Jackermeier scored 22 points for second place, which now puts him equal with Ulf Ehninger in second place in the standings behind Gerstl.

BOSS GP OPEN Class

Harald Schlegelmilch brought the improved World Series car home first again and without any technical problems. His team, HS Engineering, celebrated the seventh victory of the season at the seventh event together with their pilot.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

When it comes to the championship, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) made a serious mistake on the first lap. The reigning champion spun off the track with cold tyres on lap 1 and had to retire from the race early. This left the way clear for Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), who controlled the race at the front. However, the gap at the finish to the next driver was not even one second. Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International) made it onto the podium for the first time in his third start this year. With 1:37.701 De Plano also drove the fastest lap in his class. Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was no match for him. However, his 3rd place was his third top-3 result in a row. With three Italians at the front, the “Fratelli d’Italia” (Italian national anthem) was rightly played. Colombo heads into tomorrow’s race with a 58-point lead over Ghiotto. If he maintains a lead of 50 points, Colombo could be celebrated as Ghiotto’s successor on Sunday.

In midfield Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) fought his way through the pack as expected after his bad qualifying. Similar to Alexander Seibold (GER, Seibold Auto + Sport), he managed some impressive overtaking manoeuvres. After a suspension change, Seibold was able to move up to 5th place behind Faggionato by setting quick lap times. Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) in the only World Series 3.5 V8 kept ahead of the two GP2 cars for a long time, in the end he finished 6th ahead of Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) and Bruno Jarach (ITA, Eesti Motorsport). Unlucky was Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), who started the race late with electronics problems and finished the race one lap down.

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

While Harald Schlegelmilch had already secured the title in the OPEN class after the race weekend in Brno, it was now Andreas Hasler’s (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) turn in the SUPER LIGHTS. The former hillclimb racer won his class for the fourth time this year. Because Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) could not fix the gearbox problems from qualifying for the race either, Hasler’s most important opponent remained without points this time. This means that Hasler can no longer be ousted from the top spot before the last three races of the season. Second place in Mugello went to Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) in the 1998 Formula 3000.

The tenth race of the season will take place tomorrow, Sunday, at 13:15 local time. Before that, there will be a ten-minute warm-up of the BOSS GP Racing Series at 10:00 am. Tickets are still available at the box office.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview Monza

Last tour stop for Europe’s fastest racing series in the 2021 season: The BOSS GP Racing Series storms through the park of Monza at over 300 kph.

Monza and BOSS GP seem to be the perfect match, as both form a wonderful symbiosis of tradition and modernity. While high-tech racing cars from the last 20 years can be watched at full volume and in real races at the BOSS GP Racing Series, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza has been the venue for the Formula One Italian Grand Prix since 1950 (except in 1980). A large part of the original layout has been adapted to modern safety standards and is still used today, although the steep concrete curves can only be admired on foot.

The BOSS GP line-up last competed in Monza two years ago. Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) and Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) won that time. Meanwhile, Ingo is on the verge of obtaining his seventh BOSS GP championship title in the OPEN class. Realistically, only an early technical defect on his Toro Rosso STR1 or an accident can still prevent the Salzburg citizen from winning another title in Monza. Gerstl’s last remaining rival in the 2021 overall standings, Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing), is inferior in terms of performance and aerodynamics in his blue and white Benetton F1 from the 1997 season.

In contrast, the FORMULA class with its numerous Formula 2 and GP2 cars is much closer together. Recently, however, drivers with their Auto GP and World Series by Renault 3.5 cars have also been able to get involved on a regular basis, as Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) proved in Brno. Irishman Paul O’Connell will sit in Schlegelmilch’s car in Monza and the question on everyone’s lips is: Will he also be able to cause a surprise? After the cancelled races at the Nürburgring will not be held until 2022, Italian Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio) will be the FORMULA champion for the third time in a row. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), who has scored points with consistency so far, has the best chance of finishing second before the final. But only one point behind his teammate is compatriot Luca Martucci. All three are chasing the coveted home victory in Monza. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who has recently moved closer to the top-runners, has also a great chance of stepping onto the podium.

Timetable BOSS GP GlobeAir Grande Finale Monza:

Friday, 1 October 2021
10:15–10:45 Free Practice 1
14:25–14:55 Free Practice 2

Saturday, 2 October 2021
10:30–11:00 Qualifying
15:35 Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 3 October 2021
12:50 Race 2 (25 minutes)

New class: SUPER LIGHTS

From Red Bull Ring on: own class for Formula 3000 and V6 World Series by Renault/Nissan cars.

The BOSS GP Racing Series extend his offer for drivers and teams. From the next race at the Red Bull Ring (21/22 May) there will be a new SUPER LIGHTS class in addition to the OPEN and FORMULA classifications.

This class is for Formula 3000 cars built in 1996 and later and for World Series by Renault and Nissan cars with six-cylinder engines. As in the other two classes, the SUPER LIGHTS will have there own award ceremony with trophies after each race.

Interested teams and pilots can contact BOSS GP’s Race Coordinator Malin Strandberg for more details: race@bossgp.com or +43 650 78 40 784

Photo: Michael Kavena

Report Race 2 Mugello

Fiedler wins rain race ahead of Matile.

Rain, lightning and thunder had the Mugello region firmly under control on Sunday. It was no wonder that some drivers in their cars with over 600 hp took no risks and decided not to start in the second race of the weekend. Even more admirable are those drivers who ventured onto the wet track with partly standing water.

From the front row, yesterday’s race winner Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) started the race. Just when the lights switched to green, Martucci lost control of his car and was lucky not to hit the pit wall. After this moment of shock he was even able to continue the race. Still in lap 1, Ghiotto, who was in the lead, also lost control and spun his car at the exit of “Arrabbiata 1”. Because the vehicle had to be recovered from the meadow, the Fanatec Safety Car neutralised the race.

In the lead now was Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) in a Dallara GP2, who battled for the lead with Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) in an Auto-GP-Lola in the final stage of the race. With victory in sight, both drivers gave everything they had, sometimes only centimetres apart from each other in a drift. In the end, Fiedler defied all attacks from Matile and took his first overall BOSS GP victory. However, Nicolas was also happy with second place and his best BOSS GP result so far. For the second time this year Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) finished on the podium in his new Auto GP. His rain experience paid off this time.

Bruno Jarach (EST, Eeesti Motorsport) also achieved his best BOSS GP result with fourth place. Fifth place went to the unlucky Luca Martucci, who at least secured the fastest lap.

After the two races in Mugello, the decisions in the championship have also been made: Ingo Gerstl (OPEN) and Marco Ghiotto (FORMULA) defend their title from last year. The top 3 in the big class are completed by Benetton driver Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) and Jaguar driver Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Competition). Overall 2nd place in the FORMULA class goes to Luca Martucci. Sensational third place goes to Ghiotto’s team-mate Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio).

The season finale in Imola had to be cancelled. The reason for this is the starting build-up for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna, which takes place on November 1st. Instead, the BOSS GP Racing Series plans a final event at the Adria Raceway (ITA). Details will follow soon.

Photo: Roberto Piccinini/Actualfoto

Season starts in July

Luca Martucci in his GP2 drives down the pit lane

First BOSS GP races will be held in Imola on 11 and 12 July.

The event and travel restrictions have also affected the BOSS GP Racing Calendar in 2020. Nevertheless, there is good news: The championship can start in just a few weeks. The first two races will already be held on the weekend of 11 and 12 July at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. This makes the BOSS GP races “Forza Fanatec” in Imola the first major motor sport event in Italy after the Coronavirus crisis. By the way, the season finale in October will also take place on the former Formula 1 racetrack in Imola.

The event is hosted by the experienced organizers of Gruppo Peroni. The event will last two days, and there will also be several support races. Whether spectators will be allowed has not yet been decided. Further details will be published on www.bossgp.com in the next few days.

  • 11/12 July Imola (Italy) Forza Fanatec
  • 4–6 September Brno (Czech Republic) Masaryk Racing Days
  • 25–27 September Assen (Netherlands) Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix
  • 9–11 October Mugello (Italy) BOSS Mugello Grand Prix
  • 23–25 October Imola (Italy) Pirelli Grande Finale

In addition, the organizers of BOSS GP are currently making intensive efforts to hold another race on a well-known Formula 1 racetrack in August. This would ensure the originally planned twelve races on six race weekends in this year’s BOSS GP Racing Series calendar.

Cancellation Misano and Hockenheim

GP2 cars from MM International in the pit garage

The scheduled BOSS GP races in Misano Adriatico and at the Hockenheimring will not take place in 2020.

The first BOSS GP race after the Corona crisis should have taken place in Misano (ITA) on June 20, 2020. The organizers in Italy have tried until the end to be able to hold the race event, if necessary, without spectators. However, as the Italian authorities have not yet given their approval, the event had to be cancelled unfortunately. The reason for the restrictions are the still ongoing regulations to contain the corona pandemic. This means that the debut of Europe’s fastest racing series on the very interesting racetrack on the Adriatic coast is postponed to next year.

Sadly, the race at the Jim Clark Revival in Hockenheim (DEU) cannot take place either. The race originally planned for April was already postponed two months ago. The organisers are aiming a spare date in autumn. However, because BOSS GP has already planned two races each in September and October, the Big Open Single Seater will not be able to compete in this year’s Hockenheim Historic.

Four race weekends in the schedule of the 2020 BOSS GP series are currently confirmed:

  • 4–6 September Brno (Czech Republic) Masaryk Racing Days
  • 25–27 September Assen (Netherlands) Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix
  • 9–11 October Mugello (Italy) BOSS Mugello Grand Prix
  • 23–25 October Imola (Italy) Pirelli Grande Finale

BOSS GP is in negotiations with other racetracks and organisers in order to be able to include possible substitute races in the calendar. As soon as there are any news, we will publish them on www.bossgp.com.