Antonio Pizzonia leading the way, exciting races expected in FORMULA and Walter Colacino best SUPER LIGHTS driver in Qualifying.
In the finest late summer weather, the 5.245-kilometre track at Mugello presented its most beautiful side to the BOSS GP drivers. In qualifying, which determines the starting grid for both races, Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) set the fastest time in the OPEN classification for the seventh time this season. This time, the ex-Formula 1 driver from Williams and Jaguar will lead the full field to the start, as he did in Misano earlier this year.
In the FORMULA class, a three-way battle for the top spot is expected after practice and qualifying: Simone Colombo (ITA), Marc Faggionato (MCO, both MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) were separated by just a few tenths of a second on their fastest lap – they will probably fight it out between themselves for victory.
Following them was another MM International driver, Salvatore de Plano (ITA) starts from third row. The two Auto GP cars from Zig-Zag will start from row 3 and 4: Nicolas Matile (MCO) was faster than team-mate Jean-Christophe Peyre (FRA). Best in the SUPER LIGHTS class this time around was Walter Colacino (ITA, Walter Colacino Racing) in his Formula 3000.
Roland Rupprechter (AUT, Rupprechter Motorsport) and Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) both came to an early end to their practice sessions after a spin. However, both will be able to take part in the races. The start of the first race is today, Saturday, at 14:10 CEST, the second race starts tomorrow, Sunday, at 11:00 CEST.
BOSS GP extends the summer with the grand finale of the championship season at Mugello from October 6-8, 2023.
For some competitors, a better ranking in the championship is still at stake, while others want to end the season with a strong sense of achievement. The ideal opportunity to do so and take a ride in their Big Open Single Seater is already in two weeks in Tuscany. The Formula 1 and MotoGP circuit at Mugello will be the venue for two free practice sessions on Friday, qualifying and race 1 on Saturday and a second race on Sunday. This means that a total of over two hours of track time will be available for the BOSS GP Racing Series as part of the PNK Motorsport Racing Weekend.
Anyone wishing to take part in the seventh and final event of the championship season can still register: Registration is open up to and including September 25, 2023. Interested teams and drivers can find all the necessary documents on the website under For Teams.
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.
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.
The fourth race weekend from 21 to 23 July 2023 in Misano marks the mid-season for the Big Open Single Seater Racing Series, Europe’s fastest racing series.
With the BOSS GP Racing Series, the most powerful single-seater cars of the last 25 years will be guests at the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this weekend – meaning that spectators on site will experience the fastest starting grid of the year. The Misano circuit has already celebrated its 50th anniversary. The 4.2-kilometre track has been rebuilt several times, including a change of direction in 2006. 16 corners demand a lot of patience on the throttle and precision from the pilots. Only a few kilometres from the Adriatic coast, the “Holiday Grand Prix” is a good opportunity for the participants of the BOSS GP to spend their holidays by the sea.
Scuderia Palladio is one of the strong Italian teams in BOSS GP
Entries
Antonio Pizzonia (BRA) is the favourite in the BOSS GP OPEN class. With the World Series V8 of the HS Engineering team, he has won all the races so far this season. The former Formula 1 driver will try to break the track record set last year by Harald Schlegelmilch (1:20.785 min). Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) himself will make his BOSS GP comeback in Misano, but in the FORMULA Class. Last year’s OPEN Class champion will be driving a World Series by Renault 3.5.
For many years now, the Italian teams and drivers have been a fundamental reason for the success of the BOSS GP Racing Series. No fewer than eight Italians will be competing in Misano this time. Championship leader Simone Colombo (MM International), his rival Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio) and Ghiotto’s team-mate “Checco” Malavasi in the FORMULA class. Also competing for Ghiotto’s team is Bruno Jarach. Another Italian, Marco Minelli (AM Sport System), who recently made his debut in Spielberg, joins them in a World Series Dallara. New in Misano is Alessandro Rosi (Gruppo Piloti Forlivesi), who, like compatriot Minelli, will be driving a World Series car. They will all face Fabian Vettel (GER, Top Speed), who made a strong monoposto debut at the Red Bull Ring and will participate in the rest of the season in the BOSS GP. After the first podium, an attack for the win could possibly happen soon. For the first time this year, Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) will be on the grid, bringing one of the spectacular Auto GP cars with a loud 3.4-litre Zytek engine, as will team-mate Jean-Christophe Peyre (FRA). In addition to Simone Colombo, Marc Faggionato (MCO) is another contender for victory in the car for the Tuscan MM International team. In addition, Adriano Buzaid, a former top driver from the British Formula 3, will make his debut. The Brazilian will also compete in a GP2 car.
In the SUPER LIGHTS class, where primarily the 6-cylinder cars find their stage, Walter Colacino and Giulio Tine (both ITA) share a 1998 Formula 3000 with an Alfa Romeo engine. They will compete against Henry Clausnitzer, who exhibited with consistency in his debut season and continues on his way towards the title.
The BOSS GP F1 Class will not compete in Misano because the track is not approved for Formula 1 cars. Interested Formula 1 teams and drivers therefore have the opportunity to take part in two show runs this year in Brno (9/10 September) and Magny-Cours (30 September/1 October). These events are also the perfect opportunity to get a taste of BOSS GP. Send your enquiry to race@bossgp.com
Timetable
Friday, 21 July 10:35–11:05 Free Practice 1 16:35–16:50 Free Practice 2
Saturday, 22 July 09:35–10:05 Qualifying (two groups) 15:00–15:20 Race 1 (20 minutes)
Sunday, 23. July 12:15–11:40 Race 2 (25 minutes)
all times CEST
Tickets
Admission on site is free of charge, paddock entry for visitors is possible.
Support programme
The PNK Motorsport Racing Weekend is the successor to the Gruppo Peroni events, which often hosted the Italian races of the BOSS GP in previous years. This year, the summer event in Misano will once again feature a variety of racing series. These include races with sports prototypes (Master Tricolore Prototipi and Sports Car Challenge), silhouette cars (Mitjet Racing Series), cup touring cars (RS Cup) and various historic classes (Histo Cup Austria).
In the 25-minute Sunday race Harald Schlegelmilch set another lap record. Victory for the new champion Simone Colombo in FORMULA class.
The drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series completed their final race of the season at the Pirelli Grande Finale in the best possible autumn weather.
BOSS GP OPEN Class
For the last time this season Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was on the hunt for the lap record. Once again the former Formula 3 ace succeeded in improving the existing best time of 1:21.822, set in yesterday’s race. Today, Schlegelmilch achieved a fabulous time of 1:20.785 (average speed: 188 km/h) in his World Series Dallara V8. The 34-year-old thus makes history and at the same time thanks his Austrian team with the tenth victory of the season in the OPEN class.
BOSS GP FORMULA Class
Once again, Saturday’s race winner Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and the new champion Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) got together very close. Only a few centimetres separated the two GP2 cars as they turned into the first corner at the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. A resumption of the “duel of the season” failed to unfold, however, because Ghiotto spun into the grass only a short time later. But the 2019 to 2021 champion was able to continue and take home at least one more trophy with second place. Colombo celebrated the victory as a cherry on top of the championship title he had already secured yesterday.
Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport) was on his way to the podium for most of the race distance. But Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) had something against it. As yesterday, the Italian managed to overtake rival after rival after a weak start and once again complete an all-Italian podium. After a spin by Aberer (finished 5th), Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) also overtook the Austrian. O’Connell not only impressed with fast lap times in his WSbR, but also attracted attention with a spin in the early stages. Because he was also able to continue his drive, the chase was rewarded with his best result in the BOSS GP to date.
Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) finished the race in sixth place, Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) in seventh. With these points, Steding was able to improve one more place in the championship. With fourth place overall in the championship, he repeated his ranking from the previous year.
BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class
Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) again started the race from 4th place overall. With used tyres, however, he had a much harder time today than yesterday and as a result he dropped further back in the field. Nevertheless, he crowned his performance this weekend with the second victory in class. Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) in a Formula 3000 took second place. Champion Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) was absent this weekend due to health reasons.
After twelve races in five different countries, the BOSS GP Racing Series 2022 comes to an end. The planning for the 2023 season is already underway, the first round of the season is expected to start in April.
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.
Ingo Gerstl secures the championship title. Thriller for victory in the BOSS GP FORMULA class postpones decision to the Pirelli Grande Finale in Misano.
The third last race of the 2022 season at the “Forza Fanatec” had it all for fans and drivers alike. But first, the teams and riders had to wait, because the fog on Sunday morning postponed the programme by about an hour. However, this did not change the race distance of 25 minutes.
BOSS GP F1 Class
Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) started the race from grid position 2. He overtook his team-mate Ingo Gerstl (AUT) in the two-year older Toro Rosso STR 1 right at the start, but a safety car phase made it impossible for Gerstl to pass his protégé Thomas Jackermeier. Jackermeier fulfilled a birthday wish with his third victory after the “double” in Brno and won for the first time on Italian soil with the Italian car. Gerstl’s second place was enough to secure his eighth BOSS GP title, the seventh in the highest class. Gerstl thus draws level with his long-time great rival Klaas Zwart (NLD) in the all-time BOSS GP leaderboard.
BOSS GP OPEN Class
Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was able to take another winner’s trophy for himself and his Austrian team on the podium at Mugello after another faultless performance.
BOSS GP FORMULA Class
Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) wanted to fix the championship deal after winning yesterday’s race. But in a tussle at the start with rival Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), it was Colombo who lost out. He got stuck in the gravel, while Ghiotto and Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) were able to continue the race with loss of position. In the last ten minutes of the race, a four-way battle for the class win ignited. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), who was leading at first, got more and more pressure, among others from Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International). He overtook Martucci, who counterattacked several times. Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) and Marco Ghiotto joined him from behind and worked their way forward lap by lap. With three laps to go, De Plano took the lead, which he would not relinquish until the chequered flag. Behind him, Luca Martucci defended himself with the knives between his teeth. But it did not end as Martucci would have wished. Both Faggionato with the fastest race lap and Ghiotto were able to pass Martucci on the last lap. With third place behind De Plano and Faggionato, Ghiotto keeps the title fight open in the FORMULA standings, 38 points separate him and Colombo before the last two races in Misano. 50 points are still up for grabs.
BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class
Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) could hardly believe it. Unlike his opponents in the six-cylinder car class, Colacino was able to complete a race distance in his aged Formula 3000 with Alfa Romeo engine. Colacino thus scored the full 25 points. Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) was at least able to complete some race laps today (Sunday) after yesterday’s technical problems and finished second ahead of the new champion Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport).
The BOSS GP Racing Series continues its European tour in three weeks. The final decisions of this season will be made at the Pirelli Grande Finale in Misano from 4 to 6 November 2022.
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.
Pole position for Ingo Gerstl at the “Forza Fanatec” in Mugello. Ghiotto holds his own against FORMULA leader Colombo and Andreas Hasler is fastest in the SUPER LIGHTS.
Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) confirmed his role as favourite with the best time in qualifying. With a lap time of 1:26.747, the driver of a Toro Rosso STR1 secured pole position for the two race rounds in Mugello. Gerstl will be followed at the start by OPEN driver Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in the World Series car with 4.5 litres capacity (instead of 3.5). Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) will start from row 2. Jackermeier is competing for the first time in a Formula 1 car at Mugello and is doing excellently so far. Will he be able to step up a gear in the race and follow Gerstl?
Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) secured the best starting position in the highly competitive FORMULA classification. The two-time BOSS GP champion started in qualifying section 2 after a cautious Friday practice run and it took him a few laps to get past team-mate Francesco Malavasi (ITA) on the timings and then championship leader Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International). With a fantastic time of 1:35.035, Ghiotto qualified almost nine tenths of a second ahead of Colombo, who lost time especially in the first sector. Filling the starting row behind are BOSS GP rookie Francesco Malavasi and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), who is a candidate for the podium with a good qualifying performance on one of his favourite tracks. Team-mate Salvatore de Plano (ITA) follows behind.
With Joey Foster (GBR, HS Engineering) withdrawing from the event, the only World Series by Renault 3.5-litre pilot Paul O’Connell qualified sixth in class. Best from the Zig-Zag squad was Nicolas Matile (MCO) in the Auto GP Lola in eighth in class, just ahead of teammate Jean Christophe Peyre (FRA). Team leader Marc Faggionato (MCO) was unable to take part in practice after spinning and will therefore have a race to catch up.
In the SUPER LIGHTS category, rookie Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) only familiarised himself with the track today after still being in school yesterday. Geier’s Tatuus World Series V6, however, remained in the pits with gearbox problems, so Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) will start the races as the best-placed SUPER LIGHTS competitor. Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) qualified his Formula 3000 in 15th place overall.
The first race starts today, Saturday, at 15:05 local time and is over a distance of 20 minutes, the second race over 25 minutes is scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, at 13:15. In order to keep the workload on the Formula 1 cars low, the BOSS GP F1 Class will see the chequered flag after 15 minutes.
