Tag: Martucci

Report: Brno Race 2

Jackermeier celebrates double victory in the BOSS GP F1 class, Ghiotto triumphs in the hotly contested FORMULA class, Geier in SUPER LIGHTS also in a class of his own on Sunday.

After the weather gods made it rain on Saturday, the race on Sunday remained dry despite dark clouds. In ideal conditions, there were plenty of wheel-to-wheel duels for the fans to marvel at during the Masaryk Racing Days. 

BOSS GP F1 Class

After his premiere victory on Saturday, Thomas Jackermeier (GER/Top Speed) followed up with another win on Sunday. Right from the start, the German pulled away unstoppable in his Toro Rosso STR3 and did not let anyone take the lead from him. With a high and constant pace, Jackermeier controlled the lead. His pursuers were no match for the German. In the championship, Jackermeier continues to make up ground on series dominator Ingo Gerstl (AUT/Top Speed). Gerstl did not start in the second race. The championship battle is thus picking up speed again with two race weekends to go.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

The duel of the race was between Saturday’s winner Simone Colombo (ITA/MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA/Scuderia Palladio). The two FORMULA class rivals fought a wheel-to-wheel duel for several laps. Ghiotto followed Colombo like a shadow, as he had done in Spielberg and Le Castellet. The fans were more than thrilled by the tough but fair duel. With just under ten minutes to go in the race, Ghiotto made the decisive manoeuvre at the entrance of the last corner and took the lead. With a clear track, Ghiotto was able to put a gap between himself and Colombo. Colombo tried to counterattack again towards the end of the race, but was unable to counter Ghiotto’s fast pace today. A few minutes before the end, Colombo had to let Ghiotto’s team mate Francesco Malavasi (ITA/Scuderia Palladio) pass. Malavasi thus secured his second podium this weekend after third place on Saturday. Malavasi, however, did not make a final attack on the victory. Salvatore de Plano (ITA/MM International) came close to Colombo towards the end of the race in fourth place, but was unable to catch his compatriot. Luca Martucci (ITA/MM International) rounded off a perfect Italian day. With his victory yesterday and his second place today, Colombo also takes over the overall lead from Zdenek Chovanec Lopez in the FORMULA class before the final two race weekends in Mugello and Misano.

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

Andreas Hasler (AUT/Hasler Motorsport) was ahead on the grid, but after only a few metres rookie Alexander Geier (AUT/Geier Racing) took the lead from Hasler. Hasler could not follow Geier’s fast pace. Geier then controlled the action in the SUPER LIGHTS and thus made himself a double winner at the race weekend in Brno. The driver from Salzburg is also making up ground in the championship. Hasler tried to bring his second place in the SUPER LIGHTS class safely to the finish line, which he succeeded in doing.

The BOSS GP will take a short break and continue its season in Mugello in mid-October (14–16).

Photos: 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 Race 1 Misano

Ghiotto defends all attacks and triumphs again.

It was not only the asphalt that was boiling on this race Saturday at the BOSS GP premiere at the World Circuit Misano. It also became hot under the helmets, as numerous drivers saw their chances of overall victory this time because of the absence of Formula 1 and IndyCars from the OPEN class.

Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Gianluca De Lorenzi (RSM, GDL Racing) started the 20-minute race from row 1. But already on the first metres they got company from Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), who had started from the second row. Martucci pushed alongside and wanted to take the lead. But Ghiotto held his own, braking on the inside and a little later than Martucci, thus retaining the top position. Behind, Martucci ran out of room against Colombo and Fiedler, resulting in a collision with Thomas Jackermeier, who touched Martucci’s Dallara GP2. Both drivers were able to continue the race. Jackermeier, however, only after a safety stop at his crew in the pits.

Further back in the field, Christian Ferstl’s race came to an end on lap 2, while he was in an intense three-way battle with Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport) and Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering). Because the car of hillclimb specialist Ferstl parked on a dangerous spot, the Fanatec Safety Car was sent out onto the track.

At the restart, Ghiotto was confronted with the next attack, because Colombo tried to pass the defending champion in the first corner, a slow right-left-right combination. But Ghiotto blocked cleverly, and Colombo also demolished his front wing in the failed overtaking attempt. It did not take long for De Lorenzi to take advantage of Colombo’s resulting handling problems and retake second place. The quickest World Series by Renault driver quickly set off in pursuit of Ghiotto – pushing hard with fastest lap times. But Ghiotto was smart with his tyres and really gear up the pace at the halfway point of the race. De Lorenzi, on the other hand, was suddenly busy with Colombo, who was still able to keep Martucci behind him with a slightly damaged front wing. On the penultimate lap, Colombo made the overtaking manoeuvre and passed De Lorenzi. Things got even worse, as Martucci also overtook Gianluca on the very last lap and made it onto the podium.

This meant that the podium was completely in Italian hands this time: Ghiotto triumphed in the fifth race this year for the fourth time in the FORMULA class. BOSS GP rookie Simone Colombo not only scored 22 valuable points with second place, but also his best career finish, and Luca Martucci stood on the class podium for the third time this year.

Colombo (f.) has overtaken De Lorenzi right before the finish

Behind De Lorenzi, O’Connell crossed the finish line in the HS Engineering winning car from Spielberg. The Irishman showed a strong race performance from the last grid position and was rewarded with fifth place. Even the experienced Andreas Fiedler, who even tackled the top-3 in the first laps of the race, and Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) could not keep the BOSS GP newcomer behind them. Simon Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) also finished his very first race respectably and without major difficulties in eight place in the FORMULA classification.

The winner’s trophy in the SUPER LIGHTS classification went to Maurizio Copetti (Scuderia Palladio). Copetti made sure that the Italian anthem was played twice today. After a warm-up at 9:30 a.m., the 25-minute main race of the BOSS GP Racing Series will follow tomorrow, Sunday, at 3:10 p.m. local time (again in the livestream) as part of the Peroni race weekend in Misano.

Pictures: 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 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

Report Race 1 Mugello

FORMULA: Martucci beats Ghiotto, Gerstl ahead of Ehninger in the OPEN class

The BOSS GP drivers have a lot to tell after this race. Of all things, it started to rain at the start of the warm-up lap on the 5.4-kilometre-long Mugello Circuit. To ensure a safe start to the race and to give the teams time to change to rain tyres, the race was stopped once again and started a few minutes later behind the Fanatec Safety Car. But not everyone switched from slicks to the Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres during the break. Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag), Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport) took the risk, but their tyre choice turned out to be a mistake as soon as the race was started. At various points around the track it began to rain more heavily again. The changing conditions subsequently made it incredibly difficult for the drivers to find the right pace. But the BOSS GP drivers did an outstanding job and managed to keep their powerful Formula 1, Formula 2 and Auto GP cars on track.

Behind the Austrian Ingo Gerstl (winner of the OPEN class) in the Toro Rosso F1, Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) fought an epic battle for the victory in the FORMULA class. In lap 1 Ghiotto first passed Martucci. At mid-race, the action came to a head: After a few tentative attempts, Martucci made the decisive manoeuvre at over 300 km/h on the start-finish straight. Nearly there was contact. But the duel was not over yet, because now Luca had to be up front in difficult track conditions. Marco followed only a few metres behind and tried to pass Martucci once again. To show how close it was between Martucci and Ghiotto: The best lap time of the two was only 0.003 seconds separated (in favour of Ghiotto). But it was no longer enough for the championship leader, instead Martucci’s team had reason to cheer this time. It was the first victory ever for the tall Italian in the BOSS GP Racing Series, and what a victory that was!

Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) was able to follow the two Italians in their home race for a couple of laps. He finished in a strong third place. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) also delivered a surprisingly good race. The third in the championship in 2019 has bought a new Dallara GP2 and is using this season’s races as a test. Because his team had no rain tyres at hand, the German had to drive to his tent in the paddock and then start from pit lane. Relatively quickly he moved up to fifth place in his class, but the gap to the front was already large. Until the halfway point of the race, Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) was on a good way to a fourth-place finish. But Steding lost ground in the second half of the race, and his position to compatriot Fiedler.

Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International) also drove impeccably, finishing sixth in his class behind Steding. Last year Mangini had announced his retirement. Today he proved that this was probably premature. Probably the hardest race had Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni). He was the only one who stayed on dry tyres until the end of the race and therefore had no chance. It is probably only thanks to his driving qualities that he was able to finish the race safely.

A ten-minute warm-up will be held tomorrow morning from 10.20 a.m. The second race of the weekend start 14.30. Rain showers are predicted.

Photo: Roberto Piccinini/Actualfoto

Report Race 2 Brno

Walter Steding (Dallara GP2)

Big surprise in the Sunday race: Double victory for Scuderia Palladio.

Although it was raining overnight, the track mostly dried up until the second BOSS GP race at the Masaryk Racing Days was started. As a result, all the drivers went onto the track on Pirelli P Zero dry tyres. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) got a bad start from row 1, but he defended his class lead and followed Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) on the first meters. Right behind him Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) managed to overtake Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Hoffmann Racing) right on lap 1, just like he did yesterday.

Hoffmann had to defend himself against Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) and Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) which were pushing from behind. On lap 3 De Plano and Fiedler collided in turn 1. While de Plano was able to continue his race almost undamaged, Fiedler’s GP2 Dallara was visibly damaged. De Plano finished the race in 5th place, Fiedler behind Christian Ferstl (AUT, Ferstl Racing) still in 7th place.

The situation came to a head at the front when the overall leader Gerstl steered his Toro Rosso Formula 1 into pit lane. An overheated engine forced the winner of all previous season races to make a stopover. Marco Ghiotto thus took the overall lead in the race, which he did not give up until the checkered flag.

In the meantime, Chris Höher (AUT, Top Speed) also mixed up the field. However, like yesterday he had to park his car in the pits early. Meanwhile, Ghiotto’s teammate Walter Steding (DEU) caused a sensation. During the middle of the race he passed Hoffmann for third place. The Austrian defended himself hard, but that was not enough. A few laps later Martucci was also overtaken by Steding in the penultimate corner. For Steding, second place in today’s race was the first podium since his most successful racing season in 2015. For Marco Ghiotto’s Scuderia Palladio it was also the first one-two victory in the team’s history in BOSS GP.

For defending champion Ghiotto the overall standings after 6 of 12 races look very promising. Rival Luca Martucci is already 30 points behind. Walter Steding, who is only one point ahead of Roman Hoffmann, now follows in third place.

You can watch BOSS GP in race action again at the Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix in Assen in three weeks’ time.

Photo: Dirk Hartung

Report Race 1 Brno

Ghiotto (GP2) and Gerstl (Toro Rosso)

Ghiotto fights a duel with Gerstl and extends his lead in FORMULA.

For the first time this year, racing fans were able to experience the BOSS GP Racing Series live on site at the Masaryk Racing Days in Brno. The sound of V10 and V8 engines and the late summer temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius attracted a few thousand spectators on Saturday.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) was the clear favourite for the overall victory. But Gerstl did not make use of the full potential of his Toro Rosso STR1 F1 car and so Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) suddenly caught up with him in the middle of the race. Twice the lead changed between the two of them, until Gerstl finally prevailed. Ghiotto took it easy and with the class win he was able to further extend his lead in the FORMULA standings.

The gap to his competitors Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Hoffmann Racing) was much larger than initially expected. Martucci overtook Hoffmann right after the start and then settled for second place in the class. BOSS GP rookie Hoffmann remained third and was able to take home a trophy for the third time in a row despite gearbox problems.

Because Walter Steding (DEU, Scuderia Palladio) could not get away at the pre-start, a race to catch up followed with some overtaking manoeuvres worth seeing. In the end he only just missed the podium with 4th place in his class. Steding also overtook Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni), who finished fifth in the FORMULA class.

Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) gained the most positions, moving up from 9th to 6th right in the starting phase. Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport) remained in the race ahead of Christian Ferstl (AUT, Ferstl Racing) and Christopher Höher (AUT, Top Speed), who, however, made his way to the pits early.

Tomorrow’s warm-up starts at 9h05, before the second race gets underway at 12h20. As in race 1, the starting order will be according to the result of qualifying session. If the weather forecast is correct, the Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres could be in use tomorrow.

Photo: Dirk Hartung

Report Qualifying Brno

Ingo Gerstl, Toro Rosso STR1

Ingo Gerstl and Marco Ghiotto will start from row 1.

As expected, the qualifying in the FORMULA class turned into a three-way battle for pole position. Best in class was FORMULA points leader Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), who beat Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Hoffmann Racing) by only two tenths of a second. Hoffmann achieved his best qualifying result so far and puts his Dallara GP2 on the second row of the grid for both races. Next to him Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) will be on the hunt through the Automotodrom Brno.

Walter Steding (DEU, Scuderia Palladio) was able to repeat his performance from Friday in Q1. He will start from 5th position, Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) qualified behind him. De Plano in his A1GP car was the only driver to improve his time at the end of Q2. In the end, he was only missing Steding’s time by a hundredth of a second. Three Austrians follow in positions 7 to 9: Bianca Steiner (Steiner Motorsport), Christian Ferstl (Ferstl Racing) and Christopher Höher (Top Speed). Höher, who won the season opener in Imola, only drove a timed lap.

Fastest in the third qualifying session this year was again Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1. With 1:35.544 he was only slightly behind his own lap record. Green Flag for race 1 with a distance of 20 minutes will be this afternoon at 15h25.

Photo: Dirk Hartung

Report Free Practice Brno

Review of a surprising Friday at the Masaryk Racing Days.

If we look at today’s practice times, we can expect an exciting battle for pole position tomorrow, especially in the FORMULA class. With only small gaps Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) as well as Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Hoffmann Racing) qualified for the qualifying of the five fastest pilots from the free practice sessions. Hoffmann in particular could give the two fast Italians a good run for their only fifth race tomorrow in a GP2 Dallara. For the first time Walter Steding (DEU, MM International) also qualified for Q1. Can he even compete for a podium tomorrow?

The fastest drivers qualified for Q2 are Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) in his A1GP car and Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed). Bianca Steiner (7th in class; AUT, Steiner Motorsport) tried to settle in today. She make her comeback in the BOSS GP Racing Series after a long break from racing. Only for the second time at the start of a BOSS GP racing weekend is hill climb specialist Christian Ferstl (AUT, Ferstl Racing), today it was enough for eighth place in the class, and he is expecting even more on Saturday and Sunday. Behind him in the tableau follow Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International), Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Scuderia Palladio).

Fastest today was Brno lap record holder Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in his Toro Rosso STR1 with V10 Cosworth power. He set the best time with 1:39.051. The qualifying session, divided into two groups, will start tomorrow Saturday at 9:30 am.

Photo: Dirk Hartung