Tag: Red Bull Ring

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: Red Bull Ring Spielberg Race 2

Posted on June 5, 2022 by - General

Plenty of fans listened to the sounds of the BOSS GP Racing Series today. Numerous duels characterized the second round of the Rundstreckentrophy in Austria.

BOSS GP F1 Class

In the early stages of Sunday’s race, the two Top Speed teammates Ingo Gerstl (AUT) and Thomas Jackermeier (DEU) circulated around the 2.7-mile Formula 1 track in their Toro Rossos synchronously. Jackermeier even recorded his first leading miles in the BOSS GP Racing Series. This was remarkable, as it was only his second race in a Formula 1 car. In the second half of the race, however, Gerstl shifted up a gear and took the lead again in his Toro Rosso STR1. The Austrian not only drove to home victory but also to his fourth win of the 2022 season. Jackermeier finished the race in second place, as he did yesterday, and can thus look back on a highly successful debut weekend in the Toro Rosso STR3. Third place went to last year’s champion Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in the 1997 Benetton.

BOSS GP OPEN Class

As pole setter of the second starting group, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was once again trying to catch up with the Formula 1 cars in front of him. Schlegelmilch drove to a safe start-finish victory in the OPEN class in his modified World Series car. Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport) in the only IndyCar car finished second.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Chovanec-Lopez (Dallara GP2 Mecachrome) won both races in the FORMULA class

With an advantage of half a minute in the final classification Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) dominated the class, which was mainly filled with Formula 2 cars. In contrast to yesterday, he tried to build up a bigger lead with fast lap times already in the early stages, which he succeeded in doing. With victory number 3 this season, Chovanec-Lopez also extended his lead in the standings. Behind the winner, the competitors were increasingly fighting with each other: Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) duelled for second place for a long time. Because Ghiotto was losing ground towards the end of the race due to overheated brakes, the reigning champion was only able to finish 3rd behind Hockenheim race winner Colombo. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) in the green glittering GP2 Dallara drove unchallenged to fourth place.

The best fights for positions were again delivered by the group around Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) in the World Series V8 car, Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport), Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) and Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport) in their GP2 cars. The positions changed several times, including some impressive braking manoeuvres. In the end, it was Steiner who prevailed, delighted with fifth place and a flawless race but annoyed with a botched qualifying session. Behind O’Connell and Aberer, Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) was also able to work his way up the order in the race. Steding finished ninth, Thomas Jakoubek (AUT, Top Speed) finished tenth, glad to see the chequered flag this time.

Andreas Hasler takes full points in the Spielberg races

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

The class of the six-cylinder cars was reserved for Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) from Styria, who made the short journey home with two winner’s trophies. For the next races, the BOSS GP rookie plans to finally be able to call up the full engine power of his older World Series car.

Hasler will have his next opportunity to do so in just two weeks’ time, at the BOSS GP races as part of the French Historic Grand Prix in Le Castellet (June 17-19, 2022).

Report: Red Bull Ring Spielberg Race 1

Posted on June 4, 2022 by - General

After pole position comes the victory: Class wins for Gerstl (F1), Schlegelmilch (OPEN), Chovanec-Lopez (FORMULA) and Hasler (SUPER LIGHTS).

The first race of the BOSS GP Racing Series took place in perfect weather conditions and at the best starting time just after 2 pm. For the first time, the race was divided into two starting groups, first the BOSS GP Formula 1 class and then, with a gap of about 20 seconds, the OPEN, FORMULA and SUPER LIGHTS pilotes.

BOSS GP F1 Class

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) continued his winning streak from Hockenheim. The man from Salzburg with his Toro Rosso STR1 won the first BOSS GP race at the Rundstreckentrophy. His Top Speed teammate Thomas Jackermeier (GER) drove a flawless debut race in his Toro Rosso Formula 1 car and finished in second place behind Gerstl. For a while he was able to follow his much more experienced teammate. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) drove an flawless race and deservedly picked up a trophy for third place.

The most successful drivers of race 1 in Spielberg

BOSS GP OPEN Class

After a safety car period, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) also gave the Formula 1 cars in front of him a good run for their money towards the end of the race. Schlegelmilch won the OPEN class in his modified World Series car ahead of the rare IndyCar (IRL-IR8) of Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport).

Hard, but fair racing: Fine battles in midfield

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) was unbeatable as expected after his strong qualifying performance. With his second victory of the season, Chovanec-Lopez regained the sole lead in the FORMULA class standings. Behind him, the two Italians Simone Colombo (MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio) fought a hot duel as expected. While Ghiotto struggled with overheated brakes, Colombo also overshot the breaking points a time or two. In the end, Colombo prevailed over Ghiotto. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) finished fourth with his best performance of the season. Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) finished 5th, just ahead of Bianca Steiner (Steiner Motorsport), who performed well in the race, as the best Austrian in this class. Victory in the BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class went to Styrian local hero Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport).

The fourth race of the season starts tomorrow Sunday at 2 o’clock local time.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP, Henry Gasselich/VOLLGAS!

Report: Red Bull Ring Spielberg Qualifying

Posted on June 4, 2022 by - 5, General

Pole position for Ingo Gerstl at his home race in Austria.

With a lap time of 1:12.076 min Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) set the best time in qualifying on Saturday morning with his Toro Rosso STR1. In front of a well-attended crowd, the man from Salzburg squeezed one fast lap after another out of his Formula 1 and the Pirelli P-Zero tires and continued to improve several times. Second fastest Formula 1 driver was Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) in his very first outing in Sebastian Vettel’s winning car (Monza 2008), the Toro Rosso STR3. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) was able to qualify his Benetton B197 without any problems on class position 3 today after a defect on his front wing yesterday in the practice sessions.

As expected, the fastest OPEN driver was Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering). In the modified Dallara World Series car he set clearly the fastest lap with 1:15.644 min. Anton Werner’s (Ryschka Motorsport) IndyCar is also an eye-catcher in the OPEN category. The German qualified in the middle of the FORMULA field.

Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International) did not show any weakness in FORMULA qualifying. The ex-Formula 3 driver dominated the class ahead of reigning champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International). The three Italians were separated by only three tenths of a second, and close fights for positions in the races are to be expected here. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) and Michael Aberer (AUT, AM Motorsport) follow in 5th and 6th place. Technical problems slowed down Bernd Herndlhofer (AUT, H&A Racing) at his BOSS GP comeback, he starts into the races from position 11 in class.

Styrian local hero and BOSS GP rookie Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) was able to improve significantly compared to the practice session and will go into the races today Saturday (14:25) and tomorrow Sunday (14:00 local time) as the best-placed SUPER LIGHTS driver.

Picture: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview: Red Bull Ring Spielberg

Posted on June 1, 2022 by - General

This coming weekend (June 3-5), the BOSS GP Racing Series will be returning to the Red Bull Ring with the fastest racing cars in the world. Among them cars from Vettel, Klien and Berger.

Before the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix is held at the Red Bull Ring in just over a month’s time, priceless showpieces can already be spotted in racing action at Spielberg this coming weekend. Europe’s fastest racing series, BOSS GP, will gather several thousands of horsepower on the grid from Friday to Sunday. 22 Big Open Single Seaters – Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula 2 and GP2, World Series by Renault and Nissan – will ensure a program at the Red Bull Ring that cannot be overheard.

The orchestra includes, among others, the Toro Rosso STR3, with which Sebastien Vettel celebrated his first race victory in the rain at Monza, Christian Klien’s first Formula 1 car, the Jaguar R5 and Gerhard Berger’s last winning car, the Benetton B197. In addition, the US IndyCar bolide of Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport) also joins the colorful starting field. A familiar face will also be making his comeback in the BOSS GP Racing Series: Frits van Eerd (NLD, VES Racing), ProAM World Champion in the 2021 World Endurance Championship and a long-time BOSS GP driver, will try to stand up to opening double winner Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 with his Jaguar R5.

NumberNameNationTeamClassModelBuild inModel
1Ingo GerstlAUTTop SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006STR1
2Florian SchnitzenbaumerGERTop SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006STR1
5Frits van EerdNLDVES RacingF1Jaguar2004R5
7Ulf EhningerGERESBA RacingF1Benetton1997B197
10Harald SchlegelmilchLVAHS EngineeringOPENDallara2012World Series by Renault
11Anton WernerGERRyschka MotorsportOPENDallaraIRL
21Bernd HerndlhoferAUTH&A RacingFORMULADallaraGP2
22Michael AbererAUTAM MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
27Marco GhiottoITAScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
28Bruno JarachITAEesti MotorsportFORMULADallara2008GP2
31Paul O’ConnellIREHS EngineeringFORMULADallara2012World Series by Renault
32Simone ColomboITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2017F2
37Luca MartucciITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
43Giancarlo PedettiITANannini RacingFORMULADallara2014GP2
44Thomas JakoubekAUTTop SpeedFORMULADallara2008GP2
47Walter StedingGERScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
51Zdenek Chovanec LopezCZEMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
69Thomas JackermeierGERTop SpeedFORMULADallaraGP2
110Bianca SteinerAUTSteiner MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
111Alexander GeierAUTGeier RacingSUPER LIGHTSTatuus2003World Series by Renault
115Andreas HaslerAUTHasler MotorsportSUPER LIGHTSDallara2009World Series by Nissan

Local heroes:
The starting field also includes seven Austrian racing drivers: Beside Gerstl from Salzburg, Formula 1 TV expert Bianca Steiner (GP2, Steiner Motorsport), Bernd Herndlhofer (GP2, H&A Racing), Michael Aberer (GP2, MA Motorsport), Thomas Jakoubek (GP2, Top Speed) and the two V6 World Series cars of just 16-year-old Alexander Geier (Geier Racing) and Styrian local hero Andreas Hasler (Hasler Motorsport) will also be present.In addition, the Burgenland-based team HS Engineering has entered two cars for Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA) and Paul O’Connell (IRE).

Timetable (CEST):

Friday, 3 June 2022
13:30–13:55          Free practice 1
15:30–15:55          Free practice 2

Saturday, 4 June 2022
09:50–10:20          Qualifying
14:00–14:20          Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 5 June 2022
14:00–14:25          Race 2 (25 minutes)

Support races:

Motorsport fans will be offered a total of 17 races at the Rundstreckentrophy 2022 in addition to the free practice sessions and qualifying sessions. In addition to the two BOSS GP races (Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. each), several sports and touring car series and Formula 3 will start in the supporting program. Admission to all open grandstands is free, and fans can also visit the paddock free of charge and look over the teams’ shoulders as they work or get an autograph from one of the drivers.

Picture: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

First look at 2022

Posted on December 31, 2021 by - General

Seven race events on the calendar for the BOSS GP Racing Series in 2022. Among them the return to France.

The 28th season of the only true Big Open single seater series will start at the beginning of May and not end until November 2022, which should ensure a largely trouble-free season even under the circumstances of the COVID pandemic. The provisional race calendar includes only Formula 1 and MotoGP level circuits. This guarantees a modern infrastructure and high safety standards.

The first two of 14 races in 2022 will take place at the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring on 6, 7 and 8 May. This is followed by the home race of the Austrian-registered racing series at the Red Bull Ring on 4 and 5 June. One of the season highlights is the return to “Paul Ricard” for the French Historic Grand Prix (17-19 June).

Start of race 2 at Paul Ricard 2017.
Memories: BOSS GP 2017 in Le Castellet

Another race is listed for July, but confirmation is still pending. This race is intended as a replacement for the 2021 event at the Nürburgring, which had been cancelled due to the flood disaster in the nearby Ahr Valley.

From 9 to 11 September, the BOSS GP Racing Series will once again run as the main act at the Masaryk Racing Days in Brno. The season ends with an Italian double: first at “Forza Fanatec” in Mugello from14-16 October, then at Misano (4-6 November) for the “Pirelli Grande Finale”.

More news about the 2022 season coming soon on www.bossgp.com and on our social media channels Facebook and Instagram.

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP, Michael Kavena/BOSS GP

Report Race 2 Spielberg

Posted on May 22, 2021 by - General

After a turbulent race, Ingo Gerstl secured the double victory at the Red Bull Ring – great duels on the track ensured action – Schlegelmilch winner in the FORMULA class.

Just before the start it had started to drizzle slightly, but it remained dry for the start of the race. The start was spectacular, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) attacked at the start but had to leave the racetrack and lost positions. Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) in the Benetton was worse off, he lost the car out of turn 1 and had to end his race. The same fate befell title contender Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) after spinning between turns six and seven – this incident caused a safety car period.

At the restart, the leader, Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), was able to keep his top position. Behind him, however, there was a lot going on: Ghiotto spun at the exit of the last corner but was able to get the GP2 Dallara going again on his own. Afterwards, he put in a fantastic recovery, which unfortunately was not rewarded. Already in 7th place, he was given a 30-second time penalty after overtaking under yellow. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) suffered the same fate.

Both had overtaken Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) after the Jaguar had dropped out under yellow flag and never relinquished the position. Gerstl and Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) dueled at the front, but the Latvian was never quite able to catch up in the comparatively slower WSbR car. In only his second BOSS GP race, the Latvian won the FORMULA class ahead of Fiedler and the excellent Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio). In the OPEN class, two places on the podium were vacant after the retirement of the Jaguar and the Benetton. These were snatched by Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA-Racing) in the second Benetton B197 and Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport) in the IndyCar Dallara. Werner managed to make it onto the podium directly at the first race weekend. Behind Ghiotto, Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport) finished a strong fifth in his first race in 2021.

Best in the new Super Lights class: Armando Mangini in his Formula 3000 of the latest generation

In the OPEN Class, Ingo Gerstl now leads ahead of Ulf Ehninger. In the FORMULA Class Marco Ghiotto continues to lead, now already 34 points ahead of Andreas Fiedler and another six points ahead of Simone Colombo. The next BOSS GP weekend will take place in Misano at the end of June. It will be the first appearance of Europe’s fastest racing series at the World Circuit Simoncelli.

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP
 

Report Race 1 Spielberg

Posted on May 22, 2021 by - General

Drying track confronted teams and drivers with difficult decisions in the first race of the weekend: Gerstl fights his way to victory, Ghiotto triumphs in the FORMULA class.

It stopped raining before the start of the race. The track dried out more and more. However, this confronted the teams with difficult challenges. Many places on the track were already dry, a few were still wet. The field was split in the tyre choice between Pirelli P-Zero (slick) and Cinturato (rain). Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), like many of his competitors in the front, put on the slicks. A decision that turned out to be the right one. As there was no more rain, drivers with rain tyres were at a loss.

Gerstl was unable to pull away at the front, with Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) following the leader like a shadow. However, a real overtaking opportunity did not arise during the race. The sensation man from qualifying, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering), could not keep up the initial pace and dropped back to 4th overall.

Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Competition) in the Jaguar R3 was able to redeem himself after his spin in qualifying. He drove some of the fastest laps on the track and finished the race in 6th place overall and 3rd in the OPEN. At the front, Gerstl secured the win by six tenths ahead of returnee Stratford, who could get back on the podium after a year’s compulsory break. Ghiotto completed the podium and was also the clear winner in the FORMULA class. Schlegelmilch and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) were the other two to complete the podium.

Award Giving Ceremony for the 2020 season: f.l. Ehninger, Martucci, Ghiotto, Gerstl, Steding and Ponzio

There was another surprise for the pilots after the race: the overall championship victory ceremony from 2020 was held. For all pilots, it is now time to focus once again, as the second race of the weekend starts at 15:55 local time.

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP