Tag: Salvatore de Plano

Report: Free Practice Brno

Christopher Höher followed by Alessandro Bracalente (both Dallara Mecachrome)

The Masaryk Racing Days kicked off with roaring engines.

Friday is the usual practice day – that means two 30-minute track sessions for the high-speed monsters of BOSS GP. The fastest driver on the first day of the Masaryk Racing Days in Brno was Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in his 2006 Toro Rosso Formula 1 car. Gerstl set a superb time of 1:36,368 in his first fast lap of the day, just one second above last year’s lap record (1:35,155). A new track record is targeted but could be prevented by the forecast rainy weather tomorrow.

An Austrian was also fastest in the FORMULA category: Christopher Höher (AUT, Top Speed) is making his BOSS GP comeback this weekend. The 22-year-old is no unknown in racing, he already competed in the ADAC GT Masters and is multiple Austrian racing car champion. He has also left his mark with successes in the BOSS GP. In practice, Höher blasted a lap with 1:43.906 which was more than one and a half seconds faster than the second fastest Formula 2. For Bracalente, Fiedler & Co. he will be hard to crack this weekend. Höher also drives in memory of his recently passed away father. A special design on the Dallara Mecachrome is reminiscent in honour of the biggest supporter of his motorsport career.

Leader of the standings Alessandro Bracalente (ITA, Speed Center) nevertheless experienced a good training day, also because he, unlike his title opponent Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), remained without a spin. While Bracalente qualified for Q1, Ghiotto must qualify in Q2. Whether it is an advantage, or a disadvantage will be proven tomorrow in qualifying at 10 am.

Third fastest FORMULA driver in the free practice sessions was Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag). Last year’s winner in his art car will certainly be one of the promising candidates for a trophy this year as well. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) rolled out to the start-finish line in the second practice session, nevertheless he also qualified for Q1 with the fourth fastest FORMULA time. Back in the BOSS GP is Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed). The 2018 FORMULA Champion is only occasionally at the start this year, with the sixth fastest time he proved that he would like to have a say about the podium places on Saturday and Sunday.

Most BOSS GP pilots used the test day on Thursday to prepare for the weekend. For Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Top Speed) the race weekend was over before it even began. Problems with the engine could not be solved on site. Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International) is also missing. He is recovering from an operation and supports his team mates on site. Still, tomorrow 15 motivated drivers go into the first race day. Qualifying starts at 10 am, followed by the first race at 2:50 pm.

Report: Qualifying Hockenheim

The first BOSS GP qualifying session in 2019 was a very exciting one in the FORMULA class. Ingo Gerstl in the Toro Rosso on pole position.

Update 1:34 p.m.: The fastest FORMULA pilot, Alessandro Bracalente, has to start from P12 in first race after a 10-grid-penalty. Bracalente was penalized by the race control for overlooking a flag signal.

At first the five best drivers of the Friday practice sessions went onto the track in the Top 5 Qualifying. Immediately after the traffic light switched to green, it started to rain slightly in the north curve, the hairpin bend and the Motodrom. But there was no bigger rain shower, so all drivers were able to continue on the Pirelli P Zero slick tyres.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) set a not surprising best time in his Toro Rosso from 2007. With 1:22.505 min he was several seconds behind last year’s record due to the worse weather conditions.

The Italian Armando Mangini (MM International) was able to secure second place. His fellow countrymen Marco and Sergio Ghiotto (both ITA, Scuderia Palladio) did less well today than they did yesterday. Both spun, but were able to resume. While Marco Ghiotto, Monza winner 2018, finally had to be satisfied with 8th place, only 15th place remained for brother Sergio with a time of 1:40.5 min.

In the first half of the 20-minute session Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Top Speed) and Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) were fastest. They quickly pushed themselves in front of the fastest FORMULA driver from the Top 5 qualifying, Armando Mangini.

While De Plano decided not to go out for a second time, Fiedler went out for a second try, but stayed behind De Plano. The last attacks on the FORMULA best time came from Alessandro Bracalente (ITA, Speed Center) and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International). Bracalente had already impressed yesterday when he set the best time in the 1st free practice. With 1:29.8 min he secured the class pole at his first BOSS GP appearance. De Plano and Fiedler will start from row 2, Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom) and Luca Martucci from row 3, Mangini and Marco Ghiotto from row 4.

Best of the Inter Europol team was Philippe Haezebrouck (FRA). The former Le Mans driver finished ninth. Thomas Jakoubek (AUT, Top Speed) cracked the Top 10 shortly before the end. Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International) starts from 11, Walter Steding (DEU, Inter Europol) from 12. ‘Piter’ (FRA, Ray-Ban) starts from 13th. After a Friday once without technical troubles we can still expect a lot for the races. With his World Series by Renault he classified this time in the OPEN class.

The race starts today at 16:10 local time. The first of two races is over a distance of 20 minutes.

Report: Race 2 Spielberg

Ingo Gerstl does donuts in his Toro Rosso STR1

A worthy final for the fastest racing series in Europe: In today’s sunny Spielberg Champion Ingo Gerstl also won the second race and the recovered Salvatore De Plano the FORMULA ranking.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed, Toro Rosso STR1) did not dominate the race as usual but was for a long time in tandem flight with Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom, Benetton B197). It was not until lap 11 that Gerstl really took off and extended his lead. With 1:13 min he was by far the fastest car on the racetrack. Phil Stratford finished his first full season satisfied with his eleventh podium position, only Gerstl had been on the podium more than once. Hans Laub (DEU, Speed Center, Forti FG-03) was third in the OPEN by a big margin, but also finished the race today – not a matter of courteous fact with the highly complex Formula 1 cars.

Salvatore De Plano wins the last FORMULA race of the season

Salvatore De Plano wins the last FORMULA race of the season

 

For Salvatore De Plano (ITA, Top Speed, Dallara GP2) the FORMULA was the end of a tailor-made season. De Plano had been the favourite for the championship, but at the first race in Hockenheim he collided with Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed, Dallara GP2) so unhappily that De Plano injured his back. After a long absence De Plano made his racing comeback only in Brno. This time he also had to give up his usual car at MM International. Instead De Plano started at the Austrian Team Top Speed. Yesterday he spun off track overmotivated, today he managed the decisive manoeuvre already in turn 1. Inside he successfully defended against Marco Ghiotto (ITA, MM International, Dallara GP2) at the flying start and did not give up the lead until the end. Marco Ghiotto was in last year’s Formula Two championship car of Charles Leclerc but was not able to keep up with De Plano during the rest of the race. But he took place 2 easily.

Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International, Dallara GP2) got close to Marco Ghiotto in the end. Martucci had to start from the very back after being moved to the back for an infringement at yesterday’s start. From there the way led straight to the podium. On top of that he set the fastest race lap. Three Italians came on the podium of the FORMULA class!

Champion's signature from "the Boss" Ingo Gerstl

A champion’s signature from “the Boss” Ingo Gerstl

 

Yesterday’s surprise winner Alain Valente (SUI, Speed Center, Dallara GP2) was much more inconspicuous today than yesterday. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old confirmed his great talent with 4th place. Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing, Dallara GP2) was at times on the podium, but towards the end of the race the runner-up in FORMULA had to slow down. On rank 5 he brought the car to the finish.

Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International, Dallara GP2), Sergio Ghiotto (ITA, MM International, Dallara GP2), Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center, Dallara GP2) and Christian Eicke (DEU, Speed Center, Dallara GP2) fought the most interesting fights throughout the race and obviously had the most fun. In the order Ripoli, S. Ghiotto, Göllner and Eicke they crossed the finish line. Eicke fixed with rank 9 in the last race of the season also the overall 3rd place in the FORMULA standings.

Florian Schnitzenbaumer was not present today. Schnitzenbaumer had to undergo a shoulder operation in a few days and therefore renounced further strains. Schnitzenbaumer already fixed the championship title in yesterday’s race. With Ingo Gerstl (OPEN) and Florian Schnitzenbaumer (FORMULA) two drivers of the Top Speed team finish the BOSS GP 2018 season on the first places.

An all-Italian podium in FORMULA (f.l.): M. Ghiotto, De Plano and Martucci

An all-Italian podium in FORMULA (f.l.): M. Ghiotto, De Plano and Martucci

 

Quotes after the race:
Ingo Gerstl (1st place OPEN): “This race was important, that’s how it has to be. A perfect finish for my season and also for the whole series. Now the BOSS GP is really taking off.”

Phil Stratford (2nd place OPEN): “Unfortunately, I only brought a pocket knife with me to this fight, Ingo a jet fighter.”

Salvatore De Plano (1st place FORMULA): “I am totally happy. I managed the first corner much better today. That was the right end of my season after the accident in Hockenheim. That helps me through the winter and is important for my head. Next year I will try it again.”

 

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report: Practice & Qualifying Spielberg

Rain makes racing very difficult

The fastest racing series in Europe brings the fun of racing back to the Red Bull Ring. The start grid for both races was already set up yesterday due to the bad weather conditions today.

Saturday started as predicted very wet. Even in difficult conditions the brute BOSS GP bolides were on the track. For safety reasons the race control decided to run the timed practice as 3rd free practice and to set up the starting grid from the combined times of FP1 and FP2.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed, Toro Rosso STR1) took first position in qualifying for the seventh time in the seventh race meeting of the season. From the first to the second practice he improved by more than three and a half seconds. With 1:12.082 min yesterday he was still far behind the times of May, when the local hero had already scratched the 1:10 mark. In the rain, dominator Gerstl was only fifth in the Formula 1 car, which surprised him: “Maybe there’s something wrong with the timing,” smiled Gerstl, who had already been confirmed BOSS GP Champion 2018 before the final races this weekend.

Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom, Benetton B197) complained about technical problems in the first practice session and a reduced driving time for him. But in the 2nd practice he easily finished second overall. He used the rain this morning for training kilometers. Stratford, who lives in California, has hardly any rain experience, but announced for the races: “Should it rain, I’ll drive”.

Luca Martucci was once off track, but very quick in dry and rain

Luca Martucci was once off track, but very quick in dry and rain

 

Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International, Dallara GP2) surprised everyone: The Italian with Formula 3 experience is the fastest FORMULA driver of Friday and will lead this class into the race. In the rain practice Martucci set the best time, so he is the favourite this afternoon (starting time: 16:00, also in the Live stream).

Salvatore De Plano (ITA, Top Speed, Dallara GP2) starts from row 2. The Italian this weekend has to switch from his regular team MM International to Top Speed. At MM International all cars were rented this time. At Top Speed they offered the fast Italian an alternative home, he thanked it with a successful Friday.

Championship duel between Florian Schnitzenbaumer (l.) and Andreas Fiedler (r.)

Championship duel between Florian Schnitzenbaumer (l.) and Andreas Fiedler (r.)

 

Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed, Dallara GP2) starts from row 3 and thus directly ahead of his only remaining competitor for the championship: Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing, Dallara GP2). Schnitzenbaumer has set himself the goal to enter today’s race attentively and ideally to make the title clear today.

Between Schnitzenbaumer and Fiedler stands Marco Ghiotto (ITA, MRC Sport, Dallara GP2), who won the brother duel with Sergio (ITA, MM International, Dallara GP2). Sergio Ghiotto starts from 10th place, but in Saturday’s rain he showed with second place that he still has potential for the front. Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International, Dallara GP2) starts from 8th place, newcomer Alain Valente (SUI, Speed Center, Dallara GP2) from 9th place.

Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center, Dallara GP2), who has been on the podium twice in the last three races, will start from row 6 together with his team mate Christian Eicke (DEU, Dallara GP2). Hans Laub starts with his Formula 1 Forti in the middle of the FORMULA field from 13th position. Walter Steding (DEU, Inter Europol, Dallara GP2) starts from 14th. Eicke, Steding and Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International, Lola F3000) are still fighting for 3rd place in the championship. Mangini starts the race with a disadvantage, because he is the only one to start in a Formula 3000 and was far behind his immediate opponents yesterday.

Trouble for Thomas Jakoubek on Friday

Trouble for Thomas Jakoubek on Friday

 

For Thomas Jakoubek (AUT, Top Speed, Dallara GP2) it was already over yesterday after a gearbox damage. Unfortunately, we also have to miss out on the second Toro Rosso from Top Speed. Frits van Eerd had to cancel at short notice, substitute driver Markus Lehmann was only on the track in the first practice session.

 

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Trend-setting: BOSS GP with DTM in Spielberg

Everything you need to know about the big season finale of the BOSS GP as part of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters at the Red Bull Ring.

What does the joint event with the DTM mean for the BOSS GP?
For the second time in its history, the BOSS GP is part of the programme of the largest touring car series in the world. Ingo Gerstl is the driver and co-initiator of the joint BOSS GP and DTM event in Spielberg. He sees the race as a great opportunity: “This race has the highest priority for us. The DTM package is attractive and many fans will become aware of the BOSS GP for the first time. Working with such a professional racing series is incredibly enriching.” A possible repetition or even expansion of the cooperation with the DTM cannot be ruled out in the future.

Who drives in Spielberg?
The stars are certainly the cars that make the most noise. What unites them all in the OPEN: 10 cylinders! Ingo Gerstl drives the first Toro Rosso from 2006. Phil Stratford starts in the 1997 Benetton of Jean Alesi. Alesi’s team-mate at the time is now DTM boss: Gerhard Berger. Another rare piece of motorsport history is Hans Laub’s Forti from the late 1990s. In the open class – the OPEN – Formula 1 cars, ChampCars and IndyCars are eligible to start from 1997 onwards. The engines are optional. They carry the starting numbers from 1 to 99.

The second, slower but by no means less interesting class is the one with the name FORMULA. Among others, Formula 2/GP2, A1 GP, Formula 3000 and GP3 cars are on the track here. Only original engines are allowed, the starting numbers from 100 to 999 are reserved for the FORMULA. No less than six starters in FORMULA come from Italy. With Sergio and Marco Ghiotto (Monza winner) the uncles of Formula 2 driver Luca will start together in the BOSS GP for the first time. From an Austrian perspective, the eyes are on Thomas Jakoubek. Jakoubek drove endurance races with the new Austrian rally champion Niki Mayr-Melnhof. Jakoubek has already shown several times this year in the BOSS GP that he can also drive fast. Interesting will be the start of young Alain Valente. The Swiss GT4 and Lamborghini Super Trofeo driver makes his BOSS GP debut at Speed Center Racing.

The full line-up is now online: http://bossgp.com/entry-list-all-starters-for-spielberg/

For the second time this season the BOSS GP heroes will climb up the Austrian mountains

For the second time this season the BOSS GP heroes will climb up the Austrian mountains

 

What about the championship?
Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed, Toro Rosso STR1) already made himself the champion of the big class at the penultimate race weekend in Brno. The tenth win of the season also meant the fourth BOSS GP title in the OPEN class, his third in a row.
While a decision has already been made in the OPEN, the FORMULA classification is still not decided yet: Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed, Dallara GP2) has been in the lead since the first race of the year. Two retirements in Monza and Assen have brought his fiercest competitor Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing, Dallara GP2) closer again: Fiedler is 38 points behind Schnitzenbaumer before the final two races in Spielberg; 25 points are awarded for a race victory.

For Florian Schnitzenbaumer it would be the first title in the BOSS GP, and thus also the biggest success of his motorsport career to date. The Fiedler, who has switched from hill climb and sports car racing, is already fighting for the championship in his very first BOSS GP season, and a possible runner-up title can hardly be taken away from him. Both would be worthy champions in any case.

Even closer are the other positions, third place is vacant: Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International, GP2 Dallara) fights with Christian Eicke (SUI, Speed Center, GP2 Dallara) and Walter Steding (DEU, Inter Europol, GP2 Dallara), who have moved up to the front positions of the standings with consistency.
Before the final races in Spielberg, 31 drivers have already collected 2018 points in the BOSS GP season.

When is the BOSS GP on track?
The BOSS GP opens the event program in Spielberg on Friday, September 21st with the 1st Free Practice at 11:25 a.m., the 2nd Free Practice is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. local time.

Saturday, 22 September, qualifying will take place at 9:45 am. The qualifying is divided into two sessions: Q1 goes over 8 minutes and is reserved for the 5 fastest drivers from the totaled free practice sessions. After a break of 2 minutes all other drivers are allowed on the tracks, they have 20 minutes at their disposal. The final classification of this timed practice is the starting grid for both BOSS GP races.

The two races go over 20 minutes and will be started with a flying start. The first race will take place on Saturday at 16:00, the second race directly after the DTM race on Sunday afternoon (15:10).

Florian Schnitzenbaumer is protecting his championship lead

Florian Schnitzenbaumer would like to protect his championship lead

 

Are there still tickets available?
Yes, there are still seats available on all grandstands (main, south-west and west) – either via the DTM ticket portal, oeticket.com or via GPTicketshop. Weekend tickets are already available from 30 euros. Reductions of up to 50 percent are available for young people and wheelchair-accompanying persons. For children to 7 years and wheelchair users the entrance is free.

On Friday there is free choice of seats on all open grandstands and free admission to the paddock for holders of a valid admission ticket (with Gold tickets, otherwise to be purchased on site). On Saturday and Sunday, the booked seats are valid.

How close can fans get?
The DTM has come up with something special for its penultimate station in Spielberg: the Public Grid Walk. Both on Saturday and Sunday fans with a paddock ticket will have access to the starting grid of the DTM, which will be extended from 15 to 40 minutes for this purpose. The access rights to the grid will be issued in the paddock – as long as stocks last.

As in previous years, there will also be the Pit Walk, i.e. the sightseeing tour through the pit lane. You can watch the DTM teams as well as the BOSS GP teams working on their racing cars. Saturday from 16:35 to 17:25, Sunday from 9:20 to 10:15.

Most of the BOSS GP teams will be in pits 24 to 32. As always, the BOSS GP drivers and teams will be happy to sign autographs and answer questions – friendly questions are usually sufficient.

Is there a livestream?
For the first time in the history of the BOSS GP there will be an official livestream. You can watch it either on the website www.bossgp.com, on the Facebook page (@bossgpofficial) or on the YouTube channel of the racing series.

Saturday / September 22, 2018
09:40–10:20: Qualifying
15:40–16:35: Race 1 (start: 16:00)

Sunday / September 23, 2018
14:50–15:45: Race 2 (start: 15:10)

*all local time

 

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report: Race 1 Brno

Start Race 1 Brno

The most exciting race of the season did not leave anyone cold: Dominator Ingo Gerstl had to push, and Marc Faggionato drove the race of his life.

The BOSS GP’s brute sound attracted numerous spectators to the Automotodrom in Brno – and nobody regretted it. Exciting position fights wherever you looked. A little bit of touching and wheelbanging were the spice in this afternoon’s program.

That the victory would lead over Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) was less surprising. The fans liked the fact that the man from Salzburg had to fight his way through the field again after a pit stop and challenged Gerstl more than expected. Although no new lap record was set, with 1:37.751 Gerstl in the Toro Rosso STR1, however, set a speedy time and won in the end sovereign.

Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) took the lead for four laps, in the end it was only enough to finish in 2nd place. The Benetton driver had to save his tyres on the front axle, Wolfgang Jaksch (DEU, F Xtreme Racing) caught up Stratford in big steps towards the end. The Super Aguri of Jaksch crossed the finish line just a few metres behind Stratford.

Start Race 1 Brno

 

The man of the race comes from the FORMULA class: Marc Faggionato (MCO, ZIG-ZAG Motorsport) could not participate in qualifying with a clutch problem. Only the good practice times helped him to get permission to start in the race. In the first race Faggionato roared furiously from 15th on the grid to 4th on the grid. This meant not only overtaking eleven opponents, but also the victory in the FORMULA class for GP2, Auto GP and similar vehicles.

But it was a tough fight for Faggionato, especially when it comes to the fight for podium and the victory. The positions changed several times, Bernd Herndlhofer (AUT, H&A Racing) in the first race with his own car in the 2018 season could defend himself the longest and led the class at the beginning of the race. Also pole setter Salvatore De Plano (ITA, MM International) countered once. In lap 8, however, Faggionato grabbed both opponents for victory and drove away the pack.

The group behind was led by Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International). He also showed an outstanding performance from 13th position on the grid. Even if Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed) had speculated on a podium place, rank 5 in the FORMULA meant the extension of the lead in the points standings to Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing). Fiedler finished sixth, ahead of Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center), who was able to assert himself against an aggressive Nicolas Matile (MCO, ZIG-ZAG Motorsport) in the only Lola Zytec Auto GP.

The 15 drivers did not give away a single meter in the 20-minute race. They also fought for 9th place in the FORMULA until the finish line, as if it were a question of victory. Walter Steding (9th), Thomas Jakoubek (10th), Christian Eicke (11th) and local hero Veronika Cicha (12th) took part in this sensational fight.

Tomorrow, Sunday, a decision can already be made in the championship, both for Ingo Gerstl in the OPEN and for team mate Florian Schnitzenbaumer (both Top Speed) in the FORMULA. The pit lane for race 2 opens at 12:15 local time.

 

Quotes after the race:

Ingo Gerstl (1st place OPEN): “Good for the fans, if they like what we do. The show was great, that’s what we need.”

Marc Faggionato (1st place FORMULA): “That was really good. Sometimes it was pretty close with the others. It’s nice that in the end I could drive faster than the two OPEN cars in front of me. But from the very back I just can’t do more. Tomorrow I have to start from the back again. I hope it works that way again.”

Phil Stratford (2nd place OPEN): “I would have had to lead six more laps, then I would have won. (laughs) In the end, I divided up the pace to stay ahead of Wolfgang.”

Bernd Herndlhofer (2nd place FORMULA): “Good race and good result, but I still can’t manage the car as I want. The set-up of the car is not good enough, I’m sure I can still improve”.

 

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report: Qualifying Brno

Ingo Gerstl (Toro Rosso STR1)

Ingo Gerstl heats up to the unofficial lap record in the Automotodrom with over 200 km/h average speed. Salvatore De Plano was the fastest FORMULA pilot on his return to BOSS GP.

Sixth qualifying, sixth pole position: Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) is on his way to the next championship title. The fact that he doesn’t slow down despite his dominance is proven by the qualifying best time of 1:35.155 min. Since the engagement of tyre supplier Pirelli the lap records have tumbled, but a possible new track record (1:36.065; Ingo Gerstl last year) only counts during the race.

In addition to Gerstl, Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) will start the 20-minute first race from the front row this afternoon (starting time: 14:50 local time) in the 1997 Benetton. Wolfgang Jaksch (DEU, F Xtreme Racing) in the Super Aguri had to start in Q2 once again, but still managed a strong time despite traffic. In the race a duel for 2nd place with Stratford is quite possible.

Salvatore De Plano (MM International)

Salvatore De Plano (MM International)

 

Salvatore De Plano (ITA, MM International) makes his racing comeback after a five-month break and has lost nothing of his speed. The fast Italian with a time of 1:45.751 is only three tenths behind the slowest OPEN car. Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed) is the leader of the FORMULA standings. Schnitzenbaumer qualified ahead of his fiercest competitor for the title Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing). Bernd Herndlhofer (AUT, H&A Racing) is a former BOSS GP champion De Plano and the two Germans. A thrilling four-fold fight for the podium places in the FORMULA is to be expected for the races.

Veronika Cicha (H&A Racing)

Veronika Cicha (H&A Racing)

 

The two Speed Center drivers Christian Eicke and Peter Göllner will follow in positions 8 and 9. Local Veronika Cicha made it into the Top Ten. Nicolas Matile (MCO, ZIG-ZAG) finished behind her. Like his team mate Marc Faggionato (no time in qualifying due to clutch damage), he also participates in a BOSS GP weekend for the first time this year.

Nicolas Matile (ZIG-ZAG)

Nicolas Matile (ZIG-ZAG) and Bernd Herndlhofer (H&A Racing)

 

The fast and technically demanding track in the Czech Republic claimed its victims in qualifying, with Armando Mangini, Walter Steding, Nicolas Matile and others spinning. However, all drivers were able to continue the qualifying without damage.

 

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Full racing line-up: BOSS GP in Brno

Fastest woman in BOSS GP

At the Masaryk Racing Days almost everything that has wheels is on the track. The main event in the Czech Republic are the Big Open Single Seaters.

With a track length of 5.403 kilometres, Brno is the longest challenge in the BOSS GP 2018 racing calendar. The track is most famous for the MotoGP Grand Prix every year, nevertheless the track is also popular for drivers in Monoposti. On the one hand, it offers many smooth and fast corners that alternate with a technically demanding part, and on the other it is one of the safest race tracks on the calendar. Engine power is also important at the penultimate stop of the BOSS GP 2018, as the Czech roller coaster (9 right and 6 left turns) climbs steeply in the last third of the track.

Salvatore De Plano is back on track

Salvatore De Plano is back on the track in Brno

 

The fastest boys and girls
Ingo Gerstl (Top Speed) holds the lap record on the largest Czech racetrack. The Austrian and three-time BOSS GP champion drove round the track last year in only 1:36.065 min, faster than any other driver in the 30 years since the opening of the circuit. Gerstl (Toro Rosso STR1, 3 litres, 10-cylinder Cosworth) could already secure his third consecutive OPEN title in Brno: If he scores four points more than his opponent Phil Stratford (Penn Elcom Racing), he will already be champion before the final in Spielberg (21-23 September 2018). The US-American Stratford delivers consistently good performances this year and makes hardly any mistakes. The technique of his Benetton B197 (4 litres, 10-cylinder Judd) works better and better, which increases the driving pleasure and extends the driving time.

As third starter in the faster OPEN class Wolfgang Jaksch drives a Super Aguri SA06 (3 litres, 10-cylinder Cosworth). The German with Swiss license was the only one who could win a race this year except Gerstl. However, several retirements in the championship threw him far back, good individual placings are now the goal.

In the FORMULA class all eyes are on Veronika Cicha (H&A Racing). The Czech racer is currently the only woman in the BOSS GP and most recently took her first podium in Assen. The former hill climb racer has been driving in the BOSS GP since 2015, and many guests will support the Czech at her home race.

The FORMULA is also about the championship and a possible preliminary decision. 34 points separate leader Florian Schnitzenbaumer (Top Speed) from rival Andreas Fielder (Fiedler Racing). Both had a DNF at the last event in the Netherlands. Everything is still undecided, 25 points are awarded for a victory, four races are still on the calendar.

You should also keep an eye out for the comeback of Salvatore De Plano (MM International). In the first race of the season he injured himself in an accident in the fight for victory. After a long-forced break, the fast Italian is back in the race car. Marc Faggionato and Nicolas Matile (both ZIG-ZAG Motorsport Service) are also back after a long BOSS GP break. Matile starts with a Lola-Zytec from the Auto GP, making him the only non-GP2 pilot.

Masaryk Racing Days in Brno 2017.

Brno has produced many good BOSS GP races throughout the last years

 

Masaryk Racing Days: Quite busy
The race days in September are the second largest circuit racing event in the Czech Republic after the Motorcycle Grand Prix. In addition to the headliner BOSS GP, other racing series will run from Thursday to Sunday: FIA Central Europe Zone for sports cars, touring cars and formula cars, ESET V4 Cup with TCR, Suzuki Swift Cup Europe, Chevrolet Cruze Eurocup, Renault Twingo Cup and various historic racing classes (HAIGO).

The weekend ticket costs 300 Czech crowns (=13 Euro), at the entrances to the race track there are ticket counters. Children under 14 and seniors over 67 have free entry. The BOSS GP cars are in the pits between 2-11, Andreas Fiedler is placed behind them in the paddock.

 

Timetable: BOSS GP at Masaryk Racing Days

Friday, September 7, 2018

11:35–12:05: Free Practice 1
16:00–16:25: Free Practice 2

Saturday, September 8,2018

10:00–10:30: Qualifying
14:50–15:25: Race 1 (distance: 20 minutes)

Sunday, September 9, 2018

12:15–12:50: Race 2 (distance: 20 minutes)

 

Participants: BOSS GP

The OPEN class is for type Formula 1 car built from 1997, Champ Car and IndyCar built from 1997. Engine is free; numbers from 1 to 99.

Starting No.
Name Team Nat. Car
1 Ingo Gerstl Top Speed AUT Toro Rosso STR1
7 Phil Stratford Penn Elcom Racing USA Benetton B197
26 Wolfgang Jaksch F Xtreme Racing Team DEU Super Aguri SA06

 

FORMULA is open to GP2/Formula 2, GP3 (13/16), Auto GP, A1GP, Formula Acceleration 1, Superleague Formula, World Series by Renault, World Series by Nissan, F3000 cars build from 2002. Only the original engine is allowed, organisation committee can make an exception in the classification of a car according to the performance data of the car; Numbers from 100 to 999.

Starting No.
Name Team Nat. Car
100 Thomas Jakoubek Top Speed AUT Dallara GP2
101 Peter Göllner Speed Center SUI Dallara GP2
116 Nicolas Matile ZIG-ZAG Motorsport Service MCO Lola Auto GP
129 Marc Faggionato ZIG-ZAG Motorsport Service MCO Dallara GP2
221 Bernd Herndlhofer H&A Racing AUT Dallara GP2
222 Veronika Cicha H&A Racing CZE Dallara GP2
321 Andreas Fiedler Fiedler Racing DEU Dallara GP2
323 Armando Mangini MM International ITA Dallara GP2
505 Walter Steding Inter Europol Competition DEU Dallara GP2
555 Christian Eicke Speed Center SUI Dallara GP2
888 Florian Schnitzenbaumer Top Speed DEU Dallara GP2
999 Salvatore De Plano MM International ITA Dallara GP2

 

Photos: Michael Kavena/BOSS GP

Report: Race 2 Hockenheim

Man of the Race: Andreas Fiedler

At almost 30 degrees Celsius hot duels at the Hockenheimring were obligatory: Gerstl wins the OPEN class confidently, Schnitzenbaumer the FORMULA class.

The chronology of the race:

Preliminary start: 13 drivers and two female drivers entered the second race of the weekend, which demanded everything from both the drivers and the Pirelli tyres. The Austrian Thomas Jakoubek (Top Speed) did not participate like yesterday, Salvatore de Plano had to stay in hospital overnight after his crash in race one. The Italian had injured his back, but is on the road to recovery. Bernd Herndlhofer (H&A) and Wolfgang Jaksch (F Xtreme Racing Team) had already retired before qualifying, so there were only two starters left in the top class.

Start: From the start Ingo Gerstl set the pace. 1:25.5 min at the beginning of the race proved that there is nothing to win here for Phil Stratford in his Benetton. Gerstl said after the race: “I wanted to show at the beginning what I could do.” They stayed within a six-second margin for the whole race, at the end Gerstl crossed the finish line three seconds ahead. Stratford was pleased with Gerstl’s pace: “I’m happy to follow and feel the air turbulences, the aerodynamics, when I can drive so close to Ingo’s Toro Rosso”.

Lap 1: John Reaks had to brake across the grass, but the Briton could continue and finish last, four laps behind the leaders.

Florian Schnitzenbaumer (Top Speed), yesterday’s FORMULA winner, had less work today. His equal opponent de Plano was missing, so the German set the pace in the smaller class. Armando Mangini was able to keep up with Schnitzenbaumer’s speed for a while, driving 1:21 times – the Italian did not have the consistency of the German, even though Schnitzenbaumer’s shoulder hurt: “In the middle of the race I felt uncomfortable due an old operation”.

Manfred Loach wanted to bring a good result home today after retiring early yesterday due to an increased oil temperature. After a bad start the Austrian fought his way forward place by place.

Lap 2: “Piter” in the white Dallara from the World Series had to fight with the same difficulties as yesterday. Twice he stopped after the slowest part of the course, accelerating out of the hairpin – twice he was able to continue. But after four laps he drove into the pits.

The man of the race was German Andreas Fiedler in GP2, who started from 10th place and passed FORMULA driver Bianca Steiner, who had previously finished third, who was targeting on a podium as she did yesterday. A self-error led to a spin in the first race, today she made no mistakes and finished 4th in the FORMULA. “We had too much tyre pressure. At the end of the race I come closer again on Andreas. One more lap, maybe then …” Fiedler thus reached his first podium. The German with the GP2-Dallara machine became third FORMULA driver behind Schnitzenbaumer and Mangini.

Lap 6: Veronika Cicha got stuck in fourth gear, on the approach to the hairpin with almost 200 km/h. She touched the tyre bundles with her nose, but was not injured.

Lap 7: Shortly afterwards Peter Göllner parked his car in turn 2-3. The marshals worked quickly, so the safety car was able to stay in the pits today.

Last lap: Loach bets 8th in the fight to attack Walter Steding (Inter Europol Competition) and spun. It was the last retirement of the race. Karl-Heinz Becker finished seventh and the almost 75-year-old achieved a sensational result.

The results of the second race of BOSS GP 2018:

OPEN

  1. Gerstl
  2. Stratford

FORMULA

  1. Schnitzenbaumer
  2. Mangini
  3. Fiedler
  4. Steiner
  5. Becker
  6. Steding
  7. Eicke
  8. Kindler
  9. Loach
  10. Reaks

Report: Free Practice 1 Hockenheim

Salvatore de Plano war schnellster FORMULA-Fahrer

Ingo Gerstl (Top Speed) set the best time in his Toro Rosso STR1, Salvatore de Plano (MM International) in his GP2 was the fastest FORMULA driver.

25 minutes of practice were on the schedule, but some red-flag interruptions shortened the driving time in the first free practice session. Due to the tight schedule, the clock continues to tick even during a red flag.

  • Salvatore de Plano sets the first time under 1 minute 30 seconds. In the end the Italian from MM International was second fastest behind Gerstl, and with 1:29.158 the fastest FORMULA pilot. “One second faster is possible”, last year’s runner-up said after the first practice session.
  • Phil Stratfords Benetton B197 stranded in the middle of the session in the hairpin bend, the mechanics suspect problems with the battery. Previously, he had finished second in the FORMULA classification.
  • H&A Racing and F Xtreme Racing are very busy: Both Wolfgang Jaksch‘s Super Aguri and Bernd Herndlhofer‘s Arrows had to visit the pit after only a few laps due to technical difficulties. Veronika Cicha was the only one in the team who could do a normal training – but she complained about the used tyres.
  • At Top Speed all eyes are on the three rookies: Manfred Loach completed fewer laps than planned, the red flags also stopped him – the Austrian could continue after a spin.
    Bianca Steiner came through the training without a spin, she came 5th in the FORMULA class and is considered an insider tip for the races.
    Debutant Thomas Jakoubek spun in his first lap at the Motodrom, at the end of the penultimate corner. After the engine stalled, the Austrian had to get out and the car was towed away.
  • The Swiss Peter Göllner (Speed Center) spun just after tipping the throttle in the hairpin bend and his GP2-Dallara also had to be towed away. Three minutes before the end, the session was released again after the second interruption.
  • The fastest driver of the morning session was Ingo Gerstl (Top Speed) with 1:22.122 min. His newly revised V10 engine was only tried for the first time yesterday on the race track.