Tag: Schlegelmilch

Report: Races Misano

Posted on July 23, 2023 by - General

The fourth race weekend of the 2023 BOSS GP Racing Series in Misano was a good reason for the Brazilian drivers to celebrate Carnival.

The Italian race organiser PNK Motorsport invited samba dancers into the paddock and proved to have a lucky hand, as two Brazilians were at the front of the grid after qualifying.

Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) was the favourite for overall victory at the Misano race. In the absence of Formula 1 cars, for which the Misano circuit is not approved, the ex-Formula 1 driver fulfilled expectations. The wins were the first two overall victories for the driver in the World Series V8 car and the next double in the OPEN category. HS Engineering teammate Paul O’Connell (IRL) was suffering with electrical problems throughout the weekend. At least in race 1, he was able to score with second place in the OPEN category.

Harald Schlegelmilch: World Series beats GP2

In the first race, the FORMULA classification was fiercely contested only in the starting phase. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) briefly took the lead from third on the grid in class before returnee Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) stormed to the front and claimed a historic victory: For a long time no Dallara World Series car (in Schlegelmilch’s case from the 2012 generation) had won against Dallara’s GP2 cars, which were slightly faster on paper.

The duel of the weekend was between Schlegelmilch and Adriano Buzaid (BRA, MM International) in the second race on Sunday afternoon. After Schlegelmilch had ensured that HS Engineering triumphed in two classes on Saturday, Buzaid was able to convert his pole position into a victory on Sunday. The two were together for the entire race distance, with no more than one second separating the dominant duo during the longer Sunday race. In the end, Buzaid crossed the finish line with a lead of only 0.8 seconds.

Nicolas Matile (f.) was the best-placed driver with an Auto GP car on Sunday

Once again, only a tiny margin separated the winner and the runner-up in the FORMULA class, but the debut victory of the Brazilian Buzaid is also a sensation. After racing at the front of the British Formula 3 Championship more than ten years ago, the now 35-year-old took an extended break from racing. This weekend, he returned to a single-seater racing car for the Italian team MM International in Misano and finished 2nd and 1st. MM International had more than one reason to be happy, because Simone Colombo also beat his arch-rival Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) in the duel for third place, narrowly but nevertheless, to take two more podium places and the next important points for a possible title defence.

Fabian Vettel (GER, Top Speed) finished fifth in the first of the two races this weekend, which was remarkable after he even had to go to hospital on Friday for a closer check-up after an accident. However, he was then able to take part in qualifying and the race in a replacement car of his Austrian team Top Speed after receiving medical clearance. In Sunday’s race, “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) finished fifth. Best Auto GP car within the FORMULA class: in race 1 Jean-Christophe Peyre (FRA, Zig-Zag), in race 2 Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag).

After Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) won SUPER LIGHTS twice last time at the Red Bull Ring, it was now Henry Clausnitzer’s (WF Racing) turn again. The German continues to make his mark with season wins 5 and 6 in the six-cylinder car class. Although, Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Racing) in the 1996 Formula 3000 set a good pace, especially in the second race. The Italian finished second twice in his home race.

Complete podium after race 1: f.l. Colacino, Buzaid, O’Connell, Pizzonia, Schlegelmilch, Clausnitzer, Colombo

There’s a sequel in three weeks’ time. The BOSS GP Racing Series returns to the TT Circuit in Assen from 11 to 13 August, where tens of thousands of spectators are expected at Jack’s Racing Day.

Antonio Pizzonia returns to single-seaters

Posted on March 31, 2023 by - General

Austrian BOSS GP team HS Engineering surprises everyone with the signing of former Jaguar and Williams F1 driver Antonio Pizzonia from Manaus, Brazil.

The 42-year-old replaces Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA) at HS Engineering. Pizzonia will pilot the OPEN title-winning car from last season, the World Series Dallara Gibson V8.

The Brazilian, who competed in 20 Grand Prix alongside Mark Webber and Juan Pablo Montoya started his racing career in single-seaters way back in 1996. He became champion in Formula Vauxhall Junior, Formula Renault and British F3 before stepping up to Formula 3000 and joined BMW Williams as test driver for the 2002 season.

Following his F1 career Pizzonia also competed in the Champ Car World Series, the Superleague Formula, Stock Car Brasil, the American Le Mans Series, in Daytona Prototypes, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the AutoGP Series taking the title in 2015.

Recently Antonio focused on supporting the racing career of his son Antonio Pizzonia Neto in karting and also returning to senior shifter karts himself taking the victory in the World Finals 2022 in Las Vegas.

Antonio Pizzonia: “First of all I would like to thank Michael Hascic for the opportunity to return to single-seaters. Racing is all I have had in mind since I was a kid. Being given the chance to drive a highly competitive car again at my age is for sure something special. It’s been almost eight years since I last drove a single-seater when I raced with Zele-Racing in AutoGP and I can’t wait to feel the sensation of pushing a formula car to the limit again.“

Michael Hascic (Team owner HS Engineering): “I am pleased to welcome Antonio to our outfit. I hope that adding a celebrity driver of his calibre to the BOSS GP grid will not only improve the overall status of the championship but will also help us to generate more attention in general about what we do and who we are. Of course, we aim to continue where we finished at Misano last year and want to add at least one or two more cars to the grid from Hockenheim onwards. We still have a couple seats available.“

Photo: Zele-Racing

Report: Race 2 Misano

Posted on November 6, 2022 by - 5, General

In the 25-minute Sunday race Harald Schlegelmilch set another lap record. Victory for the new champion Simone Colombo in FORMULA class.

The drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series completed their final race of the season at the Pirelli Grande Finale in the best possible autumn weather.

BOSS GP OPEN Class

For the last time this season Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was on the hunt for the lap record. Once again the former Formula 3 ace succeeded in improving the existing best time of 1:21.822, set in yesterday’s race. Today, Schlegelmilch achieved a fabulous time of 1:20.785 (average speed: 188 km/h) in his World Series Dallara V8. The 34-year-old thus makes history and at the same time thanks his Austrian team with the tenth victory of the season in the OPEN class.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Once again, Saturday’s race winner Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and the new champion Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) got together very close. Only a few centimetres separated the two GP2 cars as they turned into the first corner at the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. A resumption of the “duel of the season” failed to unfold, however, because Ghiotto spun into the grass only a short time later. But the 2019 to 2021 champion was able to continue and take home at least one more trophy with second place. Colombo celebrated the victory as a cherry on top of the championship title he had already secured yesterday.

Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport) was on his way to the podium for most of the race distance. But Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) had something against it. As yesterday, the Italian managed to overtake rival after rival after a weak start and once again complete an all-Italian podium. After a spin by Aberer (finished 5th), Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) also overtook the Austrian. O’Connell not only impressed with fast lap times in his WSbR, but also attracted attention with a spin in the early stages. Because he was also able to continue his drive, the chase was rewarded with his best result in the BOSS GP to date.

Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) finished the race in sixth place, Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) in seventh. With these points, Steding was able to improve one more place in the championship. With fourth place overall in the championship, he repeated his ranking from the previous year.

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) again started the race from 4th place overall. With used tyres, however, he had a much harder time today than yesterday and as a result he dropped further back in the field. Nevertheless, he crowned his performance this weekend with the second victory in class. Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) in a Formula 3000 took second place. Champion Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) was absent this weekend due to health reasons.

After twelve races in five different countries, the BOSS GP Racing Series 2022 comes to an end. The planning for the 2023 season is already underway, the first round of the season is expected to start in April.

Photo: Angelo Poletto

Report: Race 1 Misano

Posted on November 5, 2022 by - 5, General

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

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

BOSS GP OPEN Class

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

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

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

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

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

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

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

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Qualifying Misano

Posted on November 5, 2022 by - 5, General

Schlegelmilch takes pole position in the wet. Colombo with best starting position in FORMULA class and big surprise by Alexander Geier.

Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) secured the best starting position for the Pirelli Grande Finale in qualifying on Saturday morning. In damp conditions, the OPEN class driver was in a class of his own in his World Series car. In the absence of the BOSS GP F1 Class, he set by far the fastest lap time of the final BOSS GP qualifying session of the year with 1:35.159.

With second place overall in qualifying, Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) took an important step towards the FORMULA class title. Although his main rival, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), came close to him towards the end of the half-hour session, Colombo defended himself with another improvement of his lap time.

Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) caused a sensation. The six-cylinder driver from the SUPER LIGHTS class qualified in fourth place overall and thus topped his previous best performance by far. With dry conditions forecast, can he defend himself against the armada of GP2 cars in the race?

Geier’s compatriot Michael Aberer (MA Motorsport) will start the race from row 3 together with Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International). Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) and Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) will start from row 4. As a rain specialist, O’Connell had expected a lot in the wet conditions. But the Irishman lost valuable track time after a spin and was only able to return to qualifying late in the session.

The eleventh race of the season with a distance of 20 minutes starts today at 14:35.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview: Pirelli Grande Finale Misano

Posted on November 1, 2022 by - General

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

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

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

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

Entry List:

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

Track:

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

Timetable (CET):

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

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

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

Support races:

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

Live Stream:

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

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

Report: Race 2 Mugello

Posted on October 16, 2022 by - 5, General

Ingo Gerstl secures the championship title. Thriller for victory in the BOSS GP FORMULA class postpones decision to the Pirelli Grande Finale in Misano.

The third last race of the 2022 season at the “Forza Fanatec” had it all for fans and drivers alike. But first, the teams and riders had to wait, because the fog on Sunday morning postponed the programme by about an hour. However, this did not change the race distance of 25 minutes.

BOSS GP F1 Class

Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) started the race from grid position 2. He overtook his team-mate Ingo Gerstl (AUT) in the two-year older Toro Rosso STR 1 right at the start, but a safety car phase made it impossible for Gerstl to pass his protégé Thomas Jackermeier. Jackermeier fulfilled a birthday wish with his third victory after the “double” in Brno and won for the first time on Italian soil with the Italian car. Gerstl’s second place was enough to secure his eighth BOSS GP title, the seventh in the highest class. Gerstl thus draws level with his long-time great rival Klaas Zwart (NLD) in the all-time BOSS GP leaderboard.

BOSS GP OPEN Class

Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was able to take another winner’s trophy for himself and his Austrian team on the podium at Mugello after another faultless performance.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) wanted to fix the championship deal after winning yesterday’s race. But in a tussle at the start with rival Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), it was Colombo who lost out. He got stuck in the gravel, while Ghiotto and Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) were able to continue the race with loss of position. In the last ten minutes of the race, a four-way battle for the class win ignited. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), who was leading at first, got more and more pressure, among others from Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International). He overtook Martucci, who counterattacked several times. Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) and Marco Ghiotto joined him from behind and worked their way forward lap by lap. With three laps to go, De Plano took the lead, which he would not relinquish until the chequered flag. Behind him, Luca Martucci defended himself with the knives between his teeth. But it did not end as Martucci would have wished. Both Faggionato with the fastest race lap and Ghiotto were able to pass Martucci on the last lap. With third place behind De Plano and Faggionato, Ghiotto keeps the title fight open in the FORMULA standings, 38 points separate him and Colombo before the last two races in Misano. 50 points are still up for grabs.

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) could hardly believe it. Unlike his opponents in the six-cylinder car class, Colacino was able to complete a race distance in his aged Formula 3000 with Alfa Romeo engine. Colacino thus scored the full 25 points. Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) was at least able to complete some race laps today (Sunday) after yesterday’s technical problems and finished second ahead of the new champion Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport).

The BOSS GP Racing Series continues its European tour in three weeks. The final decisions of this season will be made at the Pirelli Grande Finale in Misano from 4 to 6 November 2022.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Race 1 Mugello

Posted on October 15, 2022 by - General

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

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

BOSS GP F1 Class

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

BOSS GP OPEN Class

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

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

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

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

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

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

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

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Le Castellet Race 2

Posted on June 19, 2022 by - 5, General

Rene Arnoux presents the winners’ trophies to Gerstl, Schlegelmilch, Chovanec-Lopez and Geier.

The atmosphere at the third event of the 2022 BOSS GP season was unique: visitors had the opportunity to buy tickets for the grid walk and thus get close to Big Open Single Seater and experience the tension before the start at first hand. Not only hundreds of fans took advantage of this, but also the French racing legends Jean Alesi, Rene Arnoux and Jean-Pierre Jarier. They were on hand for souvenir photos, as were the BOSS GP cars and their current drivers.

BOSS GP F1 Class

Toro Rosso, Benetton and Jaguar in a joint race – this unique picture was delivered by the BOSS GP Racing Series in Le Castellet. The legendary Formula 1 cars completed the first laps of Sunday’s race in formation, but in the end the same result as the day before was in the books: Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) took the win ahead of Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) and Didier Sirgue (FRA, LRS Racing).

Didier Sirgue showed at the home race that a twenty-year-old Formula 1 car is far from old hat

BOSS GP OPEN Class

Once again Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was chasing the Formula 1 cars in the World Series car with an improved V8 engine. With the fastest race lap, the Latvian won the OPEN class, which was newly introduced this year for cars without a displacement limit. To the delight of the fans who held out in the heat, he did some donuts after the race, immortalising himself at the Circuit Paul Ricard.

Schlegelmilch pushes as hard as possible to catch the F1 cars from other generations

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

The Portuguese Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (MM International) was unbeatable again today, Sunday, in a race that was 5 minutes longer than the day before. Again MM International team mate Simone Colombo (ITA) was involved in a thrilling fight for position 2 behind Chovanec-Lopez. This time, however, he defended the position in the last third of the race against Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag). With degrading tyres towards the end of the race, Colombo kept his nerve and thus also second place. Faggionato managed a conciliatory result with third place after retiring early yesterday after a spin. Once again, Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was left without a place on the podium. With a further improvement in performance, however, he was ultimately only a good seven seconds off the podium. His team boss and racing colleague Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) retired already in the early stages. This means a setback for the overall standings. The defending champion is now already 47 points behind Chovanec-Lopez and 35 behind Colombo.

The best Frenchman in this class was Alain Girardet (FRA, GDL Racing) in his World Series car in the second race. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) finished in sixth place. This is remarkable, because the Italian had to fight his way back to the front from the end of the field after a spin in the early stages. The fights for positions behind were also worth seeing, among others with David Moretti, Walter Steding and Thomas Jackermeier.

Dominates the FORMULA class this season so far: Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) sensationally managed to do the double at his BOSS GP race debut: The only 16-year-old Austrian in the V6 World Series car did a good job today as well and even dueled with the faster FORMULA cars at times. With two race wins and the full points tally this weekend, he was able to make up some points on the first-placed driver in the overall standings, Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport).

Alexander Geier delighted the French spectators in the retro colours of the Renault World Champion cars of 2005 and 2006

The BOSS GP Racing Series now takes a summer break. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done, because the teams are using the time to revise the high-end racing cars and make them ready for the second half of the season. In twelve weeks, Europe’s fastest racing series will continue this year’s championship. At the traditional Masaryk Racing Days in Brno from 9 to 11 September, races 7 and 8 of the season will be held.

Pictures: Jean-Marie Biadatti/PhotoClassicRacing.com, SMW MEDIA

Report: Le Castellet Race 1

Posted on June 18, 2022 by - 5, General

In front of the shining eyes of French racing legends Jean Alesi and Rene Arnoux, the BOSS GP drivers and their unique bolides braved the heat of the Cote d’Azur.

The 20 drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series started the fifth race of the 2022 season at an outside temperature of 32 degrees Celsius. Because one vehicle stalled at the pre-start and recovery took some time, the race was restarted a few minutes later behind the safety car.

BOSS GP F1 Class

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) did what he had done many times in 2022: controlling the pace. Mindful of the valuable Toro Rosso F1, he tried to keep his rivals under control in the rear-view mirror. He succeeded with style, winning the F1 classification for the fifth time this year. After some technical problems on the Benetton B197, Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) also saw the chequered flag again today. At his first start in Le Castellet he drove a flawless race, which was rewarded with points for second place. At the beginning of the race Didier Sirgue (FRA, LRS Racing) followed him in the rear-view mirror. However, he subsequently lost contact to Ehninger. Nevertheless, Sirgue, who made his BOSS GP comeback after a break of several years, finished the race in third place in the beautiful Jaguar R2 (with R5 livery).

BOSS GP OPEN Class

Rene Arnoux congratulates the Top-3 in the BOSS GP F1 Class

Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was allowed to pick up the winner’s trophy for the class without engine capacity limit. However, his own incentive is to chase the Formula 1 cars. With the fastest lap of 1:48.371, the former Formula 3 professional was also only a few tenths off the fastest lap of the race in the first race, driven by Ingo Gerstl.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) extended his lead in the fiercely contested FORMULA Class classification with his fourth win of the season. However, the most exciting duel of the race again took place behind the race winner. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) seamlessly continued their duel from the last race weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Throughout the race Ghiotto “hung” in Colombo’s gearbox, several times he tried to pass Colombo, even on the approach to brave turn “Signe” at the end of the long Mistral straight. In the end, it was Colombo again who held on to second place, as he had done in Spielberg. Francesco Malavese (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) narrowly missed the podium with 4th place. Behind Malavese followed the fastest Auto GP Lola of Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag). Matile did not allow himself a break, but also took part in the race of the Formula 1 cars from the 1970s afterwards. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio), who was able to drive to the chequered flag after technical problems in qualifying, and Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed), who had switched from Formula 1 to the GP2 Dallara after a gearbox failure on his Toro Rosso STR3 on Friday, finished 6th and 7th place. Best Frenchman in the FORMULA classification was David Moretti (Griffith’s) in ninth.

Yannick Dalmas with the second place driver in FORMULA class Simone Colombo

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

The youngest competitor in the BOSS GP Racing Series at 16 years of age, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing), converted his first pole position at his first race appearance straight into a victory. This meant that Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) was unable to take full points for the first time this season. With second place, however, Hasler remains unchallenged in the lead of the standings.

First victory for Alexander Geier (r.)

The sixth race of the season follows tomorrow Sunday at 3:30 p.m. local time. Before that, there will be a ten-minute warm-up at 9:35 am. The race can be followed live on French television and as today on the YouTube channel of the TV station Automoto la chaîne (only in France).

Pictures: SMW MEDIA