Tag: Top Speed

EN: 2024 season review F1 & OPEN

Posted on December 3, 2024 by - General

The championship title in the top class of Formula 1 cars went to Ulf Ehninger this year. In the OPEN cars, it was Antonio Pizzonia who defended his title.

This year there was a duel that has never been seen before in the Formula 1 World Championship: Benetton versus Toro Rosso, Ulf Ehninger versus Ingo Gerstl. It could also be described as a remote duel, especially as Gerstl (Team Top Speed) had to watch his opponent from pit wall on serveral occasions at the beginning of the year because of technical problems on his 2006 Toro Rosso. Ehninger (ESBA Racing) in the light blue 1997 Benetton with Judd engine took three victories in the first four races, while the Austrian Gerstl picked up in the second half of the season where he left off last year. With five wins in a row, things got tight again at the top of the standings towards the season finale. But just one race before the end, Ehninger secured the title early with a second place in the first race in Mugello. Luckily for the German, he retired in the second race. This is Ehninger’s second championship title in the BOSS GP Racing Series after his maiden success in 2021.

Many fans gather in front of the Top Speed Garage

At the beginning of the year, Thomas Jakoubek (Team Top Speed) also joined the grid with his beautiful Lotus T127 (from the 2010 Formula 1 season). The Austrian is set to make further starts next year. Just how important the Formula 1 cars are in the 30th year of the BOSS GP Racing Series was demonstrated by Ingo Gerstl’s appearance at the show run in the center of Assen, where the BOSS GP figurehead was joined by David Coulthard to promote the races.

Thomas Jakoubek at the BOSS GP premiere of his Lotus T127 at the Hockenheimring

In the OPEN class, which is positioned between Formula 1 and the GP2 and World Series cars in the FORMULA class, it was a solo race for Antonio Pizzonia (HS Engineering). Despite little competition for his World Series V8 4.5, the former Jaguar and Williams driver also had a lot of fun in his second year in the BOSS GP Racing Series, which he also shared with the cheering fans in the grandstands several times with donuts after the chequered flag.

Pizzonia celebrates victory at the Red Bull Ring to the delight of the spectators

For the Grande Finale in Misano, Pizzonia was faced with competition from within the team. Haralds Slegelmilhs, the 2022 OPEN champion, returned to BOSS GP. The two drivers from the Austrian team had a tough, but always fair, duel in both races. Because Pizzonia did not get off the line at the flying start in the first race, the Latvian Slegelmilhs was able to capitalize on this. It was the only race in which Pizzonia started and did not take full points. However, the Brazilian took his revenge on Sunday and reversed the order, with guest entrant Haralds Slegelmilhs taking the fastest race lap and a new lap record at the Misano World Circuit.

Antonio Pizzonia, chased by Haralds Slegelmilhs in Misano

The top 3 in each class will be honored on 7 December 2024 at the big Champions Night in Maria Alm in the Austrian mountains.

Interested drivers can already pre-register for the 2025 season. Send a non-binding inquiry now to office@bossgp.com

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

DE: Saisonrückblick 2024 F1 & OPEN

Posted on December 3, 2024 by - General, Allgemein

Der Meistertitel in der Königsklasse der Formel-1-Boliden ging in diesem Jahr an Ulf Ehninger. Bei den OPEN-Boliden war es Antonio Pizzonia, der seinen Titel verteidigte.

In diesem Jahr gab es ein Duell, dass es so in der Formel-1-Weltmeisterschaft nie gab: Benetton gegen Toro Rosso, Ulf Ehninger gegen Ingo Gerstl. Man konnte es auch als Fernduell bezeichnen, musste vor allem Gerstl (Team Top Speed) Anfang des Jahres mit technischen Problemen an seinem 2006er-Toro-Rosso mehrfach zusehen. Ehninger (ESBA Racing) im hellblauen Benetton von 1997 mit Judd-Motor holte in den ersten vier Rennen drei Siege, während der Österreicher Gerstl in der zweiten Saisonhälfte dort anknüpfte, wo er in der Vorsaison aufgehört hat. Mit fünf Siegen en suite wurde es an der Tabellenspitze zum Saisonfinale nochmals eng. Doch bereits ein Rennen vor Schluss konnte sich Ehninger mit einem zweiten Rang im ersten Lauf in Mugello vorzeitig den Titel sichern. Glück für den Deutschen, denn im zweiten Lauf schied er aus. Für Ehninger ist es der zweite Meistertitel in der BOSS GP Racing Series nach dem Premierenerfolg im Jahr 2021.

Zahlreiche Fans tummeln sich vor der Top-Speed-Garage

Am Beginn des Jahres bereicherte auch Thomas Jakoubek (Team Top Speed) mit seinem schönen Lotus T127 (aus der Formel-1-Saison 2010) das Fahrerfeld. Nächstes Jahr sollen weitere Starts des Österreichs erfolgen. Wie wichtig die Formel-1-Boliden auch im 30. Jahr der BOSS GP Racing Series sind, zeigte u.a. Ingo Gerstls Auftritt beim Showrun in der Innenstadt von Assen, wo das BOSS GP-Aushängeschild zusammen mit David Coulthard die Werbetrommel rührte.

Thomas Jakoubek bei der Premiere des Lotus T127 am Hockenheimring

In der offenen Klasse, die zwischen den Formel 1 und den GP2- bzw. World-Series-Autos der FORMULA-Klasse angesiedelt ist, war es ein Solo für Antonio Pizzonia (HS Engineering). Der ehemalige Jaguar- und Williams-Pilot hatte auch in seinem zweiten Jahr in der BOSS GP Racing Series trotz wenig Konkurrenz für seinen World Series V8 4.5 viel Spaß, den er mit Donuts in der Auslaufrunde mehrmals auch mit den jubelnden Fans auf den Tribünen teilte.

Pizzonia feiert den Sieg am Red Bull Ring zur Freude der Zuschauer standesgemäß

Zum Grande Finale in Misano bekam Pizzonia stallintern Konkurrenz zur Seite gestellt. Mit Haralds Slegelmilhs war der OPEN-Meister des Jahres 2022 zur BOSS GP zurückgekehrt. Die beiden Fahrer des österreichischen Teams duellierten sich in beiden Rennen wenig zimperlich, aber immer fair. Weil Pizzonia im ersten Rennen beim fliegenden Start nicht vom Fleck kam, war der Lette Slegelmilhs in der Lage, daraus Profit zu ziehen. Es war das einzige Rennen, bei dem Pizzonia an den Start gegangen war und nicht die volle Punktzahl mitnahm. Doch der Brasilianer revanchierte sich am Sonntag und drehte die Reihenfolge wieder um, einzig die schnellste Rennrunde und damit auch einen neuen Rundenrekord am Misano World Circuit ließ sich Gastfahrer Haralds Slegelmilhs nicht nehmen.

Antonio Pizzonia, in Misano verfolgt von Haralds Slegelmilhs

Die Top-3 jeder Klasse werden am 7. Dezember 2024 bei der großen Champions Night in Maria Alm in den österreichischen Bergen geehrt.

Interessierte Fahrer können sich bereits für die Saison 2025 voranmelden. Sendet jetzt eine unverbindliche Anfrage an office@bossgp.com

Fotos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Brno Race 1

Posted on September 10, 2022 by - General

Jackermeier celebrates his premiere victory in tricky conditions, Colombo turns “pole” into victory in FORMULA class, SUPER LIGHTS triumph for Geier.

The weather gods had no mercy on the drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series. A few minutes before the start of the first race, the heavens opened their floodgates. The race on the partly wet track thus became a challenge for the pilots in their Big Open Single Seaters.

BOSS GP F1 Class

Pole setter Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed), like his team mate Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), was faced with a difficult decision in the Formula 1 car class due to the rain shower before the start of the race: keep dry tyres on or put on the Pirelli Cinturato wet weather tyres? Parts of the track were damp, others dry. Jackermeier and Gerstl both opted for the dry tyres on their cars. Jackermeier with his Toro Rosso STR3 with Ferrari V8 made ideal use of the pole position and started furiously into the race. Ingo Gerstl came into the pits after the warm-up lap and had to stop his Toro Rosso STR1 temporarily. A few minutes before the end of the race Gerstl drove back onto the track but promptly returned to the pits. Jackermeier managed the lead ideally, made no mistakes in the treacherous conditions and celebrated his first victory in the BOSS GP. 

2nd place for Ingo Gerstl (le.) behind debut winner Thomas Jackermeier (ri.)

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

All drivers in the FORMULA Class opted for the Pirelli P Zero dry tyres at the start of the race. The driving skills of the steering wheel acrobats were thus put to the test even more. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) made ideal use of his first starting position and was able to pull away first in the drying conditions. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) held back in the initially damp conditions. However, the experienced Italian put rival after rival to the sword and worked his way up to second place. In the final minutes there was a thrilling duel between Colombo and Ghiotto for the win, but Colombo managed to save the victory over the finish line. Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) drove in second place for a long time, but after a hard fight on the start-finish straight he had to let his team boss and colleague Ghiotto pass. Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International) and Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) rounded off the top-5 of this spectacular race in FORMULA class. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who was classified in the front of the field in qualifying, came into the pits just before the end of the race and had to park his GP2 car early.

Close finish between Colombo (f.) and Ghiotto behind

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

In the SUPER LIGHTS category of the six-cylinder cars, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) secured the next victory ahead of Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport). Geier, who started the race on slicks, took the lead from Hasler shortly after the start and eventually controlled the pace at the front. In the final sprint Hasler tried to close the gap to Geier once more. Ultimately in vain, Hasler drove home a safe second place in drying conditions.

Good race by young Austrian Geier in difficult track conditions

After the spectacle today, the fans can look forward to part 2 of the racing action on Sunday. The second and final race of the BOSS GP in Brno will take place tomorrow from 12:50 local time (livestream).

Photos: Angelo Poletto/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: Hockenheim Race 1

Posted on May 7, 2022 by - General

Tens of thousands of fans listened intently as the BOSS GP made its comeback at the Hockenheimring.

In the first race of the 2022 season, Latvian Harald Schlegelmilch (HS Engineering) achieved the rare feat of taking FORMULA class victory from the last grid position. After a couple of laps, the former German Formula 3 trophy winner was already in the top three of the class, and on the sixth lap he finally overtook the FORMULA leader Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International). Schlegelmilch thus won for the fourth time in the BOSS GP Racing Series after Spielberg and Brno 2021. Chovanec-Lopez was also delighted with second place in his BOSS GP debut race.

Behind them, a three-way battle between the Italians Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio), Simone Colombo and Luca Martucci (both MM International) was going on for a while – including tyre lockups and a couple of overtake attempts. On the penultimate lap, Colombo managed the decisive braking manoeuvre against Ghiotto in the hairpin. Colombo thus jumped onto the podium “last minute”.

With a light gap, the Irishman Paul O’Connell (“I’m living my dream”) from HS Engineering finished in sixth place. 7th place in class was still being fought for all the way to the finish line: Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport), who had already passed Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) in the meantime, complained about a sudden loss of power. In the end, it was just not enough to challenge Steding for seventh place. Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) also finished his debut race in the BOSS GP Racing Series in the top ten with a ninth place.

OPEN race winner Ingo Gerstl from Team Top Speed

The OPEN class was once again safe for Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso F1. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) from Tübingen in a Benetton F1 kept out of all the FORMULA class fights and secured second place. His Benetton twin Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom) was only seen for a short time, he had to retire from the race early on due to technical problems.

Michael Aberer (MA Motorsport) was among those beaten in race 1: The Austrian did it like Sebastien Vettel once did and sunk his chances for a top position in the gravel bed of the Sachs curve – but the damage to his GP2 car should be repaired by the second race. Start time for race 2 is tomorrow Sunday at 3:55 p.m. (CEST), before that the warm-up runs at 11:05. You can follow all the action via livestream on www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Race 2 Imola

Posted on July 12, 2020 by - General

Double victorys for Höher and Gerstl at the season opener in Italy.

Guest starter Christopher Höher also won the FORMULA class in race 2. In a convincing manner he crossed the finish line only two seconds behind OPEN winner Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed). After finishing third in race 1, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was able to improve his performance by finishing second behind Höher in the FORMULA class. The defending champion is therefore second in the championship after the first race weekend and is also a contender for the title this year. After a longer period of not being on the podium, Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) was allowed to step on the podium again. With a third place at his debut in an A1GP Lola he is also a real contender in the championship.

Roman Hoffmann impressed after his retirement in the first race with the fourth place in race 2, only three tenths of a second separated him from de Plano and thus from the podium. Luca Martucci finished fifth after a drive-through penalty (wrong position at the flying start). On the following places: Nicolas Matile, Michael Aberer, Bruno Jarach and Walter Steding.

The next race for the Big Open Single Seater will take place on 1-2 August at the DTM event in Spa-Francorchamps.

Report: Rennen 2 Imola

Posted on October 13, 2019 by - General

FORMULA-Titelentscheidung: Bracalente gewinnt das Rennen, Marco Ghiotto den Titel.

Die Entscheidung um den Meistertitel in der FORMULA-Klasse fiel im zwölften und damit letzten BOSS GP-Saisonrennen 2019. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) ging mit der besseren Ausgangslage ins Rennwochenende. Nach Alessandro Bracalentes (ITA, Speed Center) Sieg im Samstagsrennen schrumpfte sein Vorsprung aber von 15 auf 12 Punkte. Bei einem erneuten Sieg von Bracalente im Sonntagsrennen musste Ghiotto heute zumindest Sechster werden.

Einen Schreckmoment hatte Ghiotto schon beim Start zur Aufwärmrunde, als sein roter GP2-Dallara nicht von der Stelle kam. Glück für Ghiotto: Weil auch ein zweites Auto stehenblieb, durfte sich Ghiotto für den fliegenden Start wieder in die zweite Startreihe nach vorne reihen. Die Scuderia Palladio konnte kurz durchatmen.

Der beste Start hinter dem OPEN-Meister Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) gelang Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), der fast Bracalente an der Spitze knackte. Ghiotto verlor nicht nur den Platz an Martucci, sondern auch an Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Top Speed). Doch noch in der Anfangsphase überholte Ghiotto wieder beide, und fand im weiteren Verlauf mit schnellen Rundenzeiten sogar den Anschluss an Bracalente. Mit Klassenplatz 2 lag er voll auf Titelkurs.

Marco Ghiotto ist zum ersten Mal BOSS GP FORMULA-Meister

Dabei blieb es auch. Bracalente gewann das letzte Saisonrennen und beendete das Jahr mit einer unglaublichen Bilanz für einen Rookie: 5 Siege, 10 Podestplätze und nur zwei Ausfälle. Schlussendlich einer zu viel, um seinen Landsmann Ghiotto zu knacken, der eine ebenso grandiose Bilanz vorweisen kann: 9 Podestplätze und 2 Siege, aber nur einen Nuller. Nach sechs spannenden Rennwochenenden in Hockenheim, Spielberg, Monza, Assen, Brünn und Imola trennen den neuen FORMULA-Meister Ghiotto und Kontrahent Bracalente letztendlich nur neun Punkte.

Rang 3 im Rennen ging wie am Vortag an Martucci, der bis Rennmitte wieder mit de Plano stritt. De Plano fuhr als Vierter vor Andreas Fiedler ins Ziel, der mit angeschlagenem Getriebe Rang 3 in der Meisterschaft sicherte.

Das schönste Duell lieferten Philippe Haezebrouck (FRA, Speed Center) und Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International), mit besserem Ende für den Franzosen. Bis zur letzten Runde waren beide in Schlagdistanz zueinander auf dem 4,9-Kilometer-Kurs unterwegs. Gegen Rennende den 25-Minuten-Rennens schloss auch Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center) auf die beiden auf, konnte aber nicht mehr angreifen. Er beendete die Saison mit einem ordentlichen achten Rang. Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) wurde in der Klasse Neunter. Sein Team Zig-Zag Motorsport Service kündigte an, im nächsten Jahr bei mehr als zwei Rennen am Start stehen zu wollen.

Gesamtsieger des Rennens wurde Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), der mit seinem Toro Rosso STR1 heute noch einmal Vollgas gab. Obwohl seine Mechaniker alles gaben, musste Phil Stratford seinen Benetton B197 aufgrund eines Defekts frühzeitig in den Transporter laden. Ein Start beim letzten Rennen des Jahres war ihm nicht vergönnt. Zweiter in der OPEN-Klasse und neuer Vizemeister wird stattdessen „Piter“ (FRA, Ray-Ban), dessen Mannschaft es gelang, im letzten Moment ein großes Ölleck zu reparieren.

Die BOSS GP-Jahressiegerehrung findet am 7. Dezember in Salzburg statt.

Report: Race 2 Imola

Posted on October 13, 2019 by - General

FORMULA title decision: Bracalente wins the race, Marco Ghiotto the championship.

How can it be better? The final decision for the championship title in the FORMULA class was made in the twelfth and last BOSS GP season race of 2019. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) went into the race weekend with better chances. After Alessandro Bracalente’s (ITA, Speed Center) victory in Saturday’s race his lead reduced from 15 to 12 points. This means: Ghiotto had to be at least sixth today if Bracalente scores another victory in Sunday’s race.

Ghiotto already had a shock moment at the start of the warm-up lap when his red GP2 Dallara did not come off the spot. Lucky for Ghiotto: Because a second car also stopped, Ghiotto could line up again in the second row of the grid for the rolling start. The Scuderia Palladio was able to breathe a short sigh of relief.

The best start behind OPEN champion Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) had Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), who almost caught Bracalente at the top. Ghiotto not only lost the place to Martucci, but also to Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Top Speed). However, Ghiotto overtook both again in the early stages and even managed to catch up with Bracalente with a couple of fast lap times. With second place he was fully on target for the title.

And it remained like that. Bracalente won the last race of the season and ended the year with an incredible result for a rookie: 5 victories, 10 podium places and only two retirements. In the end, one too many to defeat his fellow countryman Ghiotto, who also has a great score: 9 podium finishes and 2 victories, but only one DNF. After six exciting race weekends in Hockenheim, Spielberg, Monza, Assen, Brno and Imola, the new FORMULA champion Ghiotto and his opponent Bracalente finally separated by only nine points.

For the first time Marco Ghiotto is the champion of BOSS GP FORMULA class

Third place in the race went to Martucci, who fought again with de Plano until the middle of the race. De Plano finished fourth ahead of Andreas Fiedler, who secured third place in the championship with a damaged gearbox.

The best duel was delivered by Philippe Haezebrouck (FRA, Speed Center) and Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International), with a better end for the Frenchman. Until the last lap both were within striking distance of each other on the 4.9-kilometer course. Towards the end of the 25-minute race, Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center) also caught up with the two, but could no longer attack. He finished the season with a respectable eighth place. Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) finished ninth in the class. By the way good news for the championship: His Team Zig-Zag Motorsport Service announced that they would be competing in more than two races next year.

Overall winner of the race was Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), who once again put the pedal to the medal today in his Toro Rosso STR1. Although his mechanics gave everything, Phil Stratford had to load his Benetton B197 into the van early due to a defect. Second in the OPEN class and new runner-up instead is “Piter” (FRA, Ray-Ban), whose team managed to repair a big oil leak just before race began.

Next up: The BOSS GP annual award ceremony will take place on 7 December in Salzburg.

Report: Race 2 Brno

Posted on September 8, 2019 by - General

Christopher Höher dedicate his win in Brno 2019 to his recently deceased father

Second win for Höher and Gerstl at the Masaryk Racing Days.

Christopher Höher (AUT, Top Speed) certainly didn’t have an easy time in race 2. Although the guest starter took the second win in FORMULA class this weekend, he only won slightly ahead of Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio).

At the beginning of the race Höher could follow the leading OPEN driver Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed). Gerstl already secured his fifth championship title in the OPEN class in the first race of the weekend. In race 2 he managed to win his eighth race of the season in his Toro Rosso STR1.

Behind the dominator, however, it was another exciting race in FORMULA class: Due to Höher overstraining his tyres at the beginning of the race in pursuit of Gerstl, he only defended himself on the literally last groove towards the end of the race. Ghiotto tried everything – drove to the left, drove to the right – but Höher remained ice-cold and held first position until the finish line.

Alessandro Bracalente (ITA, Speed Center) was the closest rival to Höher in the first stage of the race. On lap 4, however, the leader of the standings dropped positions, one lap later he parked his car in the pits with a clutch failure. A major setback in the championship as rival Ghiotto took 22 points with second place. Before the championship finale Ghiotto is 15 points ahead of Bracalente. In Imola a maximum of 50 points will be awarded.

f.l. Marco Ghiotto, OPEN winner Ingo Gerstl, FORMULA winner Christopher Höher and Luca Martucci

Despite a spin, Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) finished third with a very strong closing stage. It was Martucci’s fourth podium finish this season. In the fight for the podium the decision was made after a Full Course Yellow in turn 1. There he overtook Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) who showed a strong pace with the fastest lap and some position wins at the start of the race. Fiedler could score at least two points more than Philippe Haezebrouck (FRA, Speed Center) with 4th place. In the standings, Fiedler is now back on 3rd place, but only one point ahead of Haezebrouck. This duel also promises excitement in the final races of the season.

During middle of the race it looked good for Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) too. In the battle with Höher and Ghiotto for the front Faggionato spun by himself. Because the engine stopped running, the second race of the weekend for the fast Monegasque was over too.

Behind Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International) Walter Steding (DEU, Inter Europol) finished seventh with an impeccable performance. With an outstanding performance Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center) drove from the last grid position into the top-8. Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) in the only Auto-GP Lola spun shortly before the end and threw away a top result at the guest start.

Europe’s fastest racing series will return to Imola for the finale in five weeks. The Grande Finale of the BOSS GP 2019 will take place on October 12th and 13th.

Report: Race 2 Monza

Posted on June 16, 2019 by - General, Uncategorized

Marco Ghiotto wins again in FORMULA and Ingo Gerstl strikes back in the OPEN category.

It was the counterattack of the record champion: After Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom) had beaten Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) for the second time this year yesterday, Stratford had no chance today. Gerstl took his fourth victory of the season with a dominant performance in his Toro Rosso STR1 and thus extends the overall lead again.

Phil Stratford tried to follow Gerstl, but yesterday’s winner suddenly stopped in lap 9. A technical problem on the Benetton B197 forced Stratford to stop between the two Lesmo corners.

In the FORMULA class Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) repeated his victory of yesterday. Only a safety car shortly before the end made him sweat, otherwise the uncle of Formula 2 driver Luca Ghiotto had everything under control. Ghiotto is now the championship leader in the BOSS GP FORMULA category for the first time after his double victory this race weekend.

Marco Ghiotto: “Today it was easy. For the set-up I played it safe and didn’t adjust the rear wing as flat as yesterday. To win again at the home race here in Monza is a sensational experience for the team and for me as an Italian”.

Sunday’s podium: f.l. Bracalente, M. Ghiotto, OPEN winner Gerstl, Fiedler

Alessandro Bracalente (ITA, Speed Center) had a day to forget yesterday. Without points and very mad he went to bed yesterday. In today’s second race he managed to return to the podium with second place in his class. He also had to thank his German team Speed Center, who screwed several cars at the same time late at night. Although Bracalente has lost the lead in the points standings to Marco Ghiotto, with second place in today’s Sunday race he remains within striking distance for the coming races.

Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) showed, as he did yesterday, a race to catch up at its best. Started from last place, he overtook one competitor after the other lap after lap. After overtaking Walter Steding (DEU, Inter Europol) and Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International) he was already fifth in class in lap 4. In lap 6 he overtook Philippe Haezebrouck (FRA, Speed Center) and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International). Having reached class rank 3, the distance to Marco Ghiotto and Bracalente was too big to start another attack.

Martucci finally finished fourth in his class and was the best of the Italian MM International team. Teammate Ripoli finished 5th, ahead of Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Top Speed).

Phillipe Haezebrouck had a much harder time today. After a strong fourth place yesterday, he was handed back in the race today and finished seventh in FORMULA.

Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International) was also a long time in the lead, a technical defect led to his early retirement.

The next BOSS GP will take place in five weeks. In Assen the Big Open Single Seater will start in the program of the famous and very popular touring cars of DTM. Tickets for the weekend are available from 49 Euro on www.dtm.com/en/tickets/assen-2019