Tag: Wolfgang Jordan

Report: Race 2 Hockenheim F1

Phil Stratford, Benetton B197

The second race of the BOSS GP was a short pleasure in front of a sold-out house – we couldn’t give the fans the show we would have liked to show them.

It all looked like a good start, yesterday’s FORMULA winner Roy Glaser (Speed Center) and Bernd Herndlhofer (Top Speed) tried to attack, but flinched before an attack in the last second.

During the approach to curve 2, Karl-Heinz Becker (Becker Motorsport) and Wolfgang Jordan (H&A Racing) collided in midfield. Becker wanted to pass Jordan, came into the grass with the two left wheels, steered against and touched Jordan’s car at the side. Jordan’s GP2 Dallara crashed into the guard rails and was severely damaged. Fortunately, the German was able to get out of his car on his own; Becker even drove back into the pits.

Due to the damage to the guard rail, the race was not restarted. This means that no points are awarded for the eighth BOSS GP race of the year.

The next BOSS GP event will take place at the GAMMA Racing Days in Assen (NLD) from August 17 to 19.

 

Photo: Daniel Glaser/BOSS GP

FORMULA class: Ledermair takes second P1 of the weekend – De Plano with P2 after incredible race

Podium of FORMULA class of race 2 in Assen 2017.

New day, new challenges. Race 2 of the “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen (NED) went more or less smooth in front of an awesome crowd of 94.500 spectators. Twelve drivers started in the BOSS GP FORMULA class. There were no crashes tough as on Saturday, despite early exits of Veronika Cicha (H&A Racing) and Karl-Heinz Becker (Becker Motorsport).

First trouble occured already before race start. Ingo Gerstl (Team Top Speed, OPEN class), ranked on start position 14 after his early race exit on Saturday, was put on the pole position by a decision of race director and stewards due to safety reasons. “Actually I was surprised about that decision, made by the race management. I didn’t ask for, it was decided because of safety reasons”, Gerstl explained after the race, since there was some trouble about that decision anyway. Finally Johann Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport), initially set on pole position, started from position 2 of the start grid, followed by Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport) and Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport).

Ledermair showed a strong performance, dominating the FORMULA grid as on Saturday again. “The car was brilliant, my team has done a great job – everthing worked out smooth!”, Ledermair was fine with his race after the podium ceremony. “I think I lost some time during the yellow flag phase, since there was a signifcant gap to the other cars before the yellow flag and no gap, when the yellow flags were gone.” Nevertheless the Austrian brougth his second P1 of the weekend home safely, with an gap of 11,673 sec in front of P2, Salvatore De Plano, and driving his fastest lap in 1:25,624 min.

The Italian had have some “tyre trouble” at the first race on Saturday. “Our race went perfect today. Tyres worked out great, race conditions were fine, it was just a perfect race for us, fantastico!”, De Plano smiled widely after the podium ceremony. He had driven his fastest lap in 1:26,726 and in fact sent Mahaveer Raghunathan on P3. The Indian finished with an significant gap of 18,516 seconds behind De Plano.

De Plano preparing for race 2 in Assen 2017.

De Plano preparing for race 2 in Assen 2017.

 

Marc Faggionato (Zig Zag), Walter Steding (Inter Europol Competition), Armando Mangini (MM International Motorsport), Peter Göllner (Speed Center), PETER (Ray-Ban), Christian Eicke (Speed Center) and Wolfgang Jordan (H&A Racing) finished on following positions. Karl-Heinz Becker (Becker Motorsport) had to quit his race after lap 10 due to technical issues. Veronika Cicha spun off the track already in first lap. Peter Göllner had a spun during the start phase too, but managed well and was able to continue the race, as well as Wolfgang Jordan in lap 5.

These are the results of the FORMULA class at race 2 in Assen:

Position No. Name Nat. Team Car Fastest lap (min) In Total time Laps km/h
1 444 Johann Ledermair AUT Ledermair Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:25,624 3 26:41,624 18 184,30
2 999 Salvatore De Plano ITA MM International Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:26,726 2 26:53,130 18 182,97
3 115 Mahaveer Raghunathan IND PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport Lola Auto GP 1:27,661 4 27:11,646 18 180,89
4 129 Marc Faggionato MC Team Zig Zag Dallara GP2 1:28,244 9 27:24,519 18 179,48
5 505 Walter Steding GER Inter Europol Competition Dallara GP2 1:33,302 13 26:41,110 17 174,10
6 323 Armando Mangini ITA MM International Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:33,010 3 27:14,320 17 170,57
7 101 Peter Göllner SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:30,698 12 27:24,096 17 169,55
8 111 ‘PETER’ FRA Team Ray Ban Dallara World Series by Renault 1:33,845 10 26:26,226 16 165,40
9 555 Christian Eicke SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:34,142 13 26:26,631 16 165,36
10 105 Wolfgang Jordan GER H&A Racing Dallara GP2 1:36,602 9 27:50,682 15 147,22
11 411 Karl-Heinz Becker GER Becker Motorsport Dallara World Series by Nissan 1:34,189 9 17:24,223 10 157,03
12 222 Veronika Cicha CZ H&A Racing Dallara GP2


So at the end of the race weekend in Assen, fifth stage of the BOSS GP championship 2017 overall, the total ranking of the FORMULA class hasn’t changed that much
: Mahaveer Raghunathan is keeping the lead of the overall ranking with now 213 points, followed by Salvatore De Plano with 199 points. Johann Ledermair follows sharply behind on third rank with now 197 points.

Since OPEN and FORMULA class have different classifications, but drive together at the same race, the whole start grid of 14 drivers started at the same race. Next stage of the 2017 BOSS GP championship season is Brno (CZ) on 9th/10th of September 2017.

MORE:

Picture gallery of Assen 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/assen-gamma-racing-days

OPEN class: Race 2 at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/open-class-gerstl-back-on-p1-in-race-2

FORMULA class: Race 1 at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-ledermair-wins-race-and-p1

FORMULA class: Qualifying at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-qualifying-in-assen-ledermair-fastest-formula-driver

FORMULA class: Free practice at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-early-finish-after-a-crash-ledermair-back-on-track-and-top-of-the-field

FORMULA class: Start list at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-start-list-for-the-gamma-racing-days-in-assen-ned-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings

06/08/2017

FORMULA class: Ledermair wins race and P1

Ledermair wins race and P1 in Assen 2017 at race 1.

After a free practice session, which ended with an horrifying crash of OPEN class driver Klaas Zwart (Team Ascari) and a smooth Qualifying with Johann Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport) finishing as fastest driver of the FORMULA class, teams and spectators finally experienced quite a strange race at the end of the day at the “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen.

Race started with quite a long safety car phase. Wolfgang Jordan (H&A Racing) collided and crashed on the start/finish straight just when the race was started. As a result drivers had to stay behind the safety car for the next four laps. When the track was released, Johann Ledermair had the lead, kept the lead and finished as overall leader of complete race (both classes) as well as P1 of the FORMULA class. The Austrian performed his best lap in 1:25,655 min. “I’m very satisfied with our performance this weekend so far”, Ledermair explained after the race. “We managed to solve a technical problem, which improved the performance of the car significantly. I had a good feeling and good performance already during Qualifying, so I’m happy, that I managed to repeat this performance at the race. I love racing in Assen, it is always a highlight of the race calendar. I look forward to the second race on Sunday and hope for for a good performance again.”

Ledermair was followed by Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport), who finished the race on P2 and raced his best lap in 1:28,825. The Indian was overtaken by Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport) directly after the start, but stepped back to position 2 of the grid in lap 5. “I’m fine with the result. Due to the long safety car phase in the beginning of the race, I wasn’t able to attack and push as I actually would have wanted to”, Raghunathan told us after the race.

 

Mahaveer Raghunathan before the start of race 1 in Assen 2017.

Mahaveer Raghunathan before the start of race 1 in Assen 2017.

First podium position this season claimed Marc Faggionato (Zig Zag), who finished the race on position 3. Not only at the FORMULA class, but in total as well. Faggionato performed his best lap in 1:31,966 min. He was followed by Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport), who was set back by a spun in lap 4 (from position 3 back to position 10). De Plano showed a great catch-up and finally finished on position 4, still managing to overtake OPEN class driver Wolfgang Jaksch during the last lap. So De Plano, current runner up of the overall FORMULA class ranking, missed his next podium of the season really close. The Italian performed his best lap in 1:30,761 – actually a top-3 time.

Armando Mangini (MM International Motorsport), Walter Steding (Inter Europol Competition), Veronika Cicha (H&A Racing), Peter Göllner (Speed Center), Karl-Heinz Becker (Becker Motorsport), Christian Eicke (Speed Center) and ‘PETER’ (Ray-Ban) followed on the next positions.

 

Results of race 1 at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017:

Position No. Name Nat. Team Car Fastest lap (min) In Total time Laps km/h
1 444 Johann Ledermair AUT Ledermair Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:25,655 8  21:18,537 10 128,25
2 115 Mahaveer Raghunathan IND PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport Lola Auto GP 1:28,825 9 21:36,289 10 126,49
3 129 Marc Faggionato MC Zig Zag Dallara GP2 1:31,966 9 21:57,247 10 124,48
4 999 Salvatore De Plano ITA MM International Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:30,761 10 22:02,473 10 123,99
5 323 Armando Mangini ITA MM International Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:34,869 10 22:10,336 10 123,26
6 505 Walter Steding GER Inter Europol Competition Dallara GP2 1:34,175 10 22:10,910 10 123,20
7 222 Veronika Cicha CZ H&A Racing Dallara GP2 1:34,875 8 22:11,446 10 123,15
8 101 Peter Göllner SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:35,045 10 22:12,323 10 123,07
9 411 Karl-Heinz Becker GER Becker Motorsport Dallara World Series by Nissan 1:36,459 9 22:22,583 10 122,13
10 555 Christian Eicke SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:37,723 8 22:34,632 10 121,05
11 111 ‘PETER’ FRA Ray-Ban Dallara World Series by Renault 1:36,068 7 21:39,869 9 133,53
12 105 Wolfgang Jordan GER H&A Racing Dallara GP2 10:41,203 1  10:57,220 1 24,95

 

Since OPEN and FORMULA class have different classifications, but drive together in the same race, the whole start grid of 14 drivers will start at the same race on Sunday at race 2 again. It starts at 2:19 p.m (duration: 25 min).

This is the starting grid for race 2 at the “Gamma Racing Days”  in Assen 2017:

Start grid of race 2 in Assen 2017.

Start grid of race 2 in Assen 2017.

MORE:

Picture gallery of Assen 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/assen-gamma-racing-days

OPEN class: Race 1 at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/open-class-wolfgang-jaksch-winning-his-first-ever-p1-at-boss-gp

FORMULA class: Qualifying at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-qualifying-in-assen-ledermair-fastest-formula-driver

FORMULA class: Free practice at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-early-finish-after-a-crash-ledermair-back-on-track-and-top-of-the-field

FORMULA class: Start list at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-start-list-for-the-gamma-racing-days-in-assen-ned-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings

05/08/2017

FORMULA class: Qualifying in Assen – Ledermair fastest FORMULA driver

Johann Ledermair on track in Assen 2017.

A start grid of twelve drivers is racing the FORMULA class at the “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen (NED) for season races 9 and 10. The “usual suspects” lead the field of the FORMULA drivers at Qualifying.

Johann Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport), loosing the overall leading position of the FORMULA class while absent in Zolder (BEL) in July a couple of weeks before, obviously is aiming for getting back to the top position of his class. He performed the fastest lap of the FORMULA class field at Qualifying, with 1:25,192 min in his fifth lap with his Dallara GP2, still improving his best lap time from the free practice session (1:25,829).

Ledermair was sharply followed by Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2), who performed his best lap in lap 4 with 1:26,731. A gap of only 0,375 min behind De Plano, Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport) was finishing his best lap at Qualifying in 1:27,106 with his Lola Auto GP, improving his lap time from free practice significantly.

So it’s once more the trio of Ledermair, De Plano and Raghunathan leading the FORMULA field of the BOSS GP after Qualifying and starting from the front positions of the start grid.

 

Qualifying in Assen 2017.

 

They are followed by Veronika Cicha (H&A Racing), who showed a great Qualifying and finished her best lap in her Dallara GP2 with 1:32,604. Armando Mangini (MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2), Marc Faggionato (Zig Zag, Dallara GP2), Walter Steding (Inter Europol Competion, Dallara GP2), Peter Göllner (Speed Center, Dallara GP2), Wolfang Jordan (H&A Racing, Dallara GP2) took the next positions, as well as ‘PETER’ (Ray-Ban), who wasn’t lucky at the free practice with his Dallara World Series by Renault, but finished well at the Qualifying, and Christian Eicke (Speed Center, Dallara GP2).

Karl-Heinz Becker left Qualifying already at first lap, due to technical reasons.

 

These are the results of the Qualifying:

Position No. Name Nat. Team Car Fastest lap (min) In Gap Laps km/h
1 444 Johann Ledermair AUT Ledermair Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:25,192 5 6 192,48
2 999 Salvatore De Plano ITA MM International Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:26,731 4 1,539 5 189,07
3 115 Mahaveer Raghunathan IND PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport Lola Auto GP 1:27,106 5  0,375 6 188,25
4 222 Veronika Cicha CZE H&A Racing Dallara GP2 1:32,604 5  5,498 6 177,08
5 323 Armando Mangini ITA MM International Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:32,920 4 0,316 6 176,47
6 129 Marc Faggionato MC Zig Zag Dallara GP2 1:33,555 4 0,635 6 175,28
7 505 Walter Steding GER Inter Europol Competition Dallara GP2 1:33,615 5  0,060 6 175,16
8 101 Peter Göllner SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:34,152 6 0,537 7 174,17
9 105 Wolfgang Jordan GER H&A Racing Dallara GP2 1:36,181 9 2,029 10 170,49
10 111 ‘PETER’ FRA Ray-Ban Dallara World Series by Renault 1:37,663 4 1,482 6 167,90
11 555 Christian Eicke SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:38,566  4  0,903 9 166,37
12 411 Karl-Heinz Becker GER Becker Motorsport Dallara World Series by Nissan

 

Since OPEN and FORMULA class have different classifications, but drive together at the same race, the whole start grid of 14 drivers will start at the same race. Ingo Gerstl (Top Speed, OPEN class) once more this season will start from pole position. He is followed by FORMULA class drivers Johann Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport), Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport) and Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport).

This is the starting grid for race 1 at the “Gamma Racing Days”  in Assen 2017:

Start grid of race 1 in Assen 2017.

MORE:

Picture gallery of Assen 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/assen-gamma-racing-days

FORMULA class: Free practice at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-early-finish-after-a-crash-ledermair-back-on-track-and-top-of-the-field

FORMULA class: Start list at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-start-list-for-the-gamma-racing-days-in-assen-ned-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings

05/08/2017

FORMULA class: Early finish after a crash – Ledermair back on track and top of the field

Johann Ledermair on track in Assen 2017.

13 drivers had registered for the BOSS GP FORMULA class at the “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen (NED). Season races 9 and 10 will take place at the circuit in the northeast of the Netherlands. One free practice for the races was scheduled on Saturday (5th of August) at 9:31 a.m. It ended earlier than planned with an horrific crash by Klaas Zwart (OPEN class).

Both BOSS GP classes – OPEN and FORMULA class – went on track together for the practice session. Twelve drivers represented the FORMULA class. Henk de Boer (De Boer Manx) had to step back due to health issues already before the race weekend. Weather conditions were fine in Assen on Saturday morning: 18°, cloudy, but dry.

The practice session started slowly, due to two yellow flag phases in the beginning.  ‘PETER’ (Ray-Ban) spun of the track already in the first lap. Only minutes later, Wolfgang Jordan (H&A Racing Team) spun off the track as well. Then finally drivers tested the circuit at its best. Back on track after absence in Zolder (BEL) on 15th/16th of July was Johann Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport). The Austrian was not only back on track, but also back on top, since he drove the fastest lap of the FORMULA class start grid at the free practice in 1:25,829 min with his Dallara GP2. As might be expected, Ledermair was followed by Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport) in the Lola Auto GP with his best lap in 1:31,449. One can expect an exciting battle between Ledermair and Raghunathan on the track at the race, as we already have seen during the whole season.

 

Mahaveer Raghunathan on track in Assen 2017.

Mahaveer Raghunathan on track in Assen 2017.

 

The following drivers showed as well some neck-to-neck-laps, with some really close gaps: Marc Faggionato (Zig Zig), Christian Eicke and Peter Göllner (both Speed Center), Walter Steding (Inter Europol Competition), Veronika Cicha (H&A Racing) as well as Karl-Heinz Becker (Becker Motorsport). Meanwhile Wolfgang Jordan had to quit free practice early, after he spun off the track after five laps driven.

The free practice finally was cancelled after a horrifying crash of Klaas Zwart (Team Ascari) of the OPEN class. There won’t be another training session. The Qualifying will start at 1:04 p.m.

These are the results of the free practice:

Position No. Name Nat. Team Car Fastest lap (min) In Gap Laps km/h
1 444 Johann Ledermair AUT Ledermair Motorsport Dallara GP2 1:25,829 7 8 191,05
2 115 Mahaveer Raghunathan IND PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport Lola Auto GP 1:31,449 7  5,620 8 179,31
3 129 Marc Faggionato MC Zig Zag Dallara GP2 1:34,413 9  1,203 10 173,68
4 555 Christian Eicke SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:35,125 10  0,712 10 172,38
5 101 Peter Göllner SUI Speed Center Dallara GP2 1:35,488 10  0,363 10 171,73
6 505 Walter Steding GER Inter Europol Competition Dallara GP2 1:36,461 6  0,973 8 170,00
7 222 Veronika Cicha CZE H&A Racing Dallara GP2 1:37,373 8  0,912 8 168,40
8 411 Karl-Heinz Becker GER Becker Motorsport Dallara World Series by Nissan 1:38,735 10 1,362 10 166,08
9 105 Wolfgang Jordan GER H&A Racing Dallara GP2 1:51,573 5  12,838 5 146,97
10 111 ‘PETER’ FRA Team Ray Ban Dallara World Series by Renault 1 0,00

MORE:

Picture gallery of Assen 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/assen-gamma-racing-days

OPEN class: Free practice at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/open-class-free-practice-ends-with-a-horrific-crash-by-klaas-zwart

FORMULA class: Start list at “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen 2017: bossgp.com/formula-class-start-list-for-the-gamma-racing-days-in-assen-ned-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings

05/08/2017

FORMULA class: Start list for the “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen (NED ) is set

Zandvoort 2017.

In just a few days the fifth station of  the BOSS GP Championship season 2017 takes place. The circuit in Assen (NED) will be host for the season races 9 and 10 on the weekend from 5th to 6th of August. The start list for the event in Assen is now set. 

17 drivers in total (FORMULA and OPEN class) signed up for the event in Assen. Fans and specatators can look forward to some interesting and exciting duels on track. 13 drivers will compete in the FORMULA class in Assen. Current leader of the class, Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport), will be on track as well as runner up Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport). Johann Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport), leading the FORMULA class for the first six races, will be back in the start grid as well. Since he didn’t race in Zolder (BEL) on 15th/16th of July, he dropped back in the ranking to position 3. It can be assumed, that Ledermair wants to reclaim the top-position of the FORMULA class in Assen.

This is the start list for the FORMULA class at the “Gamma Racing Days” in Assen:

Start-No. Name Team Nat. Make Type
101 Peter Göldner Speed Center SUI Dallara GP2
105 Wolfgang Jordan H&A Racing GER Dallara GP2
111 ‘PETER’ Ray Ban FRA Dallara World Series by Renault
115 Mahaveer Raghunathan PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport IND Lola Auto GP
129 Marc Fagionatti Zig Zag MC Dallara GP2
136 Henk de Boer De Boer Manx NED Dallara GP2
222 Veronika Cicha H&A Racing CZE Dallara GP2
323 Armando Mangini MM International Motorsport ITA Dallara GP2
411 Karl-Heinz Becker Becker Motorsport GER Dallara World Series by Nissan
444 Johann Ledermair Ledermair Motorsport AUT Dallara GP2
505 Walter Steding Inter Europol Competition GER Dallara GP2
555 Christian Eicke Speed Center SUI Dallara GP2
999 Salvatore De Plano MM International Motorsport ITA Dallara GP2

 

BOSS GP will compete at seven different European venues in 2017, holding 14 races in total. Hockenheim (GER) in April, Zandvoort (NED) in May, Paul Picard (FRA) in June and Zolder (BEL) in July are done. Assen will set season races 9 and 10. Remaining tracks are Brno (CZE, September) and Imola (ITA, September/October).

MORE:

Find detailed statistics of current standings here: bossgp.com/standings/

Find all informations about the Circuit in Assen on this website: www.ttcircuit.com

31/07/2017

FORMULA class: De Plano chases his first ever P1 at the BOSS GP championship in Zolder

Double-podium for MM International Motorsport again in Zolder 2017.

What a crazy race again. Just four out of seven cars of the FORMULA class made it to the finish line on the track of Zolder at the “Zolder Superprix”.

Henk de Boer (NED, De Boer Manx, Dallara GP2 Me cachrome 4.0 V8) and Walter Steding (GER, Inter Europol Competition, Dallara GP2 Me cachrome 4.0 V8) already dropped out the race before the start due to technical problems. Wolfgang Jordan (GER, HA Racing, Dallara GP2 Me cachrome 4.0 V8) spun off the track shortly after the start. So four drivers of the FORMULA class were left on track and showed an intense battle for the podium anyway.

So it was Salvatore De Plano (ITA, MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8), starting from position 4, who overtook Mahaveer Raghunathan (IND, PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport, Lola Auto GP Gibson Tech 3.4 V8) directly after the start. The following safety car phase during the first three laps, due to Jordans twister off the track, was a challenge for drivers and cars (“We managed that well”, De Plano).

 

De Plano (l.) and Raghunathan (r.) chasing the track at Zolder 2017.

De Plano (l.) and Raghunathan (r.) chasing the track at Zolder 2017.

 

When the track was opened up for the grid in lap 4, De Plano and Raghunathan, following with a gap of just around two seconds, showed a great battle for the top podium position of season race 8. De Plano managed to keep the lead of the FORMULA class grid and winning his first ever BOSS GP P1 until he crossed the finishing line in lap 17, taking the lead with 2,735 seconds up in front of second ranked Raghunathan on P2. Driving his best lap (8th) in 1:20.974 min, the Italian showed a great result, coming very close to the lap record of leading OPEN class driver Phil Stratford with 1:20,215. Also Raghunathan performed his record in 8th lap with 1:21,238.

As on Saturdays race (season race 7) Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2 Me cachrome 4.0 V8) made the podium-double for MM International Motorsport-team perfect, wenn he finished on P3, having a significant gap of 55,487 seconds to FORMULA class winner De Plano. His lap record was a 1:24,113.

Karl-Heinz Becker finished as fourth and last of the remaining FORMULA class grid with a total of 16 laps and a lap record of 1:30,376.

 

Podium of the FORMULA class in Zolder 2017.

Podium of the FORMULA class in Zolder 2017.

 

“Fantastico! This is just amazing. My first ever P1 at the BOSS GP championship. I hardly can describe my emotions, I feel so happy. I always dreamed of standing on top of this podium. So the race went perfect for me. Key to success was overtaking Raghunathan shortly after the start”, said an elated De Plano after the podium ceremony. “I want to thank my team for a great race weekend in Zolder. I look forward to the next races in Assen in August. We will attack again then!”, De Plano promised.

Looking at the overall Championship 2017 ranking of the FORMULA class, De Plano moved on to the second rank, passing the previous leader of the FORMULA class, Austrian Johann Ledermair, with a total of 159 points now. Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport), who didn’t attend the “Zolder Superprix”-races, is set on the third rank now with a total of 147 points. Mahaveer Raghunathan is leading the FORMULA class with 171 points.

Results of race 2 in Zolder 2017:

Results of race in Zolder 2017.

 

MORE:

Picture gallery of Zolder 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/zolder-superprix

OPEN class: Race 2 at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/open-class-first-ever-p1-for-phil-stratford-in-boss-gps-open-class

FORMULA class: Race 1 at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/formula-class-race-1-at-zolder-superprix-mahaveer-raghunathan-winning-his-first-ever-p1

FORMULA class: Qualifying at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/formula-class-qualifying-at-zolder-superprix-raghunathan-and-de-plano-battle-for-fastest-lap

FORMULA class: Practice day at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/formula-class-practice-day-at-zolder-superprix-2017-raghunatan-taking-the-lead

Schedule for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/timetable-for-the-zolder-superprix

Start list for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/start-list-for-the-zolder-superprix-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings

FORMULA class: Race 1 at “Zolder Superprix” – Mahaveer Raghunathan winning his first ever P1

Podium of the FORMULA class at race 1 in Zolder 2017.

Full of action was the first race of the weekend at the “Zolder Superprix” in Belgium. The two leading drivers of the FORMULA class showed a thrilling battle for the top podium spot. Meanwhile two others had to finish the race early.

18 years young, but very ambitious – this is Indian driver Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport). Starting from overall position 3 (FORMULA and OPEN class cars start in one grid), Raghunathan showed a strong performance over 16 laps with his Lola Auto GP Gibson Tech 3.4 V8 and a great battle with Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport) with his Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8. At the end it was a neck-to-neck-finish, with De Plano just finishing 2,719 seconds behind Raghunathan at the overall race-time. The best lap time at the FORMULA class was performed by De Plano in 1:22,229 min, while Raghunathan raced his best lap in 1:22,447.

Finishing first meant the first ever P1 for Raghunathan at a BOSS GP race – the young driver was more than pleased with his victory. Overall the Indian has a great outcome this season – seven races, seven podiums (1x P1, 2x P2, 4x P3). Meanwhile De Plano secured his second P2 of the season, his fourth overall season podium (2x P2, 2x P3).

Raghunathan (m.), chased by De Plano (l.) and de Boer (r.) at the start of race 1 at Zolder 2017.

Raghunathan (m.), chased by De Plano (l.) and de Boer (r.) at the start of race 1 at Zolder 2017.

 

The first podium of the season was achieved by Armando Mangini (MM International Motorsport) with his Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8 on the P3. The gap between team mate De Plano and Mangini was significant (2:18,557 min). But excitement and enthusiasm of the MM International Motorsport team about the podium-double nevertheless was huge. Even a penalty of 30 seconds for Mangini, due to overtaking under yellow flag, didn’t disturb the good mood; the penalty didn’t change the final result anyway.

Unfortunately two drivers finished the race way to early. Wolfgang Jordan (H&A Racing) spun off the track already in the first lap with his Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8. Henk de Boer (De Boer Manx) had to finish the race in lap 9, due to technical reasons with his Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8. The Dutch had shown a good performance so far. Making it to the podium could have been possible for him. De Boer performed his best lap time in 1:23,425, before he had to leave the track.

Armando Mangini waiting for the start signal of the race in Zolder.

Armando Mangini waiting for the start signal of the race in Zolder.

 

“It was a good start and the race went really well. This is my first ever win, so I dedicate this to my grandfather”, Raghunathan told us after the podium ceremony. “For the whole race I had some problems with the brakes. De Plano was right behind me all the time, so this was really tough. But at the end I am very, very happy about making it to the P1.” For the second race of the weekend, the young driver “wants to repeat winning again”.

It’s the same for Salvatore De Plano, who wants to attack for the top-position of the podium: “Of course I am very, very happy with finishing as second. It was such a close race, I was directly behind Raghunathan. At the second race on Sunday I will attack again for making it to the P1”, the Italian promised.

Armando Mangini, winning the P3, was more than happy, making it onto the podium: “Fantastico! I am very, very happy!”, the Italian was overwhelmed.

Double-podium for MM International Motorsport at Zolder 2017.

Double-podium for MM International Motorsport at Zolder 2017: Salvatore De Plano (l., P2) and Armando Mangini (P3).

 

Due to the absence of so far leading Johann Ledermair (Ledermair Motorsport) the podium of the FORMULA class looked quite different compared to the first six races of the 2017 Championship. Winning the P1 and achieving a total of 25 points, Raghunathan took over the lead of the overall FORMULA class ranking and has a two-points-advantage now over Ledermair. Will De Plano pass the Austrian after the second race in Zolder too? BOSS GP will be on the track at the “Superprix” again at 12:25 p.m. on Sunday.

The complete result of race 1 at Zolder 2017:

 

Results of race 1 at Zolder 2017.

MORE:

Picture gallery of Zolder 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/zolder-superprix

OPEN class: Race 1 at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/open-class-race-1-at-zolder-superprix-stratford-losing-drive-zwart-losing-tyre

FORMULA class: Qualifying at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/formula-class-qualifying-at-zolder-superprix-raghunathan-and-de-plano-battle-for-fastest-lap

FORMULA class: Practice day at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/formula-class-practice-day-at-zolder-superprix-2017-raghunatan-taking-the-lead

Schedule for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/timetable-for-the-zolder-superprix

Start list for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/start-list-for-the-zolder-superprix-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings

FORMULA class: Qualifying at “Zolder Superprix” – Raghunathan and De Plano battle for fastest lap

Mahaveer Raghunathan (r.) finishing Qualifying as fastest driver of the FORMULA class at Zolder 2017.

Sunny weather after a rainy practice day on Friday made best conditions for the BOSS GP Qualifying at the “Zolder Superprix”on Saturday morning.

All seven cars went on track at 10:20 a.m. and showed a couple of neck-to-neck-races for best positions at the starting grid for race 1 of this weekend. Mahaveer Raghunathan (PS Racing by Coloni Motorsport)with his Lola Auto GP Gibson Tech 3.4 V8 performed the fastest lap of the FORMULAR class grid with a 1:20,541 min in his last lap (11 in total). He was followed closely by Salvatore De Plano (MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8), who raced his fastest lap as well in his last lap (12 in total) with a 1:21,614 min. They were followed by Armando Mangini (MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8) with 1:24,254 and Henk de Boer (De Boer Manx, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8) with 1:24,665. Walter Steding (Inter Europol Competition, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8, 1:27,061), Wolfgang Jordan (HA Racing, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8, 1:27,947) and Karl-Heinz Becker (Becker Motorsport, Dallara WSbN AER 2.0 R4T, 1:29,848) followed.

De Plano at Qualifying at Zolder 2017.

Finishing Qualifying as second: De Plano at Zolder 2017.

 

Jordan and de Boer quit Qualifying earlier than planned due to spinning off the track after nine (Jordan) respectively ten (de Boer) laps. Nevertheless they secured their start position (Jordan: 8, de Boer: 6) for the first race of the weekend, which will start at 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon (duration: 20 min).

Mahaveer Raghunathan explained: “Qualifying went well for us. I’m very happy with the achieved result and start position 3 for the race.”

Results of the Qualifying at Zolder 2017.

Results of the Qualifying at Zolder 2017.

 

Since FORMULA and OPEN class race together at the same race, start positions for the race are composed by the overall Qualifying results. Both OPEN class drivers, Klaas Zwart and Phil Stratford, will start from pole position (Zwart) and position 2 (Stratford). Raghunathan as fastest FORMULA class driver starts from position 3, followed by De Plano (4).

The overall start grid for race 1 is:

Start grid for race 1 at Zolder 2017.

Start grid for race 1 at Zolder 2017.

 

MORE:

Picture gallery of Zolder 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/zolder-superprix

OPEN class: Qualifying at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/open-class-qualifying-at-zolder-superprix-zwart-leaving-the-track-early

FORMULA class: Practice day at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/formula-class-practice-day-at-zolder-superprix-2017-raghunatan-taking-the-lead/

Schedule for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/timetable-for-the-zolder-superprix

Start list for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/start-list-for-the-zolder-superprix-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings

FORMULA class: Practice day at “Zolder Superprix 2017” – Raghunathan taking the lead

Mahaveer Raghunathan on track by difficult weather conditions at Zolder 2017.

The weather conditions around the circuit of Zolder in Belgium turned the practice day for the BOSS GP crews upside down. But at the end of the day, all cars went on track und raced their first lap times of the Superprix-weekend.

Seven cars had signed for the race-event in Zolder (Belgium) at the FORMULA class. Due to heavy rain, only three drivers went on the track for the first free practice of the day. Mahaveer Raghunathan (IND), current runner-up of the FORMULA class, was the first driver, who entered the track in his Lola Auto GP Gibson Tech 3.4 V8. And he was the fastest one at the end of the session, with a best lap-time of 1:42,982 min. Raghunathan was followed by Walter Steding (GER, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8) with 1:56,354 min and Karl-Heinz Becker (GER, Dallara WSbN AER 2.0 R4T) with 2:07,730 min.

 

Results of 1st free practice at Zolder 2017.

Results of 1st free practice at Zolder 2017.

 

While weather conditions improved significantly during the afternoon, all FORMULA class drivers went on track at the second free practice. It was again Raghunathan, wo showed the best performance of his class on the Belgian track in Zolder. He improved his best lap-time to a 1:23,480 min, followed by Salvatore De Plano (ITA, Dallara GP2 Mecachrome 4.0 V8) with his best lap in 1:27,089 min. Despite a spun off the track by Steding, the second free practice run smoothly and showed a promising performance for Qualifying and first race of the weekend on Saturday.

 

Results of 2nd free practice at Zolder 2017.

Results of 2nd free practice at Zolder 2017.

 

Salvatore De Plano at second free practice in Zolder 2017.

Armando Mangini at second free practice in Zolder 2017.

 

MORE:

Picture gallery of Zolder 2017: bossgp.com/gallery/zolder-superprix

OPEN class: Practice day at “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/open-class-practice-day-at-zolder-superprix-stratford-and-zwart-back-on-track-with-boss-gp

Schedule for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/timetable-for-the-zolder-superprix

Start list for “Zolder Superprix 2017”: bossgp.com/start-list-for-the-zolder-superprix-is-set

Standings of season 2017: bossgp.com/standings