Month: May 2016

Less than twenty-four hours after taking victory in the first BOSS GP race at the Red Bull Ring in 2016, Ingo Gerstl has pocketed his second top spot… with a bit fortune. Christopher Brenier triumphed again in the FORMULA Class.

At much cooler temperatures and thus much less grip, the starting phase was highly chaotic. Yesterday’s third-placed Hans Laub spun off hitting Wolfgang Jordan, who also had to retire. The crash called for the Safety-Car lining up the pack behind it.

“I was quite surprised, when suddenly Klaas was in my mirrors.”

“It was a perfect weekend for me. I had some troubles to get temperature in my tires, but in the end everything worked out well. Now, I am already excited to run on the Nürburgring”,

the Austrian was delighted.

Regardless, Zwart was content with his runner-up spot.

“P2 is OK. I wanted to go racing, so I pushed as much as could. In the end, I could secure some valuable points.”

Eventually, also Bernd Herndlhofer got a deserved podium, who was suffering from technical troubles all weekend long.

“I am not entirely happy, but compared to yesterday, Sunday’s result is good of course.”

The FORMULA Class winner did not come as a surprise, as Frenchman Christopher Brenier had been too dominant all weekend.

“What a weekend for me. I am so excited, I could extend my lead in the championship, even though it’s early in the season.”

Fellow-countryman Philippe Haezebrouck came second and was

“content with my performance. I wanted to finish on the podium and I did”,

ahead of Peter Göllner, who scored his second podium in a row.

“Two podiums in two races – what more could I ask for. But after yesterday’s great run, I knew, I could do it again today.”

Local hero Ingo Gerstl drove in a class of his own in the first of two BOSS GP races at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.

When finally, the first rays of sunshine slightly cut through the cloudy sky, the Austrian started from Pole and immediately pulled away from the field, only shadowed by his main rival Klaas Zwart.

Third-placed Bernd Herndlhofer, whose Benetton had to be worked on at the grid, fell victim to technical failure and had to retire his car already in the opening lap.

Suddenly the Safety Car appeared on the track, after both Klaas Zwart and Gilles Brenier had crashed their cars.

“It was entirely my fault. Our tyre pressure was too high considering that the temperatures had risen rapidly in the past half hour ahead of the start. When I turned the car, I spun off. It’s a pity, because I would have loved to get a podium for the team for all the hard work they have done. But that’s racing. Better luck tomorrow.”

Zwart’s DNF meant Gerstl had lost his last opponent for OPEN Class victory, but it was by no means cruising to Silverware.

“It may look easy from the outside, but believe me, it isn’t. You must keep your concentration up and avoid the slightest mistake. If you reduce the speed too much, errors happen. So I kept pushing.”

German pair Wolfgang Jordan and Hans Laub sensationally completed the podium.

“I can’t believe it. I am pretty shocked to be standing up here on the podium, to be honest. I have of course profited from Henk de Boer’s time penalty, but it’s the rules after all. Maybe I can keep up my good form for tomorrow”,

Laub was all smiles, placing his Forti FG03 on P3 in the car’s first race in twenty years.

Wolfgang Jordan commented,

”I am delighted about the podium. Especially after the hampered qualifying. I feel sorry for Bernd (Herndlhofer) though. Looking ahead, I am pretty confident for tomorrow.”

FORMULA Class victory went to favourite Christopher Brenier, who pocketed his first win of the season.

“Winning here is amazing. It was a very chaotic race and I had troubles to keep tyre temperatures high behind the slow Safety Car. We will certainly party a bit tonight. But not too much, as I want to win again on Sunday.”

Veteran Philippe Haezebrouck came second, ahead of surprise third Peter Göllner of the Team Speed Center Castrol.

„My goal was to finish on the podium and I have achieved it, which is highly satisfying. So let’s see what tomorrow has in store.”

Following rain-hampered free practice sessions, the weather for Saturday’s qualifying were not much better. Dark, grey skies, a damp track and below 10 degrees Celsius are not the most inviting race conditions.

Regardless, all drivers went out immediately in order to get as many laps under their belts as possible, attempting to get acquainted to the conditions.

The OPEN Class saw the Red Bull Ring entirely in Austrian hands in free practice with Peter Milavec on top in FP1 and Bernd Herndlhofer in FP2. That didn’t change in qualifying as Ingo Gerstl (Top Speed) had finally overcome his technical troubles and marked the quickest time in 1:16,868 minutes. However, it looked much easier from the outside than it actually was.

“The new tarmac is so dark that you can barely see the dry patches. It was tough out there today”,

Gerstl revealed.

“P1 in my home race is fantastic, of course. It’s a pity I had to sit out FP1, because more track time would have been very useful, especially in these conditions. But I am confident for the race, although Klaas and Bernd will push like crazy”,

he added.

Ascari driver Klaas Zwart placed his Jaguar R5 on P2 a tenth off Gerstl’s top time, just ahead of Bernd Herndholfer, who completed the Top 3 in a qualifying session which was characterised by countless yellow flags and spins into the gravel.

Wolfgang Jordan, who placed fifth, expects

“Gerstl, Zwart and Herndlhofer to pull away from us. So I will focus on a dog fight with Peter Milavec. I didn’t get one clear lap together in qualifying, so there is some room for improvement in the race.”

In the FORMULA Class, favourite Christopher Brenier continued to dominate and cruised to top spot.

“I am delighted, as I will start the race from the second row overall, so maybe I can actually challenge some of the OPEN Class drivers.”

Both Philippe Haezebrouck and Gilles Brenier confirmed their good form coming second and third.

Speed Center driver Christian Eicke was suffering from a hydraulics problem in qualifying.

“However, I am confident, we will work it out for the race. Otherwise, I will have to take our spare car.”

In Friday’s second free practice session at the Red Bull Ring, conditions were much better for the drivers than in the morning stint. The track had dried up and temperatures were a little higher.

When the lights went on green, there was lots of action in the pits, as several competitors had not yet hit the tarmac due to earlier technical issues.

In the OPEN Class Ingo Gerstl finally got his Toro Rosso car going, but it was another home fans hero who topped the standings. Bernd Herndlhofer pushed his Benetton B197 to a mighty 1:17,532 minutes outpacing the rest of the field. Unfortunately, he had to retire his car shortly before practice time had elapsed causing a red flag.

Championship leader Klaas Zwart was still battling problems with his newly set up car, but jumped to P2 in the dying seconds, just ahead of Gerstl. Peter Milavec, who had led the pack after FP1, finished fourth.

Czech female driver Veronica Cicha made her debut in a Formula One car, chasing good lap times in a Super Aguri SA06.

In the FORMULA class, Christopher Brenier continued to dominate, underlining that he wants victory on Saturday.

“What a great day for me. I hope my streak will hold tomorrow”,

he was all smiles.

Salvatore de Plano made up for times past in the morning and came runner-up, ahead of two Frenchmen, Gilles Brenier and Philippe Haezebrouck. De Plano and Haezebrouck agreed that

“the Breniers are very strong here. But we will do our best to defeat them.”

The BOSS GP series has returned to Austria and is holding its free practice sessions on Friday. Most drivers are taking advantage of the extra mileage to get better acquainted with the Red Bull Ring and work on their set ups.

In difficult conditions with slight rain and only 15 degrees Celsius, Austrian Peter Milavec was the fastest man in the OPEN Class. He punched his Panoz DP01 around the hilly circuit finishing top of the pack, one second clear of Wolfgang Jordan from Germany, and Dutchman Klaas Zwart.

Overall standings leader Zwart took a calm start into the weekend only doing five fast laps, while his main championship rival Ingo Gerstl was sidelined with an electronic problem. However, he is hopeful to take part in the day’s second session.

“We have arrived with a completely new car, so we did a first shakedown in the opening session. Thus, it was not about quick lap times in this stint.”

In the FORMULA Class Christopher Brenier has dominated.

“I love this track and I am having a lot of fun out there. I happy with the result, but of course, it’s only Friday.”

The Frenchman has been battling with Milavec for the session’s top time and outpaced his fellow-countrymen Gilles Brenier (P2) und Philippe Haezebrouck (P3).

Less amused was Italian Salvatore de Plano, who complained about the new tarmac surface:

“The track is exciting, but the current asphalt is very slippery. When it rains, it’s even worse.”

The BossGP Series returns to Styria for the second race weekend of the 2016 season.

Since Europe’s fastest formula racing series did not race on the 4,318 km track last year, this season’s visit will only be its second after 2014. Two years ago, the dominating man on the fast, hilly and curvy circuit was Luxemburg’s Gray Hauser. Despite his great display at the season opener in Hockenheim, Hauser will not be on the grid this time. Regardless, the entry list guarantees close and exciting racing in both categories.

Favourites or local heroes?

In the OPEN class the duel between Dutchman Klaas Zwart and Austrian Ingo Gerstl is expected to continue. Already in the first two races in Hockenheim, the pair was battling out victory. However, racing on home soil, also Peter Milavec and Bernd Herndlhofer have faith in their chances and will be pushing hard to challenge Zwart and Gerstl.

Who is Hauser’s heir?

 In the FORMULA category, Gary Hauser’s absence means the pack is reshuffled and the fight for the top is closer than ever. Frenchman Christopher Brenier, who finished runner-up twice in Hockenheim, is the declared favourite. However, Salvatore de Plano and Philippe Haezebrouck are also out for winning Silverware. “I know and like the Red Bull Ring. It’s great fun to race on” Haezebrouck said. A potential dark horse is Veronika Cicha. The series’ only female driver sensationally finished on P6 twice in Hockenheim and is highly motivated to battle for a podium.

Weather as game changer?
Looking at the weather forecast will give drivers and teams a headache, because the so called “Frost Saints” phenomenon will cater for cold temperatures and lots of rain on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, skies shall clear up and allow a dry race.