Month: April 2021

New partner: GlobeAir

Posted on April 26, 2021 by - General

From now on: Europe’s leading private jet airline will bring you to BOSS GP events.

There is a new partner on board – GlobeAir, the leading award-winning private jet airline in Europe, which offers on-demand charter flights at the best prices. As an official travel partner of the BOSS GP Racing Series, GlobeAir will transport teams and drivers to all BOSS GP events in 2021 in style, comfort and safety.

The advantages:

  • 24/7 customer service
  • Fast check-in: on the plane in 15 minutes
  • All-in-one travel solution: from home pick-up to the pit lane
  • Other services: Hotel booking, restaurant reservation and much more
  • Highest security standards (only 20 instead of 700 touchpoints due to COVID 19)
  • Price advantage for BOSS GP participants
  • Several passengers can share a private jet
  • Approved for 984 destinations in Europe

More at www.globeair.com and BOSS GP upon request.

GlobeAir’s key to success is reflected in helping customers to save time and subsequently ensure a better quality of life.

From his own experience, the managing director, Bernhard Fragner, knows that far too much precious time is lost to travel long distances by car for a short meeting, thus tugging at the balance between work, family and leisure. Thanks to GlobeAir, not only is the flight time shorter, but the entire journey is smoother compared to a commercial airline. Private jet terminals and the quick 15-minute boarding procedure make the day at the airport uncomplicated. It is even possible to have a limousine or helicopter ready upon landing to shorten the transfer time, saving up to a total of three hours per trip.

“The extension of our partnership section with Europe’s largest private jet operator in the very light jet segment gives BOSS GP the benefit of providing additional services to racing enthusiasts at a reasonable price to complete our bespoke door-to-door racing experience.”

Siegfried Stieger, Board Member BOSS GP

“With BOSS GP on our side, GlobeAir is now able to extend its long list of provided experiences with an unforgettable event: Driving a GP2 car at full speed. Racing has always been very closely linked to aviation and now the passion for speed and safety can be shared on a long day of racing.”

Bernhard Fragner, CEO GlobeAir

New class: SUPER LIGHTS

Posted on April 22, 2021 by - General

From Red Bull Ring on: own class for Formula 3000 and V6 World Series by Renault/Nissan cars.

The BOSS GP Racing Series extend his offer for drivers and teams. From the next race at the Red Bull Ring (21/22 May) there will be a new SUPER LIGHTS class in addition to the OPEN and FORMULA classifications.

This class is for Formula 3000 cars built in 1996 and later and for World Series by Renault and Nissan cars with six-cylinder engines. As in the other two classes, the SUPER LIGHTS will have there own award ceremony with trophies after each race.

Interested teams and pilots can contact BOSS GP’s Race Coordinator Malin Strandberg for more details: race@bossgp.com or +43 650 78 40 784

Photo: Michael Kavena

New race in May

Posted on April 18, 2021 by - 5

Additional BOSS GP race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on 21 and 22 May.

After the season opener in Mugello, the BOSS GP circus heads to Spielberg for the second race event. The Formula 1 circuit in the Alps replaces the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring, which was cancelled for May (for more details: www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/2021/03/postponement-of-the-bosch-hockenheim-historic-to-late-summer-autumn). The event on 20 and 21 May 2021 is a 2-day event – two practice sessions will be held on Friday, qualifying and both races on Saturday.

The Red Bull Ring previously hosted the BOSS GP Racing Series in 2019, when Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) and Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) were victorious. Many drivers and fans are happy about the return of the Big Open Single Seater to the Austrian race track. At the same time, the STM waterjet race at the Red Bull Ring is also the home race of the series approved by the Austrian Motorsport Federation.

The event is organised by Bernhard Fischer and the P9 Challenge. Other series in the schedule are the Drexler Formula Cup and the Suzuki Swift Cup Europe in addition to the GT racing cars from the P9 Challenge.

Individual entries for the STM waterjet Race at the Red Bull Ring are possible, more details on request via race@bossgp.com

Further events in 2021:

  • 21/22 May | STM waterjet Race Red Bull Ring (Austria)
  • 18–20 June | Forza Fanatec Misano (Italy)
  • 3/4 July | Pirelli Official BOSS GP Test Days Monza (Italy)
  • 13–15 August | Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix Nürburgring (Germany)
  • 3–5 September | Masaryk Racing Days Brno (Czech Republic)
  • 22–24 October| GlobeAir Grande Finale Imola (Italy)

Report Race 2 Mugello

Posted on April 11, 2021 by - 5, General

Gerstl wins in the OPEN category, Ghiotto after recovering from an early spin in FORMULA class.

Another day, same question: dry or wet tyres? It had rained again and again at the Mugello Circuit during the day. But shortly before the start of the second race, parts of the track had dried up. Most of the drivers nevertheless relied on the Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres, even at the risk that they would not last the full 25-minute distance on an increasingly dry track. Exceptions were the two MM-International drivers Stefano Colombo and Luca Martucci (both ITA), who started the race on slicks. But with low outside temperatures of around ten degrees Celsius, they had a tough time in their GP2 Dallara single seaters.

Not so Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), who immediately fled at the start. The pole setter entered turn 1 in his Toro Rosso STR1 first and did not relinquish his position at the top until the end of the race. Second in the OPEN classification was Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing), who, after his premiere victory yesterday, also finished on the podium today and, together with Gerstl, will travel to the next race as BOSS GP championship leader.

BOSS GP newcomer Gianluca De Lorenzi in his Auto GP car showed another strong performance

In FORMULA class, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) won today as in race 1. The decisive move was made by the Italian just before the end of the race. Ghiotto had spun in lap 1 and then started a terrific chase that had its climax on the penultimate lap: Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) defended his lead hard, but always remained fair. The decisive manoeuvre came at the exit of the medium-fast turn 12, where Ghiotto poked into a gap on the inside lane and overtook Faggionato. Gianluca De Lorenzi (SMR, GDL Racing) finished third in the class behind the two, sticking to the rear of Faggionato for a long time but ultimately having to let Ghiotto go as well.

Fourth place went to Salvatore De Plano (ITA, MM International), who made amends today after an early retirement yesterday. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) changed to rain tyres shortly before the start, which helped him to move up to 5th in class. Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) achieved another convincing result at his first BOSS GP event with 6th position. Behind him came Walter Colacino (ITA) in the Formula 3000 with an Alfa Romeo sports car engine, who was able to drive the full 25 minutes of the race today without any troubles.

The overall standings after the first of six race weekends are available here.

Photos: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report Race 1 Mugello

Posted on April 10, 2021 by - General

Marco Ghiotto beats everyone in the first race of the season. Premier victory for Ulf Ehninger in OPEN class.

Hectic hustle and bustle just before race start on the grid. Most of the teams changed from the Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres to the P Zero slicks. The rain had stopped before the start of the race, so that a large part of the 5.2-kilometre-long track had dried up. Nevertheless, a small group of drivers including Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport) and Formula 3000 individual Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino), relied on the wet weather tyres from exclusive supplier Pirelli.

It was soon clear that they had bet on the right card. Ghiotto was already in front under hard braking into the first corner. Pole setter Marc Faggionato, who was cautious at the start, immediately lost a few places. Gianluca De Lorenzi (SMR, GDL Racing) slid into the gravel with under-tempered slicks in the wet, but was able to continue and Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) was also only just able to avoid a spin in the first couple of corners.

Marco Ghiotto’s first pursuer was Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who started the race from only 11th on the grid and crossed the start-finish line in second place after lap 1. But on lap 4, the German parked his GP2-Dallara in the paddock and was sad about the missed chance.

But the action continued: Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), who had started from pitlane with his Formula 1 Toro Rosso, tried to get through the packed field. In lap 5 he had reached the front of the pack and started chasing Ghiotto, until tyre blistering stopped him as well. At that time Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) took over second place. Martucci drove the fastest race lap but lost too much time to Ghiotto in the early stages of the race. Meanwhile, the 2020 and 2021 FORMULA champion was looking for every wet spot on the asphalt to keep his rain tyres alive. A late safety car period helped Marco Ghiotto to clinch the race victory.

f.l. Martucci, race winner Ghiotto, OPEN winner Ehninger and De Lorenzi

Martucci finished second and made up six places compared to qualifying. Gianluca De Lorenzi recovered quickly from his initial excursion into the gravel trap, third place is the well-deserved reward on his BOSS GP debut. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) benefited from Gerstl’s retirement, but the Benetton driver can still refer to a controlled race in slippery conditions. Even a short ride through the gravel could not stop Ehninger. He was awarded with a well-deserved winner’s trophy in the OPEN class – the first of his BOSS GP career!

Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport) had a lap-long duel. Matile in the Auto GP was slightly faster in the corners, Jarach in his GP2 on the straights. In the end Matile was able to beat Jarach, which meant sixth place for the Monegasque.

The race of Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) ended unhappily in the gravel bed of turn 1. In the duel for the podium, the two collided slightly. The revenge of the beaten may follow tomorrow. Race 2 starts at 14:25 local time. The race will be broadcast on Italian television (MS Motortv) and on race organiser Gruppo Peroni’s YouTube channel. Before that, a warm-up will be run at 10:00 am.

Photos: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report Qualifying Mugello

Posted on April 10, 2021 by - General

A thrilling duel for pole position between Faggionato and De Lorenzi.

It had rained on Saturday morning, so qualifying was not divided into two groups as usual, rather it was open to everyone straight away. This ensured fair conditions for everyone as the track dried up. In wet conditions at the Mugello Circuit, the Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres were clearly the first choice.

First on track was Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), who was surprisingly the fastest FORMULA driver on his BOSS GP debut yesterday. In the rain he started gently at first but improved steadily and confirmed his Friday performance with class position 4.

Gianluca De Lorenzi (SMR, GDL Racing) needed even less time to get used to the Zytek-fired Auto GP Lola in these tricky conditions. The Nürburgring specialist is back in a monoposto after a long break and right in the middle of the class usually dominated by GP2 cars. At the beginning of the practice session, he even matched Formula 1 driver Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1, who, however, was able to set the clearly best time with 1:52.969 in increasingly better conditions during the course of the timed practice.

In the time sheets behind them, Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) and De Lorenzi were involved in a thriller that lasted until the chequered flag waved. De Lorenzi bumped the Monegasque out of the lead with a 1:57.978 on his very last flying lap. Faggionato however, was still on a fast lap and used it for the counterattack: 1:57.368! Faggionato thus secured pole position – his second – in the FORMULA class.

Next to De Lorenzi is reigning FORMULA champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) on row 2, with Colombo and Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International) starting behind. Luca Martucci first tried the rain line for a long time, but a spin stopped him from improving his time later in the session. In the end, the race winner of last year came in sixth in his class.

The German Ulf Ehninger (ESBA Racing) is getting more and more used to his hot equipment. Things also went well for the Benetton driver in the wet: he starts the race from grid position 8. On row 5: Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) and Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed), who delivered a strong performance in his first ever BOSS GP qualifying session and finished 8th in class.

The remaining rankings are available on the event page.

The first of two races of the BOSS GP Season Opening starts today, Saturday, at 15:55 local time. The race will be broadcast on Italian television (MS Motortv) and on the YouTube channel from race organiser Gruppo Peroni.

Photo: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report Free Practice Mugello

Posted on April 9, 2021 by - General

The first impressions of BOSS GP 2021.

The first day of a new season is always something very special, and this year was no exception: new teams, new drivers, new cars and new liveries showed up at the Mugello Circuit on Friday morning. The two half-hour free practice sessions were used extensively by all the drivers. Many of them completed their first kilometres after the long winter break and wanted to get their muscles and minds back in shape. In addition, the crews recorded a lot of data behind the pit wall and fine-tuned the set-up.

BOSS GP record holder Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) set the fastest time in his Toro Rosso STR1. As usual, he used FP1 to set the fastest lap of the day (1:28.861). BOSS GP rookie Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) surprised as fastest FORMULA driver in today’s practice sessions. The experienced kart driver has thus immediately joined the circle of favourites. Only slightly slower than Colombo was Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag), who also wants to fight for victory this weekend.

Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International), who last won a BOSS GP race in 2018, would like to join the party as well. The return to MM International and into a GP2 race car started promisingly anyway (class rank 3 in practice). Fourth and fifth fastest today were Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), the two dominators of last year. Both may not have reached their full potential in practice. Incidentally, Ghiotto completed the most kilometres of all the drivers with 27 laps counted.

BOSS GP rookie Gianluca de Lorenzi (SMR, GDL Racing) was also in the mix as he sets the fastest time for an Auto GP driver today. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) was still struggling with the fine tuning. Last year’s race winner, however, can possibly hope for rain in the races. First qualifying of the year starts tomorrow at 10:05 a.m., before race 1 will get underway at 15:55 local time.

Photo: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Here we go!

Posted on April 7, 2021 by - General

Our preview for the BOSS GP Season Opening 2021 at Mugello Circuit on April 9, 10 and 11.

The BOSS GP Racing Series makes it possible: The upcoming weekend will mark the start of the new season for teams and drivers with their Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3000 and Auto GP bolides. At the season opening of Europe’s fastest racing series, one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world awaits the youngsters and gentlemen of BOSS GP. The 5.245-kilometre track in Mugello (built in 1974) is owned by Ferrari and traditionally hosts the World Motorcycle Championship. Last year, the circuit in Tuscany also hosted a Formula 1 race for the first time. The sequences of curves are usually smooth and fast, the topography hilly – all in all an absolute favourite track for many race drivers.

After a few years of abstinence, Mugello was added back into the Big Open Single Seater race calendar last year. The Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix became the season finale in October 2020. The first race was dominated by the duel for the FORMULA championship title between Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio). Although Martucci won his first BOSS GP race, second place was enough for Ghiotto to defend his title. In rainy conditions again, a lot of courage and skill was demanded of the drivers in race 2. Both were combined by Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who added a surprising overall victory to a rather disappointing season.

The fact that the BOSS GP Racing Series can start the season as originally planned is also thanks to the race organiser Gruppo Peroni, who is hosting the event at Mugello. The support line-up of BOSS GP includes the one-make trophies Lotus Cup Italia, the Mitjet Italia Racing Series as well as sports prototypes, historic race cars and Porsche regularity classes. Due to the pandemic situation, the paddock and grandstands are not open to fans. BOSS GP hopes to welcome spectators back in our paddock soon.

Timetable BOSS GP Season Opening Mugello:

Friday, 9 April 2021
10:35–11:05          Free Practice 1
14:10–14:40          Free Practice 2

Saturday, 10 April 2021
10:05–10:35          Qualification (8+20 minutes)
15:55–16:15          Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 11 April 2021
10:00–10:10          Warm-up
14:30–14:55          Race 2 (25 minutes)

The starting list BOSS GP Season Opening Mugello 2021:

Armando Mangini (ITA)MM InternationalDallara GP2
Luca Martucci (ITA)MM InternationalDallara GP2
Simone Colombo (ITA)MM InternationalDallara GP2
Salvatore De Plano (ITA)MM InternationalLola Auto GP
Ingo Gerstl (AUT)Top SpeedToro Rosso STR1 F1
to be announcedTop SpeedDallara GP2
Marco Ghiotto (ITA)Scuderia PalladioDallara GP2
Walter Steding (GER)Scuderia PalladioDallara GP2
Nicolas Matile (MCO)Zig-ZagLola Auto GP
Marc Faggionato (MCO)Zig-ZagDallara GP2
Giulio Tine (ITA)ColacinoLola T96 50
Walter Colacino (ITA)ColacinoLola T96 50
Ulf Ehninger (GER)ESBA RacingBenetton B197 F1
Andreas Fiedler (GER)Fiedler RacingDallara GP2
Bruno Jarach (EST)Esti MotorsportDallara GP2
Alexander Seibold (GER)Alexander SeiboldDallara GP2
Gianluca De Lorenzi (SMR)GDL RacingLola Auto GP