Month: May 2023

Report: Race 2 Hockenheim

Posted on May 7, 2023 by - General

The Hockenheim Historic once again offered a lot to the spectators on Sunday. Double wins for Gerstl, Pizzonia, Colombo and Clausnitzer.

Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) was clearly enjoying himself as he held the lead for a while with the World Series V8 ahead of the Formula 1 of Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed). For several laps the two swapped the lead in the race until Gerstl finally picked up the pace and saw the black and white chequered flag for the BOSS GP F1 Class first. The race for the premier class ended after just 15 minutes to reduce the running time of the valuable cars. For Pizzonia, it continued for another ten minutes, which he filled with more lap times just short of the 1:30 barrier. Pizzonia, who drove to class victory yesterday with a failed traction control system, also secured full points in OPEN class today. Climbing onto the class podium with him was team-mate Paul O’Connell (IRE) in a Dallara World Series car that had also been modified.

Duel in SUPER-LIGHTS category: Jody Stadelmann (le.) and Henry Clausnitzer (ri.)

Once again Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) met on the track. The “eternal duel” in FORMULA class continued, at least in the early stages, until Colombo was able to shake off his rival with strong lap times after a safety car interruption. With his third victory in four races this season, Colombo was already able to build up a cushion on his fiercest rivals. Behind Ghiotto, Alexander Seibold (GER, Seibold Auto + Sport) held third place until shortly before the end. Marc Faggionato (ITA, MM International) stopped at the pre-start and then rushed after the field. Shortly before the end of the race he caught up with Seibold and tried to overtake the German several times. Seibold held his ground for a long time, but then had to give way in front of the Mercedes grandstand. However, with 4th place Seibold got his best BOSS GP placing so far. As the best German he also stayed ahead of Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who had started with used tyres and therefore could not start any more attacks to the front. A collision between Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER, Top Speed) and “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) ended their race. Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) also spun off the track in a promising position at the exit of the Bernie Ecclestone bend.

In the SUPER LIGHTS class, “to finish first, you first have to finish” was the key this time. Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) went home to the workshop already on Saturday evening after a gearbox failure, but Jody Stadelmann (SUI) in the Formula Nippon was able to take part in today’s race after a steering failure yesterday. The victory, however, went to Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing), who has become a series winner with his fourth victory in the fourth race.

f. le.: Stadelmann, Ghiotto, O’Connell, Ehninger, Pizzonia, Colombo, Clausnitzer, Gerstl, Faggionato

It is now five weeks until the third event of the season. For the first time, BOSS GP will be part of the Red Bull Ring Classics programme from 9 to 11 June.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto

Report: Race 1 Hockenheim

Posted on May 6, 2023 by - General

In front of a record crowd at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic, the BOSS GP Racing Series brought Formula 1, Formula 2 and co. back to the Hockenheimring. Podium finishes for the Germans Henry Clausnitzer, Ulf Ehninger and Andreas Fiedler.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) dominated the BOSS GP F1 Class in the Toro Rosso STR1 and controlled the pace ahead of Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in the nine-year older Benetton B197. For Gerstl it was the third victory, for Ehninger the third podium of the new season.

Once again, Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) focused on the hunt for the fastest lap. With a time of 1:29.007 min, he succeeded in doing just that in the World Series Dallara-Gibson. Paul O’Connell, who had travelled from Ireland and was also serviced by HS Engineering, was moved to the OPEN class after qualifying. His car is a 2002 World Series Dallara with a 3.3 litre Nicholson McLaren tuned Cosworth V8 giving it significantly more power than originally. O’Connell classified in the front group among the Formula 2 and in second place in the OPEN class behind Pizzonia.

The BOSS GP orchestra played big

There were numerous movements in the FORMULA class over the 20-minute race. Despite a safety car phase after a spin by Alexander Seibold (SUI, Seibold Auto + Sport), Andreas Fiedler still had enough time to advance into the top three. The German made his way from 8th on the grid and defended the last spot on the podium against “Checco” Malavasi, who had to settle for 4th. For Fiedler, it was his first podium since 2020 right on his debut in a 2008-generation GP2 Dallara.

At the front, it was another epic duel between Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), which kept coming to a climax all the way to the finish line. In the end, 0.085 seconds decided victory and second place. Colombo kept the upper hand, took his second win of the season and extended his lead in the standings.

Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER) recovered from a spin in the early stages and still managed to finish 5th ahead of Top Speed team-mate Thomas Jakoubek (AUT). The duel between Thomas Jackermeier (8th) and his son Simon (10th) was won by Thomas. He will also be on display at the BOSS GP Hypercar Demonstration tomorrow Sunday at 9:35 am when he will pilot his over 1,000-hp Aston Martin Valkyrie around the 4.6-kilometre circuit.

Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) could hardly believe it as he took victory in the SUPER LIGHTS for the third time in three races. Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) was still able to take home the trophy for second place in the class. However, due to a clutch failure and subsequent damage to the gearbox, he had to retire from the race early. As this is irreparable on site, Eisinger-Sewald’s Ralt RT23 Formula 3000 will not be seen again until the next event at the Red Bull Ring.

A second race over the longer distance of 25 minutes will follow on Sunday. The race start is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. and can again be followed in the livestream.

Photos: Angelo Poletto

Report: Qualifying Hockenheim

Posted on May 6, 2023 by - General

Pole position for Gerstl in the Toro Rosso STR1. FORMULA: Colombo finishes slightly ahead of Faggionato. O’Connell in front in his comeback in the SUPER LIGHTS class.

Thousands of spectators crowded into the Motodrom early in the morning. The Hockenheim Historic is expecting a record number of spectators on Saturday. The qualifying of the BOSS GP Racing Series at the Hockenheimring took place early this morning in perfect spring weather. The best grid positions for the two races were determined.

In the BOSS GP F1 Class there was no surprise: Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) took pole position for the second time this year in his 2006 Toro Rosso Formula 1, with a lap time of 1:21.140 min, just slightly behind his pole time from last year. He will be joined on the front row of the grid in both races by German Ulf Ehninger (ESBA Racing) in the Benetton B197.

19 years after his last appearance at Hockenheim, Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) is back at Hockenheim. The ex-Formula 1 driver will start for the second time this weekend in HS Engineering’s modified World Series Dallara. The Brazilian will be back in the hunt for the Formula 1 cars in his OPEN class race car.

Florian Schnitzenbaumer shows strong pace at his motorsport comeback

The FORMULA class had never been so close in qualifying. The top 5 were separated by less than one and a half seconds on the fastest lap. The Italian MM International team celebrated a row one “lockout”: Simone Colombo (ITA) beat Marc Faggionato (MCO) by one tenth of a second. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) follows in 3rd place, who has his usual more difficult time at the Hockenheimring. “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER, Top Speed) also expect to have a chance of a podium finish. The latter, on his return after a break of several years, is to be found at the front of the field right away and was able to set a good lap time despite an aborted second attempt. Alexander Seibold (GER, Seibold Auto + Sport) also had a fantastic qualifying session in his first BOSS GP race in 2023. The German will start from 7th in class in an eye-catching design combination with a homage to Valentino Rossi and Jo Siffert.

In the SUPER LIGHTS, after the solo of Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) last time in France, there is a lot going on this time. An outstanding best time was set by Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering), who is driving an older Dallara with a eight-cylinder engine this year. With a best time of 1:32.368 min he qualified in the middle of the field of GP2 cars. The two newcomers Jody Stadelmann (SUI) in a G-Force-Mugen from Japan and Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) follow in 2nd and 3rd place on the grid.

The start times are 14:40 on Saturday and 14:05 on Sunday. Both races will be livestreamed.

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview: Hockenheim

Posted on May 4, 2023 by - General

From 5 to 7 May, one of the biggest international classic events of 2023 will take place at the Hockenheimring in Baden-Württemberg. The highlight for fans in the Motodrom: the BOSS GP Racing Series with Formula 1 drivers and cars from the 1990s and 2000s.

“Racing to see, hear, smell, taste and touch” – in short: “Enjoying Motorsport” is the motto of this year’s Bosch Hockenheim Historic. The event is held in honour of the Scottish Formula 1 World Champion Jim Clark, who died in a Formula 2 race at the Hockenheimring on 7 April 1968. Traditionally, the event always attracts around 500 starters and more than 20,000 fans in spring. This year, motorsport fans will be offered even more.

Entries

20 drivers have entered the second event of the BOSS GP Racing Series season after the season opener in Le Castellet in April. The world’s fastest racing cars will not only be presented to a large audience in Hockenheim, but there will also again be a battle for points in four classes. The BOSS GP Formula 1 class will feature Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 and Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing), the 2021 champion from Tübingen. Ehninger will start in a former Hockenheim winner’s car, the Benetton B197. Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed), who last competed in a Toro Rosso STR3, could surprise the crowd. However, his start in another ten-cylinder car is still questionable.

A “must-see” for many is the entry of Antonio Pizzonia (BRA) in a World Series car from HS Engineering in the OPEN class. The Brazilian last competed at the – already rebuilt – Hockenheimring in 2004. At that time, he raced for BMW-Williams in Formula 1.

In the FORMULA class, the Italian regulars such as Simone Colombo (MM International), Marco Ghiotto and “Checco” Malavasi (both Scuderia Palladio) will be joined by several returnees to the series. Among others, the Germans Alexander Seibold (Seibold Auto + Sport) and Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) will make their comeback with their GP2 cars. We can also look forward to the Hockenheim debut of Paul Ricard winner Marc Faggionato (ITA, MM International).

In the SUPER LIGHTS category, Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing), who won both races at Le Castellet in the Tatuus World Series car, will have new opponents at Hockenheim. With Joey Stadelmann (SUI, G-Force) in a Japanese Formula Nippon and the well-known Paul O’Connell (IRE, O’Connell Motorsport) and the Austrian Histo Cup winner Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (Red Rose Racing) in a Ralt Formula 3000, there are three new opponents for Clausnitzer this time.

Timetable

Friday, 5 May
13:30–14:00 Free Practice 1
17:05–17:35     Free Practice 2

Saturday, 6 May
09:35–10:05     Qualifying (two groups)
14:40–15:00     Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 7 May
14:05–14:30     Race 2 (25 minutes)

all times CEST

Tickets and live stream

Friday tickets start at 15 euros, day tickets for Saturday and Sunday cost 35 euros and 30 euros respectively. If you want to experience the entire weekend, tickets start at 49 euros. Tickets can be purchased via the online ticket shop, at the open box offices on site or by calling the hotline at +49(0)6205 950-222. The races of the BOSS GP Racing Series as well as a large part of the other programme on Saturday and Sunday can also be followed from home: The link to the live stream is www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Support events

As part of the race programme, BOSS GP driver Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) will contest a few demo laps in the brand-new Aston Martin Valkyrie on Sunday. Visitors to the Bosch Hockenheim Historic can watch the hypercar premiere from 9:35 am.

Around 500 participants from all over the world will captivate the many expected fans in their partly priceless historic racing cars in eleven different series. They will be able to admire the “Touring Cars of the Golden Era”, the four categories of FIA Masters Historic Racing represented at Bosch Hockenheim, the Group C Supercup, Raceclub Germany, the Historic Racecar Association, the Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior racers and the Historic Formula 2.

Photos: Angelo Poletto