Preview: Forza Fanatec Mugello
The Italian « double » to close the 2022 BOSS GP season starts next weekend with two races in Tuscany.
Before the 28th season of Europe’s fastest racing series enters its finale in Misano (4-6 November), it is time for Mugello, one of the favourite tracks of many drivers. While last year’s championship started at Mugello, this year’s Forza Fanatec at Mugello is already entering the crucial stage. In the BOSS GP FORMULA Class, six drivers (all of them in GP2 cars) still have a mathematical chance of becoming the champion.
Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), who made his BOSS GP debut at Mugello in 2021, has the best chance of winning the title at the moment. He leads by 33 points over defending champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scurderia Palladio) and the Portuguese Zdenek Chovenec-Lopez (MM International). As in Brno, however, Chovanec-Lopez will not be competing. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) and Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) still have outside chances. Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), who has only been participating in the championship since Le Castellet in the summer, was on the podium twice in Brno and should also be considered for a possible podium in Mugello. With Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) and Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International), two former race winners return to the grid, which this time also includes a former professional racing driver: Joey Foster (GBR, HS Engineering) will give his comeback in monoposto racing. A total of 17 drivers have entered for the FORMULA classification, including the French team from Zig-Zag and two Lola AutoGP cars.
Two drivers from Team Top Speed, Ingo Gerstl (AUT) and Thomas Jackermeier (GER), will be competing in the BOSS GP F1 Class. They continue their Toro Rosso duel between Gerstl’s STR1 and Jackermeier’s STR3. Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) from the OPEN class will again try to chase the Formula 1 cars in his modified World Series bolide. In the six-cylinder car class, Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) will try to keep his increasingly fast pursuer in the overall SUPER LIGHTS standings, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing), at bay. All the best ingredients for an exciting race weekend in Mugello.
Entry List:
Number | Name | Nation | Team | Class | Manufacturer | Year | Model | Engine |
1 | Ingo Gerstl | AUT | Team Top Speed | F1 | Toro Rosso | 2006 | F1 – STR1 | Cosworth TJ |
15 | Thomas Jackermeier | GER | Team Top Speed | F1 | Toro Rosso | 2008 | F1 – STR3 | Ferrari 056 |
10 | Haralds Slegelmilhs | LVA | HS Engineering | OPEN | Dallara | 2012 | WSbR – T12 | Gibson 4.5 |
12 | Joey Foster | GBR | HS Engineering | FORMULA | Dallara | 2012 | WSbR – T12 | Gibson |
19 | Nicolas Matile | MCO | Zig-Zag | FORMULA | Lola | 2005 | AutoGP | Zytek |
22 | Michael Aberer | AUT | AM Motorsport | FORMULA | Dallara | 2005 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
27 | Marco Ghiotto | ITA | Scuderia Palladio | FORMULA | Dallara | 2011 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
28 | Bruno Jarach | ITA | Eesti Motorsport | FORMULA | Dallara | 2008 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
29 | Marc Faggionato | MCO | Zig-Zag | FORMULA | Dallara | 2008 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
31 | Paul O’Connell | IRE | HS Engineering | FORMULA | Dallara | 2012 | WSbR – T12 | Gibson |
32 | Simone Colombo | ITA | MM International | FORMULA | Dallara | 2017 | F2 | Mecachrome |
37 | Luca Martucci | ITA | MM International | FORMULA | Dallara | 2011 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
43 | Giancarlo Pedetti | ITA | Nannini Racing | FORMULA | Dallara | 2014 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
44 | Thomas Jakoubek | AUT | Team Top Speed | FORMULA | Dallara | 2008 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
46 | Alexander Seibold | GER | Seibold Auto + Sport | FORMULA | Dallara | 2005 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
47 | Walter Steding | GER | Scuderia Palladio | FORMULA | Dallara | 2011 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
61 | Jean-Christophe Peyre | FRA | Zig-Zag | FORMULA | Lola | 2005 | AutoGP | Zytek |
66 | Andreas Fiedler | GER | Fiedler Racing | FORMULA | Dallara | 2008 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
77 | Francesco Malavasi | ITA | Scuderia Palladio | FORMULA | Dallara | 2011 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
87 | Salvatore de Plano | ITA | MM International | FORMULA | Dallara | 2011 | GP2 | Mecachrome |
34 | Roberto Vanni | ITA | Walter Colacino Racing | SUPER LIGHTS | Lola | 1998 | F3000 | Alfa Romeo |
36 | Walter Colacino | ITA | Walter Colacino Racing | SUPER LIGHTS | Lola | 1998 | F3000 | Alfa Romeo |
111 | Alexander Geier | AUT | Geier Racing | SUPER LIGHTS | Tatuus | 2003 | WSbR | Nissan |
115 | Andreas Hasler | AUT | Hasler Motorsport | SUPER LIGHTS | Dallara | 2009 | WSbN | Nissan |
Track:
The 5.245-kilometre Mugello circuit (built in 1974) is owned by Ferrari and traditionally hosts the MotoGP. Two years ago, the track in Tuscany also hosted a Formula 1 race (winner: Lewis Hamilton). The youngsters and gentlemen of the BOSS GP Racing Series can expect fluid and fast sequences of corners embedded in a hilly topography. Last year in partly wet conditions Marco Ghiotto took a double victory in the FORMULA class, in the OPEN classification Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) won race 1 in a Benetton, in race 2 Ingo Gerstl in a Toro Rosso.
Timetable (CEST):
Friday, 14 October 2022
11:10–11:40 Free Practice 1
14:05–14:35 Free Practice 2
Saturday, 15 October 2022
09:55–10:25 Qualifying
15:05–15:25 Race 1 (20 minutes)
Sonntag, 16 October 2022
10:00–10:10 Warm-up
13:15–13:40 Race 2 (25 minutes)
Support races:
The Italian promoter Gruppo Peroni is again gathering numerous racing series from different categories in Mugello this year. In addition to the BOSS GP Racing Series as the main series, the Italian Topjet F2000 Trophy (together with the Drexler Formula Cup from Austria) is another single-seater racing series at the event. The Master Tricolore Prototipi features sports prototypes, the Lotus (Cup Italia) and Renault (Clio RS Cup) one-make cups and the historic GT cars of the Campionato Italiano Autostoriche will complete the line-up. The programme starts on Friday from 8:45 am (without lunch break) with practice and qualifying sessions. On Saturday and Sunday, the programme will start with the races from 9 a.m. each day.
Tickets:
Admission to the standing areas is free, the pit roof and main stand cost 10 respectively 15 euros at the box office. Discounts are available for under-18s, women and ACI club members. Children under 14 can enter for free when accompanied by an adult, and the same applies to residents of the municipalities of Scarperia and San Piero (FI).
Live Stream:
The race programme on Saturday and Sunday will be partially broadcast on promoter Gruppo Peroni’s YouTube channel.
Photos: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP, PR & Event Keke Platzer (Poster)