Categoria: Generale

Season starts in July

Posted on Giugno 20, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

Luca Martucci in his GP2 drives down the pit lane

First BOSS GP races will be held in Imola on 11 and 12 July.

The event and travel restrictions have also affected the BOSS GP Racing Calendar in 2020. Nevertheless, there is good news: The championship can start in just a few weeks. The first two races will already be held on the weekend of 11 and 12 July at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. This makes the BOSS GP races “Forza Fanatec” in Imola the first major motor sport event in Italy after the Coronavirus crisis. By the way, the season finale in October will also take place on the former Formula 1 racetrack in Imola.

The event is hosted by the experienced organizers of Gruppo Peroni. The event will last two days, and there will also be several support races. Whether spectators will be allowed has not yet been decided. Further details will be published on www.bossgp.com in the next few days.

11/12 July Imola (Italy) Forza Fanatec
4–6 September Brno (Czech Republic) Masaryk Racing Days
25–27 September Assen (Netherlands) Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix
9–11 October Mugello (Italy) BOSS Mugello Grand Prix
23–25 October Imola (Italy) Pirelli Grande Finale

In addition, the organizers of BOSS GP are currently making intensive efforts to hold another race on a well-known Formula 1 racetrack in August. This would ensure the originally planned twelve races on six race weekends in this year’s BOSS GP Racing Series calendar.

Cancellation Misano and Hockenheim

Posted on Giugno 4, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

GP2 cars from MM International in the pit garage

The scheduled BOSS GP races in Misano Adriatico and at the Hockenheimring will not take place in 2020.

The first BOSS GP race after the Corona crisis should have taken place in Misano (ITA) on June 20, 2020. The organizers in Italy have tried until the end to be able to hold the race event, if necessary, without spectators. However, as the Italian authorities have not yet given their approval, the event had to be cancelled unfortunately. The reason for the restrictions are the still ongoing regulations to contain the corona pandemic. This means that the debut of Europe’s fastest racing series on the very interesting racetrack on the Adriatic coast is postponed to next year.

Sadly, the race at the Jim Clark Revival in Hockenheim (DEU) cannot take place either. The race originally planned for April was already postponed two months ago. The organisers are aiming a spare date in autumn. However, because BOSS GP has already planned two races each in September and October, the Big Open Single Seater will not be able to compete in this year’s Hockenheim Historic.

Four race weekends in the schedule of the 2020 BOSS GP series are currently confirmed:

4–6 September Brno (Czech Republic) Masaryk Racing Days
25–27 September Assen (Netherlands) Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix
9–11 October Mugello (Italy) BOSS Mugello Grand Prix
23–25 October Imola (Italy) Pirelli Grande Finale

BOSS GP is in negotiations with other racetracks and organisers in order to be able to include possible substitute races in the calendar. As soon as there are any news, we will publish them on www.bossgp.com.

New date for Mugello

Posted on Maggio 17, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

Good news: The BOSS GP return to Tuscany can take place from 9–11 October.

Originally scheduled as the season opener, the race in Mugello had to be postponed from March to October due to corona measures. Whether spectators will be allowed to attend the race cannot be confirmed at this time.

This means that six race weekends are still on the calendar in 2020. The season is supposed to start on 20/21 June in Misano. Followed by Brno, Assen and the Italian double Mugello and Imola in October. A new date for the Jim Clark Revival in Hockenheim will be published soon. BOSS GP is in close contact with the German organizers to make this traditional race happen.

New date for Assen

Posted on Maggio 6, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale, Generale

A GP2 car drives into the pit lane in Assen

The Gamma Racing Days with the Cuvee Sensorium BOSS Grand Prix have been moved to September.

The BOSS GP event in the Netherlands will now take place from 25 to 27 September instead of August. Due to the extensive regulations to control the spread of the corona virus, the organizers were forced to react and move the popular event to fall. Already purchased paddock tickets and VIP tickets remain valid.

Current developments regarding a possible start of the season will be published as soon as possible on www.bossgp.com.

Obituary Roger Cowman

Posted on Marzo 30, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

We deeply mourn one of the founding fathers of BOSS GP.

Roger Cowman from East Midlands near Donington Park Circuit was a team owner, tyre dealer and an old school racer. He once started with club sport, then founded his own team and successfully participated in Formula 3 and Formula 3000 races.

When these racing cars suddenly had no longer a platform, Cowman and some of his companions founded the international racing series BOSS Formula in 1994. The Royal British Automobile Club disagreed with the original name “British Open Single Seaters” because the terms “British”, “International” and “Europe” could only be used for FIA approved championships.

But Roger Cowman remained undaunted and simply called the racing series “Big Open Single Seater”. In 1997 he brought the owner of the airline “European”, the Australian and later Minardi team boss Paul Stoddart, into the crew. The series was subsequently renamed EuroBOSS. Because “European” was Stoddart’s company and team name, the motorsport authorities had no recourse against the use of the term EuroBOSS.

When the idea of races with high-capacity and powerful formula cars became popular in the USA towards the end of the 1990s, Roger Cowman sent his BOSS regulations in the US. He also acted as an advisor and gave many helpful tips. His vision was to create a globally set of regulations for all BOSS series across the continents. When smaller formula cars entered the series in the States, Cowman clearly spoke out against this: “Only if we all have the same basic rules, we can uphold the values of the BOSS series. With the BOSS formula series, I always went my own way – that’s the way it was, that’s the way it is and that’s the way it should remain!”

Roger was also a talented restorer of historic racing cars and an everlasting optimist. He died at the beginning of March at the age of 73.

The BOSS GP family offers its sincere condolences to his family and is making every effort to continue along the BOSS path Roger initiated.

Postponement Hockenheim

Posted on Marzo 22, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

The BOSS GP race weekend at Hockenheim planned for April 24-26 has been postponed.

Due to the current rules and regulations in place to contain the corona virus, the BOSS GP races in Germany cannot take place at the scheduled time.

The organisers of the traditional event in Hockenheim try their best to find a later date this year. Tickets that have already been purchased remain valid.

Previously, the BOSS GP Season Opening in Mugello, scheduled for the end of March, had to be postponed due to the corona crisis. As soon as alternative dates are confirmed, they will be published on www.bossgp.com.

New Pirelli P Zero for BOSS GP

Posted on Marzo 18, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

Matteo Braga from Pirelli with the 2020 BOSS GP tyre - Credit Michael Jurtin

Exclusively for drivers and teams of Europe’s most exciting racing series.

Pirelli presents a new dry tyre for the 2020 season in the BOSS GP series. This tyre is designed to help experienced drivers achieve faster lap times and make it easier for less experienced drivers to handle the “black gold”. Pirelli’s series consultant Thomas Hummer explains: “In order not to increase costs unnecessarily, we only use one tyre compound. This tyre has to work at five degrees in Hockenheim, but also at 38 degrees in Monza.”

The new slick tyre has been developed with the aim of maximising the temperature window where the tyre performs best. The P Zero 2020 absorbs the temperature faster and stores it longer than the previous tyre compound. This is to reduce the risk of spins when the tyres cool down, for example after safety car periods.

Unique: violet colour marking

The new P Zero BOSS GP can be identified from the outside by two indicators: One is the purple sidewall, the other the imprinted label “BGP”. As before, the Pirelli tyre works on Formula 1 cars as well as on Formula 2 cars (formerly GP2) and WSbR cars. The dimension 245/660 R13 is used at the front, at the rear axle 325/660 R13. The rain tyre Cinturato remains unchanged.

A Pirelli engineer checks the tyre pressure — Pirelli engineers support the teams with their know-how
Credit: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Support like in F1

The new tyre is exclusively for registered teams and drivers for races in the BOSS GP series. “Motorsports is in Pirelli’s DNA. Wherever we see passion, wherever we experience emotion, we must be at home – and we feel that in BOSS GP!”, says Hummer. The fitting will comply with Formula 1 standards and Pirelli engineers will be on site at all BOSS GP events. They advise the teams on the correct use of the tyres. Tyres can be ordered from BOSS GP partner “Reifen Hollerweger”.

All BOSS GP tyres are produced at the Pirelli Formula 1 factory in Romania. The Italian tyre manufacturer can draw on a wealth of experience in developing tyres to meet the high demands of motorsport: Pirelli is currently the supplier of the Formula 1 World Championship, the GT3 World Challenge and, from 2021, the World Rally Championship.

Title picture: Matteo Braga from Pirelli with the 2020 BOSS GP tyre
Credit: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Season opener postponed

Posted on Marzo 10, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

Unfortunately, the race weekend in Mugello planned for 27 to 29 March had to be cancelled.

According to a further decree of the Italian government, it is no longer possible to hold a sporting event of this size on the scheduled date. The reason for this are the security measures of the Italian government to prevent the spread of the corona virus.

The protection of participants, helpers and spectators has top priority for BOSS GP. In addition, freedom of travel is restricted in large parts of the world. That means fair competition, in which all drivers can travel to the race, is currently impossible.

BOSS GP and the race organisers Peroni try to arrange a substitute race later this year. Updates on this will be published on www.bossgp.com.

Therefore, the season of the Big Open Single Seater will start in Hockenheim as in previous years. The Jim Clark Revival will take place from April 24th to 26th with two races of BOSS GP.

The “Jag” is back!

Posted on Marzo 4, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

Riccardo Ponzio brings a Jaguar Formula 1 onto the grid in 2020.

The 22-year-old Italian Riccardo Ponzio will compete in a Jaguar Formula 1 car for the full BOSS GP season in the OPEN class. The spectacular new project for the 2020 BOSS GP campaign was launched yesterday with an impressive presentation.

The car from 2002 is powered by a 750 hp Cosworth V10 engine. Eddie Irvine, who was the race driver at the time, was able to finish on the podium in Monza. Ponzio, who won the Italian Formula 3 in 2017, also has ambitious aims: “Nothing can really prepare you to drive a car with almost 1000 hp. But the first few kilometres showed me: I feel ready to make my debut.”

Ponzio and his Jaguar R3
Credit: Adriatica Competition

The project is set to run for two years. Ponzio and his Jaguar R3 will make their first appearance in BOSS GP 2020 at the season opener in Mugello from March 27 to 29.

Last call

Posted on Febbraio 26, 2020 by Keke Platzer - Generale

Drivers and teams can still register for a BOSS GP full season program until Friday, the 28th of February.

For those who have not yet registered for the 2020 BOSS GP season, now is the right time! The last day for the registration for all races and therefore a cheaper registration fee compared to single entries is next Friday, February 28, 2020.

However, interested drivers and team will have the option of registering as guest drivers for individual events after that date. Further information on registration and regulations can be requested from race coordinator Malin Strandberg: race@bossgp.com or +43 650 784 07 84