Pole position for Ingo Gerstl at the “Forza Fanatec” in Mugello. Ghiotto holds his own against FORMULA leader Colombo and Andreas Hasler is fastest in the SUPER LIGHTS.
Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) confirmed his role as favourite with the best time in qualifying. With a lap time of 1:26.747, the driver of a Toro Rosso STR1 secured pole position for the two race rounds in Mugello. Gerstl will be followed at the start by OPEN driver Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in the World Series car with 4.5 litres capacity (instead of 3.5). Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) will start from row 2. Jackermeier is competing for the first time in a Formula 1 car at Mugello and is doing excellently so far. Will he be able to step up a gear in the race and follow Gerstl?
Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) secured the best starting position in the highly competitive FORMULA classification. The two-time BOSS GP champion started in qualifying section 2 after a cautious Friday practice run and it took him a few laps to get past team-mate Francesco Malavasi (ITA) on the timings and then championship leader Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International). With a fantastic time of 1:35.035, Ghiotto qualified almost nine tenths of a second ahead of Colombo, who lost time especially in the first sector. Filling the starting row behind are BOSS GP rookie Francesco Malavasi and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International), who is a candidate for the podium with a good qualifying performance on one of his favourite tracks. Team-mate Salvatore de Plano (ITA) follows behind.
With Joey Foster (GBR, HS Engineering) withdrawing from the event, the only World Series by Renault 3.5-litre pilot Paul O’Connell qualified sixth in class. Best from the Zig-Zag squad was Nicolas Matile (MCO) in the Auto GP Lola in eighth in class, just ahead of teammate Jean Christophe Peyre (FRA). Team leader Marc Faggionato (MCO) was unable to take part in practice after spinning and will therefore have a race to catch up.
In the SUPER LIGHTS category, rookie Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) only familiarised himself with the track today after still being in school yesterday. Geier’s Tatuus World Series V6, however, remained in the pits with gearbox problems, so Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) will start the races as the best-placed SUPER LIGHTS competitor. Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) qualified his Formula 3000 in 15th place overall.
The first race starts today, Saturday, at 15:05 local time and is over a distance of 20 minutes, the second race over 25 minutes is scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, at 13:15. In order to keep the workload on the Formula 1 cars low, the BOSS GP F1 Class will see the chequered flag after 15 minutes.
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)
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 F2000Trophy (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)
After four class wins in a row, SUPER LIGHTS rookie Alexander Geier (16, from Salzburg) tells us in an interview about his career and his goals in motorsport.
ALEXANDER GEIER: “I started with a Formula König when I was eleven, we drove a lot with it. Then came a Formula Renault 2.0 built in 2002, with a sequential gearbox. Then, at 13, we bought a new Formula Renault, already with pedalshift. I raced it in the Histo Cup Austria until last year. Then Ingo Gerstl (Team Top Speed) gave me the chance to race in the BOSS GP Racing Series. For the next step, we bought the Tatuus World Series by Renault 3.5, which we now race in.”
What skills does a driver need to be able to drive such a bolide?
GEIER: “Basically, anyone can drive it. The brakes are only applied on the left, which is difficult for many people. Also, the clutch is on the steering wheel, driving away is difficult, but steering the car itself is doable with a bit of practice.”
What makes the BOSS GP Racing Series special for you?
GEIER: “Fast cars, the races – just everything. It’s quite different from anything I’ve driven before. Definitely more professional! The driving level of the series is also much higher than is often assumed. Of course, in some duels you do have to hold back because the cars are a bit older and there are often few spare parts. But that’s all too understandable because of the costs.”
Most recently in Brno, Geier won both races in the SUPER LIGHTS class and even chased the FORMULA drivers in front of him
You are on the events with your own team. How is that made up?
GEIER: “In the past it was just my dad and me, we also do our own wrenching at home in the garage. Now there are always three of us on the road. Willi is a good friend of my father and now part of our team, he likes racing too.”
What are your big goals for the future?
GEIER: “The next step should come in 2023. We want to start with a Formula 2. We are training for that now and looking for sponsors. It’s almost impossible to pay for that ourselves, so we’re dependent on help here.”
Jackermeier celebrates double victory in the BOSS GP F1 class, Ghiotto triumphs in the hotly contested FORMULA class, Geier in SUPER LIGHTS also in a class of his own on Sunday.
After the weather gods made it rain on Saturday, the race on Sunday remained dry despite dark clouds. In ideal conditions, there were plenty of wheel-to-wheel duels for the fans to marvel at during the Masaryk Racing Days.
BOSS GP F1 Class
After his premiere victory on Saturday, Thomas Jackermeier (GER/Top Speed) followed up with another win on Sunday. Right from the start, the German pulled away unstoppable in his Toro Rosso STR3 and did not let anyone take the lead from him. With a high and constant pace, Jackermeier controlled the lead. His pursuers were no match for the German. In the championship, Jackermeier continues to make up ground on series dominator Ingo Gerstl (AUT/Top Speed). Gerstl did not start in the second race. The championship battle is thus picking up speed again with two race weekends to go.
BOSS GP FORMULA Class
The duel of the race was between Saturday’s winner Simone Colombo (ITA/MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA/Scuderia Palladio). The two FORMULA class rivals fought a wheel-to-wheel duel for several laps. Ghiotto followed Colombo like a shadow, as he had done in Spielberg and Le Castellet. The fans were more than thrilled by the tough but fair duel. With just under ten minutes to go in the race, Ghiotto made the decisive manoeuvre at the entrance of the last corner and took the lead. With a clear track, Ghiotto was able to put a gap between himself and Colombo. Colombo tried to counterattack again towards the end of the race, but was unable to counter Ghiotto’s fast pace today. A few minutes before the end, Colombo had to let Ghiotto’s team mate Francesco Malavasi (ITA/Scuderia Palladio) pass. Malavasi thus secured his second podium this weekend after third place on Saturday. Malavasi, however, did not make a final attack on the victory. Salvatore de Plano (ITA/MM International) came close to Colombo towards the end of the race in fourth place, but was unable to catch his compatriot. Luca Martucci (ITA/MM International) rounded off a perfect Italian day. With his victory yesterday and his second place today, Colombo also takes over the overall lead from Zdenek Chovanec Lopez in the FORMULA class before the final two race weekends in Mugello and Misano.
BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class
Andreas Hasler (AUT/Hasler Motorsport) was ahead on the grid, but after only a few metres rookie Alexander Geier (AUT/Geier Racing) took the lead from Hasler. Hasler could not follow Geier’s fast pace. Geier then controlled the action in the SUPER LIGHTS and thus made himself a double winner at the race weekend in Brno. The driver from Salzburg is also making up ground in the championship. Hasler tried to bring his second place in the SUPER LIGHTS class safely to the finish line, which he succeeded in doing.
The BOSS GP will take a short break and continue its season in Mugello in mid-October (14–16).
Jackermeier celebrates his premiere victory in tricky conditions, Colombo turns “pole” into victory in FORMULA class, SUPER LIGHTS triumph for Geier.
The weather gods had no mercy on the drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series. A few minutes before the start of the first race, the heavens opened their floodgates. The race on the partly wet track thus became a challenge for the pilots in their Big Open Single Seaters.
BOSS GP F1 Class
Pole setter Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed), like his team mate Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), was faced with a difficult decision in the Formula 1 car class due to the rain shower before the start of the race: keep dry tyres on or put on the Pirelli Cinturato wet weather tyres? Parts of the track were damp, others dry. Jackermeier and Gerstl both opted for the dry tyres on their cars. Jackermeier with his Toro Rosso STR3 with Ferrari V8 made ideal use of the pole position and started furiously into the race. Ingo Gerstl came into the pits after the warm-up lap and had to stop his Toro Rosso STR1 temporarily. A few minutes before the end of the race Gerstl drove back onto the track but promptly returned to the pits. Jackermeier managed the lead ideally, made no mistakes in the treacherous conditions and celebrated his first victory in the BOSS GP.
2nd place for Ingo Gerstl (le.) behind debut winner Thomas Jackermeier (ri.)
BOSS GP FORMULA Class
All drivers in the FORMULA Class opted for the Pirelli P Zero dry tyres at the start of the race. The driving skills of the steering wheel acrobats were thus put to the test even more. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) made ideal use of his first starting position and was able to pull away first in the drying conditions. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) held back in the initially damp conditions. However, the experienced Italian put rival after rival to the sword and worked his way up to second place. In the final minutes there was a thrilling duel between Colombo and Ghiotto for the win, but Colombo managed to save the victory over the finish line. Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) drove in second place for a long time, but after a hard fight on the start-finish straight he had to let his team boss and colleague Ghiotto pass. Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International) and Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) rounded off the top-5 of this spectacular race in FORMULA class. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who was classified in the front of the field in qualifying, came into the pits just before the end of the race and had to park his GP2 car early.
Close finish between Colombo (f.) and Ghiotto behind
BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class
In the SUPER LIGHTS category of the six-cylinder cars, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) secured the next victory ahead of Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport). Geier, who started the race on slicks, took the lead from Hasler shortly after the start and eventually controlled the pace at the front. In the final sprint Hasler tried to close the gap to Geier once more. Ultimately in vain, Hasler drove home a safe second place in drying conditions.
Good race by young Austrian Geier in difficult track conditions
After the spectacle today, the fans can look forward to part 2 of the racing action on Sunday. The second and final race of the BOSS GP in Brno will take place tomorrow from 12:50 local time (livestream).
Colombo with surprising best qualifying time, Jackermeier on pole position in the BOSS GP F1 Class, Hasler dominates SUPER LIGHTS in Brno.
Formula 1 rookie Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) will take the BOSS GP F1 Class to the green flag for the first time in his career. The German set the fastest time of 1:47:271 in his Toro Rosso STR3, Sebastian Vettel’s legendary winning car at Monza in 2008. Series dominator Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) did not take part in qualifying with his Toro Rosso STR1, but will try to take part in the race.
The absolute fastest time in qualifying for both BOSS GP races was set by Italian Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International). Colombo played to the aerodynamic strengths of his Formula 2 car and secured pole position in the FORMULA class. His time of 1:43:879 could not be beaten by any of his rivals. Defending champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was more than two seconds ahead in second place with 1:46:733. The top three were completed by Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) with a time of 1:46:776, Malavasi’s best qualifying performance so far. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) will start the race from fourth place with a time of 1:47:192. For him, it is a good result on his comeback after numerous technical problems.
In the BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS, Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) secured the best time with 2:01:679. He thus distanced his main rival Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Motorsport) by more than a second.
The races scheduled for today, Saturday, at 2 p.m. and tomorrow, Sunday, at 12:50. Before the races, there will be a grid walk for spectators on site, and you can watch the races from home via livestream.
Rene Arnoux presents the winners’ trophies to Gerstl, Schlegelmilch, Chovanec-Lopez and Geier.
The atmosphere at the third event of the 2022 BOSS GP season was unique: visitors had the opportunity to buy tickets for the grid walk and thus get close to Big Open Single Seater and experience the tension before the start at first hand. Not only hundreds of fans took advantage of this, but also the French racing legends Jean Alesi, Rene Arnoux and Jean-Pierre Jarier. They were on hand for souvenir photos, as were the BOSS GP cars and their current drivers.
BOSS GP F1 Class
Toro Rosso, Benetton and Jaguar in a joint race – this unique picture was delivered by the BOSS GP Racing Series in Le Castellet. The legendary Formula 1 cars completed the first laps of Sunday’s race in formation, but in the end the same result as the day before was in the books: Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) took the win ahead of Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) and Didier Sirgue (FRA, LRS Racing).
Didier Sirgue showed at the home race that a twenty-year-old Formula 1 car is far from old hat
BOSS GP OPEN Class
Once again Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was chasing the Formula 1 cars in the World Series car with an improved V8 engine. With the fastest race lap, the Latvian won the OPEN class, which was newly introduced this year for cars without a displacement limit. To the delight of the fans who held out in the heat, he did some donuts after the race, immortalising himself at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
Schlegelmilch pushes as hard as possible to catch the F1 cars from other generations
BOSS GP FORMULA Class
The Portuguese Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (MM International) was unbeatable again today, Sunday, in a race that was 5 minutes longer than the day before. Again MM International team mate Simone Colombo (ITA) was involved in a thrilling fight for position 2 behind Chovanec-Lopez. This time, however, he defended the position in the last third of the race against Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag). With degrading tyres towards the end of the race, Colombo kept his nerve and thus also second place. Faggionato managed a conciliatory result with third place after retiring early yesterday after a spin. Once again, Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was left without a place on the podium. With a further improvement in performance, however, he was ultimately only a good seven seconds off the podium. His team boss and racing colleague Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) retired already in the early stages. This means a setback for the overall standings. The defending champion is now already 47 points behind Chovanec-Lopez and 35 behind Colombo.
The best Frenchman in this class was Alain Girardet (FRA, GDL Racing) in his World Series car in the second race. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) finished in sixth place. This is remarkable, because the Italian had to fight his way back to the front from the end of the field after a spin in the early stages. The fights for positions behind were also worth seeing, among others with David Moretti, Walter Steding and Thomas Jackermeier.
Dominates the FORMULA class this season so far: Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez
BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class
Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) sensationally managed to do the double at his BOSS GP race debut: The only 16-year-old Austrian in the V6 World Series car did a good job today as well and even dueled with the faster FORMULA cars at times. With two race wins and the full points tally this weekend, he was able to make up some points on the first-placed driver in the overall standings, Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport).
Alexander Geier delighted the French spectators in the retro colours of the Renault World Champion cars of 2005 and 2006
The BOSS GP Racing Series now takes a summer break. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done, because the teams are using the time to revise the high-end racing cars and make them ready for the second half of the season. In twelve weeks, Europe’s fastest racing series will continue this year’s championship. At the traditional Masaryk Racing Days in Brno from 9 to 11 September, races 7 and 8 of the season will be held.
Pictures: Jean-Marie Biadatti/PhotoClassicRacing.com, SMW MEDIA
In front of the shining eyes of French racing legends Jean Alesi and Rene Arnoux, the BOSS GP drivers and their unique bolides braved the heat of the Cote d’Azur.
The 20 drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series started the fifth race of the 2022 season at an outside temperature of 32 degrees Celsius. Because one vehicle stalled at the pre-start and recovery took some time, the race was restarted a few minutes later behind the safety car.
BOSS GP F1 Class
Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) did what he had done many times in 2022: controlling the pace. Mindful of the valuable Toro Rosso F1, he tried to keep his rivals under control in the rear-view mirror. He succeeded with style, winning the F1 classification for the fifth time this year. After some technical problems on the Benetton B197, Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) also saw the chequered flag again today. At his first start in Le Castellet he drove a flawless race, which was rewarded with points for second place. At the beginning of the race Didier Sirgue (FRA, LRS Racing) followed him in the rear-view mirror. However, he subsequently lost contact to Ehninger. Nevertheless, Sirgue, who made his BOSS GP comeback after a break of several years, finished the race in third place in the beautiful Jaguar R2 (with R5 livery).
BOSS GP OPEN Class
Rene Arnoux congratulates the Top-3 in the BOSS GP F1 Class
Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was allowed to pick up the winner’s trophy for the class without engine capacity limit. However, his own incentive is to chase the Formula 1 cars. With the fastest lap of 1:48.371, the former Formula 3 professional was also only a few tenths off the fastest lap of the race in the first race, driven by Ingo Gerstl.
BOSS GP FORMULA Class
Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) extended his lead in the fiercely contested FORMULA Class classification with his fourth win of the season. However, the most exciting duel of the race again took place behind the race winner. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) seamlessly continued their duel from the last race weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Throughout the race Ghiotto “hung” in Colombo’s gearbox, several times he tried to pass Colombo, even on the approach to brave turn “Signe” at the end of the long Mistral straight. In the end, it was Colombo again who held on to second place, as he had done in Spielberg. Francesco Malavese (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) narrowly missed the podium with 4th place. Behind Malavese followed the fastest Auto GP Lola of Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag). Matile did not allow himself a break, but also took part in the race of the Formula 1 cars from the 1970s afterwards. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio), who was able to drive to the chequered flag after technical problems in qualifying, and Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed), who had switched from Formula 1 to the GP2 Dallara after a gearbox failure on his Toro Rosso STR3 on Friday, finished 6th and 7th place. Best Frenchman in the FORMULA classification was David Moretti (Griffith’s) in ninth.
Yannick Dalmas with the second place driver in FORMULA class Simone Colombo
BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class
The youngest competitor in the BOSS GP Racing Series at 16 years of age, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing), converted his first pole position at his first race appearance straight into a victory. This meant that Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) was unable to take full points for the first time this season. With second place, however, Hasler remains unchallenged in the lead of the standings.
First victory for Alexander Geier (r.)
The sixth race of the season follows tomorrow Sunday at 3:30 p.m. local time. Before that, there will be a ten-minute warm-up at 9:35 am. The race can be followed live on French television and as today on the YouTube channel of the TV station Automoto la chaîne (only in France).
Quickest times for Gerstl, Schlegelmilch, Chovanec-Lopez and Geier in qualifying for the French Historic Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) leads the BOSS GP F1 Class to the green light for the fifth time this season. Gerstl in the Toro Rosso STR1 took the clear pole position for the two races at the Le Castellet Grand Prix circuit with a time of 1:42.953. Next best F1 driver in qualifying was Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in his Benetton B197. Ehninger is racing at Le Castellet for the first time and is already coping amazingly well with the demanding circuit on day two. A highlight for the French fans is the appearance of Didier Sirgue (FRA, LRS Racing) in the Jaguar R2. Sirgue qualified third in Eddie Irvine’s car from the 2001 Formula 1 season. As recently proved at the Red Bull Ring, the F1 Class will again start the race at the Grand Prix de France Historique around twenty seconds ahead of the rest of the field. This is to reduce the risks at the start of the race.
The closest to Gerstl’s best time was again Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in his modified World Series car. Schlegelmilch is therefore the favorite to win the OPEN classification.
The leader of the FORMULA class, Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International), also set the pace in qualifying. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) qualified second in class, ahead of fast BOSS GP returnee Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag). Close behind was Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), who managed to move up the results list from far behind with a spot-on lap just before the end. Francesco Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was able to meet the expectations after the good practice sessions on Friday and finished fifth ahead of Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International).
In the BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) prevailed over his compatriot and season dominator Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport). Geier thus also rewarded his team, which put a lot of working time into the Formula Renault bolide with V6 engine after a fire at Hockenheim.
The two races will start today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday) at 3:30 p.m. local time. There will already be the grid walk from 2:50 p.m. The races can be followed live on the Automoto La chaîne YouTube (only in France) stream.
Picture: Jean-Marie Biadatti/PhotoClassicRacing.com
Dal kart da corsa alla Formula 2: Simone Colombo (35 anni, di Milano) mostra come si fa. Nella nostra intervista, il pilota di MM International spiega perché la BOSS GP Racing Series lo ha affascinato.
Lei proviene dal karting professionale e l’anno scorso è passato a una vettura di Formula 2. Come è nata questa scelta? Come è stato possibile?
SIMONE COLOMBO: “Ho iniziato con i kart e poi ho smesso quando ho trovato lavoro. Non ho corso per sette anni e sentivo che mi mancava qualcosa. Ma quando lavoravo non potevo fare entrambe le cose, quindi non potevo continuare a fare karting. Così ho cercato di iniziare a correre ed è per questo che sono qui. Nel 2021 ho corso la mia prima gara in assoluto. Ho appena iniziato a correre con le auto di formula e non ne so molto. Ma quest’anno ho fatto molti test prima della prima gara”.
Ma sembra molto abile, non commette molti errori. Le auto GT non erano un’opzione per te?
COLOMBO: “No! Solo monoposto, questo è il massimo”.
Perché gareggia nella BOSS GP Racing Series?
COLOMBO: “Per divertirmi! Mi piace l’esperienza, i circuiti, la macchina. Non ci sono molte opportunità di guidare questo tipo di auto”.
Di cosa si occupa la sua azienda Mondokart?
Un inizio promettente: Nella stagione di debutto di Simone, nel 2021, si è subito classificato secondo nella classe FORMULA.
COLOMBO: “Vendiamo ricambi per kart e kart. Lavoriamo duramente per essere molto bravi e veloci nelle spedizioni. Siamo una sorta di ‘Amazon del karting’. Il karting è molto grande in Italia perché la maggior parte dei kart sono prodotti in Italia e tutti i principali produttori sono in Italia”.
Quali telai vendete?
COLOMBO: “Vendiamo CRG, Tonykart, ma abbiamo anche molte altre marche. Lavoriamo con tutte le aziende del settore. Inoltre, siamo anche produttori di kart, ma questa non è la parte più importante dell’attività”.
Qual è il suo obiettivo per questa stagione agonistica, cosa si aspetta?
COLOMBO: “Voglio fare meglio dell’anno scorso. Forse posso ottenere il primo posto nel campionato, ma non so se ci riuscirò. Quest’anno ci sono anche dei nuovi corridori… Mi limiterò a fare un passo alla volta”.
Foto: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP, Robert Lösch
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