Tag: F1

Report: Hockenheim Race 2

Posted on Maggio 8, 2022 by - Generale

In the fight for victory in the FORMULA classification, the action came to a head on the last lap. Class wins for Gerstl, Schlegelmilch, Colombo and Hasler.

BOSS GP rookie Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International) set an incredible pace for almost twenty minutes and already looked like the secure winner when his tyres started to degrade badly. Chovanec-Lopez’s GP2 car clearly started to drift more and more. In a powerslide he still tried to keep the fast-approaching Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) behind him, but the effort was in vain. Colombo managed his Pirelli P-Zero slicks better and thus took the FORMULA victory in Sunday’s 25-minute race.

Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was again able to collect a trophy at the podium ceremony, he finished third. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) crossed the finish line in an unthankful fourth place. The experienced Italian defeated Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport), who kept Martucci busy at the beginning of the race. Today, Aberer was able to score a good result after his retirement yesterday.

Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) finished sixth in class, ahead of Giancarlo Pedetti, who put in a clean performance as he did yesterday in his BOSS GP debut race. The best German was Walter Steding (Scuderia Palladio) in eighth place. Despite a collision at the start of the race, Alexander Seibold (GER, Scuderia Palladio) was also able to finish the race. Much to the delight of many fans, because Seibold started with a special helmet design as a tribute to the unforgotten Swiss Formula 1 and sports car racer Jo Siffert.

Well-attended grandstands in best early summer weather at the Jim Clark Revival in Hockenheim

The other classes:

The OPEN category of the Formula 1 cars was again a straightforward affair for Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the first car of Scuderia Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri). Despite an early technical knockout, Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) and Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) were able to score second and third respectively.

Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in the yellow-and-black World Series V8 machine performed as he did in Race 1 and, starting from last place on the grid, managed to overtake most of the field in the opening laps. The Latvian left all FORMULA cars behind and won the new classification of the modified BOSS GP cars.

After Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) could not take part in the race yesterday, the Austrian was eager to get through today. He succeeded and even more: Hasler claimed victory in the SUPER LIGHTS six-cylinder classification.

The two races in the Bosch Hockenheim Historic can be watched in replay at www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

The next two races of the BOSS GP Racing Series will follow in four weeks’ time (3-5 June 2022) as part of the Rundstreckentrophy at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

Note: The overall standings are currently still unofficial, as the modified FORMULA car class is only just being added to the regulations.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Hockenheim Race 1

Posted on Maggio 7, 2022 by - Generale

Tens of thousands of fans listened intently as the BOSS GP made its comeback at the Hockenheimring.

In the first race of the 2022 season, Latvian Harald Schlegelmilch (HS Engineering) achieved the rare feat of taking FORMULA class victory from the last grid position. After a couple of laps, the former German Formula 3 trophy winner was already in the top three of the class, and on the sixth lap he finally overtook the FORMULA leader Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International). Schlegelmilch thus won for the fourth time in the BOSS GP Racing Series after Spielberg and Brno 2021. Chovanec-Lopez was also delighted with second place in his BOSS GP debut race.

Behind them, a three-way battle between the Italians Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio), Simone Colombo and Luca Martucci (both MM International) was going on for a while – including tyre lockups and a couple of overtake attempts. On the penultimate lap, Colombo managed the decisive braking manoeuvre against Ghiotto in the hairpin. Colombo thus jumped onto the podium “last minute”.

With a light gap, the Irishman Paul O’Connell (“I’m living my dream”) from HS Engineering finished in sixth place. 7th place in class was still being fought for all the way to the finish line: Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport), who had already passed Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) in the meantime, complained about a sudden loss of power. In the end, it was just not enough to challenge Steding for seventh place. Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) also finished his debut race in the BOSS GP Racing Series in the top ten with a ninth place.

OPEN race winner Ingo Gerstl from Team Top Speed

The OPEN class was once again safe for Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso F1. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) from Tübingen in a Benetton F1 kept out of all the FORMULA class fights and secured second place. His Benetton twin Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom) was only seen for a short time, he had to retire from the race early on due to technical problems.

Michael Aberer (MA Motorsport) was among those beaten in race 1: The Austrian did it like Sebastien Vettel once did and sunk his chances for a top position in the gravel bed of the Sachs curve – but the damage to his GP2 car should be repaired by the second race. Start time for race 2 is tomorrow Sunday at 3:55 p.m. (CEST), before that the warm-up runs at 11:05. You can follow all the action via livestream on www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Hockenheim Qualifying

Posted on Maggio 7, 2022 by - Generale

Already on Saturday morning, the grandstands in the Motodrom were well attended and the open paddock at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic was crowded. Early birds were rewarded with V10 and V8 sounds from the BOSS GP.

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), the BOSS GP champion from 2008, 2016 to 2020, took the first pole position of the year. Unsurprisingly, the man from Salzburg set the superior fastest time in this season’s first qualifying session with 1:21.093 in his Toro Rosso STR1. BOSS GP rookie Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (CZE, MM International) will start the race alongside him. The 17-year-old with Formula 3 experience was thus the fastest driver in the FORMULA classification. Behind him, his teammate Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), last year’s FORMULA runner-up, will start the race. Fourth place was taken by Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom) in the 1997 Formula 1 Benetton, who despite a small spin at the start of qualifying managed to finish well ahead.

Due to his high demands, three-time BOSS GP champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) in the original GP2 car of Charles Leclerc was somehow disappointed with his 5th place. The Italian already complained yesterday about not coping well with the medium-fast track. Behind him Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport) will start into race one. Despite two spins, he was able to keep improving until the end of the session and move up to sixth place.

Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) and Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) will start the race from row 4. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) will only start from grid position nine due to a penalty, Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport) will start from 10th after little practice time on Friday.

Bianca Steiner in her GP2 car

The 17-strong grid will be chased this afternoon by Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering). After very good practice times, former BOSS GP race winner will only start the race from second-last place on the grid. Already in the outlap the drive shaft broke on the modified World Series by Renault bolide. However, the Austrian team will be able to repair the car before the race start (3:30 p.m. CET). Hopefully, local hero Andreas Fiedler will also be able to do the same, as he and his team will try to fix the temperature problems on his bilious green GP2 car.

The first of two races this weekend will be over a distance of 20 laps. Please remind, that the OPEN class drivers will already see the checkered flag after 15 minutes. BOSS GP’s race 1, like the other races at the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring, can be followed via livestream from 3:20 p.m. CET today: www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview: Hockenheim

Posted on Maggio 4, 2022 by - Generale

Three years after its last appearance at Hockenheim, the BOSS GP Racing Series will be back at the start of the traditional event in honour of Jim Clark next weekend. We have summarised everything you need to know.

Tens of thousands of fans will return to the Motodrom from 6 to 8 May 2022 to honour the widely honoured Scottish racing driver Jim Clark, who tragically lost his life in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim in 1968. They will all bring the past back to life this weekend through intense racing action.

However, the organisers of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic are not afraid of building a bridge to the modern age. And so the BOSS GP Racing Series has not only been a regular part of the Jim Clark Revival for years, but also a real crowd-puller. The Big Open Single Seater series was born out of a fundamental question: What should be done with the numerous old cars from classes such as Formula 1, IndyCar, GP2, Auto GP, A1 GP, Superleague Formula or even the World Series? Put them in a museum? Or bring them back to the race track? The answer was obvious. And so the BOSS GP 2022 enters its 28th season this coming weekend. Here are the entrants for the first of six season events in 2022:

No.NameNationTeamClassCarBuild inModel
1Ingo GerstlAUTTop SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006STR1
7Ulf EhningerDEUESBA RacingF1Benetton1997B197
8Phil StratfordGBRPenn Elcom RacingF1Benetton1997B197
10Harald SchlegelmilchLVAHS EngineeringOPENDallara2012World Series V8 by Renault
15Christian FerstlAUTTop SpeedFORMULADallara2011GP2
22Michael AbererAUTAM MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
27Marco GhiottoITAScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
28Bruno JarachITAEesti MotorsportFORMULADallara2008GP2
31Paul O’ConnellIREHS EngineeringFORMULADallara2012World Series by Renault
32Simone ColomboITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2017F2
37Luca MartucciITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
43Giancarlo PedettiITANannini RacingFORMULADallara2014GP2
44Thomas JakoubekAUTTop SpeedFORMULADallara2008GP2
46Alexander SeiboldDEUSeibold Auto + SportFORMULADallara2005GP2
47Walter StedingDEUScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2
51Zdenek Chovanec LopezCZEMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2
66Andreas FiedlerDEUFiedler RacingFORMULADallara2008GP2
110Bianca SteinerAUTSteiner MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2
111Alexander GeierAUTGeier RacingSUPER LIGHTSTatuus2003World Series by Renault
115Andreas HaslerAUTHasler MotorsportSUPER LIGHTSDallara2009World Series by Nissan

Support races:

In addition to the BOSS GP Racing Series, five other formula series will be part of the Bosch Hockenheim Historic: Formula 2, plus the Historic Race Car Association‘s racing cars represent the legendary junior Formula Ford, Vee, Super Vee and Formula 3. The Raceclub Germany is home to various single-seater categories up to Formula 1. The Lurani Trophy is a reminiscence of the legendary Formula Junior, which formed the springboard for a great career for countless top talents. And the Historic Formula Vee Europe is, as the name suggests, about one of the most successful and long-lived junior formulas in history. They all open up a glimpse into a past in which perhaps not everything was more beautiful, but in which legends were written and which is associated with numerous and varied memories, not only among older racing fans.

Fans of historic touring cars, GTs and prototypes will also get their money’s worth at the Bosch Hockenheim Historic. Five other racing series are dedicated to the automotive jewels with roofs, some of which date back to the 1950s, and which offer absolute highlights in the colourful programme of the traditional event, and not only in the form of the brute racers of the legendary Group C.

Timetable and livestream:

Friday, 6 May 2022
12:40–13:10     Free Practice 1
16:45–17:15     Free Practice 2

Saturday, 7 May 2022
09:40–10:10     Qualifying
15:30               Race 1 (20 minutes) LIVESTREAM

Sunday, 8 May 2022
11:05–11:15     Warm-up
15:55                Race 2 (25 minutes) LIVESTREAM

The programme on Saturday and Sunday, including the two races of the BOSS GP, can also be watched for free from home in the livestream with live commentary: www.hockenheim-historic.de/en/live

Side events at the Hockenheim Historic

An event like the Bosch Hockenheim Historic thrives above all on interaction with the fans. The paddock and pit area are open and visible to everyone. All the action on the race track will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday via a large video screen in the Sachs Curve, so that the spectators in the inner grandstand will be well informed at all times about what is happening on the rest of the 4.5-kilometre Grand Prix circuit. In addition, a wide range of information is displayed on the big screen. And if you want to enjoy some quiet time before, during or after your visit to the paddock and grandstands, you can simply visit the Jim Clark exhibition in the congress pavilion.

Tickets:

The ticket prices reflect the family character of the event. Friday tickets start at 10 euros, day tickets for Saturday and Sunday are available from 30 euros, and those who want to experience the entire weekend up close and personal can get in for 45 euros. And for those who like it a bit more exclusive, VIP packages are available from 200 euros. Tickets are available via the online ticket shop or by calling the hotline at +49 6205 950 222.

Picture: Michael Kavena/BOSS GP

Formula 1 ”just for fun”

Posted on Marzo 11, 2022 by - 5, Generale

Ulf Ehninger from Tübingen in Germany surprisingly won the BOSS GP OPEN class title in 2021. We spoke to the defending champion ahead of the season opener in Hockenheim (6-8 May 2022) to discuss the speciality of running a classic Formula 1 car.

Let’s look back to 2021: What are the strongest memories of your masterpiece?

ULF EHNINGER: “Probably that we made it at all! We didn’t even realise it until Monza. It was only when Thomas Hummer from Pirelli told me at the podium ceremony that we had a chance that we started thinking about it. Before that, we wanted to be completely relaxed about it – it was just for fun. I learned that if I take the pressure off, it works better. Ingo Gerstl helped me to understand the set-up of the car. I didn’t feel comfortable in the car for a long time, now I feel the car and its limits much better.”

Was verbindet dich mit dem Benetton B197?

EHNINGER: “The car is great, I often stand languishing in front of it. Actually, the car is much too beautiful to drive. You should know, that it’s probably also the Formula 1 car with the most kilometres worldwide!”

What do you need to be able to do to drive a car like that?

EHNINGER: “James Hunt once said, ‘big balls’. Before I get into a car like this, I have quite a mental dilemma When you sit in it, however, it’s gone. But it’s still a huge challenge to drive it. After the first free practice session I’m completely blown away – and confronted with a lot of impressions – that takes a lot of effort. Gerstl pulls the trigger, I have to feel my way. Engineer Dario Pergolini helped me a lot with his analysis tools. I can’t even describe the feeling of driving such a racing car. Acceleration is the quickest thing to get used to, but I’ll never get used to the cornering speeds.”

How did it come about in the first place? You don’t buy a Formula 1 car in a supermarket …

EHNINGER: “I drove endurance races for a long time. But my dream was always to drive a Formula 1 racing car, which I wanted to do for my 50th birthday. The fact that I now own and drive one myself and have already driven almost 3,000 kilometres in it – that’s a dream come true. I drove a sports car in the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring in 2018. We broke the drive shaft. After the repair, we walked through the paddock late at night. As we passed Phil Stratford’s pits, a sticker said ‘Sale’. Rather jokingly, we then called the number and ended up with Kevin Mansell and Phil Stratford, who informed us about the car the very next day. It then took some time, as the car was in the USA, until we could get started. But our goal has always been to run the car ourselves and not have another team look after it.”

That sounds good, but not easy.

EHNINGER: “I do most of the work myself and also drive the truck. The search for parts can be very tiring, it can take three months to find something. In winter, everything is checked – every sealing ring, the entire chassis for possible damage and so on. The spare parts have to be rebuilt. We are currently working on a solution to increase the short running times of the gearbox. After the race at the Red Bull Ring (3-5 June 2022, note), the engine will then come in for an overhaul.”

Why can’t you get enough of it anyway?

EHNINGER: “I think it’s nice to spend a race weekend together with others. I have been super well welcomed into the BOSS GP. It was always said that only the rich ‘snobs’ race there – but it wasn’t like that. So we enjoy spending a weekend like this as a community rather than attending track days somewhere anonymously. Last year the Italians invited us for dinner, and even though we didn’t know Italian and they didn’t know German, we had a delicious evening of conversation.”

Your team ESBA Racing originally comes from endurance racing, how are you set up?

EHNINGER: “As you rightly say, ESBA already existed before the Benetton, roughly since 2016. We had already bought a truck for it, which we still use today to spend the night at the race tracks. Jochen, with whom I’ve been friends for over 30 years, has been with me from the beginning. When I’m driving, he’s with me. When he rides, I’m with him. I met Jens through a friend. He has become a valuable team member and is now also involved with Glickenhaus. He’s passionate about Benetton, and without him it wouldn’t work at all. Then there is Dario, who has brought professionalism to the team.

Can you briefly summarise your racing career so far?

EHNINGER: “Career is perhaps a little overstated (laughs). More than 20 years ago, I really wanted to race on the Nordschleife. Together with friends we built a BMW E36 M3 – without much time or money. Later I also drove an Audi and a Porsche – even the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring twice. The Nordschleife is certainly the greatest track there is.

What I like about the BOSS GP Racing Series is the way the people tick, that you can have fun together and that politics is in the background. With Pirelli, we have a strong partner and are certainly on the right track. I wish, more being done for young talent.”

What are your plans for the new season?

EHNINGER: “In addition to a few races in the BOSS GP, I will also try to drive another historic race car a few times, namely a V8 Star bolide (German silhouette series from the early 2000s, note) – the original Hasseröder car from Harald Grohs.”

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

First look at 2022

Posted on Dicembre 31, 2021 by - Generale

Seven race events on the calendar for the BOSS GP Racing Series in 2022. Among them the return to France.

The 28th season of the only true Big Open single seater series will start at the beginning of May and not end until November 2022, which should ensure a largely trouble-free season even under the circumstances of the COVID pandemic. The provisional race calendar includes only Formula 1 and MotoGP level circuits. This guarantees a modern infrastructure and high safety standards.

The first two of 14 races in 2022 will take place at the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring on 6, 7 and 8 May. This is followed by the home race of the Austrian-registered racing series at the Red Bull Ring on 4 and 5 June. One of the season highlights is the return to “Paul Ricard” for the French Historic Grand Prix (17-19 June).

Start of race 2 at Paul Ricard 2017.
Memories: BOSS GP 2017 in Le Castellet

Another race is listed for July, but confirmation is still pending. This race is intended as a replacement for the 2021 event at the Nürburgring, which had been cancelled due to the flood disaster in the nearby Ahr Valley.

From 9 to 11 September, the BOSS GP Racing Series will once again run as the main act at the Masaryk Racing Days in Brno. The season ends with an Italian double: first at “Forza Fanatec” in Mugello from14-16 October, then at Misano (4-6 November) for the “Pirelli Grande Finale”.

More news about the 2022 season coming soon on www.bossgp.com and on our social media channels Facebook and Instagram.

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP, Michael Kavena/BOSS GP

Report Race 1 Spielberg

Posted on Maggio 22, 2021 by - Generale

Drying track confronted teams and drivers with difficult decisions in the first race of the weekend: Gerstl fights his way to victory, Ghiotto triumphs in the FORMULA class.

It stopped raining before the start of the race. The track dried out more and more. However, this confronted the teams with difficult challenges. Many places on the track were already dry, a few were still wet. The field was split in the tyre choice between Pirelli P-Zero (slick) and Cinturato (rain). Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), like many of his competitors in the front, put on the slicks. A decision that turned out to be the right one. As there was no more rain, drivers with rain tyres were at a loss.

Gerstl was unable to pull away at the front, with Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) following the leader like a shadow. However, a real overtaking opportunity did not arise during the race. The sensation man from qualifying, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering), could not keep up the initial pace and dropped back to 4th overall.

Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Competition) in the Jaguar R3 was able to redeem himself after his spin in qualifying. He drove some of the fastest laps on the track and finished the race in 6th place overall and 3rd in the OPEN. At the front, Gerstl secured the win by six tenths ahead of returnee Stratford, who could get back on the podium after a year’s compulsory break. Ghiotto completed the podium and was also the clear winner in the FORMULA class. Schlegelmilch and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) were the other two to complete the podium.

Award Giving Ceremony for the 2020 season: f.l. Ehninger, Martucci, Ghiotto, Gerstl, Steding and Ponzio

There was another surprise for the pilots after the race: the overall championship victory ceremony from 2020 was held. For all pilots, it is now time to focus once again, as the second race of the weekend starts at 15:55 local time.

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report Free Practice Spielberg

Posted on Maggio 21, 2021 by - Generale

The BOSS GP with pictures for the ages? Impressive show run with Formula 1 cars and IndyCars on Friday.

Usually, the Red Bull Ring is home to the Formula 1 World Championship and MotoGP, but this weekend the BOSS GP Racing Series is a guest in Styria. After the six-week break since the Season Opening in Mugello, the track time was used extensively on Austria’s most beautiful racetrack and enough kilometres were recorded – the weather also played along on this Friday. It stayed dry all day, so all the drivers were able to test their cars extensively. Especially for the first-time starters, every metre on the 4.3-kilometre track around the iconic bull counted. Among others, Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka) drove a Chip Ganassi IndyCar from the mid-2000s today.

At the start of the second practice session, there was a memorable moment in BOSS GP’s history: there was a phalanx of Big Open Single Seaters on track that had not been seen for a long time, with the two Benetton B197s, the Sauber C30, a Jaguar R3, two Toro Rosso STR1s, Vettel’s winning STR3 car and two Ryschka IndyCars. During this showrun, impressive footage of man and machine was captured by a camera team and will soon be shown on the BOSS GP social media channels.

In total 22 drivers set a time today. Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) dominated both practice sessions in his 2006 Toro Rosso. Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Competiton) in the Jaguar R3 was second fastest in the combined times from the first and second practice session. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) was third fastest FORMULA driver today. Rounding up the top five were Simone Colombo and Luca Martucci (both ITA, MM International). These five have gained a bit of an advantage that way, they will have the track to themselves in Q1. Depending on the weather conditions, it will be decided tomorrow, Saturday, whether qualifying will start in two groups as usual or whether there will be a 30-minute session with all drivers. The chances of rain are increasing until tomorrow. In any case, there will be two races on Saturday (11:20 and 15:55).

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Preview Spielberg

Posted on Maggio 20, 2021 by - Generale

Swift comeback of BOSS GP in Spielberg: After two years, Europe’s fastest racing series returns to Austria for its home race with a special highlight.

Several thousand horsepower will meet on the Formula 1 racetrack at the Red Bull Ring next Friday and Saturday. In a flawless programme, 24 Big Open Single Seaters – Formula 1, IndyCar, GP2, World Series by Renault and Formula 3000 – will make a stop in Styria. Sebastian Vettel’s winning car from 2008, the Toro Rosso STR3, a Jaguar R3, two Benetton B197s (including Gerhard Berger’s), a Sauber C30 from 2011 and finally, once again, an IndyCar will be a feast for the eyes and ears. With Ingo Gerstl (STR1-F1, Top Speed), Bianca Steiner (GP2, Steiner Motorsport), Christian Ferstl (F2, Top Speed), Thomas Jakoubek (GP2, Top Speed) and Michael Aberer (GP2, MA Motorsport) there are also five local drivers on the starting grid.

The STM waterjet race on 20 and 21 May 2021 is a 2-day event– on Friday there will be two practice sessions, on Saturday a qualifying in addition to both races. A special highlight is a separate show run for Formula 1 and IndyCars on Friday afternoon. The Formula 1 racetrack in the Alps replaces the Jim Clark Revival at the Hockenheimring, which was cancelled in May. The Red Bull Ring was last on the race calendar of the BOSS GP Racing Series in 2019. The race winners back then: Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) and Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed). Many drivers and fans are happy about the return of the Big Open Single Seater to the Austrian iconic circuit. At the same time, the STM waterjet race at the Red Bull Ring is also the home race of the championship sanctioned by the Austrian Motorsport Federation. Other series on the agenda include the Drexler Formula Cup and the Suzuki Swift Cup Europe in addition to the GT race cars from the P9 Challenge. Unfortunately, no spectators are allowed on site, but they can follow the event via the BOSS GP social media channels.

Timetable STM waterjet Race Red Bull Ring:

Friday, 21. May 2021
11:00–11:30           Free Practice 1
15:20–15:35 Show Laps OPEN class
15:35–16:00           Free Practice 2

Saturday, 22 May 2021
09:15–09:45          Qualification (8+20 minutes)
11:20–11:40           Race 1 (20 minutes)
15:55–16:20 Race 2 (25 minutes)

Photo: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP

Report Qualifying Mugello

Posted on Aprile 10, 2021 by - Generale

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