Tag: Auto GP

Report: Le Castellet Race 2

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Keke Platzer - 5, General

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

Here we go!

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Keke Platzer - General

Our preview for the BOSS GP Season Opening 2021 at Mugello Circuit on April 9, 10 and 11.

The BOSS GP Racing Series makes it possible: The upcoming weekend will mark the start of the new season for teams and drivers with their Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3000 and Auto GP bolides. At the season opening of Europe’s fastest racing series, one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world awaits the youngsters and gentlemen of BOSS GP. The 5.245-kilometre track in Mugello (built in 1974) is owned by Ferrari and traditionally hosts the World Motorcycle Championship. Last year, the circuit in Tuscany also hosted a Formula 1 race for the first time. The sequences of curves are usually smooth and fast, the topography hilly – all in all an absolute favourite track for many race drivers.

After a few years of abstinence, Mugello was added back into the Big Open Single Seater race calendar last year. The Cuvee Sensorium Grand Prix became the season finale in October 2020. The first race was dominated by the duel for the FORMULA championship title between Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio). Although Martucci won his first BOSS GP race, second place was enough for Ghiotto to defend his title. In rainy conditions again, a lot of courage and skill was demanded of the drivers in race 2. Both were combined by Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who added a surprising overall victory to a rather disappointing season.

The fact that the BOSS GP Racing Series can start the season as originally planned is also thanks to the race organiser Gruppo Peroni, who is hosting the event at Mugello. The support line-up of BOSS GP includes the one-make trophies Lotus Cup Italia, the Mitjet Italia Racing Series as well as sports prototypes, historic race cars and Porsche regularity classes. Due to the pandemic situation, the paddock and grandstands are not open to fans. BOSS GP hopes to welcome spectators back in our paddock soon.

Timetable BOSS GP Season Opening Mugello:

Friday, 9 April 2021
10:35–11:05 Free Practice 1
14:10–14:40 Free Practice 2

Saturday, 10 April 2021
10:05–10:35 Qualification (8+20 minutes)
15:55–16:15 Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 11 April 2021
10:00–10:10 Warm-up
14:30–14:55 Race 2 (25 minutes)

The starting list BOSS GP Season Opening Mugello 2021:

Armando Mangini (ITA)	MM International	Dallara GP2
Luca Martucci (ITA)	MM International	Dallara GP2
Simone Colombo (ITA)	MM International	Dallara GP2
Salvatore De Plano (ITA)	MM International	Lola Auto GP
Ingo Gerstl (AUT)	Top Speed	Toro Rosso STR1 F1
to be announced	Top Speed	Dallara GP2
Marco Ghiotto (ITA)	Scuderia Palladio	Dallara GP2
Walter Steding (GER)	Scuderia Palladio	Dallara GP2
Nicolas Matile (MCO)	Zig-Zag	Lola Auto GP
Marc Faggionato (MCO)	Zig-Zag	Dallara GP2
Giulio Tine (ITA)	Colacino	Lola T96 50
Walter Colacino (ITA)	Colacino	Lola T96 50
Ulf Ehninger (GER)	ESBA Racing	Benetton B197 F1
Andreas Fiedler (GER)	Fiedler Racing	Dallara GP2
Bruno Jarach (EST)	Esti Motorsport	Dallara GP2
Alexander Seibold (GER)	Alexander Seibold	Dallara GP2
Gianluca De Lorenzi (SMR)	GDL Racing	Lola Auto GP

Report Race 2 Mugello

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Keke Platzer - General

Fiedler wins rain race ahead of Matile.

Rain, lightning and thunder had the Mugello region firmly under control on Sunday. It was no wonder that some drivers in their cars with over 600 hp took no risks and decided not to start in the second race of the weekend. Even more admirable are those drivers who ventured onto the wet track with partly standing water.

From the front row, yesterday’s race winner Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) started the race. Just when the lights switched to green, Martucci lost control of his car and was lucky not to hit the pit wall. After this moment of shock he was even able to continue the race. Still in lap 1, Ghiotto, who was in the lead, also lost control and spun his car at the exit of “Arrabbiata 1”. Because the vehicle had to be recovered from the meadow, the Fanatec Safety Car neutralised the race.

In the lead now was Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) in a Dallara GP2, who battled for the lead with Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) in an Auto-GP-Lola in the final stage of the race. With victory in sight, both drivers gave everything they had, sometimes only centimetres apart from each other in a drift. In the end, Fiedler defied all attacks from Matile and took his first overall BOSS GP victory. However, Nicolas was also happy with second place and his best BOSS GP result so far. For the second time this year Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) finished on the podium in his new Auto GP. His rain experience paid off this time.

Bruno Jarach (EST, Eeesti Motorsport) also achieved his best BOSS GP result with fourth place. Fifth place went to the unlucky Luca Martucci, who at least secured the fastest lap.

After the two races in Mugello, the decisions in the championship have also been made: Ingo Gerstl (OPEN) and Marco Ghiotto (FORMULA) defend their title from last year. The top 3 in the big class are completed by Benetton driver Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) and Jaguar driver Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Competition). Overall 2nd place in the FORMULA class goes to Luca Martucci. Sensational third place goes to Ghiotto’s team-mate Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio).

The season finale in Imola had to be cancelled. The reason for this is the starting build-up for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna, which takes place on November 1^st. Instead, the BOSS GP Racing Series plans a final event at the Adria Raceway (ITA). Details will follow soon.

Photo: Roberto Piccinini/Actualfoto

Report Race 1 Mugello

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Keke Platzer - General, Uncategorized

FORMULA: Martucci beats Ghiotto, Gerstl ahead of Ehninger in the OPEN class

The BOSS GP drivers have a lot to tell after this race. Of all things, it started to rain at the start of the warm-up lap on the 5.4-kilometre-long Mugello Circuit. To ensure a safe start to the race and to give the teams time to change to rain tyres, the race was stopped once again and started a few minutes later behind the Fanatec Safety Car. But not everyone switched from slicks to the Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres during the break. Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag), Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport) took the risk, but their tyre choice turned out to be a mistake as soon as the race was started. At various points around the track it began to rain more heavily again. The changing conditions subsequently made it incredibly difficult for the drivers to find the right pace. But the BOSS GP drivers did an outstanding job and managed to keep their powerful Formula 1, Formula 2 and Auto GP cars on track.

Behind the Austrian Ingo Gerstl (winner of the OPEN class) in the Toro Rosso F1, Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) fought an epic battle for the victory in the FORMULA class. In lap 1 Ghiotto first passed Martucci. At mid-race, the action came to a head: After a few tentative attempts, Martucci made the decisive manoeuvre at over 300 km/h on the start-finish straight. Nearly there was contact. But the duel was not over yet, because now Luca had to be up front in difficult track conditions. Marco followed only a few metres behind and tried to pass Martucci once again. To show how close it was between Martucci and Ghiotto: The best lap time of the two was only 0.003 seconds separated (in favour of Ghiotto). But it was no longer enough for the championship leader, instead Martucci’s team had reason to cheer this time. It was the first victory ever for the tall Italian in the BOSS GP Racing Series, and what a victory that was!

Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) was able to follow the two Italians in their home race for a couple of laps. He finished in a strong third place. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) also delivered a surprisingly good race. The third in the championship in 2019 has bought a new Dallara GP2 and is using this season’s races as a test. Because his team had no rain tyres at hand, the German had to drive to his tent in the paddock and then start from pit lane. Relatively quickly he moved up to fifth place in his class, but the gap to the front was already large. Until the halfway point of the race, Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) was on a good way to a fourth-place finish. But Steding lost ground in the second half of the race, and his position to compatriot Fiedler.

Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International) also drove impeccably, finishing sixth in his class behind Steding. Last year Mangini had announced his retirement. Today he proved that this was probably premature. Probably the hardest race had Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni). He was the only one who stayed on dry tyres until the end of the race and therefore had no chance. It is probably only thanks to his driving qualities that he was able to finish the race safely.

A ten-minute warm-up will be held tomorrow morning from 10.20 a.m. The second race of the weekend start 14.30. Rain showers are predicted.

Photo: Roberto Piccinini/Actualfoto

Report: Race 2 Brno

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Keke Platzer - General

Christopher Höher dedicate his win in Brno 2019 to his recently deceased father

Second win for Höher and Gerstl at the Masaryk Racing Days.

Christopher Höher (AUT, Top Speed) certainly didn’t have an easy time in race 2. Although the guest starter took the second win in FORMULA class this weekend, he only won slightly ahead of Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio).

At the beginning of the race Höher could follow the leading OPEN driver Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed). Gerstl already secured his fifth championship title in the OPEN class in the first race of the weekend. In race 2 he managed to win his eighth race of the season in his Toro Rosso STR1.

Behind the dominator, however, it was another exciting race in FORMULA class: Due to Höher overstraining his tyres at the beginning of the race in pursuit of Gerstl, he only defended himself on the literally last groove towards the end of the race. Ghiotto tried everything – drove to the left, drove to the right – but Höher remained ice-cold and held first position until the finish line.

Alessandro Bracalente (ITA, Speed Center) was the closest rival to Höher in the first stage of the race. On lap 4, however, the leader of the standings dropped positions, one lap later he parked his car in the pits with a clutch failure. A major setback in the championship as rival Ghiotto took 22 points with second place. Before the championship finale Ghiotto is 15 points ahead of Bracalente. In Imola a maximum of 50 points will be awarded.

f.l. Marco Ghiotto, OPEN winner Ingo Gerstl, FORMULA winner Christopher Höher and Luca Martucci

Despite a spin, Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) finished third with a very strong closing stage. It was Martucci’s fourth podium finish this season. In the fight for the podium the decision was made after a Full Course Yellow in turn 1. There he overtook Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) who showed a strong pace with the fastest lap and some position wins at the start of the race. Fiedler could score at least two points more than Philippe Haezebrouck (FRA, Speed Center) with 4th place. In the standings, Fiedler is now back on 3rd place, but only one point ahead of Haezebrouck. This duel also promises excitement in the final races of the season.

During middle of the race it looked good for Marc Faggionato (MCO, Zig-Zag) too. In the battle with Höher and Ghiotto for the front Faggionato spun by himself. Because the engine stopped running, the second race of the weekend for the fast Monegasque was over too.

Behind Gianluca Ripoli (ITA, MM International) Walter Steding (DEU, Inter Europol) finished seventh with an impeccable performance. With an outstanding performance Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center) drove from the last grid position into the top-8. Nicolas Matile (MCO, Zig-Zag) in the only Auto-GP Lola spun shortly before the end and threw away a top result at the guest start.

Europe’s fastest racing series will return to Imola for the finale in five weeks. The Grande Finale of the BOSS GP 2019 will take place on October 12th and 13th.

Report: Race 1 Brno

Posted on September 8, 2018 by Keke Platzer - General

The most exciting race of the season did not leave anyone cold: Dominator Ingo Gerstl had to push, and Marc Faggionato drove the race of his life.

The BOSS GP’s brute sound attracted numerous spectators to the Automotodrom in Brno – and nobody regretted it. Exciting position fights wherever you looked. A little bit of touching and wheelbanging were the spice in this afternoon’s program.

That the victory would lead over Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) was less surprising. The fans liked the fact that the man from Salzburg had to fight his way through the field again after a pit stop and challenged Gerstl more than expected. Although no new lap record was set, with 1:37.751 Gerstl in the Toro Rosso STR1, however, set a speedy time and won in the end sovereign.

Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) took the lead for four laps, in the end it was only enough to finish in 2nd place. The Benetton driver had to save his tyres on the front axle, Wolfgang Jaksch (DEU, F Xtreme Racing) caught up Stratford in big steps towards the end. The Super Aguri of Jaksch crossed the finish line just a few metres behind Stratford.

The man of the race comes from the FORMULA class: Marc Faggionato (MCO, ZIG-ZAG Motorsport) could not participate in qualifying with a clutch problem. Only the good practice times helped him to get permission to start in the race. In the first race Faggionato roared furiously from 15th on the grid to 4th on the grid. This meant not only overtaking eleven opponents, but also the victory in the FORMULA class for GP2, Auto GP and similar vehicles.

But it was a tough fight for Faggionato, especially when it comes to the fight for podium and the victory. The positions changed several times, Bernd Herndlhofer (AUT, H&A Racing) in the first race with his own car in the 2018 season could defend himself the longest and led the class at the beginning of the race. Also pole setter Salvatore De Plano (ITA, MM International) countered once. In lap 8, however, Faggionato grabbed both opponents for victory and drove away the pack.

The group behind was led by Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International). He also showed an outstanding performance from 13th position on the grid. Even if Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed) had speculated on a podium place, rank 5 in the FORMULA meant the extension of the lead in the points standings to Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing). Fiedler finished sixth, ahead of Peter Göllner (SUI, Speed Center), who was able to assert himself against an aggressive Nicolas Matile (MCO, ZIG-ZAG Motorsport) in the only Lola Zytec Auto GP.

The 15 drivers did not give away a single meter in the 20-minute race. They also fought for 9th place in the FORMULA until the finish line, as if it were a question of victory. Walter Steding (9th), Thomas Jakoubek (10th), Christian Eicke (11th) and local hero Veronika Cicha (12th) took part in this sensational fight.

Tomorrow, Sunday, a decision can already be made in the championship, both for Ingo Gerstl in the OPEN and for team mate Florian Schnitzenbaumer (both Top Speed) in the FORMULA. The pit lane for race 2 opens at 12:15 local time.

Quotes after the race:

Ingo Gerstl (1st place OPEN): “Good for the fans, if they like what we do. The show was great, that’s what we need.”

Marc Faggionato (1st place FORMULA): “That was really good. Sometimes it was pretty close with the others. It’s nice that in the end I could drive faster than the two OPEN cars in front of me. But from the very back I just can’t do more. Tomorrow I have to start from the back again. I hope it works that way again.”

Phil Stratford (2nd place OPEN): “I would have had to lead six more laps, then I would have won. (laughs) In the end, I divided up the pace to stay ahead of Wolfgang.”

Bernd Herndlhofer (2nd place FORMULA): “Good race and good result, but I still can’t manage the car as I want. The set-up of the car is not good enough, I’m sure I can still improve”.

Pictures: Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP