Tag: F1

EN: 2024 season review F1 & OPEN

Posted on December 3, 2024 by - General

The championship title in the top class of Formula 1 cars went to Ulf Ehninger this year. In the OPEN cars, it was Antonio Pizzonia who defended his title.

This year there was a duel that has never been seen before in the Formula 1 World Championship: Benetton versus Toro Rosso, Ulf Ehninger versus Ingo Gerstl. It could also be described as a remote duel, especially as Gerstl (Team Top Speed) had to watch his opponent from pit wall on serveral occasions at the beginning of the year because of technical problems on his 2006 Toro Rosso. Ehninger (ESBA Racing) in the light blue 1997 Benetton with Judd engine took three victories in the first four races, while the Austrian Gerstl picked up in the second half of the season where he left off last year. With five wins in a row, things got tight again at the top of the standings towards the season finale. But just one race before the end, Ehninger secured the title early with a second place in the first race in Mugello. Luckily for the German, he retired in the second race. This is Ehninger’s second championship title in the BOSS GP Racing Series after his maiden success in 2021.

Many fans gather in front of the Top Speed Garage

At the beginning of the year, Thomas Jakoubek (Team Top Speed) also joined the grid with his beautiful Lotus T127 (from the 2010 Formula 1 season). The Austrian is set to make further starts next year. Just how important the Formula 1 cars are in the 30th year of the BOSS GP Racing Series was demonstrated by Ingo Gerstl’s appearance at the show run in the center of Assen, where the BOSS GP figurehead was joined by David Coulthard to promote the races.

Thomas Jakoubek at the BOSS GP premiere of his Lotus T127 at the Hockenheimring

In the OPEN class, which is positioned between Formula 1 and the GP2 and World Series cars in the FORMULA class, it was a solo race for Antonio Pizzonia (HS Engineering). Despite little competition for his World Series V8 4.5, the former Jaguar and Williams driver also had a lot of fun in his second year in the BOSS GP Racing Series, which he also shared with the cheering fans in the grandstands several times with donuts after the chequered flag.

Pizzonia celebrates victory at the Red Bull Ring to the delight of the spectators

For the Grande Finale in Misano, Pizzonia was faced with competition from within the team. Haralds Slegelmilhs, the 2022 OPEN champion, returned to BOSS GP. The two drivers from the Austrian team had a tough, but always fair, duel in both races. Because Pizzonia did not get off the line at the flying start in the first race, the Latvian Slegelmilhs was able to capitalize on this. It was the only race in which Pizzonia started and did not take full points. However, the Brazilian took his revenge on Sunday and reversed the order, with guest entrant Haralds Slegelmilhs taking the fastest race lap and a new lap record at the Misano World Circuit.

Antonio Pizzonia, chased by Haralds Slegelmilhs in Misano

The top 3 in each class will be honored on 7 December 2024 at the big Champions Night in Maria Alm in the Austrian mountains.

Interested drivers can already pre-register for the 2025 season. Send a non-binding inquiry now to office@bossgp.com

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

DE: Saisonrückblick 2024 F1 & OPEN

Posted on December 3, 2024 by - General, Allgemein

Der Meistertitel in der Königsklasse der Formel-1-Boliden ging in diesem Jahr an Ulf Ehninger. Bei den OPEN-Boliden war es Antonio Pizzonia, der seinen Titel verteidigte.

In diesem Jahr gab es ein Duell, dass es so in der Formel-1-Weltmeisterschaft nie gab: Benetton gegen Toro Rosso, Ulf Ehninger gegen Ingo Gerstl. Man konnte es auch als Fernduell bezeichnen, musste vor allem Gerstl (Team Top Speed) Anfang des Jahres mit technischen Problemen an seinem 2006er-Toro-Rosso mehrfach zusehen. Ehninger (ESBA Racing) im hellblauen Benetton von 1997 mit Judd-Motor holte in den ersten vier Rennen drei Siege, während der Österreicher Gerstl in der zweiten Saisonhälfte dort anknüpfte, wo er in der Vorsaison aufgehört hat. Mit fünf Siegen en suite wurde es an der Tabellenspitze zum Saisonfinale nochmals eng. Doch bereits ein Rennen vor Schluss konnte sich Ehninger mit einem zweiten Rang im ersten Lauf in Mugello vorzeitig den Titel sichern. Glück für den Deutschen, denn im zweiten Lauf schied er aus. Für Ehninger ist es der zweite Meistertitel in der BOSS GP Racing Series nach dem Premierenerfolg im Jahr 2021.

Zahlreiche Fans tummeln sich vor der Top-Speed-Garage

Am Beginn des Jahres bereicherte auch Thomas Jakoubek (Team Top Speed) mit seinem schönen Lotus T127 (aus der Formel-1-Saison 2010) das Fahrerfeld. Nächstes Jahr sollen weitere Starts des Österreichs erfolgen. Wie wichtig die Formel-1-Boliden auch im 30. Jahr der BOSS GP Racing Series sind, zeigte u.a. Ingo Gerstls Auftritt beim Showrun in der Innenstadt von Assen, wo das BOSS GP-Aushängeschild zusammen mit David Coulthard die Werbetrommel rührte.

Thomas Jakoubek bei der Premiere des Lotus T127 am Hockenheimring

In der offenen Klasse, die zwischen den Formel 1 und den GP2- bzw. World-Series-Autos der FORMULA-Klasse angesiedelt ist, war es ein Solo für Antonio Pizzonia (HS Engineering). Der ehemalige Jaguar- und Williams-Pilot hatte auch in seinem zweiten Jahr in der BOSS GP Racing Series trotz wenig Konkurrenz für seinen World Series V8 4.5 viel Spaß, den er mit Donuts in der Auslaufrunde mehrmals auch mit den jubelnden Fans auf den Tribünen teilte.

Pizzonia feiert den Sieg am Red Bull Ring zur Freude der Zuschauer standesgemäß

Zum Grande Finale in Misano bekam Pizzonia stallintern Konkurrenz zur Seite gestellt. Mit Haralds Slegelmilhs war der OPEN-Meister des Jahres 2022 zur BOSS GP zurückgekehrt. Die beiden Fahrer des österreichischen Teams duellierten sich in beiden Rennen wenig zimperlich, aber immer fair. Weil Pizzonia im ersten Rennen beim fliegenden Start nicht vom Fleck kam, war der Lette Slegelmilhs in der Lage, daraus Profit zu ziehen. Es war das einzige Rennen, bei dem Pizzonia an den Start gegangen war und nicht die volle Punktzahl mitnahm. Doch der Brasilianer revanchierte sich am Sonntag und drehte die Reihenfolge wieder um, einzig die schnellste Rennrunde und damit auch einen neuen Rundenrekord am Misano World Circuit ließ sich Gastfahrer Haralds Slegelmilhs nicht nehmen.

Antonio Pizzonia, in Misano verfolgt von Haralds Slegelmilhs

Die Top-3 jeder Klasse werden am 7. Dezember 2024 bei der großen Champions Night in Maria Alm in den österreichischen Bergen geehrt.

Interessierte Fahrer können sich bereits für die Saison 2025 voranmelden. Sendet jetzt eine unverbindliche Anfrage an office@bossgp.com

Fotos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Review: Nürburgring 2024

Posted on June 4, 2024 by - 5, General

Three weeks after the season opener in Hockenheim, the BOSS GP Racing Series resumed its season at the Nürburgring. Among other things, there was a thrilling duel for FORMULA victory and Pizzonia’s record-breaking drive.

The return to the legendary circuit in the Eifel offered drivers and fans plenty of excitement and thrilling motorsport. This time, the Grand Prix circuit with the smoother motorbike version in the Veedol-S was used. Rock concerts, a huge firework’s display on Saturday evening and an illuminated Ferris wheel in the paddock attracted thousands of visitors to the Nürburgring Classics just one week before the 24-hour race. At the Grid Walk before the BOSS GP races, many fans were able to get up close to the cars.

F1 and OPEN

F1 driver Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA-Racing) and OPEN driver Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) scored maximum points for the championship twice. Ehninger enriched the event with his Benetton B197, which had already competed here at the Grand Prix of Luxembourg in 1997. ESBA-Racing also put Alexander Wurz’s 1998 Benetton on display.

Benetton’s 1998 (le.) and 1997 (ri.) F1 cars

Pizzonia caused a sensation with an outstanding qualifying lap in the World Series 4.5: With a time of 1:38.135 min, the ex-Formula 1 driver set a new lap record for non-Formula 1 cars, once again living up to the reputation of Europe’s fastest racing series.

Antonio Pizzonia on the way to his record lap

FORMULA

The FORMULA category, which this time featured exclusively GP2 cars, was hotly contested. Reigning champion Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) won both races, but was under a lot of pressure, especially in the second race. Japanese driver Juju Noda (MM International) tried to pass her team-mate several times. The two top drivers showed each other no mercy and were side by side several times, especially in the first corner. However, Noda overshot the braking point on another overtaking attempt and subsequently spun.

The fact that she was able to compete at all is thanks to the spirit of solidarity within the BOSS GP family. After an engine failure on Friday, the neighbouring team Scuderia Palladio provided a spare car shortly before qualifying. She thanked them with third place in the first race.

Marco Ghiotto from team Scuderia Palladio (li.) helped out Juju Noda (re.)

Meanwhile, everything is going according to plan for Simone Colombo. After three wins in a row, he is leading the overall standings by nine points from Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), who also had a successful weekend with second and third place. Michael Fischer made a strong debut with 4th place in the first race. In the second race, the Austrian with monoposto and GT experience was able to improve once again and celebrated second place behind Colombo. The best German in the races turned out to be Alexander Seibold (Seibold auto + sport) in both races.

Great racing in the SUPER LIGHTS category

SUPER LIGHTS

Stefan Scho (GER, Scho) celebrated a perfect debut. In his first appearance in the BOSS GP Racing Series, the experienced German in the Lola Formula 3000 was able to prevail against the increasingly strong competition in terms of quantity and quality in the SUPER LIGHTS and clinch victory twice. Swiss driver Stephan Glaser (Jo Zeller Racing) in the World Series car, who scored good points again with second place in the first race, retains the lead in the standings. Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) also remains consistent, finishing third twice. Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) also finished on the podium in his Formula 3000. Once again, it became evident how diverse this still young class is this year.

The next two races in the BOSS GP Racing Series will take place at the Red Bull Ring Classics from 7 to 9 June 2024.

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Debut for BOSS GP Show Run

Posted on September 7, 2023 by - General

At the Masaryk Racing Days in Brno on September 9 and 10, the BOSS GP Racing Series will showcase some of its most valuable racing cars.

For the first time, a BOSS GP event will not be contested for championship points. Instead, the focus in the Czech Republic is on the show. Formula 1 cars and F1-related Formula 1 single-seaters will be on track on Saturday and Sunday in six 15-minute sessions at the Automotodrom Brno.

The Wolf F1 WR7 by Rudolf Raml, which James Hunt, Keke Rosberg and Emerson Fittipaldi drove in 1979, will be on display. From the year 2001 is the Arrows A22, which was driven by Enrique Bernoldi and Jos Verstappen. Examples of modern cars are the green and yellow Lotus T127 (2010) driven by Thomas Jakoubek and the Toro Rosso STR1 (2006) driven by Ingo Gerstl.

These and other cars are also exhibited in the pits and can be seen during the pitwalk on Sunday at midday (12:15-12:45 p.m. CEST). The exhibits also include Michael Schumacher’s 1997 Ferrari and the Toro Rosso STR3 in which Sebastian Vettel celebrated his first victory.

Discover more on the event on www.automotodrombrno.cz/en/masaryk-racing-days-2023

Photo: Christian Sandler

Report: Qualifying Red Bull Ring

Posted on June 10, 2023 by - General

New Pirelli tyres were used in the hunt for the fastest time in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring Classics. Best starting positions for Gerstl, Pizzonia, Colombo and Clausnitzer.

Many spectators ran even faster from the car parking to the grandstands, when they heard the roar of the Formula 1 engines. The packed ranks followed 19 BOSS GP Racing Series cars in qualifying on Saturday morning. With a speedy time of 1:11.524 min, Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) showed incredible pace in his ten-cylinder Toro Rosso from 2006. With an average speed of almost 220 km/h, the man from Salzburg amazed numerous visitors. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) was unlucky in the 1997 Berger Benetton. The 2021 champion spun in turn 3 on his first fast lap and was not able to restart the car afterwards.

Still without traction control, but with a lot of driving pleasure, Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) sets the tone in the OPEN class in the World Series Dallara with 4.5-litre Gibson engine. Team-mate Paul O’Connell (IRE) was afflicted with engine problems on Friday, but he was able to take part in qualifying and qualified 11th overall.

Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) did not miss a beat in the third qualifying session of 2023. The Italian secured pole position in the first qualifying session and thus starts the races at the Red Bull Ring with the best starting position in the FORMULA class. But it was close again, only one tenth of a second was left by long-term rival Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) on his fastest lap compared to Colombo. Ghiotto tactically went out late in Q2, so he stayed out of traffic, improved lap after lap and came close to Colombo’s best time on his last fast lap.

The fight for pole position was also taken up by Fabian Vettel (GER, Top Speed) in the second Fanatec GP2. The German brilliantly performed in his premiere in a single-seater racing car. He went out on track late in the session for a finale shot. After setting the best time in the first sector he lapped the 4.318-kilometre circuit in 1:19.411 – which earned him third place by the narrow margin of not even two tenths of a second. “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) confirmed his consistent performance just behind the front runners with fourth place in class and will start the race with a chance of a podium finish. Behind him was Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who is again in a promising position after his return to the podium last time out in Hockenheim. Behind the two Top Speed drivers Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER) and Thomas Jakoubek (AUT), Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) made a good debut in the GP2 car.

In the class of the SUPER LIGHTS, again only one driver was able to stay unscathed: Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) secured pole position in the V6 World Series car, while both Sebastiano Sibani (ITA, Colacino) and Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) had to pit early in their Formula 3000 cars.

The first of two races starts today, Saturday, at 15:50 local time and runs over a distance of 20 minutes (F1 Class 15 minutes). Tickets are still available at the box office. The races can also be followed via live timing.

Photos: Erwin Strassnigg/BOSS GP

Preview: Brno

Posted on September 6, 2022 by - General

Next weekend (September 9–11) Europe’s fastest racing series, the BOSS GP Racing Series, returns from its summer break. Hosted by the Masaryk Racing Days at the Automotodrom in Brno.

The weekend of 9–11 September marks the start of the second half of the season for the BOSS GP Racing Series. After six races in Hockenheim, Spielberg and Le Castellet, six more races are scheduled in the next nine weeks in Brno, Mugello and Misano. Before the season ends in Italy, the unique mix of Big Open single-seaters in the Formula 1, Formula 2, World Series & Co. categories will head to Brno.

In the BOSS GP F1 Class, that is the classification for Formula 1 cars, four cars have been entered. Among them are three Toro Rossos, including the STR1 of championship leader Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed), who has won all races so far this season. In Sebastien Vettel’s premiere winning car, the Toro Rosso STR3 with a Ferrari engine, Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) wants to break this streak in Brno. Racing fans can especially look forward to a rare piece of motorsport history in the form of the green and yellow Lotus T127. The Formula 1 car from 2010 is equipped with a Cosworth V8 engine and will be entered by Team Top Speed. The ex-car of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen is driven by Austrian Thomas Jakoubek.

In the absence of championship leader Zdenek Chovanec Lopez (PRT), FORMULA title defender Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) is aiming for his first win of the season. In the battle for the championship, however, Ghiotto’s compatriot Simone Colombo (MM International) could put himself in the best starting position. After three events, he is only twelve points behind Chovanec-Lopez, but already 35 ahead of Marco Ghiotto. Salvatore de Plano (ITA, MM International), who has won races with a GP2 in the past, has also been named. After a longer break from racing, he also wants to have a say in the fight for the podium.

In the BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS, Alexander Geier (Geier Racing) in an older 2003 Tatuus-Renault and Andreas Hasler (Hasler Motorsport) will continue their inner-Austrian duel in the six-cylinder car class.

Entry list:

NummerNameNationTeamKlasseMarkeBaujahrModellMotor
1Ingo GerstlAUTTeam Top SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006F1 – STR1Cosworth TJ
2Florian SchnitzenbaumerGERTeam Top SpeedF1Toro Rosso2006F1 – STR1Cosworth TJ
15Thomas JackermeierGERTeam Top SpeedF1Toro Rosso2008F1 – TR3Ferrari 056
19Thomas JakoubekAUTTeam Top SpeedF1Lotus2010F1 – T127Cosworth CA
22Michael AbererAUTAM MotorsportFORMULADallara2005GP2Mecachrome
27Marco GhiottoITAScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
28Bruno JarachITAEesti MotorsportFORMULADallara2008GP2Mecachrome
32Simone ColomboITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2017F2Mecachrome
37Luca MartucciITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
43Giancarlo PedettiITANannini RacingFORMULADallara2014GP2Mecachrome
44Thomas JakoubekAUTTeam Top SpeedFORMULADallara2008GP2Mecachrome
46Alexander SeiboldGERSeibold Auto + SportFORMULADallara2005GP2Mecachrome
47Walter StedingGERScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
87Salvatore de PlanoITAMM InternationalFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
66Andreas FiedlerGERFiedler RacingFORMULADallara2008GP2Mecachrome
77Francesco MalavasiITAScuderia PalladioFORMULADallara2011GP2Mecachrome
111Alexander GeierAUTGeier RacingSUPER LIGHTSTattus2003WSbRenaultRenault
115Andreas HaslerAUTHasler MotorsportSUPER LIGHTSDallara2009WSbNissanAER

Race track:

With a track length of 5.403 kilometres, the former MotoGP circuit is also the second longest circuit of the year after Circuit Paul Ricard (5.8 km long). Fast and fluid corners alternate with a technically demanding section. Engine power is also a decisive factor because the Czech rollercoaster goes steeply uphill in the last third of the track. Here you not only see what the cars are capable of, but also which driver can control his vehicle best.

Timetable (CEST):

Friday, 9 September 2022
12:35–13:05     Free Practice 1
15:35–16:05     Free Practice 2

Saturday, 10 September 2022
09:50–10:20     Qualifying
14:00–14:30     Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 11 September 2022
09:50–10:00     Warm-up
12:50–13:30     Race 2 (25 minutes)

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

Supporting program:

In addition to the headliner BOSS GP, other racing series will round off the programme from Friday to Sunday, including Drexler Formula Cup, ESET V4 Cup with the TCR Eastern Europe and Renault Clio Cup Bohemia and historic racing classes (HAIGO).

Tickets:

Children under 12 are admitted free of charge, day tickets are available for 13 euros, weekend tickets cost 17 euros. Parking at the open grandstands is free of charge. All tickets can be purchased at the box office on site.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto & Michael Jurtin/BOSS GP, Dirk Hartung/Autosport.at

Report: Le Castellet Race 2

Posted on June 19, 2022 by - 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

Report: Le Castellet Race 1

Posted on June 18, 2022 by - 5, General

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).

Pictures: SMW MEDIA

Report: Red Bull Ring Spielberg Race 2

Posted on June 5, 2022 by - General

Plenty of fans listened to the sounds of the BOSS GP Racing Series today. Numerous duels characterized the second round of the Rundstreckentrophy in Austria.

BOSS GP F1 Class

In the early stages of Sunday’s race, the two Top Speed teammates Ingo Gerstl (AUT) and Thomas Jackermeier (DEU) circulated around the 2.7-mile Formula 1 track in their Toro Rossos synchronously. Jackermeier even recorded his first leading miles in the BOSS GP Racing Series. This was remarkable, as it was only his second race in a Formula 1 car. In the second half of the race, however, Gerstl shifted up a gear and took the lead again in his Toro Rosso STR1. The Austrian not only drove to home victory but also to his fourth win of the 2022 season. Jackermeier finished the race in second place, as he did yesterday, and can thus look back on a highly successful debut weekend in the Toro Rosso STR3. Third place went to last year’s champion Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in the 1997 Benetton.

BOSS GP OPEN Class

As pole setter of the second starting group, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) was once again trying to catch up with the Formula 1 cars in front of him. Schlegelmilch drove to a safe start-finish victory in the OPEN class in his modified World Series car. Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport) in the only IndyCar car finished second.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Chovanec-Lopez (Dallara GP2 Mecachrome) won both races in the FORMULA class

With an advantage of half a minute in the final classification Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) dominated the class, which was mainly filled with Formula 2 cars. In contrast to yesterday, he tried to build up a bigger lead with fast lap times already in the early stages, which he succeeded in doing. With victory number 3 this season, Chovanec-Lopez also extended his lead in the standings. Behind the winner, the competitors were increasingly fighting with each other: Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) duelled for second place for a long time. Because Ghiotto was losing ground towards the end of the race due to overheated brakes, the reigning champion was only able to finish 3rd behind Hockenheim race winner Colombo. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) in the green glittering GP2 Dallara drove unchallenged to fourth place.

The best fights for positions were again delivered by the group around Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) in the World Series V8 car, Michael Aberer (AUT, MA Motorsport), Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) and Bianca Steiner (AUT, Steiner Motorsport) in their GP2 cars. The positions changed several times, including some impressive braking manoeuvres. In the end, it was Steiner who prevailed, delighted with fifth place and a flawless race but annoyed with a botched qualifying session. Behind O’Connell and Aberer, Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) was also able to work his way up the order in the race. Steding finished ninth, Thomas Jakoubek (AUT, Top Speed) finished tenth, glad to see the chequered flag this time.

Andreas Hasler takes full points in the Spielberg races

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

The class of the six-cylinder cars was reserved for Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport) from Styria, who made the short journey home with two winner’s trophies. For the next races, the BOSS GP rookie plans to finally be able to call up the full engine power of his older World Series car.

Hasler will have his next opportunity to do so in just two weeks’ time, at the BOSS GP races as part of the French Historic Grand Prix in Le Castellet (June 17-19, 2022).

Report: Red Bull Ring Spielberg Race 1

Posted on June 4, 2022 by - General

After pole position comes the victory: Class wins for Gerstl (F1), Schlegelmilch (OPEN), Chovanec-Lopez (FORMULA) and Hasler (SUPER LIGHTS).

The first race of the BOSS GP Racing Series took place in perfect weather conditions and at the best starting time just after 2 pm. For the first time, the race was divided into two starting groups, first the BOSS GP Formula 1 class and then, with a gap of about 20 seconds, the OPEN, FORMULA and SUPER LIGHTS pilotes.

BOSS GP F1 Class

Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) continued his winning streak from Hockenheim. The man from Salzburg with his Toro Rosso STR1 won the first BOSS GP race at the Rundstreckentrophy. His Top Speed teammate Thomas Jackermeier (GER) drove a flawless debut race in his Toro Rosso Formula 1 car and finished in second place behind Gerstl. For a while he was able to follow his much more experienced teammate. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) drove an flawless race and deservedly picked up a trophy for third place.

The most successful drivers of race 1 in Spielberg

BOSS GP OPEN Class

After a safety car period, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) also gave the Formula 1 cars in front of him a good run for their money towards the end of the race. Schlegelmilch won the OPEN class in his modified World Series car ahead of the rare IndyCar (IRL-IR8) of Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport).

Hard, but fair racing: Fine battles in midfield

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) was unbeatable as expected after his strong qualifying performance. With his second victory of the season, Chovanec-Lopez regained the sole lead in the FORMULA class standings. Behind him, the two Italians Simone Colombo (MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio) fought a hot duel as expected. While Ghiotto struggled with overheated brakes, Colombo also overshot the breaking points a time or two. In the end, Colombo prevailed over Ghiotto. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) finished fourth with his best performance of the season. Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) finished 5th, just ahead of Bianca Steiner (Steiner Motorsport), who performed well in the race, as the best Austrian in this class. Victory in the BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class went to Styrian local hero Andreas Hasler (AUT, Hasler Motorsport).

The fourth race of the season starts tomorrow Sunday at 2 o’clock local time.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP, Henry Gasselich/VOLLGAS!