Tag: Pirelli

Great start to autumn in Mugello

Posted on October 23, 2024 by - General

After the race in Assen / Netherlands and the subsequent summer break, the teams of the BOSS GP Racing series headed south at the beginning of October. When entries closed, it was already clear that there would be a very large starting field in Tuscany with 24 cars. HS-Engineering from Austria had taken a break in Assen, but both Dallara World Series V8 T12s were entered for Mugello. The Brazilian ex-Formula 1 driver Antonio Pizzonia with the more powerful 4.5 liter Gibson engine in the Open Class and the Irishman Paul O’Connell with the 3.5 liter V8. The French ZIG-ZAG team brought two well-known Auto GP racers to the start in the Formula Class, the Monegasque Nicolas Matile and the Frenchman Jean-Christope Peyre.


Jean-Christope Peyre (FRA), ZIG-ZAG Motorsport, Lola Auto-GP.

There was also a reunion with Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA), who this time drove a GP 2 from Scuderia Palladio. The Czech Vladimir Netušil will be taking part in this Formula Class for the first time. He dared to switch from a Formula 3 to the GP2 of the Italian team MM International Motorsport. The large field of starters was also joined by the 2022 BOSS GP Super Lights champion, Andreas Hasler from Austria, who brought his Dallara World Series V6 T08 to Tuscany after a long, technical absence.

In the two free practice sessions, which were run in changing conditions, Ingo Gerstl (AUT) from the Top-Speed ​​team in the Toro Rosso STR1 F1 and Antonio Pizzonia duelled. Gerstl drove the fastest time in FP1 with 1:30.422, Pizzonia countered as the fastest in FP2, but with 1:31.513 he could not match the Austrian’s time. Behind them was an Italian GP 2 trio with Simone Colombo, Massimiliano Cuccarese (both MM International Motorsport) and Marco Ghiotto (Scuderia Palladio). Newcomer Vladimir Netušil was surprisingly strong, making himself noticeable behind this trio after the two free practice sessions and thus in the front field of the Formula Class. An exciting qualifying session was to be expected – and that’s what happened, but with a significant delay, because the morning fog persisted and was so thick that it was not possible for any of the racing classes present in Mugello this weekend to start on time. The first drivers, the Alfa Romeo Revival Cup, only took to the track two hours later than planned.


The delays in the schedule caused by the heavy fog did not dampen the mood of the participants of the Boss GP Racing Series (in the picture from left: Paul O´Connell / HS-Engineering, Ingo Gerst / Top-Speed ​​and Andreas Hasler / Hasler Motorsport).

The fog then quickly cleared and the weather improved. This meant that much better lap times were possible in the BOSS GP qualifying session. Due to the large field of starters, the 30-minute qualifying session was again split into two groups this time. First 10 minutes for the fastest from the free practice sessions and then 18 minutes for the rest of the field after a changeover phase.

The best in each class in qualifying:

F1 Class:Ingo Gerstl (AUT), Team Top-Speed, Toro Rosso STR 1 F1
Open ClassAntonio Pizzonia (BRA), HS-Engineering, Dallara WS V8 T12 4,5
Formula Class:Simone Colombo (ITA), MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2
Super Lights Class:Stephan Glaser (SUI), Jo Zeller Racing, Dallara WS V6 T08


Dominating this year’s BOSS GP Super-Lights class: Stephan Glaser (SUI), Jo Zeller Racing, Dallara WS V6 T8.

Due to the delays caused by the fog, PNK as the organizer had to tighten up the schedule enormously in consultation with the race management and the BOSS GP organization. All series organizers helped very enthusiastically to get all the planned races through. For race 1 of the BOSS GP, which started almost an hour late, the race duration had to be shortened by two minutes.

Class results BOSS GP race 1:

Race 2 on Sunday went ahead as originally planned. In the formation lap, the two Formula 1 cars with Ingo Gerstl and Ulf Ehninger (GER), ESBA Racing, Benetton B197 F1, were at the front. Behind the second leading car was the rest of the field, led by Antonip Pizzonia and followed by an armada of GP2 drivers from the Formula Class. Since some preliminary decisions could be made in the individual classes with regard to the overall victory, exciting duels and interesting fights for the individual positions in the points were to be expected. And that’s exactly what happened. Positions were changed for laps.


With two race wins in Mugello, Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International Motorsport, Dallara GP2, pictured at the front) is getting ever closer to the previous leader of the BOSS GP Formula class, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio, Dallara GP2) in the points ranking. The decision for the overall victory in this class will probably be made on the Misano weekend at the beginning of November.

Class results BOSS GP Race 2:

Since the BOSS GP F1 class will not be taking part in the finale in Misano at the beginning of November, Ulf Ehninger has been declared the overall winner of the F1 class for the second time. The same goes for Antonio Pizzonia in the BOSS GP Open Class. There is no title decision in the remaining two BOSS GP classes. Here, both the overall victory and the placings behind it are still open. An exciting BOSS GP finale can therefore be expected in Misano from November 1st to 3rd.


Overall winner of the BOSS GP F1 class for the 2nd time after 2022: Ulf Ehninger (GER), ESBA Racing, Benetton B197 F1.


Was able to repeat his BOSS GP overall victory in the Open Class from last year: Ex-Formula 1 driver Antonio Pizzonia (BRA), HS-Engineering, Dallara World Series V8 T12 4.5.

Standings BOSS GP Racing Series – all classes
Gallery PNK Racing Weekend Mugello

Report: Black/SMW MEDIA
Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Additional tyre compound available

Posted on July 15, 2024 by - Allgemein

From the next race in Assen (2–4 August 2024), BOSS GP and tyre supplier Pirelli will bring back a medium dry tyre in addition to the soft compound.

In addition to the mandatory soft compound, which can be recognised by its red colour like in Formula 1, BOSS GP will supply teams and drivers with a medium compound (yellow) at all the upcoming events of the 2024 championship season. This includes the races in Assen, Mugello and Misano later this year.

This option for the P-Zero dry tyres expands the teams’ strategic options on race weekends. The medium tyres should work better at higher temperatures in particular and also have a longer durability thanks to their harder rubber compound.

All drivers registered for the races will receive a new order form shortly and can now submit their orders to BOSS GP tyre service Reifen Hollerweger.

Photo: 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

BOSS GP continues partnership with Pirelli

Posted on April 30, 2024 by - General

Pirelli will remain the exclusive tyre supplier of the BOSS GP in 2024.

The Italian tyre manufacturer offers a unique product for the participants of the BOSS GP: Formula 1 technology combined with easier handling when warming up the tyres. Together with the Hollerweger tyre service, this partnership guarantees a reliable supply of the “black gold” throughout the season.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Race 1 Misano

Posted on November 5, 2022 by - 5, General

Harald Schlegelmilch takes his ninth win of the season with a lap record. Simone Colombo manages to win the FORMULA title with a second place. Victory for Alexander Geier in the SUPER LIGHTS category.

While the Cinturato rain tyres were fitted in the morning, there was no more talk of this before the first race. It dried up just in time. So everything was set for a high-speed festival at the Pirelli Grande Finale 2022 at the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano. After all, there was still a championship title at stake.

BOSS GP OPEN Class

But first all eyes were on the lap times of Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in his Dallara World Series. The V8 car completed the lap of the Italian circuit near the Adriatic Sea as fast as no other car had ever done before. Schlegelmilch not only took his ninth win of the season in the OPEN classification, but also made history with a new sensational lap record of 1:21.822. The previous lap record, set in a Euroseries 3000 race, was a time of 1:25.380 by Clivio Piccione. On the technically demanding and rather twisty MotoGP circuit, this meant an average speed of 186 kph for Schlegelmilch.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) once again did everything in his control to keep his title chance alive. But the race win in the first heat was not enough. A second place was sufficient for Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) to win the title early. This means that Ghiotto has to vacate his “throne” after three titles in a row. For Colombo it was the crowning of only his second BOSS GP season. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) completed the Italian celebrations with third place. Martucci was slow to get going, but the longer the race went on he overtook rival after rival and was subsequently delighted with his first podium of the year.

Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) also claimed his best finish of the season with fourth place. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) made up further points on Zdenek Chovanec-Lopez (PRT, MM International) in the championship with fifth place. In the last race of the season, he has a good chance of moving up to fourth position overall.

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

After a surprising fourth place in a wet qualifying session, Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) was in the front of the field, but Geier, in the underpowered 6-cylinder World Series, held his own in the race and was even in fourth place overall for a long time. Only Martucci was able to overtake him in the closing stages. With fifth place among the GP2 cars, the 16-year-old once again showed his talent. The class win in the SUPER LIGHTS was an easy matter, Walter Colacino (ITA, Walter Colacino Racing) in the older Formula 3000 finished second behind Geier.

Tomorrow Sunday the V8 and V6 engines will be fired up one more time this BOSS GP season. The race start for the twelfth race of the season is at 11:05 am local time. Admission is free.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Qualifying Misano

Posted on November 5, 2022 by - 5, General

Schlegelmilch takes pole position in the wet. Colombo with best starting position in FORMULA class and big surprise by Alexander Geier.

Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) secured the best starting position for the Pirelli Grande Finale in qualifying on Saturday morning. In damp conditions, the OPEN class driver was in a class of his own in his World Series car. In the absence of the BOSS GP F1 Class, he set by far the fastest lap time of the final BOSS GP qualifying session of the year with 1:35.159.

With second place overall in qualifying, Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) took an important step towards the FORMULA class title. Although his main rival, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), came close to him towards the end of the half-hour session, Colombo defended himself with another improvement of his lap time.

Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) caused a sensation. The six-cylinder driver from the SUPER LIGHTS class qualified in fourth place overall and thus topped his previous best performance by far. With dry conditions forecast, can he defend himself against the armada of GP2 cars in the race?

Geier’s compatriot Michael Aberer (MA Motorsport) will start the race from row 3 together with Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International). Giancarlo Pedetti (ITA, Nannini Racing) and Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) will start from row 4. As a rain specialist, O’Connell had expected a lot in the wet conditions. But the Irishman lost valuable track time after a spin and was only able to return to qualifying late in the session.

The eleventh race of the season with a distance of 20 minutes starts today at 14:35.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Hockenheim Race 2

Posted on May 8, 2022 by - General

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 Qualifying Spielberg

Posted on May 22, 2021 by - General

The clouds over the Red Bull Ring opened their floodgates on Saturday morning and provided an exciting qualifying session. Gerstl on pole position, Schlegelmilch fastest FORMULA driver at BOSS GP debut.

Saturday arrived and the expected weather worsened, which did not dampen the driving in qualifying. The BOSS GP drivers showed their class as 19 drivers out of the 20 entered went out on track in their Big Open Single Seaters even in these poor conditions – with four freshly fitted Pirelli Cinturato rain tyres, of course. Qualifying was not divided into Q1 and Q2 due to the rain, so there was only one 30-minute session in which all cars hit the track.

At the beginning Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladlo) set top times and was able to take the lead. The lead did not last long, because the sensation of the qualifying, Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering), promptly took over first place. The Latvian makes his debut in the BOSS GP this weekend and is involved right from the start. The former Formula 3 and Lamborghini Super Trofeo driver is piloting a World Series by Renault bolide of the Austrian team HS Engineering this weekend. Just as all the cars were on fast laps, Phil Stratford (USA, Penn Elcom Racing) in the Benetton B197 slid into the run-off area with a spin at the final corner. Stratford was able to resume driving after returning to the pits, but Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) and Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Competition) in the Jaguar suffered a different fate. They found the end of their qualifying in the gravel at the same time. Neither car was damaged, however, and nothing should stand in the way of a start in the race.

After the red flag had been waved, all available drivers went out on the track again. Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) put his Toro Rosso STR1 on pole. Schlegelmilch and Ghiotto completed the top 3. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), who had already shown a good performance in the rain at the opening round in Mugello, also started the race from row 2. Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER, Top Speed) and Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) were surprisingly strong after a long break from racing, finishing 5th and 6th respectively. But now it is the race pace that counts, the first race starts today at 11:35 am local time.

Photo: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

End of the season in Adria

Posted on October 28, 2020 by - General

Award ceremony and official test on 21 and 22 November in Italy.


As part of the Pirelli Season Finale, BOSS GP offers two official test days with free practice at the upgraded Adria International Raceway. The track near Venice has recently been significantly expanded and is now around four kilometres long. The mixture of fast passages and tight corners as well as large run-off areas offers ideal conditions for improving set-up and driving skills.

Registered BOSS GP pilots have a designated slot. Newcomers and re-entrants can request further information via race@bossgp.com if they are interested in participating.

The successful drivers of the BOSS GP Racing Series 2020 will also be honoured on site. The race track in Adria offers a large and covered paddock and therefore optimal conditions for an award ceremony under the current circumstances.

The organisers of the BOSS GP Racing Series are in regular contact with the operators of the race track and are aware of the changing situation regarding travel and event restrictions. Should there be any changes to the event, the participants will be informed immediately.

Report Race 1 Mugello

Posted on October 10, 2020 by - 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