Tag: Toro Rosso

EN: 2024 season review F1 & OPEN

Posted on December 3, 2024 by Keke Platzer - 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 Keke Platzer - 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: Assen 2024

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Keke Platzer - 5, General

95,000 fans saw the City Showrun on Thursday as an appetiser in the centre of Assen and another three days of great racing on the TT Circuit. The championship remains wide open after round 4 in the Netherlands.

In addition to Formula 1 star David Coulthard, BOSS GP driver Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Team Top Speed) attracted a lot of attention when he accelerated his Toro Rosso STR1 next to the canal and then skilfully performed a few pirouettes. Gerstl’s team-mate Erich Zech attracted similar attention when he drove his roaring 1997 Ferrari Formula 1 around the 4.555-kilometre track during the demo runs.

*The City Show Run in the centre of Assen was a blast*

It was also Gerstl who won both races in the F1 class and set the lap record on the legendary MotoGP circuit with a lap time of 1:16.791 in qualifying. Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) finished second twice, which was enough to keep him at the top of the standings. The Benetton driver goes into the race in Mugello with a 44-point lead, which is also the last chance for the Formula 1 cars to score points this year. Due to the track licence, only the OPEN, FORMULA and SUPER LIGHTS classes are eligible to start at the grand finale in Misano.

Ulf Ehninger celebrates 2nd place *twice* *in BOSS GP’s F1 category*

FORMULA

After Juju Noda (MM International) not only secured her first pole position at the Red Bull Ring, but also won a BOSS GP race for the first time, the 17-year-old Japanese driver followed this up with another pole position in Assen. However, Noda found herself behind her team-mate on the way to turn 1. It was then a close call with Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio), who squeezed past Noda on the inside of turn 1. While Noda lost places at the start, Michael Fischer (AUT, Red Rosa Racing by LRT) made up positions at the back of the field. After a technical failure in qualifying, he made up 13 places in the race compared to the starting grid and ultimately finished fourth in the FORMULA classification.

While Colombo controlled the pace at the front and took his fifth win of the season, newcomer Max Cuccarese (ITA, MM International) surprised everyone with a confident drive and second place in his very first race in a GP2 car. The youngest driver in the field confirmed this performance on Sunday with another podium finish (3rd). Marco Ghiotto scored the same number of points as Cuccarese with 3rd and 2nd place.

*Two BOSS GP youngsters: race winner Juju Noda (18 years) with Max Cuccarese (17 yrs.)*

Noda made a much better start in the second race, enabling her to defend her lead over Colombo. As the two MM drivers in their GP2 Dallara looked set for another duel this season, Colombo retired. As this happened in the first half of the race, the defending champion was only awarded half points instead of full points. The third retirement of the season was another setback for the fast Italian in the battle for the championship title. Marco Ghiotto remains in the lead. The 2019-2021 champion is scoring points with consistency and is now 22 points ahead of his compatriot Colombo.

*Marco Ghiotto drives by the fans in the grandstand*

Martin Kindler (SUI) also left Assen with a smile on his face. The Swiss returnee to the series not only qualified for Q1 (top five in free practice), but also delivered two strong results with 6th and 5th place. Andreas Fiedler (GER) was able to put the problems of the last races behind him and scored twice with 7th and 6th places, while Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio) was able to regain his old form in the races after a mixed training session and finished 8th twice in the fiercely contested FORMULA class. After an accident in the first race, Phil Stratford’s (Scuderia Palladio) team was able to repair the car for the second race and the American finished the second race in 7th place.

SUPER LIGHTS

Stephan Glaser (SUI, Jo Zeller Racing) was once again unbeatable for his rivals. With wins number 5 and 6 this season, the BOSS GP rookie extended his lead in the championship to 34 points. While race 1 in this class was a smooth affair, race 2 was particularly remarkable. Firstly, Glaser parked his car at the side of the track on the last lap. Second-placed Stefan Scho (GER) was unable to capitalise on this, however, as he also stopped with technical problems on the final lap. Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing) was already two laps down after going off track into the gravel on lap 1 and was also unable to capitalise on this. This meant that the order on the podium on Saturday and Sunday was Glaser ahead of Scho and Clausnitzer. In addition to Stephan Glaser and Henry Clausnitzer, a third driver, Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing), is still in contention for the championship title despite a challenging weekend for him.

Races 9 and 10 of the season will take place on 12 and 13 October 2024 in Mugello. All four classes of the BOSS GP Racing Series can be seen and heard for the last time all together this season as part of the PNK Racing Weekend.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Race 2 Red Bull Ring

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Keke Platzer - General, General

Sixth race of the BOSS GP Racing Series season: Gerstl, Pizzonia, Colombo and Eisinger-Sewald celebrate double wins. Vettel again on the podium today.

15 minutes for the BOSS GP F1 Class and 25 minutes for the other drivers were on Sunday’s timetable. Many visitors took advantage of Father’s Day in Austria to make the trip to the Red Bull Ring. Ingo Gerstl in the Formula 1 Toro Rosso did not miss the opportunity to stay longer on the track with his F1 (in compliance with the regulations) and to duel with Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) in the tuned World Series 4.5 for the overall victory – much to the delight of the spectators. In the end, Gerstl also won the sixth race of the season in the F1 class ahead of Ulf Ehninger (GER) in the 1997 Benetton.

Like yesterday, OPEN participant Antonio Pizzonia took the overall lead for a while on Sunday. After a full course yellow period, the Brazilian was able to hold on to the lead for a few more laps and further improved on his times from yesterday with lap times just over 1:15 min, which was easily enough to win the class. Second place went to Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering) in the 3.3-litre World Series, who finished well ahead in the overall standings today.

The FORMULA class was turbulent at times. Lapping, many position changes but finally the same winner again: Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) remained untouched today, even though it was close at times. In the early stages, Fabian Vettel (Top Speed) was the first to take the lead. The 24-year-old German overtook Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) already in the first corner and stayed with Colombo for a long time afterwards. But like yesterday, Vettel lost pace at the end of the race. This gave Marco Ghiotto another chance to overtake Vettel’s Fanatec GP2. Colombo used this stage of the race to pull away decisively. With season win no. 5, the Italian is now also pulling away from his opponents in the championship standings. Behind Marco Ghiotto, Fabian Vettel also took third place today. With two third places, Vettel proved his driving qualities in an open-wheeler, a return at Misano is possible.

“Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) remained without any mistakes today and stayed close to the Top-3 until the end. With 4th place, the ambitious Italian scored a lot of points for the overall ranking. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) was able to hold his own against his opponents in the midfield despite used tyres. Bruno Jarach (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) followed in 6th place in the class, ahead of Thomas Jakoubek (Top Speed) as the best Austrian in 7th place. Team boss Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International) also found a satisfying end to his comeback weekend as a driver with 8th place.

Alexander Geier (GER, Geier Racing), on the other hand, experienced a painful end to his race. The man from Salzburg was already in second place in front of Vettel. A few laps before the chequered flag, he was disappointed to end the race in the pits with a gearbox problem.

SUPER LIGHTS driver Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (AUT, Red Rose Racing) was happy that today’s race was five minutes longer. After a spin in turn 3 and a second one when coming back onto the track, he had already fallen far behind Henry Clausnitzer (GER, WF Racing). Two laps from the end, however, Eisinger-Sewald in the Ralt Formula 3000 managed to catch up and finally overtook Clausnitzer’s less powerful World Series car. For Eisinger-Sewald it was a celebrated double victory, but Clausnitzer remained the leader of the standings. Third place went to Walter Colacino (ITA), who shared the car with his colleague Sebastiano Sibani (ITA) this weekend.

The BOSS GP continues the European tour already in mid-July. On 22/23 July 2023 will visit World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano. Points will than be awarded in the OPEN, FORMULA and SUPER LIGHTS classes.

Pictures: Erwin Strassnigg/BOSS GP

Report: Race 1 Red Bull Ring

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Keke Platzer - 5, General

The BOSS GP Racing Series was the highlight of the first race day at the Red Bull Ring Classics 2023, with Gerstl and Pizzonia taking the next wins, Colombo claiming FORMULA victory and a maiden win for Eisinger-Sewald on home soil.

In front of a huge crowd and in the best spring weather, the world’s fastest single-seater cars put on a great show in Spielberg. In the first half of Saturday’s 20-minute race, Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso F1, Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) in the Benetton F1 and Antonio Pizzonia (BRA, HS Engineering) in the modified World Series Dallara stayed close together. Pizzonia quickly passed Ehninger and made his way towards Gerstl. The latter played along and the two experienced drivers swapped positions. Pizzonia led the field after a safety car interruption, but Gerstl shifted up a gear and took the lead again with lap times under 1 minute and 15 seconds, winning for the fifth time this year. While Antonio Pizzonia secured the full points in the OPEN class, Ulf Ehninger took second place in the Formula 1 cars. Second place in the OPEN class went to Paul O’Connell (IRE, HS Engineering), who missed out on a much better overall finish with a flat spot on one of the front tyres.

The top positions in the FORMULA class were again closely contested: Even though Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Fabian Vettel (GER, Top Speed) made several attempts to challenge Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) for the win, Colombo remained patient while overlapping slower cars and won again just ahead of Ghiotto. Fabian Vettel was able to separate the Italian duo in the middle of the race, but after the safety car phase Ghiotto was able to pick up the pace faster and overtook the German again. Vettel, however, was extremely satisfied with third place on his debut in a Formula racing car.

Podium on Saturday: f.l. Ghiotto, Clausnitzer, O’Connell, Ehninger, Pizzonia, Colombo, Gerstl, Eisinger-Sewald, Vettel

Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) also had a stunning FORMULA debut. The young Austrian managed the second-best lap time in the class with his Dallara GP2, finishing fourth in the classification behind Vettel. Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing) followed in 5th place, Thomas Jackermeier (GER, Top Speed) in 6th. Seventh placed “Checco” Malavasi (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) lost a better position shortly before the end with a spin. Marco Minelli (ITA, AM Sport System) was also unlucky on his debut. He spun at the end of the second lap at the last corner and had to retire from the race early on.

Austrian Stefan Eisinger-Sewald (Red Rose Racing) drove to a home victory in the SUPER LIGHTS class. After a problem with the gearshift linkage in qualifying, the Formula 3000 car of the BOSS GP rookie ran flawlessly. He thus prevailed over the German Henry Clausnitzer (WF Racing) at his second race weekend in the BOSS GP Racing Series.

The second race starts on Sunday at 10:40a.m. local time.

Photos: Erwin Strassnigg/BOSS GP, Michael Jurtin

Report: Qualifying Red Bull Ring

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Keke Platzer - 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

Report: Brno Race 2

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Christoph Hanak - General

Jackermeier celebrates double victory in the BOSS GP F1 class, Ghiotto triumphs in the hotly contested FORMULA class, Geier in SUPER LIGHTS also in a class of his own on Sunday.

After the weather gods made it rain on Saturday, the race on Sunday remained dry despite dark clouds. In ideal conditions, there were plenty of wheel-to-wheel duels for the fans to marvel at during the Masaryk Racing Days.

BOSS GP F1 Class

After his premiere victory on Saturday, Thomas Jackermeier (GER/Top Speed) followed up with another win on Sunday. Right from the start, the German pulled away unstoppable in his Toro Rosso STR3 and did not let anyone take the lead from him. With a high and constant pace, Jackermeier controlled the lead. His pursuers were no match for the German. In the championship, Jackermeier continues to make up ground on series dominator Ingo Gerstl (AUT/Top Speed). Gerstl did not start in the second race. The championship battle is thus picking up speed again with two race weekends to go.

BOSS GP FORMULA Class

The duel of the race was between Saturday’s winner Simone Colombo (ITA/MM International) and Marco Ghiotto (ITA/Scuderia Palladio). The two FORMULA class rivals fought a wheel-to-wheel duel for several laps. Ghiotto followed Colombo like a shadow, as he had done in Spielberg and Le Castellet. The fans were more than thrilled by the tough but fair duel. With just under ten minutes to go in the race, Ghiotto made the decisive manoeuvre at the entrance of the last corner and took the lead. With a clear track, Ghiotto was able to put a gap between himself and Colombo. Colombo tried to counterattack again towards the end of the race, but was unable to counter Ghiotto’s fast pace today. A few minutes before the end, Colombo had to let Ghiotto’s team mate Francesco Malavasi (ITA/Scuderia Palladio) pass. Malavasi thus secured his second podium this weekend after third place on Saturday. Malavasi, however, did not make a final attack on the victory. Salvatore de Plano (ITA/MM International) came close to Colombo towards the end of the race in fourth place, but was unable to catch his compatriot. Luca Martucci (ITA/MM International) rounded off a perfect Italian day. With his victory yesterday and his second place today, Colombo also takes over the overall lead from Zdenek Chovanec Lopez in the FORMULA class before the final two race weekends in Mugello and Misano.

BOSS GP SUPER LIGHTS Class

Andreas Hasler (AUT/Hasler Motorsport) was ahead on the grid, but after only a few metres rookie Alexander Geier (AUT/Geier Racing) took the lead from Hasler. Hasler could not follow Geier’s fast pace. Geier then controlled the action in the SUPER LIGHTS and thus made himself a double winner at the race weekend in Brno. The driver from Salzburg is also making up ground in the championship. Hasler tried to bring his second place in the SUPER LIGHTS class safely to the finish line, which he succeeded in doing.

The BOSS GP will take a short break and continue its season in Mugello in mid-October (14–16).

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report: Red Bull Ring Spielberg Race 2

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Keke Platzer - 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 Keke Platzer - 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!

Preview: Red Bull Ring Spielberg

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Keke Platzer - General

This coming weekend (June 3-5), the BOSS GP Racing Series will be returning to the Red Bull Ring with the fastest racing cars in the world. Among them cars from Vettel, Klien and Berger.

Before the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix is held at the Red Bull Ring in just over a month’s time, priceless showpieces can already be spotted in racing action at Spielberg this coming weekend. Europe’s fastest racing series, BOSS GP, will gather several thousands of horsepower on the grid from Friday to Sunday. 22 Big Open Single Seaters – Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula 2 and GP2, World Series by Renault and Nissan – will ensure a program at the Red Bull Ring that cannot be overheard.

The orchestra includes, among others, the Toro Rosso STR3, with which Sebastien Vettel celebrated his first race victory in the rain at Monza, Christian Klien’s first Formula 1 car, the Jaguar R5 and Gerhard Berger’s last winning car, the Benetton B197. In addition, the US IndyCar bolide of Anton Werner (GER, Ryschka Motorsport) also joins the colorful starting field. A familiar face will also be making his comeback in the BOSS GP Racing Series: Frits van Eerd (NLD, VES Racing), ProAM World Champion in the 2021 World Endurance Championship and a long-time BOSS GP driver, will try to stand up to opening double winner Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 with his Jaguar R5.

Number	Name	Nation	Team	Class	Model	Build in	Model
1	Ingo Gerstl	AUT	Top Speed	F1	Toro Rosso	2006	STR1
2	Florian Schnitzenbaumer	GER	Top Speed	F1	Toro Rosso	2006	STR1
5	Frits van Eerd	NLD	VES Racing	F1	Jaguar	2004	R5
7	Ulf Ehninger	GER	ESBA Racing	F1	Benetton	1997	B197
10	Harald Schlegelmilch	LVA	HS Engineering	OPEN	Dallara	2012	World Series by Renault
11	Anton Werner	GER	Ryschka Motorsport	OPEN	Dallara		IRL
21	Bernd Herndlhofer	AUT	H&A Racing	FORMULA	Dallara		GP2
22	Michael Aberer	AUT	AM Motorsport	FORMULA	Dallara	2005	GP2
27	Marco Ghiotto	ITA	Scuderia Palladio	FORMULA	Dallara	2011	GP2
28	Bruno Jarach	ITA	Eesti Motorsport	FORMULA	Dallara	2008	GP2
31	Paul O’Connell	IRE	HS Engineering	FORMULA	Dallara	2012	World Series by Renault
32	Simone Colombo	ITA	MM International	FORMULA	Dallara	2017	F2
37	Luca Martucci	ITA	MM International	FORMULA	Dallara	2011	GP2
43	Giancarlo Pedetti	ITA	Nannini Racing	FORMULA	Dallara	2014	GP2
44	Thomas Jakoubek	AUT	Top Speed	FORMULA	Dallara	2008	GP2
47	Walter Steding	GER	Scuderia Palladio	FORMULA	Dallara	2011	GP2
51	Zdenek Chovanec Lopez	CZE	MM International	FORMULA	Dallara	2011	GP2
69	Thomas Jackermeier	GER	Top Speed	FORMULA	Dallara		GP2
110	Bianca Steiner	AUT	Steiner Motorsport	FORMULA	Dallara	2005	GP2
111	Alexander Geier	AUT	Geier Racing	SUPER LIGHTS	Tatuus	2003	World Series by Renault
115	Andreas Hasler	AUT	Hasler Motorsport	SUPER LIGHTS	Dallara	2009	World Series by Nissan

Local heroes:
The starting field also includes seven Austrian racing drivers: Beside Gerstl from Salzburg, Formula 1 TV expert Bianca Steiner (GP2, Steiner Motorsport), Bernd Herndlhofer (GP2, H&A Racing), Michael Aberer (GP2, MA Motorsport), Thomas Jakoubek (GP2, Top Speed) and the two V6 World Series cars of just 16-year-old Alexander Geier (Geier Racing) and Styrian local hero Andreas Hasler (Hasler Motorsport) will also be present.In addition, the Burgenland-based team HS Engineering has entered two cars for Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA) and Paul O’Connell (IRE).

Timetable (CEST):

Friday, 3 June 2022
13:30–13:55 Free practice 1
15:30–15:55 Free practice 2

Saturday, 4 June 2022
09:50–10:20 Qualifying
14:00–14:20 Race 1 (20 minutes)

Sunday, 5 June 2022
14:00–14:25 Race 2 (25 minutes)

Support races:

Motorsport fans will be offered a total of 17 races at the Rundstreckentrophy 2022 in addition to the free practice sessions and qualifying sessions. In addition to the two BOSS GP races (Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. each), several sports and touring car series and Formula 3 will start in the supporting program. Admission to all open grandstands is free, and fans can also visit the paddock free of charge and look over the teams’ shoulders as they work or get an autograph from one of the drivers.

Picture: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP