Tag: Toro Rosso

Report: Hockenheim Race 2

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Keke Platzer - 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: Hockenheim Race 1

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Keke Platzer - General

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

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

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

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

OPEN race winner Ingo Gerstl from Team Top Speed

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

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

Pictures: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report Races Brno

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Keke Platzer - General

Double wins for Ingo Gerstl and Harald Schlegelmilch at the Masaryk Racing Days.

The fourth event of the season brought the BOSS GP Racing Series to the Czech Republic’s largest racetrack in Brno on the first weekend of September. On the traditional date of the Masaryk Racing Days, the lively racing programme included some of the fastest race cars in the world, racing against each other.

OPEN class
Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) was once again unbeatable in the screaming Toro Rosso STR1 with a V10 Cosworth engine from 2006. The rivals are still missing, so Gerstl is driving towards the next title. It would be his sixth championship title in the OPEN class of Formula 1 and IndyCar cars. It would bring him up to par with his former rival and BOSS GP record holder Klaas Zwart (NLD). Ulf Ehninger (GER, ESBA Racing) made his debut on the Brno circuit in the popular 1997 Benetton. Despite not having a chance against Gerstl’s much more modern car, Ehninger presented himself in the best possible way on the Czech rollercoaster with two second places – thus keeping the championship open for Ehninger.

FORMULA class
Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) showed early on this weekend that he is the favourite to win in class. After his successful performance at the Red Bull Ring earlier this year, the former Formula 3 professional once again showed the more established competition what he is capable of. Even though championship leader Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) put a lot of pressure on him in the first race, Schlegelmilch kept his nerve in the last generation World Series car and won race 1 by a narrow margin. The next day in the second race Ghiotto started better and took the lead right at the rolling start. But Schlegelmilch, who was a bit slower on the straights, was able to brake later into the corners and take the lead before the halfway point of the race.

Third place in both races was taken by Luca Martucci, who is now just one point behind his team-mate Simone Colombo (both ITA, MM International) in the overall standings. With two fourth places, rookie Colombo got the best out of a weekend that started with an accident in practice. Walter Steding (GER, Scuderia Palladio; 5^th twice) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Eesti Motorsport; 6^th and 7^th) also scored solid points. Unlike Andreas Fiedler (GER) and Christian Ferstl (AUT), who were both affected by technical problems.

The next two races of the 2021 BOSS GP Racing Series are on the schedule at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 2 and 3 October.

Pictures: Angelo Poletto and Erwin Strassnig/BOSS GP

Report Race 1 Spielberg

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Keke Platzer - General

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP

Report Qualifying Spielberg

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Keke Platzer - 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

Report Free Practice Brno

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Keke Platzer - General

Review of a surprising Friday at the Masaryk Racing Days.

If we look at today’s practice times, we can expect an exciting battle for pole position tomorrow, especially in the FORMULA class. With only small gaps Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) as well as Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Hoffmann Racing) qualified for the qualifying of the five fastest pilots from the free practice sessions. Hoffmann in particular could give the two fast Italians a good run for their only fifth race tomorrow in a GP2 Dallara. For the first time Walter Steding (DEU, MM International) also qualified for Q1. Can he even compete for a podium tomorrow?

The fastest drivers qualified for Q2 are Salvatore de Plano (ITA, Coloni) in his A1GP car and Florian Schnitzenbaumer (DEU, Top Speed). Bianca Steiner (7th in class; AUT, Steiner Motorsport) tried to settle in today. She make her comeback in the BOSS GP Racing Series after a long break from racing. Only for the second time at the start of a BOSS GP racing weekend is hill climb specialist Christian Ferstl (AUT, Ferstl Racing), today it was enough for eighth place in the class, and he is expecting even more on Saturday and Sunday. Behind him in the tableau follow Armando Mangini (ITA, MM International), Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) and Bruno Jarach (EST, Scuderia Palladio).

Fastest today was Brno lap record holder Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in his Toro Rosso STR1 with V10 Cosworth power. He set the best time with 1:39.051. The qualifying session, divided into two groups, will start tomorrow Saturday at 9:30 am.

Photo: Dirk Hartung

Report Races Spa

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Keke Platzer - General

Ingo Gerstl is chasing Riccardo Ponzio for the lead

The BOSS GP Racing Series showed two fantastic races at Spa.

The compact schedule of two days, the challenging 7-kilometer track and the measures taken against Covid-19 made this race weekend a demanding one for man and material. However, the gentleman series mastered this challenge excellent and put a smile under the masks of everyone involved.

The time differences between the drivers were not only small on paper, no, also the racing among the drivers was impressive. In both races the lead changed several times: Temporarily Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Racing) and even the fastest FORMULA driver, Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) were leading the races. In the end, however, V10 power of the Cosworth engine and Ingo Gerstl’s (AUT, Top Speed) experience made the difference. Even minor driving mistakes in both races could not prevent Gerstl’s season wins 3 and 4.

Nevertheless, the beaten Riccardo Ponzio was over the moon. For the first time, the 22-year-old was able to drive his Jaguar R3 over two complete race distances and had the opportunity to show in some stages what is possible for car and driver. We can look forward to some more exciting duels this year.

OPEN class podium in Race 1 and 2: f.l. Ponzio, Gerstl, Ehninger

For Marco Ghiotto the two class wins in Spa-Francorchamps mean the lead in the FORMULA championship ranking. BOSS GP rookie Roman Hoffmann (Hoffmann Racing) also makes a big step forward in the classification. The Austrian not only skillfully made some drifts in both races, but was also able to finish on the podium twice. These were the first BOSS GP trophies for the former touring car ace.

Behind the Leading Car, driven by Fanatec CEO Thomas Jackermeier, the race started as usual with a flying start. In both races, many cars were side-by-side in the approach to the first hairpin. In race 1 Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) tried to gain places at the start, but had to pull back. For the Italian it was an average weekend by his increased standards. He finished fourth in class at his Spa premiere. In the second race he had a spectacular duel with pole setter Marc Faggionato (MCO, Top Speed). Just a couple of laps before the end the two touched each other slightly and Martucci spun out. But with a 22-point gap, Martucci is now Ghiotto’s first chaser. Faggionato could continue and finished third. Walter Steding (GER, MM International) can also be extremely satisfied with fourth place. Due to his consistent performances he is in the Top-4 of the points standings as well.

Race 2 battle between Martucci and Faggionato did not end good

If you have missed the races, you can watch a replay of all the BOSS GP action from Spa on our YouTube channel.

Report Qualifying Spa

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Keke Platzer - General

First row for Gerstl and Faggionato.

The heroes of the BOSS GP Racing Series blasted through the Ardennes at around 300 km/h. Fastest in today’s qualifying was once again Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed). With a time of 1:55.836, he was the only driver to stay under the two-minute mark for one lap.

Marc Faggionato (MCO, Top Speed), who will exceptionally start for Top Speed this weekend, also put in a strong performance. With a time of 2:03.888 he was four tenths faster than champion Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio). Ghiotto will start from the second row, together with fellow countryman Riccardo Ponzio (Adriatica Competition). His beautiful Jaguar R3 was repaired by the team overnight, allowing Ponzio to participate on race day.

Fastest driver in the second qualifying session (for all drivers outside the top 5 of free practice) was Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Hoffmann Racing). With this he surprisingly pushed Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) out of the top 5, with Walter Steding (DEU, MM International) and Andreas Fiedler (DEU, Fiedler Racing) following in the other places. Michael Aberer in the World Series by Renault classified ninth fastest. Ulf Ehninger in Benetton Formula 1 will start the race from tenth position.

Both races can be followed today, Sunday, in the live stream at www.bossgp.com/livestream. Race 1 starts at 12:05, race 2 at 16:05.

Report: Free Practice Spa

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Keke Platzer - 5, General

Here we go: The BOSS GP Racing Series has started its race weekend in Spa.

Two free practice sessions were on the schedule for BOSS GP on day 1 of the 2-day event with the DTM in Spa. On such a difficult and long racetrack, every lap counts and therefore the drivers and teams used every opportunity to prepare for tomorrow’s race day.

Several BOSS GP drivers have not driven at Spa for a long time, some even compete on the Formula 1 circuit for the very first time. It is even more remarkable that, apart from a few breaking lockups, both practice sessions were completed without major incidents. Only Riccardo Ponzio (ITA, Adriatica Racing) had an accident in Eau Rouge due to a technical defect in his Jaguar R3. His team is working hard to be able to compete in tomorrow’s qualifying.

Fastest today was Ingo Gerstl (AUT, Top Speed) in the Toro Rosso STR1 with a time of 2:04.369. Best FORMULA driver was Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) ahead of Marc Faggionato (MCO, Top Speed) and Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International). The three pilots are also considered as favourites for tomorrow’s class win. FORMULA champion Ghiotto also completed the most laps (20) today.

Despite significantly fewer laps Roman Hoffmann (AUT, Team Hoffmann), team boss and driver in one, burned the sixth fastest overall time into the asphalt today, ahead of the experienced Florian Schnitzenbaumer (GER, Top Speed), who is sitting in the cockpit of a GP2 Dallara for the first time this year at a race. Also back is Andreas Fiedler (GER, Fiedler Racing), who is driving in an unusual black car. We expect a significant increase of his performance tomorrow.

The qualifying starts tomorrow Sunday at 9:45 am. With 40 minutes, the session is longer than usual, giving all BOSS GP drivers more opportunities to set their best times. Race 1, usually lasting over 20 minutes, will follow at lunchtime at 12:05, race 2 (25 minutes race length) at the conclusion of the DTM event at 16:05. This time, all three sessions can be followed in the free livestream at www.bossgp.com/livestream.

Preview & Guide Spa

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Keke Platzer - General

The Big Open Single Seaters are going to rock the Ardennes this weekend.

The fastest racing series in Europe returns to Spa and its famous surroundings: Eau Rouge, Blanchimont and Stavelot. On August 1 and 2, the BOSS GP Racing Series will visit the legendary 7-kilometer Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – after a nine-year break! The wishes of the drivers and teams as well as the circumstances of the last months have finally made a comeback possible. Among others, Ingo Gerstl’s Toro Rosso STR1, Riccardo Ponzio’s Jaguar R3, Ulf Ehninger’s 1997 Benetton as well as numerous GP2 cars will be seen at the event.

Similar to the season opener in Imola three weeks ago, this is also a two-day event. The schedule with almost three hours of driving time is accordingly compact: On Saturday, two practice sessions will be held, followed by qualifications on Sunday and, as usual, two races. In addition to the Formula 1 and Formula 2 racing cars from the last eras, the German Touring Car Masters and the new GT support series “DTM Trophy” will be competing at Spa.

When are the BOSS GP cars on track?

Saturday, 1 August 2020:
11:30–11:55 Free Practice 1 (25 minutes)
16:00–16:35 Free Practice 2 (35 minutes)

Sunday, 2 August 2020:
09:45–10:25 Qualifying (Q1 13 minutes, Q2 24 minutes)
12:05–12:25 Race 1 (20 minutes)
16:05–16:30 Race 2 (25 minutes)

Where can fans follow the races online?

Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to visit the race site due to the prevailing Covid-19 restrictions. Nevertheless, fans of the BOSS GP Racing Series can still get a piece of the action: in front of the TV, computer, or smartphone – all thanks to the free livestream on www.bossgp.com/livestream, YouTube or Facebook. The Sunday programme with the qualifications session as well as both races will be streamed. The broadcast will start ten minutes before each session.

You find all results on bossgp.com
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