Archive für 27.6.2009
SC CORINTHIANS STARTS FROM THE POLE-POSITION AT MAGNY COURS TOMORROW
27.6.2009 von Wolfgang.
The Brazilian club’s car driven by Antônio Pizzonia (BRA) netted the fastest time in today’s (27 June) two-car Qualifying Final against the Liverpool FC machine of Adrian Vallés (ESP) staged in hot and humid weather conditions.
Pizzonia, aged 28, set a time of 1min 26.555secs around the 4.41km Circuit de Nevers circuit in the final – 0.299-secs faster than Vallés (23) as the pair battled for supremacy at the culmination of the qualifying knock-out competition.
In semi-final one Pizzonia, who finished second in the final race of the SLF inaugural season, beat Craig Dolby’s Tottenham Hotspur car despite a lock-up at the Adelaide hairpin when the Briton himself spun at Chateau d’Eau. In the second semi, Vallés swept aside Anderlecht (Yelmer Buurman) by eight-tenths.
French drivers Tristan Gommendy and Nelson Panciatici start the opening 45-minute race from sixth and 15th places respectively in their FC Porto and Olympique Lyonnais cars. Meanwhile defending Superleague Formula champion Davide Rigon (Italy) put the Olmpiacos car eighth on the grid while the AC Milan car of reigning GP2 champion Giorgio Pantano (Italy) starts from 16th place on the 18-car grid after failing to register a timed lap when his car suffered a gearbox gremlin.
Pizzonia, aged 28, set a time of 1min 26.555secs around the 4.41km Circuit de Nevers circuit in the final – 0.299-secs faster than Vallés (23) as the pair battled for supremacy at the culmination of the qualifying knock-out competition.
In semi-final one Pizzonia, who finished second in the final race of the SLF inaugural season, beat Craig Dolby’s Tottenham Hotspur car despite a lock-up at the Adelaide hairpin when the Briton himself spun at Chateau d’Eau. In the second semi, Vallés swept aside Anderlec
ht (Yelmer Buurman) by eight-tenths.
French drivers Tristan Gommendy and Nelson Panciatici start the opening 45-minute race from sixth and 15th places respectively in their FC Porto and Olympique Lyonnais cars. Meanwhile defending Superleague Formula champion Davide Rigon (Italy) put the Olmpiacos car eighth on the grid while the AC Milan car of reigning GP2 champion Giorgio Pantano (Italy) starts from 16th place on the 18-car grid after failing to register a timed lap when his car suffered a gearbox gremlin.
Corinthians: Antonio Pizzonia (BRA)
“I knew it would be tough. I suffered problems with brake temperatures in my first runs but managed to sort it for the Final. I’m extremely happy for the [Alan Docking] team – they’ve worked very hard just to get the Corinthians car ready having got it just over a week ago. The last time I drove here was in 2003 so it took me sometime to remember the track. It’s a good start for us but this is only the start of the weekend and I hope I can keep up the momentum. Last year I was close to a couple of wins so hopefully I can win a race and fight for the championship.”
Liverpool FC: Adrian Vallés (SP)
“Qualifying was quite good.I was fastest in the semis – on ‘old’ tyres – the car was working well. In the final I struggled a little with tyre temperatures causing me to ‘lock up’ in many places but Antonio was very fast. Last year I won two races for Liverpool and I believe that I have a good and strong race car for tomorrow – hopefully it will be my hat-trick for the Reds!”
Anderlecht: Yelmer Buurman (NED)
“I struggled a little in free practice but once we had new tyres the car was good. The temperatures on the front tyres were not correct causing me to ‘lock up’ too easily and this problem ultimately caused me to go off in my quarter-final – just after the second chicane, I went wide and in to the dirt and the gravel – which I was mad about. But then I saw the FC Porto car going in to the pit-lane so I thought I’d better finish my lap despite my mistake. We were later told FC Porto had been disqualified so I was through to the semi against Spurs – I was lucky. We will make changes to improve the car overnight.”
Tottenham Hotspur: Craig Dolby (GB)
“Things had gone very well for me up until the semi-final when I spun. I’d actually backed off my speed because Antonio [Pizzonia] had outbraked himself in the Corinthians car. I braked early but the back end just snapped out and away from me. But these things happen and we have a very fast car for the race so I’m extremely optimistic for the races and we’re definitely in with a chance of scoring a win for Spurs.”
Andy Soucek given ten second penalty
27.6.2009 von Wolfgang.
Spaniard drops to fourth place in race one
Andy Soucek has been given a ten second penalty by the FIA stewards following an incident at Les Combes on lap three of today’s (Saturday) Formula Two race at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Spanish driver overshot the corner whilst trying to attack Tobias Hegewald for the lead. His car then ran across the grass and returned to the track immediately in front of Julien Jousse. The Frenchman had to take avoiding action and lost his place to Miloš Pavlović in the process.
Having left the circuit with all four wheels and hindered another driver on his return to the track, it has been deemed worthy of a penalty by the race stewards.
Soucek has accordingly been dropped to fourth in the final classification of the race, whilst Pavlović and Jousse have been promoted to second and third respectively. The penalty leaves Soucek third in the overall championship standings.
Revised results - FIA Formula Two Championship, Spa-Francorchamps, Race One:
1. Tobias Hegewald, 11 laps
2. Miloš Pavlović, +7.896s
3. Julien Jousse, +8.619s
4. Andy Soucek, +14.149s
5. Jack Clarke, +19.406s
6. Tom Gladdis, +19.955s
7. Henri Karjalainen, +21.720s
8. Edoardo Piscopo, +27.003s
9. Mirko Bortolotti, +34.193s
10. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +36.390s www.formulatwo.com
YPRES PERFORMANCE BOOSTS SKODA
27.6.2009 von Wolfgang.
YPRES PERFORMANCE BOOSTS SKODA … AND ALL THE OTHER NEWS FROM THE IRC
Skoda Motorsport boss Michal Hrabanek believes Jan Kopecky’s second place finish on the Belgium Ypres Rally recently will be a major step towards the Czech manufacturer achieving its debut win in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
Speaking after Kopecky’s second consecutive runner-up placing in the IRC, which also marked his first podium on a full asphalt rally, Hrabanek said the result was very significant.
"Just like we presumed the Ypres Rally was a tough fight for every second, which is actually typical of the entire IRC series and certainly attractive from the perspective of the rally fans," said Hrabanek. "The final result confirms that our success at the Azores Rally was no coincidence and that we are indeed good enough to fight for the overall victory."
Hrabanek, however, urged caution, adding: "We haven’t made the last step, though, and we know that we still have a lot of hard work to do. The experience we have gained in Belgium will definitely help us in our development work and in preparing the car for the races to come, as well as in our customer sales programme."
Skoda will return to the IRC on Rally Russia, which is due to run from July 9-11.
Skoda enjoyed another strong run in Belgium
HONDA AND PIEPERS AIM FOR IRC 2WD GLORY
Honda driver Marcel Piepers has emerged as an outside bet for 2WD Cup honours in this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge following his victory in the emerging class on the recent Belgium Ypres Rally.
Piepers was the first of two Honda drivers in the top three of the 2WD section on the popular asphalt event. Fellow Dutchman Martijn Braat was third in a similar Civic Type R, while fourth place for Belgian Patrick Vandeputte completed an astonishing Honda performance after it scored more manufacturer points than any other make on the event.
Although Piepers will skip the next two rounds in Russia and Madeira, he is set to return for Barum Rally Zlin in August when he will be a favourite for 2WD Cup honours.
"The result means that we are now joint second in the IRC 2WD Cup drivers’ rankings and we have also boosted Honda’s score in the IRC manufacturers’ standings," said Piepers. "It was an excellent rally for us and our Honda performed perfectly throughout all 16 stages. All we did was put in fuel and change the tyres."
Alessandro Mariani of JAS Motorsport, the company responsible for overseeing the Honda Civic Type R rally programme, added: "To achieve such a successful result on one of the toughest events of the IRC only increases our satisfaction."
Piepers won the IRC 2WD Cup for Honda in Belgium
WILKS HAS HIGH HOPES FOR PROTON DESPITE TOUGH DEBUT
Guy Wilks has said he will be able to take many positives away from his retirement on the Belgium Ypres Rally recently.
Wilks, who was giving Proton’s Satria Neo Super 2000 its debut in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, retired on the opening day of the event following a crash. However, the British driver said the fact he was as high as 11th on the car’s first proper event suggested the Proton has a huge amount of potential.
"I’m disappointed and the whole of the Proton team is that we weren’t able to finish and get the mileage in the car we were looking for," said Wilks. "The Proton had been really well received by the IRC fans and they were brilliant helping us to get back on the road after our accident."
Wilks said he had already turned his attentions to the next round of the series, Rally Russia, which runs from July 9-11.
"I’m already thinking ahead to Rally Russia," said Wilks. "We always knew it was going to be difficult against the more experienced teams here. But we know what we have got to do and given time and testing and some data to compare our performance against the others we’ll be right up there."
BFGOODRICH DRIVERS’ TEAM SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR CZECH RALLY
The search for the next BFGoodrich Drivers’ Team participant will begin in earnest shortly following the recent Belgium Ypres Rally.
Giving the opportunity for a rising star from selected countries to tackle their home event of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in a fully funded Peugeot 207 Super 2000, the programme will continue on Barum Rally Zlin in August.
Before then, however, representatives of tyre firm BFGoodrich, Kronos Racing (the company responsible for preparing the 207 S2000 used for the project), the Czech Republic’s motorsport governing body and members of the Czech media will have to consider applications from various candidates before eventually selecting a winner.
Last year’s recipient on Barum Rally Zlin, Pavel Valousek, finished fourth on the asphalt event, while the pedigree of the candidates was demonstrated when Sebastien Ogier won the Monte Carlo Rally, the IRC opener, in January.
Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville, who was selected to drive the car on the Belgium Ypres Rally, lived up to the strong reputation created by the BFGoodrich-backed drivers. Although he would ultimately retire from the asphalt event before the completion of day one, he had run as high as fourth on his first outing in a four-wheel-drive car.
"The BFGoodrich Drivers’ Team operation was once again a huge success with the local crowd," said the company’s Jacques Morelli. "Thierry’s retirement no way calls his talent into question. He failed to finish but that’s rallying."
www.rally-irc.com
DTM-Titelverteidiger Timo Scheider holt Pole am Norisring
27.6.2009 von Wolfgang.
Nürnberg. Gewitter, Regen und Sonnenschein im Wechsel sorgten auf dem Norisring in Nürnberg für ein packendes Qualifying zum dritten DTM-Lauf der Saison. Am besten kam der DTM-Titelverteidiger Timo Scheider im Audi A4 DTM mit den schwierigen Bedingungen zurecht. Der 30-Jährige sicherte sich in 49,012 Sekunden die Bestzeit auf dem 2,3 Kilometer langen Stadtkurs. „Nach vier Jahren haben wir heute die erste Pole für Audi auf dem Norisring errungen. Man versucht sich natürlich vom Wetter nicht beeinflussen zu lassen. Aber heute war es schwierig, das richtige Set-up zu finden. Wir haben zum Glück die richtigen Entscheidungen getroffen“, freute sich Scheider. Der Lahnsteiner schnappte seinem Markenkollegen Mattias Ekström aus Schweden ganz knapp die dritte Pole in Folge vor der Nase weg. Der Vorsprung von Scheider auf Ekström betrug lediglich eine Zehntelsekunde. Für den Audi-Piloten ist es die vierte Pole-Position seiner DTM-Karriere, für Audi die dritte aufeinanderfolgende in dieser Saison und die 47. insgesamt. Von Startplatz drei geht der kanadische Mercedes-Benz-Fahrer Bruno Spengler, Pole-Mann des vergangenen Jahres auf dem Norisring, in das Rennen am Sonntag. „Das Qualifying war heute wirklich schwer zu fahren. Mein Team und ich haben noch nie so viel über Funk gesprochen wie in dieser Qualifikation. Unter diesen Bedingungen bin ich allerdings über Platz drei sehr froh“, erklärte Spengler. Der DTM-Champion des Jahres 2005, Gary Paffett (GB), startet mit seiner AMG Mercedes C Klasse von Platz vier.
Da einige Piloten in der dritten Session des vierstufigen Qualifyings zehn statt acht Runden gefahren sind, entscheiden die Sportkommissare derzeit über die Platzierungen fünf bis 19. Prominentester Leidtragender ist Mercedes-Benz-Pilot Ralf Schumacher, der so den Sprung unter die Top Vier verpasste. Der 20. Platz bleibt unbesetzt, da das Team Kolles Futurecom-TME sein Fahrzeug mit dem Fahrer Johannes Seidlitz für den dritten Saisonlauf zurückzog.
Das endgültige Ergebnis folgt nach der offiziellen Bestätigung des DMSB.
Das Rennen am Sonntag geht über 80 Runden und insgesamt 184 Kilometer. Start ist um 14:00 Uhr (ARD live ab 13:45).
www.dtm.com
Jules Bianchi gewinnt Regen-Chaos auf dem Norisring
27.6.2009 von Wolfgang.
Lufttemperatur: 24,3 °C
Streckentemperatur: 22,4 °C
In einem von einer Regen-Unterbrechung geprägten Rennen der Formel 3 Euro Serie auf dem 2,3 Kilometer langen Norisring gewann Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix) vor Alexander Sims (Mücke Motorsport) und Stefano Coletti (Prema Powerteam). Bianchi übernahm die Führung nach dem Restart, der wegen eines Unfalls in der ersten Runde und der nachfolgenden Safety-Car-Phase nötig wurde und fuhr einem sicheren Sieg entgegen. Für den Tabellenführer der stärksten Nachwuchsserie der Welt war es der zweite Saisonsieg im fünften Rennen des Jahres.
Das Rennen begann mit einem Massenunfall, bei dem insgesamt fünf Fahrer ausschieden. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte Rookie Alexander Sims die Führung inne, doch beim Restart zog sein Verfolger Bianchi an ihm vorbei und setzte sich vom Feld ab. Sims hingegen steckte in einem Kampf mit Stefano Coletti, Esteban Gutierrez (ART Grand Prix) und Roberto Merhi (Manor Motorsport), in dem sich der britische Rookie schließlich durchsetzte. Für den Mücke-Piloten war es der erste Podestplatz in der Formel 3 Euro Serie. Stefano Coletti komplettierte das Podium.
Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix): „Mein Start war nicht besonders gut, aber mein Restart nach dem Safety-Car dafür umso besser. Ich habe dann versucht, eine Lücke zu meinen Verfolgern herauszuarbeiten, was mir gelungen ist. Mein Auto war gut und ich bin immer noch Führender der Formel 3 Euro Serie, damit bin ich zufrieden.“
Alexander Sims (Mücke Motorsport): „Es war komisch, das Rennen nach der Unterbrechung noch einmal zu starten, um noch eine Runde hinter dem Safety Car zu fahren. Beim Restart nach dem Unfall in der ersten Runde war ich nicht gut und Jules zog an mir vorbei. Aber was soll’s, ich stehe zum ersten Mal auf dem Podest in der Formel 3 Euro Serie.“
Stefano Coletti (Prema Powerteam): „Es war seltsam, für nur noch eine Runde hinter dem Safety-Car noch einmal loszufahren. Man hätte sich das sparen können oder sollte noch zwei oder drei Runden mehr fahren. Über den dritten Platz freue ich mich trotzdem.“
www.f3euroseries.com
Tobias Hegewald secures commanding maiden victory
27.6.2009 von Wolfgang.
German driver becomes fourth winner in five races
Tobias Hegewald took a commanding maiden win at Spa-Francorchamps this afternoon (Saturday), ahead of Andy Soucek and Miloš Pavlović.
The race got off to a dramatic start when Robert Wickens failed to get away from the line. It looked as though the whole pack would be able to avoid him but Jason Moore collected him at speed, spreading the track with debris and bringing the safety car out for two laps.
At the restart, Soucek tried desperately to get past Hegewald but ended up running off the circuit at Les Combes. The Spaniard held on to his second place, but baulked Julien Jousse as he returned to circuit. Pavlović managed to overtake Jousse in the process and the two went on to enjoy a race-long battle.
Philipp Eng and Alex Brundle both retired after coming together in an incident that also involved Jolyon Palmer, whilst the trio fought for sixth place. Palmer suffered wing damage and eventually dropped down the order.
At the flag, Hegewald had increased his lead to four seconds to take his first victory of the season. Soucek was able to take a comfortable second as Pavlović came under increasing pressure from Jousse, but the Serbian defended gallantly to take a well deserved podium.
Behind Jousse came the British pair of Jack Clarke and Tom Gladdis - both drivers enjoying storming drives from 12th and 15th respectively on the grid to score top six finishes. Henri Karjalainen and Edoardo Piscopo also enjoyed similarly exciting races, making several overtaking manoeuvres on their way to seventh and eighth. Mirko Bortolotti and Kazim Vasiliauskas rounded out the top ten - narrowly missing out on championship points.
Soucek now leads the championship standings, having moved to 23 points ahead of Bortolotti and Jousse on 21. Wickens is currently fourth on 20 points. Round six will take place tomorrow at 15:05.
Tobias Hegewald said: "I’m just hoping for more of the same tomorrow! My first two weekends unfortunately weren’t so good, but hopefully now I am running better and I have put myself into championship contention. I was under a bit of pressure from Andy but I managed to get a gap and relax towards the end."
Andy Soucek said: "I tried to overtake Tobias in the early laps, at the start and after the Safety Car, but I saw he was too quick and I couldn’t match his rhythm. I had a few big moments - including going across the grass at the chicane - so I decided to settle for second and with it the championship lead. I have to apologise to Julien Jousse because he had to avoid me when I went over the grass and he ended up losing third to Miloš. I’m happy with my race and the result, but I do have to apologise for this move."
Milos Pavlović said: "I really wanted a podium today and I pushed hard to get it. Maybe I was fortunate to get past Julien in the way I did, but I took my chances and the race went well. I got a really good start and was alongside Julien Jousse going into the first corner, and after I got by him I couldn’t catch Andy so I just guided it home to third. I know I have to improve my feel for the car, but after this result I’m confident I can get there."
FIA Formula Two Championship, Spa-Francorchamps, Race One results:
1. Tobias Hegewald, 11 laps
2. Andy Soucek, +4.149s
3. Milos Pavlovic, +7.896s
4. Julien Jousse, +8.619s
5. Jack Clarke, +19.406s
6. Tom Gladdis, +19.955s
7. Henri Karjalainen, +21.720s
8. Edoardo Piscopo, +27.003s
9. Mirko Bortolotti, +34.193s
10. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +36.390s www.formulatwo.com
