Matchball für Stanaway

Veröffentlicht am 29.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Stanaway steht vor dem Titelgewinn

Der Weg zum Titel im ATS Formel-3-Cup 2011 führt über Richie Stanaway – das weiß nun jeder! Wer ein Wörtchen bei der Vergabe des Meistertitels mitreden möchte, muss den Neuseeländer schlagen. Erschwerend kommt hinzu, dass der 19-Jährige mit viel Selbstverstrauen in die Niederlausitz reist: Stanaway konnte nämlich, im Rahmen der Formel 1 im belgischen Spa, bei seinem Gastspiel in der GP3 einen Sieg erringen. Mit stolz geschwellter Brust wird er deshalb am kommenden Wochenende die Saisonläufe 13 und 14 des ATS Formel-3-Cup auf dem EuroSpeedway Lausitz angehen.
Vor knapp drei Wochen feierte Stanaway einen Doppelsieg am Red-Bull Ring, womit er neun von zwölf Rennen für sich entscheiden konnte. Deshalb sollte man auf dem EuroSpeedway Lausitz am 03. und 04. September besonders den weißen Dallara-Volkswagen mit der Startnummer 5 im Auge behalten, der vom niederländischen Team Van Amersfoort Racing eingesetzt wird. Auf der ostdeutschen Piste bei Senftenberg kann Stanaway nämlich schon den ersten Matchball verwandeln und sich die Krone im SONAX Rookie-Pokal aufsetzen. Die mit 10.000 Euro dotierte Wertung führt er ebenfalls souverän an.
Spannung versprechen zudem zahlreiche Kämpfe im Mittelfeld. Vor allem hinter dem Dänen Marco Sörensen, der im Dallara-Mercedes die zweiten Plätze scheinbar gepachtet hat – Sörensen liegt auch deshalb recht klar auf dem zweiten Tabellenplatz. Sehr eng und immer spektakulär geht es um Klaus Bachler und Tom Blomqvist zu, die punktgleich auf dem dritten Platz der Tabelle liegen. Überhaupt merkt man deutlich, dass mit jedem Formel-3-Kilometer mehr die Lehrkurve bei den Piloten ansteigt: Alon Day, Hannes van Asseldonk, Markus Pommer, Rene Binder und auch Tony Halbig mischen nun kräftig im Vorderfeld mit.
Vor allem der dritte Tabellenplatz ist im ATS Formel-3-Cup heiß umkämpft. Punktgleich stehen Klaus Bachler und Tom Blomqvist mit je 53 Zählern da, knapp gefolgt von Alon Day, der bislang 47 Punkte sammeln konnte. Doch auch auf Hannes van Asseldonk sollte man achten. Der Niederländer kassierte letztens hinter Stanaway und Sörensen die drittmeisten Punkte. Nach drei dritten Plätzen in Folge, habe ich in der Lausitz Rang zwei im Visier, folgert Van Asseldonk. Doch dieses scheinbar logische Aufstiegsprinzip kann man im hart umkämpften Formel-3-Sport nicht unbedingt voraussetzen.
Und genau dies macht den Reiz im ATS Formel-3-Cup aus: Zufälle sind nicht kalkulierbar. Der Weg zum Sieg und Erfolg führt über eiserne Disziplin, Talent, technisches Verständnis sowie Konzentration – und diese Voraussetzung bringen alle mit, die in der schnellsten deutschen Formel-Rennserie antreten.

www.formel3.de

Luca Filippi sprints to Spa victory

Veröffentlicht am 28.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Antworten

Scuderia Coloni driver ends Belgium weekend on a high

Luca Filippi snatched a second win in the 2011 season at the wheel of the Scuderia Coloni car in an action packed sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps. The Italian who drove flawlessly from P5 on the starting grid was joined by Jules Bianchi and Josef Kral on the podium.

As the lights went off, poleman of the day Kral made a perfect start to keep the lead, but it was Johnny Cecotto who made the strongest impression on the rest of the field. The Venezuelan chose the right side of the straight line from P9 to pass Fairuz Fauzy on the inside of Turn 1 and take P2. Further down, Filippi overtook both Dani Clos and Fairuz Fauzy to come out in third place at the end of the first lap.

As Kral stayed in control and built up a 2.9s gap with Cecotto, the Ocean driver was fighting hard to keep an overzealous Filippi at bay. The Italian passed the Venezuelan at Eau Rouge, but Cecotto fought back and regained his position quickly. Behind the battling duo, the action was just as intense with Bianchi overtaking Clos on the last corner, the Spaniard having just lost a position to newly crowned GP2 Series Champion Romain Grosjean. At the entrance of Turn 1, Bianchi made a move on Grosjean but ran a bit too wide and lost a position to Clos.

By Lap 7, Filippi had eventually passed Cecotto, and was the quickest man on track one second faster than race leader Kral. But the Safety Car was deployed after Fabio Leimer lost the rear of his Rapax car at Eau Rouge and crashed heavily into the barrier. Although his machine was severely damaged, the Swiss driver walked away uninjured.

At the re-start, Kral stayed in the lead, but Filippi did not let him get away, overtook him after Eau Rouge and sprinted to victory. Behind them, Cecotto was under pressure from Fauzy, Grosjean with Clos in tow. The Malaysian driver eventually was out of the equation when he went a bit too wide at Turn 1 and it looked as though Cecotto would be able to breathe a little bit better while Grosjean, Clos and Bianchi were once again busy fighting each other off. The three men ran side by side after Turn 1, and at the bottom of Eau Rouge, Bianchi passed to take P4 and set his sight on Cecotto for P3. He did the job in the last corner and chased after Kral.

Cecotto lost a position to Grosjean and Clos and while the Ocean driver was fighting the Spaniard to regain his position, Sam Bird joined in on the fun and overtook both for P5. While Filippi extended his lead, Bianchi disposed of Kral in the last lap. The Arden man was then Grosjeans prey, but Kral managed to keep the Dams man at bay to retain P3. Grosjean finished in fourth ahead of Bird and Clos.

With this result, Filippi has moved up to fifth in the drivers standings, nine points behind Giedo van der Garde who is still in second. As for Bianchi, after a strong Belgium weekend and two second places, the Frenchman is now third in the drivers standings, one point behind the Dutchman at Addax. The fight to become Vice Champion in two weeks time at Monza will be another GP2 classic.

www.gp2series.com

Pineiro secures third successive F2 win

Veröffentlicht am 28.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Antworten

Spaniard takes lead from Zanella as Bortolotti strengthens championship charge

Ramon Pineiro stormed to a third successive victory after winning today’s (Sunday) second FIA Formula Two race at the Red Bull Ring.

The young Spaniard took the lead from pole-sitter Christopher Zanella at Turn 2 on the first lap, and in similar style to yesterday, went on to build a comfortable lead to take the chequered flag. Mirko Bortolotti further strengthened his championship charge with a second place while Romanian Mihai Marinescu claimed his second successive podium finish.

Zanella, starting on pole after Mirko Bortolotti’s post-qualifying penalty, made a good start, but Pineiro attacked the Swiss driver into Turn 2, with Zanella subsequently going wide. 19-year-old Pineiro then took the lead while Bortolotti also found his way past into second.

Throughout the 26-lap race, Pineiro regularly had a lead of around two seconds, although Bortolotti showed threatening pace at the end of the race, setting the fastest lap to close within 1.2 seconds of the Spaniard.

Mihai Marinescu also capitalised on Zanella running wide at Turn 1 to move into third place where he stayed untroubled for the rest of the race while 21-year-old Zanella was forced to settle for fourth, just ahead of Kelvin Snoeks who made up three palces to round out the top five.

After being caught up in the first corner incident involving Armaan Ebrahim, Tobias Hegewald brought his JPH1B car home in sixth place ahead of Russian Max Snegirev who equalled his best ever result of seventh.

Frenchman Benjamin Lariche rounded off a strong weekend to secure yet another points finish at the 4.3km Austrian track with eighth place with Mikkel Mac came home in ninth. British F2 newcomer Luciano Bacheta enjoyed yet another points finish on his debut to round out the top 10 and made even more impressive given he started the race in 15th position.

Meanwhile, there was less luck for the rest of the British drivers with Jack Clarke and Alex Brundle being forced to retire after being caught up in separate incidents at the first corner, with James Cole also dropping down the order due to brake issues.

Despite starting from the back of the field Theimo Storz drove a superb race to claim 14th position while Spaniard Miki Monras endured yet more bad luck to drop to 11th after spinning early on.

A post-race investigation by the stewards also saw Plamen Kralev handed a five place grid penalty at the next F2 rounds for overtaking under a yellow flag.

Speaking afterwards race winner Pineiro said: "I think this was the hardest race I’ve won because I just built up a two second gap and then Mirko and Mihai were just doing qualifying laps every single lap and I knew just one mistake would bring them even closer. So it was very hard to stay consistent and stay on the limit, which is the hardest thing to do but I could manage it and take the win back home."

The next rounds (13 and 14) of the 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship take place at Monza on 30 September to 2 October.

Results, Red Bull Ring, Race two:

1. Ramon Pineiro, 26 laps
2. Mirko Bortolotti, +1.204s
3. Mihai Marinescu, +9.920s
4. Christopher Zanella, +12.709s
5. Kelvin Snoeks, +20.818s
6. Tobias Hegewald, +24.689s
7. Max Snegirev, +30.592s
8. Benjamin Lariche, +33.186s
9. Mikkel Mac, +33.537s
10. Luciano Bacheta, +35.887s

For more information on the series click onto www.formulatwo.com

IRC ACE KOPECKY WINS DRAMATIC ZLIN SHOWDOWN

Veröffentlicht am 28.8.2011 von Wolfgang

•Czech hero heads SKODA podium lockout in closest IRC finish
ever•Neuville tops Peugeot challenge as Bouffier crashes on final
morning
Jan Kopecký has claimed his first victory in the
Intercontinental Rally Challenge for more than a year after triumphing
on a thrilling Barum Czech Rally Zlín. The &Scaron;KODA
Motorsport ace, roared on by approximately 300,000 home fans, beat
Freddy Loix by 1.2s, the closest finish in the history of the IRC.
Team-mate Juho Hänninen took third to make it a &Scaron;KODA
podium lockout.
Kopecky started the final stage with a two-second margin over Loix.
Despite the BFO-SKODA driver going fastest through the closing test,
Kopecky was able to hold on to first place and trim Hanninen’s
title lead to three points with four IRC rounds remaining.
Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg’s Thierry Neuville was the
leading Peugeot 207 driver in fourth after Bryan Bouffier crashed his
Peugeot France entry on Sunday’s opening stage. However,
Neuville faced strong opposition from SKODA UK Motorsport’s
Andreas Mikkelsen, who slashed his margin to 6.1s with a succession of
stage wins.
Kopecky, whose last win in the IRC was on Rally Islas Canarias El
Corte Ingles in May 2010, thought his hopes of victory were over when
his car’s powersteering faltered on Sunday’s first stage,
which resulted in his overnight lead of 19.7s being slashed to 5.6s.
Although he and co-driver Petr Stary were able to fashion makeshift
repairs by using a spare pipe to bypass the oil cooler to the
powersteering pump, they were unable to prevent the advancing Loix
from closing to within one second at the midday service halt in
Otrokovice.
In a tense finish, Kopecky held his nerve to win and banish the
memories of 2010 when he crashed out of the lead of his home event on
the final day. His efforts earned him the prestigious Colin McRae IRC
Flat Out Trophy, awarded to the driver whose performance best embodies
the spirit of the rallying legend.
Hanninen began the final day equal on time with Loix in second but
dropped out of contention when he slid wide on stage 12 and lost a few
precious seconds in the mistaken belief that he had a puncture.
Anxious to preserve his championship lead, the Finn settled for third
rather than pushing for a fourth win of the campaign.
Neuville found Sunday’s faster and flowing stages more to his
liking, which increased his confidence and ability to push, despite
heavy overnight rain leaving the roads damp in places. His capture of
fourth completed an encouraging showing on his second appearance on
the demanding asphalt event following a handful of set-up issues on
day one.
Mikkelsen’s bid to make up lost ground following his puncture
on Saturday began with a brace of stage wins in his SKODA UK
Motorsport Fabia. Stage 12 proved less successful for the Norwegian
when he went off the road and then overshot a junction. But two
further stage wins in the afternoon underlined the 22-year-old’s
huge potential on his way to fifth position.
Finn Toni Gardemeister overcame two clutch failures and a 10-second
penalty for a jumped start in his TGS Worldwide SKODA to fend off
Craig Breen for sixth position. Both drivers impressed on their first
appearances in Zlin with Breen’s performance particularly
noteworthy. Seeded 20th, the 21-year-old from Ireland was the
highest-placed M-Sport Ford Fiesta driver at the finish following an
error-free outing.
Guy Wilks, languishing in 12th at the start of the day following his
costly puncture on Saturday afternoon, battled back to eight position
in his Peugeot UK 207 after posting several impressive stage times.
But his frustrating visit to Czech Republic ended with alternator
failure prior to the 13th stage.
Roman Kresta’s eagerness to secure maximum Czech championship
points after rivals Pavel Valousek and Vaclav Pech both hit trouble on
Saturday meant he was happy to settle for eighth. His only major
concern during the rally was his puncture on stage five.
Swede PG Andersson survived a spin and a broken propshaft on stage 12
to clinch his first IRC points in his PROTON Motorsports’ Satria
Neo in a highly encouraging ninth place. Estonian teenager Karl Kruuda
rounded out the top 10 in his SKODA with Pole Michal Solowow 6.3s
behind in 11th in an M-Sport Fiesta.
SKODA Sweden’s Patrik Sandell was 12th after upping his pace
and confidence on his first visit to the Zlin stages. Irishman Robert
Barrable charged a wall on Sunday morning but kept his composure to
finish 13th in his privateer Fabia, one place ahead of PROTON driver
Giandomenico Basso. SKODA Auto Deutschland duo Mark Wallenwein and
Matthias Kahle were 19th and 20th on their Zlin debuts.
Bryan Bouffier was in the thick of the battle for a podium finish
entering Sunday’s opening test only to go off the road two
kilometres from the end of the stage. Impact with a boulder ripped two
wheels from his Peugeot France 207 and resulted in his instant
retirement.
“I was trying, doing my best when I went off, hit a boulder and
broke off two wheels,” said the Rallye Monte-Carlo winner.
“For sure I’m very disappointed but this is the race and I
was trying to keep my position and also fight the guys in front of
me.”
IRC Production CupIn the fight for the IRC Production Cup Jaroslav
Orsak, in a Ralliart Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX R4, triumphed by a
healthy margin over Subaru Impreza driver Daniel Behalek. Martin
Bujacek finished third in a Lancer with Vaclav Arazim next up in
another Lancer. Vaclav Pech had been leading the class when he dropped
out with suspension failure on stage six. He returned under SupeRally
regulations on Sunday. Fumio Nutahara, in his Yokohama-supported
Impreza R4, crashed into retirement on stage five.
IRC 2WD CupStefano Albertini shone on his Zlin debut to clinch IRC
2WD Cup spoils for the first time in his Clio R3. The young Italian
edged Czech rising star Vaclav Dunovsky, who struggled with rear
suspension problems for much of the event in his Ignis. Jean-Michel
Raoux boosted his IRC 2WD Cup title hopes in third position after
overcoming an exhaust failure on his Clio. Overnight leader Petr
Zednik, in an M-Sport Fiesta, dropped back to fourth following
intercom and engine problems on the final day. Martin Kangur was the
leading Honda Civic finisher in sixth place.
DRIVER QUOTES
Jan Kopecky (Czech Republic), SKODA Fabia S2000, first overall:
“It was a nice fight with Freddy until the last metre of the
last stage and we enjoyed it a lot. Many people were much more nervous
than me, I was quite relaxed and felt no pressure. I have to say it is
my best win and we come back in the championship now but there is
still a long way to go.”
Freddy Loix (Belgium), SKODA Fabia S2000, second overall: “I
was hoping I could win but the first four stages I wasn’t so
quick and didn’t have the feeling with the car. I was also
missing a bit the rhythm. But then we changed the car and started to
fight back from sixth to a few seconds from Jan. It was a great race
for me and Jan was very quick.”
Juho Hanninen (Finland), SKODA Fabia S2000, third overall:
“Okay I wanted to win but sometimes it’s better to accept
not winning and take some points, which is important for the
championship. The boys in front of me were on full attack and when I
made a small mistake on stage 12 and thought I had a puncture they won
eight seconds from me and that was it.”
 
TOP 10 IRC POSITIONS AFTER DAY TWO
1 Jan Kopecky (CZE)/Petr Stary (CZE) SKODA Fabia S2000 2h15m51.7s2
Freddy Loix (BEL)/Frederic Miclotte (BEL) SKODA Fabia S2000 +1.2s3
Juho Hanninen (FIN)/Mikko Markkula (FIN) SKODA Fabia S2000 +37.4s4
Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Peugeot 207 S2000
+1m59.6s5 Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Ola Fløene (NOR) SKODA Fabia
S2000 +2m05.7s6 Toni Gardemeister (FIN)/Tapio Suominen (FIN) SKODA
Fabia S2000 +3m43.2s7 Craig Breen (IRL)/Gareth Roberts (GBR) M-Sport
Ford Fiesta S2000 +3m47.4s8 Roman Kresta (CZE)/Petr Gross (CZE) SKODA
Fabia S2000 +4m21.5s9 PG Andersson (SWE)/Emil Axelsson (SWE) PROTON
Satria Neo S2000 +4m41.1s10 Karl Kruuda (EST)/Martin Jarveoja (EST)
SKODA Fabia S2000 +4m54.4sIRC Production Cup: Jaroslav Orsak
(CZE)/Karel Vajik (CZE) Ralliart Lancer Evolution IX R4IRC 2WD Cup:
Stefano Alberto (ITA)/Simone Scattolin (ITA) Renault Clio R3
IRC STANDINGS
Drivers after round seven of 111 Juho Hanninen (Finland) 98pts2 Jan
Kopecky (Czech Republic) 95pts3 Freddy Loix (Belgium) 88pts4 Bryan
Bouffier (France) 61pts5 Thierry Neuville (Belgium) 60pts6 Andreas
Mikkelsen (Norway) 58pts7 Guy Wilks (United Kingdom) 47pts8 Toni
Gardemeister (Finland) 28pts9 Hans Weijs (Netherlands) 18pts10 Karl
Kruuda (Estonia) 15pts= Michal Solowow (Poland) 15pts etc
Manufacturers after round seven of 111 SKODA 275pts2 Peugeot
184pts3 M-Sport 70pts4 Subaru 51pts5 Ralliart 49pts6 PROTON 33pts7
Honda 28pts8 Abarth 14pts
IRC Production Cup after round seven of 111 Florian Gonon
(Switzerland) 50pts2 Jose Luis Barrios (Spain) 25pts= Jonas
Langenakens (Belgium) 25pts= Ricardo Moura (Portugal) 25pts= Jaroslav
Orsak (Czech Republic) 25pts= Volodymyr Pechenyk (Ukraine) 25pts7
Vojtech Stajf (Czech Republic) 24pts8 Toshi Arai (Japan) 18pts= Daniel
Behalek (Czech Republic) 18pts= Vitor Lopes (Portugal) 18pts= Anthony
Martin (Belgium) 18pts= Yuriy Shapovalov (Ukraine) 18pts etc
IRC 2WD Cup drivers after round seven of 111 Jean-Michel Raoux
(France) 64pts2 Stefano Albertini (Italy) 40pts3 Pierre Campana
(France) 25pts= Pierre-Antoine Guglielmi (France) 25pts= Paulo Maciel
(Portugal) 25pts= Kris Princen (Belgium) 25pts= Joan Vinyes (Spain)
25pts8 Eric Mauffrey (France) 22pts9 Gorka Antxustegi (Spain) 18pts=
Michael Burri (Switzerland) 18pts= Vlad Cosma (Romania) 18pts= Tommy
Doyle (Ireland) 18pts= Vaclav Dunovsky (Czech Republic) 18pts= Guy
Fiori (France) 18pts etc
IRC 2WD Cup manufacturers after round seven of 111 Honda 158pts2
Peugeot 149pts3 M-Sport 116pts4 Abarth 58pts5 SKODA 30pts
RALLY LEADERS
SS1: Juho HanninenSS2: Andreas MikkelsenSS3-15: Jan Kopecky
STAGE WINNERS
Day one (Friday 26 August and Saturday 27 August):SS1: SSS Zlin
(9.36kms): Juho HanninenSS2: Biskupice 1 (8.89kms): Guy WilksSS3:
Pindula 1 (12.95kms): Jan KopeckySS4: Trojak 1 (28.69kms): Jan
KopeckySS5: Semetin 1 (11.49kms): Bryan BouffierSS6: Biskupice 2
(8.89kms): Freddy LoixSS7: Pindula 2 (12.95kms): Juho HanninenSS8:
Trojak 2 (28.69kms): Freddy Loix and Jan KopeckySS9: Semetin 2
(11.49kms): Freddy Loix 
Day two (Sunday 28 August):SS10: Majak 1 (22.69kms): Andreas
MikkelsenSS11: Kudlovice 1 (10.48kms): Andreas MikkelsenSS12:
Halenkovice 1 (24.37kms): Freddy LoixSS13: Majak 2 (22.69kms): Andreas
MikkelsenSS14: Kudlovice 2 (10.48kms): Andreas MikkelsenSS15:
Halenkovice 2 (24.37kms): Freddy Loix
KEY STATISTICS
IRC rally wins in 2011 (drivers)Juho Hanninen: 3Bryan Bouffier: 1Jan
Kopecky: 1Freddy Loix: 1Thierry Neuville: 1
IRC rally wins in 2011 (manufacturers)SKODA: 5Peugeot: 2 
IRC stage wins in 2011 (drivers)Andreas Mikkelsen: 18Juho Hanninen:
17Jan Kopecky: 14Freddy Loix: 14Thierry Neuville: 12Guy Wilks: 8Bryan
Bouffier: 8Stephane Sarrazin: 4Giandomenico Basso: 1Francois Delecour:
1Bruno Magalhaes: 1Patrik Sandell: 1Nicolas Vouilloz: 1
Stage wins in 2011 (manufacturers)SKODA: 65Peugeot: 34

Joan Perelló: Gran Premio de Indianápolis (EE.UU.) – Carrera

Veröffentlicht am 28.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Antworten

Joan Perelló ha conseguido la 20ª plaza en el gran Premio de Indianápolis, que se ha celebrado este domingo 28 de agosto en este mítico circuito.

Tras unos entrenamientos en los que fue bajando sus registros de forma consecutiva, el piloto del CTEIB salía desde la 25ª posición de la parrilla de salida. Como en otras ocasiones no hacía una buena salida pasando en las dos primeras vueltas en la última posición. A partir de ahí tocaba remontar, como así hizo el piloto del Matteoni Racing, recuperando su posición de salida en la octava vuelta. Pero lejos de conformarse siguió su progresión, consiguiendo una meritoria 20ª posición, en su primera participación en este peculiar trazado.

Eduardo Perales (Manager): "Esta era una de las pruebas más difíciles del certamen, ya que el trazado de Indianápolis es sumamente complicado, ya que se utiliza parte del óvalo original, una zona rapidísima, y una zona interior, con un asfalto totalmente diferente. Los neumáticos sufren muchísimo y hay que ser muy cuidadoso para no quedarte sin goma al final de la carrera. Joan ha sabido administrar muy bien sus neumáticos y ha conseguido una digna posición final. Su punto debil son las salidas, y si consigue mejorar este aspecto puede dar un salto cualitativo, que le permitirá luchar por los puntos."

Os agradecemos de antemano vuestro interés y quedamos a vuestra entera disposición para cualquier consulta.

Koldo Zuazaga – Ferbis Press

Spa post race decision. Josef Kral will start from reverse pole tomorrow

Veröffentlicht am 28.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Antworten

During todays feature race, Josef Kral was overtaken by Fairuz Fauzy. This move was made during a Safety Car period and by virtue of this a suggestion was made to the team by Race Control that Fauzy should relinquish the position he had gained. Super Nova and their driver properly complied with this without demur.

At the conclusion of the race however, representations were made on behalf of the Malaysian driver and enquiries have been made of both drivers. After hearing the explanation of the Arden driver, the stewards found that the car driven by Kral had slowed to such a degree that it was reasonable for Fauzy to determine that the car driven by Kral had slowed with an obvious problem and he was entitled to have overtaken.

In all circumstances, the stewards directed that the finishing positions of Kral and Fauzy be reversed in the classification of the feature race. Both drivers having finished P7 and P8, Josef Kral will now be starting from reverse pole on tomorrows sprint race.

www.gp2series.com

Presentación rutómetro y horarios Rallye Vall de Sant Pere 2011

Veröffentlicht am 27.8.2011 von Wolfgang

IMG_1390 Dani Lozano agraciado sorteo inscripción rallye

La Escudería Mallorca Competició presentó ayer viernes en Esporles el rutómetro de la segunda edición del Rallye Vall de Sant Pere, prueba que se disputará los próximos 24 y 25 de septiembre. Fueron muchas las personas que se desplazaron hasta Esporles para conocer de primera mano como será la próxima cita del regional de rallyes de Baleares, y de paso aprovecharon para ver las imágenes y videos de la anterior edición.

Esta segunda edición contará con un total de 310 kilómetros de los que 127 corresponden a tramos cronometrados con un total de 16 especiales cronometradas que se disputarán en dos jornadas. El primer día estará compuesto por dos secciones. En la primera se disputarán los tramos Sa Figuera Fornalutx (7,9 kms.) y Coll de Sóller (9,850 kms.) en dirección Palma que se disputarán en dos ocasiones. Por la tarde será el plato fuerte de la prueba con tres pasadas por los tramos de Esporles Puigpunyent (8,0 kms), Galilea Capdellà (6,2 kms) y Calvia – Coll de Sa Creu (13,4 kms) que se repetirán tres veces. En cuanto a la jornada del domingo, la última sección estará formada por un tramo dentro del circuito Renn Arena, que se repetirá en tres ocasiones.

Además aprovechando la infraestructura del Circuito Renn Arena habrá varias exposiciones y exhibiciones, así como la entrega de Trofeos al concluir la carrera.

Otra de las novedades que presentó la escudería en el día de ayer fue una nueva web donde se podrá seguir el Rallye en directo, tanto los tiempos en los tramos, como las clasificaciones parciales y las principales incidencias de la carrera a través de comunicados. Dicha web esta adaptada al móvil, con lo que hará más fácil el seguimiento de la prueba para los pilotos y sobre todo para los aficionados que se desplacen a las distintas especiales. La dirección es www.rallyevalldesantpere.com

Por último también se procedió al sorteo de una inscripción gratuita entre los pilotos asistentes, siendo el agraciado Dani Lozano, casualmente el piloto que ganó en la pasada edición.

———— NOMBRE———– CIERRE CRTA.—1ª PASO—2º PASO—3º PASO—APERTURA CRTA.

Tramo A: Sa Figuera-Fornalutx…..10:00……….11:08………12:24…………………….13:25

Tramo B: Coll de Sóller…………… 10:45………11:46………13:02……………………..14:00

Tramo C: Esporles-Puigpunyent …15:10………16:10………18:09…….20:08………..21:00

Tramo D: Galilea-Capdellà ……….15:35………16:38………18:37…….20:36………..21:35

Tramo E: Calvià-Coll Sa Creu ……16:05……….17:06………19:05…….21:04………..22:00

Tramo F: Circuit Renn Arena …………………….09:33………10:48……..11:33

Miguel Ferrer
tn. 619.674.644
www.ferbispress.com

Pineiro secures second successive victory

Veröffentlicht am 27.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Spanish teenager wins opening F2 race in Austria

Ramon Pineiro secured his second successive win in the FIA Formula Two Championship after dominating the first race at the Red Bull Ring today (Saturday).
The 19-year-old Spaniard started on pole, made a great start and never looked back as he comfortably built a lead at the front. Austro-Italian Mirko Bortolotti finished second to increase his lead at the top of the drivers‘ standings, while Mihai Marinescu finally claimed his maiden F2 podium after holding off a charging Alex Brundle.

There was drama right from the very first corner of the 26 lap race when Johannes Theobald made contact with Brit Jack Clarke and newcomer Rene Binder causing the German to go airborne in the braking zone for turn one and rolled before coming to rest the right way up. Despite the severity of the incident, Theobald immediately stepped out of the car, demonstrating the safety of the JPH1B car.

The action continued at the same corner on the second lap of the race, as Miki Monras and Mikkel Mac collided while braking, forcing both out of the race and severely damaging the Spaniard’s title hopes.

As the race continued, Pineiro continued to pull away with Bortolotti following but unable to mount a challenge. Christopher Zanella, who had started the race third, was now running in fifth but the Swiss racer would eventually end the race pointless after a moment in the final stages, combined with a drive-through penalty for exceeding the track limits, ended a difficult afternoon for the 21-year-old.

The real battle, however, lay between Marinescu and Brundle for the final spot with the Brit putting the Romanian under increasing pressure but was unable to pass him leaving Mihai to take the honours.

After being involved with the first lap incident, Jack Clarke drove an impressive race to finish fifth, passing Julian Theobald and Christopher Zanella along the way. Theobald hung on to secure sixth place and a career best result while Luciano Bacheta impressed on his F2 debut with seventh.

Benjamin Lariche, James Cole and Plamen Kralev, rounded out the top 10 but the race belonged to Pineiro who never really looked trouble as he brought his 500bhp car home for his second win and move into fourth place in the drivers‘ standings.

Speaking afterwards a delighted Pineiro said: "I knew that the start was very important so I made sure I got to the first corner first and my pace was the fastest out there. I just tried to build up the gap smoothly and make no mistakes and bring the car home and take the win.

"The temperature was quite high outside and to keep your concentration in the high temperature is very tough especially when you’re on your own, you must keep your focus and I think I managed it ok."

Sunday’s qualifying session gets underway at 09:05 (local time) with full coverage on www.formulatwo.com.

Results, Red Bull Ring, Race one:

1. Ramon Pineiro, 26 laps
2. Mirko Bortolotti, +5.401s
3. Mihai Marinescu, +14.153s
4. Alex Brundle, +14.574s
5. Jack Clarke, +26.893s
6. Julian Theobald, +31.358s
7. Luciano Bacheta, +34.381s
8. Benjamin Lariche, +35.115s
9. James Cole, +41.405s
10.Plamen Kralev, +47.603s

For more information on the series click onto www.formulatwo.com

Ramon Pineiro secures pole position in Austria

Veröffentlicht am 27.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Spaniard continues recent good run of form at Red Bull Ring

Ramon Pineiro claimed pole position for today’s (Saturday) first FIA Formula Two race of the weekend at the Red Bull Ring after putting in a late surge to fend off Mirko Bortolotti and Christopher Zanella.

The top three were covered by 0.212 seconds in the closely fought session which also saw the top 10 covered by a mere second. Romanian Mihai Marinescu qualified fourth, with Alex Brundle’s late effort securing him fifth place for today’s round 11 which gets underway at 13:45 (local time). Miki Monras starts sixth while Luciano Bacheta on his F2 debut qualified an impressive seventh.

Once again the drivers‘ were greeted with glorious sunshine at the newly revived 4.3km Austrian track with Marinescu leading the way followed by Zanella and Austro-Italian Bortolotti.

By the halfway stage most of the field were starting to pit for fresh rubber before the session was red flagged after Tobias Hegewald pulled up on the approach to Turn 3.

The session resumed with 15 minutes left to play out with Marinescu once again leading the way before a string of changes which saw both Theobald brothers, returning after missing the last rounds at Brands Hatch, enjoy their time at the top of the timesheets.

With just a few minutes of the 30-minute session remaining, the lap times began to tumble with 21-year-old title leader Bortolotti now on top and on course for his sixth pole of the season until a large charge by Pineiro secured the honours in the last few moments.

Speaking afterwards the 19-year-old Spanish pole-sitter said: "My weekend at Brands Hatch was good and has given me a big boost for the rest of the rounds and here is the proof. In qualifying for the last six races I have been on the front row four times, so pole had to come and it’s come here. It’s good because the car performs very well and I have very good pace for the race."

Further down the field, Danish driver Mikkel Mac secured an impressive eighth place with Johannes Theobald in ninth and Benjamin Lariche maintaining his strong form from Friday to complete the top 10.

Jack Clarke was unlucky not to improve on his 13th position after he spun early on and subsequently damaging his tyres. Meanwhile Plamen Kralev was shown the black flag during that session for exceeding the track limits and will start from the back of the field along with German Hegewald.

Round 11 takes place at 13:45 with full coverage, including live streaming, available on the official F2 website.

Results, Red Bull Ring, Qualifying one:

1. Ramon Pineiro, +1:21.946s
2. Mirko Bortolotti, +0.134s
3. Christopher Zanella, +0.212s
4. Mihai Marinescu, +0.572s
5. Alex Brundle, +0.656s
6. Miki Monras, +0.802s
7. Luciano Bacheta, +0.835s
8. Mikkel Mac, +0.878s
9. Johannes Theobald, +0.925s
10. Benjamin Lariche, +0.977s
For more information on the series click onto www.formulatwo.com

WTCC ROUTE TO: VALENCIA, SPAIN

Veröffentlicht am 26.8.2011 von Wolfgang

The 17^th and 18^th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place in Spain, at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo next week. This is the seventh consecutive visit of the FIA World Touring Car Championship to the Spanish stadium-like racetrack and once again the WTCC Race of Spain will mark the end of the European season.
The 4km circuit does not seem to suit any particular car, as Manufacturers shared honours in the previous years. SEAT scored four victories on its home soil, BMW and Alfa Romeo won three times apiece, while Chevrolet claimed two race wins (with the Lacetti car).
Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro had won last year’s races with the glorious SEAT León TDi that has now been replaced by the SUNRED León 1.6T. The Spanish car has definitely showed significant progress in the latest events and could benefit from support of the local fans to win its first race.
The same applies to the two young Spaniards who are fighting for the Yokohama Trophy. Both Javier Villa in the Proteam Racing BMW 320 TC and SUNRED’s Pepe Oriola are set to put in strong performance in Valencia.

WTCC races always attract good crowds at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo

MULLER BREATHES DOWN HUFF’S NECK
The championship resumes in Valencia after a one month Summer break following the previous race meeting at Oschersleben, where Yvan Muller (Chevrolet) and Franz Engstler (BMW) claimed one victory apiece.
Although restricted to the Chevrolet men, the fight for the Drivers‘ Championship is set to be exciting. Rob Huff leads the standings since the season kicked off in Brazil, however Muller consistently eroded his team-mate’s margin to a slim six-point gap, while Alain Menu still has theoretical chances, lying 69 points behind Huff.
Taking into account the trend of the latest five events that saw Muller cutting Huff’s advantage by 30 points, a change of leadership is not out of the frame.

NO WEIGHT BONUS FOR VOLVO
For the next WTCC event at Valencia, Robert Dahlgren’s Volvo C30 will not benefit from a weight reduction, just like the BMW 320 TC and SUNRED SR León 1.6T cars.
According to the calculation of the compensation weight based on the lap times set in the three previous events (Porto, Donington and Oschersleben), the Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T remains the reference car and will be carrying again 40 kilos in addition to the minimum weight of 1150 kg.
The 0.7-second gap between the Cruze and the other cars equates to a difference of 40 kilos, meaning that BMW 320 TC, SUNRED and Volvo will run on their minimum weight: 1170 kg for the rear-wheel-drive, 1150 for the front-wheel-drive. On the occasion of the previous event at Oschersleben, Volvo benefited from a reduction of 10 kilos, while the only model allowed to a weight reduction in Valencia will be the BMW 320si (- 20kg).

Compensation weight Valencia
+ 40 kg Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T
± 0 kg BMW 320 TC, SUNRED SR León 1.6T, Volvo C30 Drive
– 20 kg BMW 320si

The Volvo C30 will not benefit from weight reduction in Valencia

MULLER COMPLETES 24 HOURS OF CYCLING
Last weekend Yvan Muller and a bunch of his friends took part in the Le Mans 24-hour cycling race.
The Team Yvan Muller completed 186 laps of the Bugatti circuit during the 24 hours, that equated to 778 km and they were classified in 232^nd position out of 382 teams.
"We were obviously extremely proud for having finished such a tough trial. It was a great experience and I was happy to share it with some friends of mine who are real amateurs, just like me," said Muller.

PLAY IT AGAIN… GABRIELE
Tomorrow Gabriele Tarquini will be racing again for the Polestar Volvo team in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.
After a disappointing maiden appearance at Karskoga, Sweden, where the Italian driver finished the races in 11^th and 13^th position, Tarquini is keen to do much better on the Danish track of Jyllandsringen.
"I have gained a lot of experience of the C30 that is going to be useful. The Volvo is a strong car and the pace in the race was really competitive," said Tarquini.
Among his competitors, Tarquini will find Fabrizio Giovanardi, his former team-mate in the Alfa Romeo WTCC team. Giovanardi will be racing in a Hartmann Racing Honda Accord, the same car the drove to win the FIA European Tourig Car Cup two months ago at Salzburg.

www.fiawtcc.com

Bortolotti leads the way once more

Veröffentlicht am 26.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Title leader shows dominance in second Red Bull Ring practice session

Mirko Bortolotti continued to dominate the first day (Friday) of the FIA Formula Two Championship’s inaugural visit to the Red Bull Ring by topping the timesheets in the second free practice session.

After setting the fastest time in this morning’s 45-minute stint, the 21-year-old Austro-Italian headed the timesheets once again, this time posting a best time of 1:22.904s – a full half a second quicker than his nearest rival.

That transpired to be Mihai Marinescu who again looked quick to go second fastest while Benjamin Lariche produced a season best performance with third. Ramon Pineiro, who picked up his maiden win last time out at Brands Hatch, went fourth fastest with German Tobias Hegewald completing the top five.

With the sun still beating down and temperatures touching 35 degrees, Dutchman Kelvin Snoeks was the first driver to be on the pace lapping in the 1min 24s with Bortolotti and Christopher Zanella not far behind him.

Bortolotti then re-established his place at the top to lead the 22 car field before Korean driver Sunghak Mun produced a stunning time to briefly run quickest before eventually finishing the session a career best sixth.

Alongside Mun, Lariche was also on the pace, temporarily topping the timesheets before being edged out to third place.

Brit Alex Brundle, who recently celebrated his 21st birthday, ended the session seventh just ahead of Swiss driver Christopher Zanella. Snoeks, fresh from performing at the Bavaria City Racing Event, was ninth fastest with Spaniard Miki Monras improving on his morning pace to round out the top 10.

However, the session did see several drivers have their lap times deleted for exceeding the track limits.

Tomorrow’s first qualifying session takes place at 09:45 with full coverage on the official F2 website.

Results: Red Bull Ring – Free practice two:

1. Mirko Bortolotti, 1:22.904s
2. Mihai Marinescu, +0.534s
3. Benjamin Lariche, +0.750s
4. Ramon Pineiro, +0.879s
5. Tobias Hegewald, +0.891s
6. Sunghak Mun, +0.914s
7. Alex Brundle, +1.004s
8. Christopher Zanella, +1.161s
9. Kelvin Snoeks, +1.222s
10. Miki Monras, +1.232s

For more information on the series click onto www.formulatwo.com

“Enjoy the Battle“ EINLADUNG zur KTM X-BOW Sternfahrt

Veröffentlicht am 25.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Antworten

Liebe KTM X-BOW Besitzer und Fans

Besuchen Sie uns mit Ihrem KTM X-BOW bei der 5. KTM X-BOW Battle am RED BULL RING in Spielberg/AT vom Fr. 16. – Sa. 17. September 2011.

Erleben Sie live als Zuschauer den Spirit der KTM X-BOW Battle, mit dem bisher größten Starterfeld von 40 KTM X-BOWs, auf einer der schönsten Rennstrecken Europas im Herzen der Steiermark.

Neben dem Mitfiebern bei den Trainingsläufen und Rennen haben wir für unsere KTM X-BOW Kunden ein exklusives Programm zusammen gestellt, zu dem wir Sie herzlich einladen möchten:

– KTM Welcome Geschenk

– Gast in der KTM X-BOW Hospitality Area

– Trainingsrunde im Fahrsicherheitszentrum

– Besichtigungsrunde am RED BULL RING

– Geführte Tour Auf den Spuren der Ennstal Classic

– KTM X-BOW Power Parts und Power Wear Programm

– Technischer Support

– KTM X-BOW Battle Race Party mit Barbecue und Live-DJ

Start: Freitag 16. September 2011 / 13 Uhr

Treffpunkt: Fahrerlager / KTM X-BOW Truck

RED BULL RING

Red-Bull-Ring-Straße 1

8724 Spielberg bei Knittelfeld, Austria

www.projekt-spielberg.at

ZEITPLAN:

Freitag: 16. September´11

13:00 Uhr Treffpunkt Fahrerlager / KTM X-BOW Truck

13:50 Uhr 1. Zeittraining KTM X-BOW Battle

15:30 16:00 KTM X-BOW Trainingsrunde im Fahrsicherheitszentrum

15:55 Uhr Startaufstellung KTM X-BOW Battle

16:15 Uhr 1. Rennlauf KTM X-BOW Battle

17:15 17:45 KTM X-BOW Trainingsrunde im Fahrsicherheitszentrum

18:00 Uhr geführte Besichtigungsrunde mit dem eigenen KTM X-BOW am RED BULL RING

18:30 Uhr Siegerehrung KTM X-BOW Battle

Im Anschluss: Einladung zur KTM X-BOW Battle Race Party mit Barbecue und Live DJ

Samstag: 17. September´11

09:40 Uhr 1. Zeittraining KTM X-BOW Battle

10:00 Uhr Treffpunkt Fahrerlager / KTM X-BOW Truck

10:15 Uhr Geführte Tour auf den Spuren der Ennstal-Classic

14:45 Uhr 2. Rennlauf KTM X-BOW Battle

16:30 Uhr Siegerehrung KTM X-BOW Battle

Um Antwort wird gebeten

Kontakt vor Ort:

KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG

Nicole Reidinger

Handy: 0043 664 816 24 83

Email: nicole.reidinger@ktm.at

KTM X-BOW Battle Hockenheimring / Video: http://youtu.be/1_5_3KcYUfo

www.x-bow-battle.at

A WEEKEND TO FORGET FOR NELSON PANCIATICI

Veröffentlicht am 24.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Silverstone: A Weekend to Forget

The meeting in Silverstone will be one of the greatest disappointments of the season for Nelson Panciatici and his KMP Racing team. Everything was set to go, especially after the recent trials in Magny-Cours during which Nelson had progressed to a high level of performance.

Right from the first free practice, the machine choked up and the times were never met. The entire KMP team never admitted defeat and Nelson Panciatici tried as hard as he could to qualify well.

The disappointment was as great as the 17^th and 21^st positions in the two qualifying sessions were far from their usual performance since the beginning of the season. His co-driver, Anton Nebylitskiy, ran into the same difficulties.

Even if the results of both races are nothing to write home about, with one abandon in the first because of a fuel injection problem and an anonymous 17^th place in the second, the level of performance was visible.

Its a positive point that Nelson Panciatici brought up: I would be lying if I said I wasnt disappointed. On the other hand, the times we made during the race show that we were in the running, which makes our poor qualifying results that much harder to bear! We have to concentrate now on the next date because we cant change anything and I will continue to work with Adrien, my engineer. Whatever the cause, Im still positive about the future because what happened at Silverstone was a blip on the landscape and something that happens to everyone in a season. However, we need to reverse the trend starting with Castellet where our aim is to step up on the podium.

The dismay is the same for Bruno Besson, Team Manager for the KMP Racing team: I dont understand what happened this weekend, I think the basic setup was right because last year we had some great results and the car was very efficient. Yet during the whole weekend the drivers found the car quite difficult to drive. For the next race we will have a new set of tyres for each free practice session and we will be able to work effectively. We also worked hard during the private practice on this track so even if we didnt show our best colours because of a technical problem which slowed us down, we picked up enough information to get us back in the race.

As we can see, Nelson Panciatici and the entire KMP Racing team have already set their eyes on the next race which will take place on the Castellet circuit in September on the 16, 17 and 18^th.

For more information on Nelson Panciatici, please visit: www.nelsonpancia.com

Join Nelsons Facebook fan page!

LUCIANO BACHETA MAKES F2 SWITCH

Veröffentlicht am 23.8.2011 von Wolfgang

British driver joins F2 field this weekend in Austria

Top British racing talent Luciano Bacheta today (Tuesday) announced he is to switch to the FIA Formula Two Championship after sampling this years GP3 Series.

The highly experienced Brit, who was one of six finalists for the 2010 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, will make his F2 debut during rounds 11 and 12 at Austrias newly revived Red Bull Ring on 26-28 August.

Bacheta brings with him a wealth of single-seater experience and race wins including finishing as runner-up in last years Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup with six podiums and one win to his name. This was preceded by further successful seasons in both the FRenault 2.0 series and the Formula Renault 2.0 WEC. In 2007 he competed in the Formula Palmer Audi championship, securing four race wins and nine podiums on his way to third overall.

As well as a proven career in karting, the 21-year-old has raced in the Ginetta GT Junior Championship and he enjoyed instant success before going on to compete in the BRSCC T-Cars Championship with the PalmerSport Junior Team, taking the championship in convincing style with six wins, three pole positions and 11 podiums.

This season he has been competing in the GP3 Series with the RSC Mücke Motorsport team, securing his maiden points finish in front of his home crowd at Silverstone after a superb drive from 24th on the grid to fifth.

Commenting ahead of his F2 debut Bacheta said: Im really looking forward to racing in F2 in Austria and although Ive never competed at the track before, neither have most of the F2 field so I think its a good place for me to make my debut. Having tested the car before I now feel comfortable with its power and acceleration, although it did come as a bit of a surprise when I first drove it! My goal is simply to do the best job I can and hopefully get in the top 10.

Jonathan Palmer, Formula Two Series Director, added: Were delighted to be welcoming Luciano to Formula Two. Hes someone weve known and followed for many years and has impressed me since his early days in T-Cars. During his first F2 test in Valencia last year he looked very impressive and was amongst the quickest drivers from the day. He also sampled the JPH1B car during the assessment process for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, so I expect hell quickly rise to the big challenge of F2 and be amongst the front-runners from the very start.

The next rounds of the 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship take place from 26-28 August at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. For more information on Luciano visit the F2 website or click on www.lucianobacheta.com.

For more information on the series click onto www.formulatwo.com

EUROCUP FIRST PODIUM FOR PAUL LOUP CHATIN

Veröffentlicht am 23.8.2011 von Wolfgang

Its the end of the holidays on the Silverstone track and Paul Loup Chatin stepped up on podium for the first time in the second race, with a third place in the EUROCUP Formula Renault 2.0 championship. A result which puts him 9^th in the provisional general ranking and first of the French.

The Silverstone meeting started well for the EUROFORMULA VOLANT who was timed with the 6^th overall best time in the first session qualifiers before crossing the line in 5^th place. Paul Loup Chatin even held 4^th position up until the last laps, when he was caught in a sudden downpour.

His performance is meeting expectations and the work he and his TECH 1 team have accomplished since the beginning of the year is beginning to bear fruit.

Paul Loup Chatin therefore launched into his second qualifiers full of confidence and scored an excellent 5^th time which put him in an ideal position for the second race. The EUROFORMULA VOLANT had an excellent start and found himself 3^rd at the end of the first lap. Paul Loup Chatin was then content to follow the two leaders in order to guarantee his first podium place in the EUROCUP!

Paul Loup Chatin: Ive been waiting for this podium for a while, so even if I was a little bit faster than the two leaders, I would have had to take some risks to overtake them and I didnt want to compromise my opportunity. The whole team and I have worked hard since the beginning of the season and I hope that we can be even better in a few weeks in Castellet. The goal now is to keep pushing in this direction and pull off a victory by the end of the season.

The EUROFORMULA VOLANTs performances have, of course, been closely followed by Laurent Fradon, the Director of the EUROFORMULA School: Paul Loup has been flirting with the EUROCUP podium for a while and this weekend he crystallised his potential. He is an excellent ambassador for our VOLANT which has its final selections this September and October on the La Chatre circuit. Paul Loup is now ready for victory and why not in the next race? He is certainly capable of it.

Paul Loup Chatin, with the full support of his TECH 1 team, will now get ready for his national challenge which will be fought out on the 16, 17 and 18 September on the Castellet circuit, and there the EUROFORMULA VOLANT will hope to shine.

www.euroformula.com