Race Report

EUROPEAN SERIES, Rounds 13/14/15
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 7/8/9
Formula Abarth

Circuit: RedBull Ring (A), Length 4,326 km, 3^th/4^th/5^th August 2012
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_Ring

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2012:
Samin Gomez (VEN), Kevin Joerg (CH) and Gregor Ramsay (GB)

Gomez strong but not rewarded

The “Racing Weekend” event took place outside Italy for a change, at the fascinating RedBull Ring near Zeltweg in Styria in Austria. This time out the Formula Abarth races counted towards the Italian Championship and the European Series.

Qualifying

Saturday, 04/08/12, 10.10 – 10.45, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

The rules of the championship allow for two qualifying sessions, each 15 minutes long, with a break of a maximum of ten minutes between them. The results of qualification session one determine the grid for Race One, while results from qualification session two determine the grid for Race Three; the grid for Race Two is based on the results of Race One, with the first six finishers starting in reverse order.

In the first session Kevin set a very good lap time and secured second place for the grid of Race One. Samin unfortunately ran off the track early on though she was able to get out of the gravel trap and rejoin. She came into the pits to have the car checked over and that left her with just enough time for one more lap, which wasn’t enough. Gregor improved steadily but had his best lap time disallowed for not respecting track limits, a fate that befell more than one driver.
After the break things hotted up once more with Kevin this time claiming 3^rd on the grid for Race Three, while Samin finished the session in 5^th and Gregor was 9^th.

Formula Abarth European Series & Formula Abarth Italian Championship

Race One (22 minutes + 1 lap)

Saturday, 04/08/12, 15.30, Weather: Sunny, 26°C

The race started in the heat of the afternoon and at the start Kevin stalled, only getting going once most of the rest of the field had passed. Luckily everyone else was able to avoid him, and there was no accident. Meanwhile Samin made a brilliant start and shot up the order. She was 5^th by the end of the first lap, with Gregor just behind her in 6^th. A lap later they were both able to pass Beretta and that moved them both up the order a place, while Kevin was 8^th by now. Samin managed to close the gap to Urrutia, and impressed everyone by setting the fastest lap of the race, but catching was one thing, passing another. She would finish the race in an excellent 4^th place. Gregor, meanwhile, got into a fight with Costa but finally had to let him go. Gregor set some very good lap times though and crossed the finish line in 7^th. Kevin, who had managed to overtake Gregor, finished 6^th which meant he would start Race Two from pole position.

Formula Abarth European Series & Formula Abarth Italian Championship

Race Two (15 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 05/08/12, 09.40, Weather: Sunny, 20°C

Kevin started well in the sprint race and was able to take the lead. Samin also started well, but Costa hit her rear wheel at the first corner and sent both of them spinning off. That cost Samin precious places, and Costa being awarded a drive-through penalty later in the race didn’t do anything to improve the situation. Gregor lost a handful of places at the start but during the race he was able to make his way back up the order to 7^th. Then, on the penultimate lap, just when he had set a personal best lap, he ran wide in one of the corners and ended up on the grass. Unfortunately for him, it was still very wet, and Gregor was suddenly a passenger, ending up in the tyre wall. Samin tried to make up as many places as possible, but it was hard going. She ended up wheel to wheel with Beretta and that ended in another spin which saw her land in the gravel trap. Though she was able to continue she decided that the car needed to be checked for damage so she called into the pits where her race ended. Up near the front Kevin did what he could, but the other drivers were stronger and Kevin finished the race in a good 5^th place.

Formula Abarth European Series & Formula Abarth Italian Championship

Race Three (30 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 05/08/12, 15.40, Weather: Sunny, 26°C

Everyone got a good start in Race Three, with Kevin 4^th, Samin 5^th and Gregor 9^th. Samin started to pressure Kevin, and a few laps later was able to pass him. Ghiotto made a mistake at the start and fell back, but then began a recovery drive. Meanwhile Samin was right on Kevin’s gearbox; it didn’t take her very long to find a way past Kevin and she was able to pull out a bit of a gap. Ghiotto eventually managed to catch up with her. However she defended fiercely and Ghiotto couldn’t find a way past. She finally managed to break away again, but then ran wide and lost control, hitting the tyre wall hard. The car was severely damaged, but fortunately Samin was OK. Kevin, meanwhile, was promoted up to 5^th as a result of Samin’s accident. Gregor put in a very good drive and managed to overtake Beretta and Roda in some style to cross the finish line just behind Kevin in 6^th.

Championship Standings

Formula Abarth European Series 2012 after 15 out of 24 races:

1^st Bruno Bonifacio (I), 186 points; 2^nd Luca Ghiotto (I), 162 points; 3^rd Nicolas Costa (BRA), 150 points; 4^th Santiago Urrutia (URU), 141 points; 5^th Emanuele Zonzini (I), 123 points; 6^th Kevin Joerg (CH), 112 points; 7^th Samin Gomez (VEN), 71 points; 9^th Gregor Ramsay (GB), 50 points

Championship Standings

Formula Abarth Italian Championship 2012 after 9 out of 18 races:

1^st Bruno Bonifacio (I), 127 points; 2^nd Santiago Urrutia (URU), 94 points; 3^rd Luca Ghiotto (I), 92 points; 4^th Emanuele Zonzini (I), 84 points; 5^th Nicolas Costa (BRA), 78 points; 6^th Kevin Joerg (CH), 66 points; 7^th Samin Gomez (VEN), 40 points; 9^th Gregor Ramsay (GB), 26 points

2012 FORMULA ABARTH RACE CALENDAR

2012 FORMULA ABARTH EUROPEAN SERIES & ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Read more:

• www.acisportitalia.it/ABARTH_IT
• www.acisportitalia.it/ABARTH_EU
• www.italiaracing.net