Race Report

FIA FORMULA 4
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Rounds 01/02/03

Circuit: Adria (I), Length 2,702 km, 06^th/07^th/08^th June 2014
www.adriaraceway.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2014:
Ali Al Khalifa (BRN), Alain Valente (CH), Lucas Mauron (CH) and Nico Rindlisbacher (CH)

Valente starts with a podium at Adria

The first of seven meetings in the Italian FIA Formula 4 Championship took place at the popular Adria (I) circuit with 22 competitors present for the initial meeting, their expectations high in advance of the start.
You can follow the races live on sporttube tv.

Qualifying

Saturday, 07/06/14, 16.00 – 16.40, Weather: Sunny, 27°C

The rules of the championship allow for two qualifying sessions, each 15 minutes long, with a break of just ten minutes in between. Results from qualification session 1 determine the grid for Race One, while results from qualifying session 2 determine the grid for Race Three; the grid for Race Two is based on the results of Race One, with the first ten finishers starting in reverse order.

For all our boys it was the first qualifying session of their lives in a single seater car and it was a huge challenge for them. Everything was new, and they were very nervous but despite it all they all performed well in this 22 car strong field.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race One (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 08/06/14, 09.00, Weather: Sunny, 26°C

The start of the very first race of the season went well and even though all our drivers were competing in their very first Formula race they all performed very well. Alain, who started 9^th, made up a place immediately for 8^th and after a good drive was able to pressurise the 7^th place driver into a mistake in the closing stages of the race. Alain was able to overtake and thus finished the race in a good 7^th place. Nico was already up in 11^th at the end of the first lap, but then he left his braking a bit too was late in one of the corners, which meant he ended up off the track. He lost several places as a result and it needed some very courageous overtaking to enable him to work his way back up the order to finish 13^th. Lucas didn’t make the best of starts and had to let the whole field by before he was able to get moving. He then put in a good chase for places and finished the race in 15^th. Ali did get a good start and was soon 13^th but then he got embroiled in a number of fights and also experienced an off track moment which filled the cooler with grass, which in turn eventually set the temperature alarm off a little later. Ali returned to the pits and unfortunately had to retire from the race.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Two (18 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 08/06/14, 14.20, Weather: Sunny, 34°C

The pole sitter failed to get off the grid at the start, and another driver hit him, meaning that the Safety Car had to be deployed. Alain made contact with another competitor during the first lap and bent his suspension, pitting straight afterwards for repairs. He rejoined the race a lap down and was classified 20^th in the end. Lucas got a good start and skilfully overtook a number of other drivers during the first few laps. He spent the rest of the race defending his 8^th and thus came home in the top ten. Nico didn’t get away cleanly at the start and he lost a few places at the restart, but he put in a charge to make up several places, crossing the finishing line in 14^th. Ali started very well and improved his position immediately, but he lost a place in the middle of the race. However, he was able to reclaim it and was classified 16^th.

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship

Race Three (28 minutes + 1 lap)

Sunday, 08/06/14, 17.00, Weather: Sunny, 36°C

This time Alain made a really good start and had fought his way into 7^th by the start of the second lap. He managed another overtaking manoeuvre, but then took some time to find a way around Sasahara, finally getting through to set about catching Maisano. He finished the race in 4^th, but because Maisano is counted in the “Trophy” category for older drivers, 3^rd place in the championship was Alain’s and with it his first podium! Lucas started 11^th and got away well, the battled his way past Defourny to make up further ground. He took the chequered flag in 8^th for a good top ten finish. Nico didn’t get a good start and was last by the time he got going. His recovery drive included some very impressive passing moves, which was slowed when he found that passing his team-mate was not so easy. He finally found a way past Ali to finish 11^th. Ali did get a good start and had a very good run to the finish, coming home just behind Nico in 12^th. All of our drivers put in very good performances in their first race weekend in a formula car and we were delighted to have claimed a podium place and several top ten positions. We are looking forward to the next race, which will be in three weeks time at Imola.

Championship standings

FIA Formula 4 Italian Championship 2014 after 3 out of 21 races:
1^st Andrea Russo (I) 53 points; 2^nd Lance Stroll (CAN), 51 points; 3^rd Leonardo Pulcini (I), 30 points; 4^th Ukio Sasahara (JPN), 25 points; 5^th Alain Valente (CH), 23 points; 6^th Takashi Kasai (JPN) 17 points; 11^th Lucas Mauron (CH), 8 points; 14^th Nico Rindlisbacher, 1 Punkt

Italian F4 Trophy for Drivers over the age of 18:
1^st Brandon Maisono (F), 63 points; 2^nd Keith Camilleri (M), 44 points; 3^rd Ali Al Khalifa (BRN), 42 points

2014 FIA FORMULA 4 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - AGENDA

For more information:

• www.acisportitalia.it/F4/home/ing/4882/Two-days-in-Adria-Raceway-for-F.4-teams/2014
• www.italiaracing.net