FIA Formula 2 2009

[Hans Sneep]

Soucek sets the Donington Park pace

FIA Formula Two Championship leader Andy Soucek set the ultimate pace during an official test session at Donington Park on Tuesday.

After nearly four hours of potential running, Soucek set a time of 1:23.053s during the closing moments of the final afternoon session. "Today was a good day," the Spaniard admitted. "We made progress with the car, and came away with a very good time compared to the rest of the field. We tried a lot of things with the set up and finally ended up with a great car, but there is still work to do.

"It wasn't really a surprise to set such a good time as we were very quick in the morning on old tyres, but for sure it's not going to be as comfortable for me on the weekend. Everything can still change, but today gives me a lot of confidence before the races and hopefully I can extend my championship lead."

Official Test Times - Donington Park, UK:

1. Andy Soucek, 1:23.053s
2. Milos Pavlovic, +0.291s
3. Julien Jousse, +0.553s
4. Edoardo Piscopo, +0.558s
5. Mikhail Aleshin, +0.580s
6. Carlos Iaconelli, +0.654s
7. Sebastian Hohenthal, +0.717s
8. Mirko Bortolotti, +0.800s

 

[Hans Sneep]

Hegewald on pole for Donington Race 1

15 August 2009

Germany's Tobias Hegewald will start Race 1 from pole position at Donington Park on Sunday. The 20-year-old, who dominated the Spa weekend earlier in the season, narrowly avoided an accident on Saturday to line up alongside Mikhail Aleshin for Russia with the championship leader, Spain's Andy Soucek, in third.

Pole race 1:
1 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision 1:23.116
2 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision 1:23.429
3 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 1:23.437
4 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision 1:23.460
5 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision 1:23.542
6 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision 1:23.623
7 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision 1:23.699
8 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision 1:23.702
9 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision 1:23.828
10 P. Eng MotorSport Vision 1:23.939
11 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision 1:24.029
12 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision 1:24.244
13 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision 1:24.275
14 J. Moore MotorSport Vision 1:24.339
15 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision 1:24.368
16 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision 1:24.391
17 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision 1:24.413
18 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision 1:24.435
19 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision 1:24.472
20 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision 1:24.515
21 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision 1:24.674
22 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision 1:24.720
23 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision 1:26.888

Maiden pole for Julien Jousse

15 August 2009
France's Julien Jousse has won his first Formula Two pole position at Donington Park. The only Frenchman in the field will start at the front in Sunday's second race at the Leicestershire circuit and will be joined on the front row of the grid by fastest practice man Sebastian Hohenthal.

Pole race 2:
1 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision 1:23.507
2 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision 1:23.635
3 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision 1:23.681
4 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision 1:23.709
5 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision 1:23.714
6 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 1:23.763
7 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision 1:23.847
8 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision 1:23.884
9 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision 1:23.943
10 P. Eng MotorSport Vision 1:24.003
11 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision 1:24.044
12 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision 1:24.098
13 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision 1:24.198
14 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision 1:24.249
15 J. Moore MotorSport Vision 1:24.354
16 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision 1:24.446
17 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision 1:24.472
18 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision 1:24.493
19 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision 1:24.680
20 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision 1:24.718
21 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision 1:24.739
22 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision 1:25.046
23 J. Höing MotorSport Vision 1:25.894
24 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision 1:26.951
GP Update

 

[Hans Sneep]

Soucek wins first Donington race

16 August 2009

Andy Soucek has extended his championship lead by winning the first race of the day at Donington Park. The Spaniard led home Mikhail Aleshin and Tobias Hegewald as nine different nationalities of driver filled as many places at the top of the final results sheet. Jack Clarke was the leading British contender in ninth spot.

Race Results:
1 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 35:26.366
2 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision + 9.799
3 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision + 11.976
4 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision + 12.848
5 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 14.056
6 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 15.760
7 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision + 16.289
8 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 29.596
9 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 39.739
10 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 41.514
11 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 51.357
12 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 55.939
13 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 1:00.663
14 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 1:26.951
15 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 1 lap(s)
16 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 1 lap(s)
17 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 2 lap(s)
Did not finish
18 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 4 lap(s)
19 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision + 8 lap(s)
20 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 10 lap(s)
21 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 11 lap(s)
22 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 24 lap(s)
23 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 24 lap(s)
24 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision + 25 lap(s)
GP Update

 

[Hans Sneep]

Jousse wins first F2 race in style

16 August 2009

Frenchman Julien Jousse, who started on pole position, took a dominant maiden victory in race two of the FIA Formula Two Championship at Donington Park this afternoon (Sunday).

Jousse made a fantastic getaway as the lights went out, whilst Kazim Vasiliauskas also had a storming start - the Lithuanian got by Sebastian Hohenthal and Mirko Bortolotti around the outside of Redgate to move into second.

An incident at the Esses on the first lap involving multiple cars towards the back of the field eliminated Jason Moore, Armaan Ebrahim, Jens Höing, Nicola De Marco and Tom Gladdis, and brought out the safety car for three laps. At the restart, Jousse pulled out a good advantage whilst Alex Brundle and Robert Wickens made contact at the Craner Curves. The young Briton made heavy contact with the barriers and both drivers were out on the spot.

Jousse continued to pull away from Vasiliauskas whilst an intense battle raged behind, as Mirko Bortolotti, Sebastian Hohenthal and Andy Soucek all scrapped for third place. Soucek made a remarkable pass on Hohenthal on lap 17 at the Craner Curves and quickly set about catching Bortolotti - the Spaniard applying intense pressure on the reigning Italian Formula 3 champion.

Bortolotti produced a superb defensive display to hold Soucek at bay as the pair went side-by-side through Redgate, Hollywood and the Craner Curves. Soucek was forced to concede and Bortolotti clinched the final podium position, whilst Jousse took victory by more than 15 seconds from Vasiliauskas.

Race Results:
1 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision 38:28.770
2 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision + 15.116
3 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 17.858
4 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision + 18.318
5 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 19.315
6 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision + 19.948
7 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision + 20.383
8 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 21.440
9 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision + 23.886
10 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 24.301
11 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 32.270
12 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 33.001
13 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 33.729
14 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 37.285
15 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 1:04.475
Did not finish
16 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 19 lap(s)
17 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision + 12 lap(s)
18 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 5 lap(s)
19 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 5 lap(s)
20 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 1 lap(s)
21 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 1 lap(s)
22 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 0 lap(s)
23 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 0 lap(s)
24 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 0 lap(s)
GP Update

 

[Hans Sneep]

Formula Two team and drivers pay tribute to Henry Surtees

Minute's silence held at Donington Park

The Formula Two team and drivers assembled on the grid at Donington Park this morning (Sunday) to pay tribute to 18-year-old Henry Surtees, who tragically lost his life following an accident in the second F2 race at Brands Hatch in July.

Henry's car was placed on pole position with all 24 F2 drivers stood behind, together with MSV's Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer and the entire Formula Two team. A minute's silence was held at 9.30am.



http://www.formulatwo.com/drivers/henry-surtees.aspx
Tribute to Henry Surtees.
Hans

 

[Hans Sneep]

Oschersleben-September 6

Race 1 Results:
1 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 38:15.756
2 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 6.466
3 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision + 11.169
4 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision + 17.794
5 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision + 18.747
6 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 19.217
7 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 28.770
8 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 29.351
9 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 34.990
10 O. Hancock MotorSport Vision + 37.245
11 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 37.626
12 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision + 38.238
13 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 40.863
14 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 45.933
15 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 46.433
16 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 48.289
17 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 2 lap(s)
Did not finish
18 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 4 lap(s)
19 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 14 lap(s)
20 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 20 lap(s)
21 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision + 24 lap(s)
22 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision + 24 lap(s)
23 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 24 lap(s)
24 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 24 lap(s)
25 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 24 lap(s)

Race 2 Results:
1 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision 24:50.757
2 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision + 0.479
3 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision + 1.061
4 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 2.914
5 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 3.642
6 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision + 4.427
7 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision + 5.381
8 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision + 13.290
9 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 15.193
10 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision + 17.116
11 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 21.277
12 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 22.307
13 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 23.396
14 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 31.229
15 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 31.860
16 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 32.808
17 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 33.227
18 O. Hancock MotorSport Vision + 34.128
19 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 34.739
20 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 35.142
21 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 41.805
22 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 53.269
Did not finish
23 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 3 lap(s)
24 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 18 lap(s)
25 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 18 lap(s)
GP Update

 

[Hans Sneep]

Imola 19-20 September

Race 1 Results:
1 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision 38:30.024
2 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 7.503
3 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision + 8.178
4 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 8.999
5 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 9.526
6 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 11.940
7 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision + 18.292
8 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 22.781
9 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 23.582
10 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision + 23.875
11 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 28.343
12 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 34.577
13 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision + 37.711
14 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 37.643
15 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 38.316
16 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 40.480
17 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 1:20.097
18 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 1:28.959
Did not finish
19 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision + 17 lap(s)
20 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 17 lap(s)
21 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 18 lap(s)
22 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 21 lap(s)
23 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision + 21 lap(s)
24 O. Hancock MotorSport Vision + 21 lap(s)
25 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 21 lap(s)

Race 2 Results:
1 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 30:12.572
2 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 2.407
3 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 7.912
4 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision + 16.389
5 C. Iaconelli MotorSport Vision + 20.163
6 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 23.510
7 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 25.495
8 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 27.214
9 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 27.288
10 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 28.071
11 O. Hancock MotorSport Vision + 30.220
12 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 33.234
13 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 33.872
14 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 42.134
15 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 43.202
Did not finish
16 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 10 lap(s)
17 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision + 10 lap(s)
18 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 10 lap(s)
19 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision + 10 lap(s)
20 E. Piscopo MotorSport Vision + 13 lap(s)
21 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 14 lap(s)
22 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 14 lap(s)
23 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 15 lap(s)
24 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision + 15 lap(s)
25 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 15 lap(s)

Champion Soucek powers to victory

Andy Soucek came off the back of his championship win yesterday to clinch the second Italian race victory of the weekend at Imola. The winner led home closest rival Robert Wickens by just under two and a half seconds as Milos Pavlovic came home third.

Spaniard Soucek, who clinched the championship yesterday, continued his impressive streak in Formula Two as he looks forward to a test with the AT&T Williams F1 team at the end of the season.

GP Update

 

[Hans Sneep]

Final round Barcelona 30-Oct / 1 Nov.



Point standing so far:
1. A. Soucek MSV 95 Champion 2009
2. R. Wickens MSV 58
3. M. Aleshin MSV 49
4. M. Bortolotti MSV 47
5. J. Jousse MSV 43
6. T. Hegewald MSV 42
7. K. Vasiliauskas MSV 39
8. P. Eng MSV 35
9. M. Pavlovic MSV 29
10. C. Iaconelli MSV 21
11. E. Piscopo MSV 19
12. N. de Marco MSV 17
13. N. Gachnang MSV 16
14. H. Surtees MSV 8
15. S. Hohenthal MSV 7
16. H. Karjalainen MSV 7
17. A. Ebrahim MSV 7
18. J. Clarke MSV 6
19. A. Brundle MSV 5
20. T. Gladdis MSV 4
21. J. Palmer MSV 3
22. J. Moore MSV 3
23. G. Sanchez MSV 2
24. O. Hancock MSV 0
25. J. Höing MSV 0
26. P. Gandolfi MSV 0
GP Update

28-10-09:
Tristan Vautier will make his F2 debut this weekend, the Frenchman replacing Edoardo Piscopo for the final two rounds of the season. Vautier, 20, has spent the year contesting the 2009 Formula Palmer Audi Championship, collecting six wins on his way to fourth in the final standings.

Watch it on Eurosport

Saturday 31 October - Race 1
(UK) Eurosport 2 - LIVE: 13:00 (UK time)
(International) Eurosport 2 - LIVE: 14:00 (CET)
(Asia Pacific) Eurosport - DELAYED: 20:45 (CET)
formulatwo.com - F2TV LIVE: 14:00 (CET); 13:00 (UK)

Sunday 01 November - Race 2
(UK) Eurosport - LIVE: 11:00 (UK time)
(International) Eurosport - LIVE: 12:00 (CET)
(Asia Pacific) Eurosport - LIVE: 12:00 (CET)
formulatwo.com - F2TV LIVE: 12:00 (CET); 11:00 (UK)

 

[Hans Sneep]

Wickens takes pole in Barcelona

30 October 2009

After controlling proceedings in first practice on Thursday, Robert Wickens led the way on Friday to clinch pole position for Saturday's penultimate race of the season at the Circuit de Catalunya. The Canadian, attempting to fend off Mikhail Aleshin in the battle for runner-up spot this year, will start alongside Champion and home favourite Andy Soucek.

Nicola De Marco continued his impressive start to the weekend by taking third, and will be joined on the second row by Russia's Mikhail Aleshin.

Soucek led the way in the early stages, ahead of another eye-catching display from Tristan Vautier. The Frenchman was again immediately on the pace as both he and Soucek set their best times in the opening moments of the session.

With the circuit getting continually faster as the session progressed, Wickens took full advantage to set a 1:39.215 time and claim the top spot as the session moved into the final ten minutes. Philipp Eng followed suit, setting the fourth fastest time, only to be instantly bettered by Julien Jousse.

Wickens improved again on his penultimate lap while Soucek and Aleshin seemed to be scrapping for the same space on the circuit. Aleshin was able to improve to take fourth, but Soucek blamed the Russian for spoiling his final few laps. In the meantime, De Marco had sneaked through to take third - his first top three qualifying position since taking pole position in Brno.

Vautier was unable to improve and had to settle for fifth at the finish - a fantastic result in his maiden F2 qualifying session. Interestingly, the 20-year-old's best three sectors were actually the second fastest behind Wickens. Unfortunately he was unable to complete the perfect three sectors on the same lap but his pace continues to impress.

Jousse and Eng dropped to sixth and seventh late on while Mirko Bortolotti rounded out the top eight. In another extremely close F2 qualifying session, just one tenth of a second separated third to seventh on the grid.

Natacha Gachnang equalled her best qualifying result of the season as she outpaced Kazim Vasiliauskas to take ninth place away from the Lithuanian racer.
Starting Grid:
1 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision 1:39.020
2 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 1:39.268
3 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision 1:39.416
4 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision 1:39.426
5 T. Vautier MotorSport Vision 1:39.446
6 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision 1:39.502
7 P. Eng MotorSport Vision 1:39.511
8 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision 1:39.654
9 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision 1:39.660
10 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision 1:39.707
11 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision 1:39.721
12 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision 1:39.847
13 J. Moore MotorSport Vision 1:39.955
14 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision 1:40.022
15 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision 1:40.042
16 J. Höing MotorSport Vision 1:40.396
17 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision 1:40.529
18 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision 1:40.541
19 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision 1:40.720
20 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision 1:40.956
21 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision 1:41.036
22 O. Hancock MotorSport Vision 1:41.770
23 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision 1:42.361
24 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision no time

 

[Hans Sneep]

Soucek wins first Barcelona race

31 October 2009


Champion Andy Soucek satisfied home crowds by claiming the first race victory of the season-ending meeting at Barcelona on Saturday. From second on the starting grid, the Spaniard made the most of a poor start for pole man Robert Wickens to cross the line ahead of Mikhail Aleshin and Tristan Vautier, who picks up a podium in his first Formula Two race.

Pole-sitter Robert Wickens made a slow getaway, as Soucek blasted by on the run down to turn one. Aleshin had already taken second as Vautier attacked from behind. The 20-year-old jumped from fourth to third off the line before going side-by-side with Aleshin through turns one and two. Aleshin held on as the recovering Wickens began to put pressure on Vautier.

There was drama behind as Nicola De Marco ran across the grass while Jens Höing spun out of the race at turn two. Jolyon Palmer also had a brief moment after being pushed wide but the young Briton was able to continue at the back of the pack.

The race settled down at the head of the field while there was an intense battle going on amongst a number of British drivers. Jason Moore sneaked up the inside of Jack Clarke on Lap 4 only for the pair to make contact on the exit of turn ten. Moore's car briefly had two wheels off the ground but both were able to continue after losing positions to a gaggle of cars behind.

Tom Gladdis nipped by Alex Brundle on the same lap to take 14th, as Robert Wickens began to have problems up ahead. The Canadian's Red Bull-backed car ground to a halt at the exit of turn 11 on Lap 5. It was a disappointing end to what had looked like a promising race for the talented front-runner.

Palmer was putting in a charge and the 18-year-old made his way by Clarke and Henri Karjalainen during an impressive recovery drive. There was also a good scrap for 11th as De Marco, Ebrahim and Gladdis fought for position. De Marco had already fallen out of the points following his dramatic start and the Italian was struggling to keep Ebrahim behind by the mid-distance stage.

Brundle ran wide, which allowed Sebastian Hohenthal and Palmer to get by but Hohenthal would later ruin his good work by crashing out of the race at the final chicane. Palmer went on to take a well earned 13th after fighting his way up ten places.

With two laps remaining, Soucek had extended his lead by more than four seconds as Aleshin settled for second. Vautier was coming under increasing pressure from his fellow countryman Julien Jousse but the younger of the two drivers was holding on.

Philipp Eng held off Mirko Bortolotti to take fifth, whilst Natacha Gachnang put in her best drive of the season to take seventh - the Swiss female improving upon her ninth place grid position to score her first points finish in Formula Two. Kazim Vasiliauskas took the final championship point, finishing just half a second behind Gachnang.


OEPS.....no Wickens?
Race results:
1 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 33:53.492
2 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision + 4.389
3 T. Vautier MotorSport Vision + 7.645
4 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision + 7.980
5 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 13.329
6 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 13.825
7 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 16.977
8 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision + 17.476
9 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 19.251
10 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 24.503
11 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 26.378
12 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 27.830
13 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 32.587
14 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 33.010
15 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 37.925
16 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 38.232
17 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 42.997
18 O. Hancock MotorSport Vision + 47.618
19 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 47.901
Did not finish
20 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 8 lap(s)
21 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 14 lap(s)
22 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 16 lap(s)
23 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 20 lap(s)
24 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 20 lap(s)

 

[Hans Sneep]

Soucek finishes season in style

01 November 2009


Champion Andy Soucek rounded off a perfect season to take another victory at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday. Having already won Saturday's first race, the Spaniard crossed the finish line seven and a half seconds in front of Nicola de Marco with Robert Wickens completing the podium. Soucek therefore surpasses a century of points in 2009.


As well as Soucek, Nicola De Marco also passed Wickens on the inside going down to Turn 1, and held second for the duration of the race. Wickens completed the podium despite heavy pressure from Kazim Vasiliauskas, and in doing so secured second in the overall championship standings. Mikhail Aleshin clinched third overall, and the Red Bull-backed duo both qualify for an FIA Superlicence.

De Marco and Vasiliauskas both made fantastic starts, whilst Philipp Eng dropped down the order after a slow getaway from third on the grid. The recovering Austrian immediately set about attacking Julien Jousse for eighth as the pair tussled throughout the opening laps.

Alex Brundle made a good move by Gachnang to sneak into 12th, as Soucek was building a sizeable gap at the front. De Marco was under pressure from Wickens and the fighting duo had slipped back by more than four seconds after just three laps. Vasiliauskas, Hegewald and Vautier comfortably held fourth, fifth and sixth, as the battle raged on behind for the final points paying positions.

Aleshin held off Jousse while the Frenchman had his mirrors full of Eng and Armaan Ebrahim. Britons Tom Gladdis and Jason Moore were making their way through from the back and the duo both moved by Henri Karjalainen, as Ollie Hancock endured a wild spin at Turn 8 behind.

There was contact between Jack Clarke and Sebastian Hohenthal on the start/finish straight during Lap 7 as Clarke closed the door on the attacking Swede. Mirko Bortolotti's chances of finishing in the championship's top three ended when the Italian pulled off the circuit late on. Bortolotti experienced a difficult season finale weekend and never looked capable of scoring the points required to challenge his Red Bull colleagues. Hohenthal spun into the gravel and out of the race at Turn 3 and Höing also retired late on.

Results Final race:
1 A. Soucek MotorSport Vision 33:46.373
2 N. de Marco MotorSport Vision + 7.538
3 R. Wickens MotorSport Vision + 9.645
4 K. Vasiliauskas MotorSport Vision + 10.197
5 T. Hegewald MotorSport Vision + 14.652
6 T. Vautier MotorSport Vision + 19.626
7 M. Aleshin MotorSport Vision + 21.529
8 J. Jousse MotorSport Vision + 21.892
9 P. Eng MotorSport Vision + 24.201
10 A. Ebrahim MotorSport Vision + 25.618
11 J. Palmer MotorSport Vision + 26.809
12 A. Brundle MotorSport Vision + 31.384
13 N. Gachnang MotorSport Vision + 32.857
14 J. Clarke MotorSport Vision + 38.459
15 T. Gladdis MotorSport Vision + 39.156
16 J. Moore MotorSport Vision + 39.615
17 H. Karjalainen MotorSport Vision + 44.476
18 O. Hancock MotorSport Vision + 44.811
19 M. Pavlovic MotorSport Vision + 1:09.899
20 P. Gandolfi MotorSport Vision + 1:16.682
Did not finish
21 J. Höing MotorSport Vision + 2 lap(s)
22 S. Hohenthal MotorSport Vision + 10 lap(s)
23 M. Bortolotti MotorSport Vision + 12 lap(s)
24 G. Sanchez MotorSport Vision + 20 lap(s)


Final Standings:
1. A. Soucek MSV 115 Champion-2009
2. R. Wickens MSV 64
3. M. Aleshin MSV 59
4. M. Bortolotti MSV 50
5. J. Jousse MSV 49
6. T. Hegewald MSV 46
7. K. Vasiliauskas MSV 45
8. P. Eng MSV 39
9. M. Pavlovic MSV 29
10. N. de Marco MSV 25
11. C. Iaconelli MSV 21
12. E. Piscopo MSV 19
13. N. Gachnang MSV 18
14. T. Vautier MSV 9
15. H. Surtees MSV 8
16. S. Hohenthal MSV 7
17. H. Karjalainen MSV 7
18. A. Ebrahim MSV 7
19. J. Clarke MSV 6
20. A. Brundle MSV 5
21. T. Gladdis MSV 4
22. J. Palmer MSV 3
23. J. Moore MSV 3
24. G. Sanchez MSV 2
25. O. Hancock MSV 0
26. J. Höing MSV 0
27. P. Gandolfi MSV 0
GP Update