Italia: Hockenheim: Series race 2 report

Hockenheim, race two: first victory for Ramos ahead of Mancinelli, new classification leader

The Italian Formula 3 championship confirms to be very tight, with four different winners in the first four races. At Hockenheim, theatre of the second round of the season, the success went to Cesar Ramos at the wheel of the F310-FPT Racing Dallara of the reigning champion team BVM-Target. At his back, the winner of race one Daniel Mancinelli (Team Ghinzani) and Samuele Buttarelli (Prema Junior).

The race lived several twists starting from the formation lap, with Berret Mertins (Alan Racing Team) forced to the retirement for technical problems. At lap one, the brake at the hairpin registered a contact between Jesse Krohn (RP Motorsport), on the lead after the start from the pole position, and Frederic Vervisch, that gave the leadership to Ramos; a few instants afterwards, another contact ended early Edoardo Liberati's (Prema Junior) race, as well as Sergio Campana's (Lucidi Motors) and that of the author of the best time in qualifying Gabby Chaves (EuroInternational).

Worth mentioning is also the contact at lap three between Stephane Richelmi (Lucidi Motors) and Christopher Zanella (JD Motorsport), with race ended on the gravel trap for the driver from Monaco and the retirement of the classification Andrea Caldarelli (Prema Junior) due to a contact with Vervisch, subsequently in turn victim of a bumping by Di Sabatino, penalyzed by stewards with a penalty of twenty seconds. The fight for the victory continued between Ramos and Mancinelli, with the Brazilian driver that managed to control the attacks of the follower up to the chequered flag. To be highlighted is also the good recovery by Krohn, who recovered from the episode at lap one up to the sixth final place. Among the rookies, the victory went to Giacomo Barri (Ombra Racing), in front of Kevin Giovesi (JD Motorsport) and Alberto Cerqui (Ombra Racing).

The results of this weekend project Mancinelli to the top of the classification with 39 points. Caldarelli follows at 36, with Ramos at 34, Zanella at 32 and Richelmi at 31. Among the rookies, Giovesi reaches 59 ahead of Chaves with 44 and Raimondo with 41. The Italian Formula 3 Championship will be back on track next 4 July at Imola.

Some comments from the paddock follow:

Giuseppe Mazzotti (BVM-Target, Team Principal):
"After the victories harvested last year, the first 2010 victory finally arrived. We are very satisfied: Ramos run a practically perfect race and the situation in the championsip is now certainly open, therefore we are quite hopeful to be able of playing our cards in the fight for the final success. A bit of regret for Scionti, penalyzed with a drive through due to a wrong positioning on the grid: he was eleventh and could have aimed at the points zone".

Piercarlo Ghinzani (Team Ghinzani, Team Principal):
"We are extremely satisfied about an almost perfect weekend: the classification leadership of Mancinelli awards the support of our main sponsor, Csquare, and the whole team for the great work done in the last few monts. At Misano the season started on the wrong foot for us: this weekend inserts us within the title fight and we are looking now at the next round of Imola with great determination".

Grazia Troncon (Prema Junior, Team Manager):
"Qualifying played a crucial role for our results: Caldarelli managed to recover from the tenth place in race one, while today he was involved, as Liberati, in one of those contacts that can happen when one starts from the middle of the grid. The third place of Buttarelli saved the day of the team and the championship sees now five drivers in nine points, making the round at Imola even more interesting".

Gabriele Lucidi (Lucidi Motors, Team Principal):
"We unfortunately harvested results inferior to the level of competitiveness showed on track. Campana was not far from the pole and in race one, as Richelmi, was author of a good recovery; it is a shame that they were faultlessly involved in two accidents today that forced both of them to the retirement. Raimondo has been the ony one of the team to finish the two races: he is growing and his third place in the rookies classification is certainly encouraging".

-source: f3 italia