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Welcome to Speedcar Series Online, a fansite for the new-for-2008 Speedcar Series.
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| Awards gala ends season in style |
 Speedcar Series’ inaugural season came to a close last night with an awards gala celebrated at the One and Only Royal Mirage in Jumeirah, Dubai. Attended by drivers, teams, staff and socialites the gala recognised achievements by contributors and pilots across the season
A spectacular video with the highlights of the season started the evening off and was well received, judging by the audience reactions. Benoit Lamonerie, General Manager of Speedcar Series then took centre stage to make a short speech on the Series and everyone involved who made it possible saying, “to the people who have made this journey with us, thank you. To those who have joined us along the way, it has been a pleasure and to everyone who will be part of Speedcar Series – welcome.”
The guests of honour were Johnny Herbert, champion of the first Speedcar Series season, David Terrien who came in runner up and German driver Uwe Alzen, second runner up.
Recognition awards also went to the following:
Promoter recognition:
Grand Racing Indonesia – awarded to Tinton Soeprapto and accepted by his son and Speedcar driver, Ananda Mikola
Grand Racing Dubai – awarded to Saeed Khalfan
Speedcar Support Race V8 Supercars and F1 Bahrain GP – awarded to Martin Whitaker
Most Spectacular Incident:
This award went to Jean Alesi for his spectacular crash into Stefan Johansson in Race 8 when Speedcar featured at the Bahrain Grand Prix
Most Daring Manoeuvre:
Awarded to Johnny Herbert for his overtaking manoeuvre of Jean Alesi during the Sepang race and presented to him by Alesi
Young Drivers with great performance:
Presented by Stefan Johansson to Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum and Nicolas Navarro
Unluckiest Driver:
Awarded to Stefan Johansson by Johnny Herbert
After the award ceremony, the party continued into the early hours. Speedcar Series will see its second season in the latter half of this year. |
| Herbert defies the odds to claim inaugral Speedcar title |
Johnny Herbert scored his second race victory of the weekend at the Dubai Autodrome on Saturday to seal the inaugural Speedcar Series title.
Herbert actually ended the season level on points with David Terrien, but scored more wins than the Frenchman throughout the season. Title rivals Uwe Alzen and Jean Alesi, who both started the event in stronger points positions, both suffered crashes that put them out of the championship reckoning.
Friday race-winner Herbert started eighth as a result of the reverse grid from the first race, but quickly made two places at the start. At the front, Stefan Johansson took the lead from pole, but the former Ferrari and McLaren grand prix star soon came under pressure from China’s Marchy Lee, who passed him at Turn 5 on lap 2 with a strong, but fair, move.
Herbert was also on the move, picking up fifth place from fellow ex-Formula 1 star Gianni Morbidelli at Turn 1 on the second lap. Further back, Terrien had suffered a terrible start, and was working his way through the traffic, as was Alesi, who started 14th after his engine failure yesterday.
Alzen was by far in the strongest position of the title rivals, holding a solid fourth place early on and then picking up a place from front row starter Hasher Al Maktoum, who had been passed by Lee at the second corner when he ran wide.
Herbert was into the groove, setting fastest laps and passing Al Maktoum to run fourth by lap three. Ahead of him, Alzen was racing hard with Johansson, but unable to find a way past. Herbert took advantage of this, and passed Alzen with a smart move into Turn 1. But Alzen didn’t need to worry, such was his points lead.
The first title challenger to exit was Alesi. He drove like a lion in the opening stages, rising from 14th to ninth in just a handful of laps. In his rush to get to the front he and Al Maktoum collided, the UAE driver collected him again as he rotated, damaging Alesi’s car enough to put it out of the race.
Just two laps later, Alzen’s challenge was ended too. He tried to pass Johansson with an ambitious move at the uphill, left-hand hairpin, but Stefan shut the door. The cars made contact, enough to give Alzen a puncture and he headed to the pits. Uwe would rejoin down in 11th, but had no chance of scoring the points he needed.
Even so, Herbert and Terrien needed every point they could get to overhaul him in the title race. Johnny was now up to second, with David a distant third after being held up in the opening stages by Jacques Villeneuve: “Jacques was mad – he pushed me all over the place,” said David. “He banged into me at least three times.”
Villeneuve’s aggression would be his downfall, as the final contact broke his suspension and he went off the track at Turn 16, retiring soon after.
All the while, Lee held the lead, but Herbert was not to be denied. He closed up and passed Marchy with a clean move at Turn 10 with seven laps to go, pulling away to a 6.9sec victory. Terrien also caught and passed Lee to take second, which was enough to draw level on points with Herbert – both on 45 – but Johnny had more second places, which proved decisive.
“Incredible!” said Herbert. “I knew what I had to do this weekend and win both races, but I knew it would be a tall order. I took every chance I had, and a few of the others had their problems. I can’t believe the way it happened – to end the season level on points is amazing.”
Terrien added: “My car was really fast, although I lacked a little top speed. I pushed really hard at the end, I was an animal with the tyres, but Johnny was too far ahead. I’m so glad to be second again, and second in the championship is a great result after I hadn’t raced for four years.”
Lee was also delighted with his podium finish: “I did a good job today to score a podium. To race against these great drivers is very special, and it’s great to come and race at a fantastic circuit like this.”
Herbert says he’ll be back to defend his title next year, when Speedcar promises a bigger and even better schedule for its second season. |
| Herbert wins Dubai race 1 to set up thrilling climax |
Johnny Herbert scored a long overdue win in the first race of the Speedcar Series finale at Dubai Autodrome on Friday.
The three-time Formula 1 grand prix winner, who was dominating the last race in Bahrain until he was forced out with a gear selection issue, came out on top of the 40-minute event after a fantastic battle with fellow ex-Formula 1 stars Jean Alesi and Gianni Morbidelli, as well as former world karting champion David Terrien.
There was excitement before the race as pole sitter Nicolas Navarro failed to take up his position at the head of the field, and was forced to join the race from the pitlane at the back of the pack.
That meant Morbidelli grabbed the lead, ahead of Alesi. Herbert charged past Terrien into the first corner and then attacked Alesi with a huge lunge into a hairpin bend. While Johnny got past Jean, Terrien passed them both!
It took another four laps for Herbert to repass Terrien, with a great move at Turn 1, by which time Morbidelli – who won both demonstration races here in January – had opened up a sizeable lead.
But Herbert chased him down, and after a couple of looks at the Turn 10 hairpin, Johnny got past Gianni with a smart move at Turn 1 on lap nine. Terrien quickly followed suit, passing Morbidelli at Turn 4 just moments later.
After that, it was a straight duel for victory between Herbert and Terrien, who traded fastest laps in the closing stages. Herbert stayed in front, however, winning by seven-tenths of a second – which led to him singing along to the British National Anthem on the podium!
“After my bad luck in Bahrain, where I could have won the first and definitely would have won the second, it’s nice to get a win,” said Herbert. “When I got in the lead, I was trying to make no mistakes, but seeing David in my mirrors did not help! We made some changes to the car after qualifying, and they definitely benefited me.”
Terrien said: “I tried my best to put as much pressure on him as possible. The problem was, the more pressure I exerted, the faster he went! I was expecting him to make a mistake, but he just kept getting quicker, so he deserves to win. My car was great in the corners, but I just didn’t have the top speed that the others had, so I struggled to stay in contact on the straights.”
Morbidelli finished third, six seconds in arrears of the lead duo: “My car was very good in the beginning,” he said. “But they were faster than me as the race went on. Third place became my only goal when I flatspotted a front tyres – the car was almost undriveable after that.”
Uwe Alzen finished fourth after a fantastic scrap with Marchy Lee, and he grabbed the lead of the championship after Alesi was forced to retire with engine failure when he was well-placed to add to his points tally.
Alzen now leads the championship by two points going into Saturday's final round, while Terrien and Herbert have moved into contention thanks to today’s results. Terrien is five points behind Alzen, while Herbert is seven behind.
After his enforced delay, Navarro stormed through the pack to finish sixth, ahead of Al Maktoum and Stefan Johansson. Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve finished ninth as he continues to get up to speed in the series.
The destiny of who will be the first Speedcar champion will be decided in Dubai, the home of the series, on Saturday afternoon at 15:00 local time. Johansson will start from pole position, as the top eight positions are reversed from today, ahead of local hero Al Maktoum. The title rivals will start in the order Alzen (fifth), Terrien (seventh), Herbert (eighth) and Alesi (14th)
With a huge amount of money riding on the outcome, as well as professional pride between great drivers, expect some major fireworks! |
| Title comes down to the wire - Who will win? |
It would be difficult to think up a better scenario! The first winner of Speedcar Series will not be known until after the last race. At present, only three points separate Jean Alesi and Uwe Alzen, so the Dubai circuit will be the theatre of a no-holds-barred battle between the two drivers. Watch out for David Terrien just a few points behind who could still upset the applecart.
Bahrain could have settled the leadership in the overall classification. It was not the case and the second-last round of the season completely re-launched the title chase. So who will be the first winner of Speedcar Series? Forecasting the outcome is not easy as the performances of the drivers are so close. Jean Alesi, in the overall lead, must pull out all the stops to fend off Uwe Alzen’s final charge. The German often struggles in the first race of the weekend, but in the second he has proved unbeatable and has won the second round at every meeting so far, excepted in Bahrain where he was penalized and finished 2nd.
Leader Alesi’s main task is not to be influenced by the situation and not to put himself under any extra pressure. “The last meeting’s going to be a challenge, but not any more so than usual. It’ll be a race like any other. For the spectators and the show it’s very positive that it’s gone down to the wire. It will be a great battle and we’ll all be at our very best.” So the Frenchman has no choice. He can’t play it safe; he has to go for it to win the title and pocket the 600,000 dollars that go with it.
Alzen is not going to let himself be pushed around. Quite the opposite! The Phoenix Racing Team driver is super motivated after last weekend and he’s not about to stop there. “The advantage is that we’re going straight from Bahrain to Dubai and as the races follow each other you don’t get distracted. Everything’s possible as we saw in Bahrain. Starting from the back of the field I managed to win the race (Editor’s note: he finished second after Stewards’ decisions.) With a quick car and a bit of luck my chances are good. I’m going to Dubai to win the Series. We’ll see what happens after that.”
But don’t count out the third man! David Terrien won the first race in Dubai and mathematically speaking the Frenchman can still win the title. His chances of beating Alesi and Alzen in the final round are slim though anything can happen in motor racing. “I’ve still got a trick to play. My chances are tiny but they exist. Twenty points are up for grabs so I’ll have to win both races and hope that Alesi and Alzen hit bad luck. But it’s very difficult where I’m concerned. My aim will be to come first in each race and we’ll do the math after that!” With two victories for Alesi and Alzen plus one for Terrien and Morbidelli, a gap of 3 points between Jean and Uwe, Terrien waiting to pounce, Johnny Herbert and Gianni Morbidelli who can still win mathematically speaking, all the right elements are in place for an exceptional final in Dubai. Eyes down gentlemen, place your bets! |
| Alzen penalised again granting Mobidelli the victory |
Gianni Morbidelli won the second Speedcar race today, taking the win away from Uwe Alzen who was penalised by the Bahrain Grand Prix stewards of the meeting for an incident on the track.
Alzen received a 10 second penalty for gaining an unfair advantage by cutting a corner to overtake Marchy Lee on the inside during the race. Morbidelli who finished 8.489 seconds behind the German was therefore awarded the win with Alzen now taking second place.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen was demoted to 9th place after finishing 6th by the stewards who ruled that he was driving unsafely which resulted in heavy contact between his car and Stefan Johansson’s. |
| Bahrain Race 2: Alzen wins again |
Uwe Alzen made amends for his exclusion from Saturday’s Speedcar race in Bahrain by winning the Sunday event. The German had won the first race on the road, but was later excluded for not wearing his HANS device, which is mandated by the rules. Helped by a high rate of attrition, he was able to win the second race from the back of the grid.
“The race was absolutely fantastic. The car was so strong and so unbelievably fast. It was absolutely okay until the end when I had a problem with the engine, one cylinder was gone but I was far enough to finish,” said Alzen.
With the top eight finishers from Saturday lining up in reverse order, pole went to Ukyo Katayama, ahead of Hasher Al Maktoum, Jacques Villeneuve and Johnny Herbert. However, Al Maktoum experienced ECU problems on the warm-up lap, and came straight into the pits.
Herbert was in a determined mood, and he immediately passed Villeneuve to claim second, and within a few corners he relieved Katayama of the lead. Katayama and Villeneuve made side-to-side contact, but by co-incidence both drivers also had engine problems. As the rest of the field streamed past, both men headed to the pits.
That left Herbert out front ahead of Nicolas Navarro, Gianni Morbidelli, Stefan Johansson and Alzen. From the back Alzen had managed to scramble all the way up to fifth on a fraught first lap. He soon passed Johansson for fourth, and then began closing in on Morbidelli. Meanwhile on lap 6 Jean Alesi demoted Johansson another place.
Herbert opened up a lead of over 4 seconds and looked secure out front when he began to suffer gearbox problems on lap 9. Unable to get out of third gear, he had no choice but to head to the pits and retire.
“I was able to get the jump on Jacques at the start and then I passed Ukyo,” said Herbert. “I was in the lead and I was able to get a gap I was comfortable with, and stay consistent. As I was settling, it all went wrong!”
That left Navarro in the lead ahead of Morbidelli and Alzen, but then the German gained another spot when he passed Gianni on lap 11. Also on the move was Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who barged Johansson out of the way to claim fifth. Stefan had to pit for attention, but later resumed at the tail of the field.
“I turned in and bang, and next thing I know I get a puncture,’ said Johansson. ‘And my race was ruined.”
Navarro was Alzen’s next target, but his job was made easier when the Frenchman began suffering from a mechanical problem and dropped off the pace. For the rest of terrace he crawled round to ensure that he finished and scored some points. After that it was an easy run to the flag for Alzen, who finished well clear of Morbidelli and Alesi.
“It was not a bad day,’ said Morbidelli. ‘I finished on the podium again. Honestly today more than second was impossible, because Alzen was really fast. I made a very good start and gained a lot of positions in the first lap. I had a good rhythm in the beginning, but after half the race I started to have a brake problem and I started to lose rear grip.”
“It was good points for the championship,” said Alesi, who now has 40 points to the 39 of Alzen. “The car was very good today and I had no problems.”
Frentzen should have been next, but having followed the delayed Johansson he tried to lap him on the last lap. The two men made contact for a second time in the race, and Frentzen spun. That allowed Fabien Giroix and Ananda Mikola through, and left Frentzen in a frustrated sixth. Klaus Ludwig took seventh, ahead of the slow Navarro and Johansson.
JJ Lehto was an early retirement with a fuel pump problem, while others who failed to make the flag included Herbert, Marchy Lee, Katayama, Villeneuve, Terrien and Al Maktoum. |
| Alzen disqualifyed from Bahrain race 1 and looses win |
Uwe Alzen’s victory in the first race this morning was cancelled by the Bahrain Support Race Stewards of the meeting.
The Stewards found that the driver had not worn his HANS (Head and Neck Safety Device) during the race in contravention of the Series regulations. The HANS device is a special safety device used in all major top level international championships and is designed to protect the driver’s neck in the case of an accident during racing.
Frenchman David Terrien therefore inherits the race win. |
| Alzen wins in Speedcars for 3rd time and grabs championship lead |
Uwe Alzen took the lead of the Speedcar series after scoring his third win of the season in a dramatic Saturday morning race in Bahrain. The German beat the strongest field of F1 drivers assembled thus far.
New to the series for this race were 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, and his former Williams team mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen. With JJ Lehto back again that brought the number of former Sauber F1 drivers in the field to six! Also back for his second outing of the season was former Le Mans and DTM star Klaus Ludwig.
In Friday morning’s qualifying session Johnny Herbert just pipped Stefan Johansson to pole, while Nicolas Navarro and Alzen filled the second row. Championship leader Jean Alesi made a mistake on his new tyres run, and thus had to settle for seventh. Meanwhile newcomers Frentzen and Villeneuve took time to settle in. They started 10th and 14th, the Canadian struggling with his brake balance.
The first lap passed without incident at the front, as Herbert slipped into the lead from Johansson, Alzen and Navarro. Meanwhile Alesi quickly passed both Gianni Morbidelli and David Terrien for fifth. However, there was early disappointment for Lehto, who had a suspension problem even before the start, while Ludwig also stopped early after his engine went onto seven cylinders.
From the start Herbert felt that his engine was down on power, and at the onset of the second lap he was unable to resist as Johansson and Alzen swept past. Indeed the Briton soon tumbled down to seventh, and decided that rather than try and fight he would concentrate on bringing home some points.
New leader Johansson soon came under strong pressure from Alzen, while Navarro, Alesi and Terrien stayed closed and made it a spectacular five-car battle for a while. On the eighth lap Alesi and Terrien both made it past Navarro. Leader Johansson was having problems, and on the 10th lap Alzen found a way past.
“I picked up a huge vibration in the front,” said Stefan, “and I had to back off a little under braking, or I was going to lock up all the time. I was just trying to keep the pace. I could barely see the road in the end, it was so bad.”
Just after losing the lead Stefan was also passed by Alesi, but when Terrien then tried to muscle past the Swede he misjudged the move and nudged an innocent Jean into a 360 degree spin. Alesi had dropped to fifth by the time he got going again.
After several attempts Alesi finally made it past Navarro for fourth on lap 14. At the start of lap 17 he made a move on Terrien under braking for the first corner, but he couldn’t get the car stopped, He ran into the side of the unfortunate Johansson, who was turning into the corner. The two cars made heavy contact, and Alesi’s rode over the front of Johansson’s in spectacular fashion. Jean had to pull off the road and park a few corners later, while Stefan retired to the pits.
“I’m so disappointed, because they were such valuable points,” said Johansson. “Had I not been there I think Jean would have been in the barrier before he stopped! It wasn’t going to work in a million years.”
“I made a big mistake,” admitted Jean. “At the end of the straight you’re braking at 180 metres. When I tried to overtake Terrien I had no chance to stop.”
Out front Alzen had an untroubled run, and had quietly extended his lead as the others fought amongst themselves. At the end he was a huge 7.9 secs ahead of Terrien, while Morbidelli passed Navarro to take the final podium spot.
“It was not easy,” said Alzen. “But it was easier than the last race in Sepang, where the heat was higher and you had more humidity in the car. Here it was better. The only problem that I had was a flat spot at the front, so it was a little bit tricky towards the end. I’ll start tomorrow in the eighth position, so that’s for sure not easy, especially at the first corner.”
Marchy Lee had a good run to fifth, while Herbert just held off Villeneuve for sixth. Jacques did get past at one stage, but he then saw yellow flags and let Johnny back through.
“We had a brake problem yesterday and we changed it,” said Jacques. “It took me a few laps to see where I could brake. But it was good, because I could brake late, and I was racing hard. I had a blast, but it was really hot!”
The only other drivers to go the distance were Hasher Al Maktoum and Ukyo Katayama, as Frentzen, Ananda Mikola and Fabien Giroix joined the list of retirements.
The top eight will be reversed for Sunday’s grid, so Al Maktoum will start on pole, ahead of Villeneuve, Herbert and Lee.
Off the track, the drama continues however as the Union Properties Team consisting of David Terrien and Hasher Al Maktoum have submitted a formal protest against race winner Uwe Alzen. They are asking that the German be disqualified on the premise that he was not wearing the HANS (Head and Neck Safety) device during the race according to the FIA regulations. The allegation is currently being investigated by the race director and stewards and a decision will be made by this afternoon. |
| Herbert grabs pole for Speedcar race 1 in Bahrain |
Johnny Herbert took pole position on the grid of the first Speedcar Series race at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The qualifying session determined the starting grid for the first of two race days that begin tomorrow.
For most of the 45 minute qualifying, Johnny stayed ahead on the time board. The Briton was ousted by Stefan Johansson on a couple of laps before quickening his pace to record the fastest time of 2:07.007.
New entrants Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jacques Villeneuve performed fairly well considering that it was their first driving experience in the Speedcars, placing 10th and 14th respectively.
The qualifying session classification is as follows:
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Johnny Herbert Speedcar Team 2:07.007
2 Stefan Johansson Speedcar Team 2:07.028
3 Nicolas Navarro First Centreville 2:07.375
4 Uwe Alzen Phoenix Racing 2:07.810
5 Gianni Morbidelli Speedcar Team 2:07.843
6 David Terrien UP Team 2:07.911
7 Jean Alesi Speedcar Team 2:08.115
8 Marchy Lee Speedcar Team 2:08.766
9 Hasher Al Maktoum UP Team 2:09.082
10 Heinz-Harald Frentzen Phoenix Racing 2:09.214
11 JJ Lehto Speedcar Team 2:09.420
12 Ukyo Katayama Speedcar Team 2:09.688
13 Klaus Ludwig G.P.C. Team 2:09.964
14 Jacques Villeneuve Speedcar Team 2:10.276
15 Fabien Giroix First Centreville 2:10.306
16 Ananda Mikola Speedcar Team 2:10.310 |
| Speedcar series signes Jacques Villeneuve |
Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will race with Speedcar in the last two rounds of the Series' inaugural season. He will take to the grid for the upcoming race at the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 4-6 followed by the final round in Dubai a week later on April 11-12.
Jacques is the most recent addition to the long line up of former Formula One drivers participating in Speedcar Series that include Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Stefan Johansson, Ukyo Katayama, JJ Lehto and Gianni Morbidelli.
The 37 year old Canadian driver won the 1997 World Championship in only his second Formula 1 season. Jacques sports a F1 track record of 165 races, 11 wins and 23 podium finishes over a decade long career from 1996-2006. He is also notable for being only one of 5 drivers, including Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi to have won both the F1 World Championship and Indianapolis 500. Jacques has since moved on to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and more recently the NASCAR Series.
Jacques Villeneuve said: "Speedcar Series looks like a great event and I have heard that it is a lot of fun. It's a series still in its infancy and will build up but I think it's a great idea. On a personal level, Speedcar will give me more road racing experience with this kind of cars which will be useful in future NASCAR road courses events, and it's also a great excuse to meet race fans."
Benoit Lamonerie, General Manager of Speedcar Series added: "We're proud to have Jacques join the Speedcar family. He will be the first Formula One World Champion and NASCAR driver to sign with us. And we're also excited that Speedcar Series is growing to a multinational level at the moment with drivers from 12 countries across 3 continents."
The last round of Speedcar Series' inaugural season will be held in Dubai, the weekend after the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday April 11 and Saturday 12, 2008. |
| Alzen takes his second |
Uwe Alzen scored his second Speedcar victory in the Sunday morning race at Sepang, having already won the second ‘reverse grid’ event at Sentul. The German touring car veteran chased early leader David Terrien, and eventually found his way past.
The grid saw the top eight line up in reverse order, with Saturday’s eighth-placed finisher Terrien on pole ahead of Nicolas Navarro, Stefan Johansson, Ananda Mikola, Alzen, Mathias Lauda, Johnny Herbert and Saturday winner Jean Alesi.
There was drama even before the start as Ukyo Katayama pitted for attention to an apparent suspension problem, while when the grid moved away behind the safety car Navarro failed to get going, and was pushed to the pits. Both men subsequently joined the race from the end of the pitlane.
When the field was released Terrien charged into the lead, chased initially by Johansson and Mikola. The man on the move on the first lap was Alesi, who rose from seventh to fourth by the end of it, having passed Alzen, Lauda and Herbert. Further back there was action as Christian Danner nudged JJ Lehto into a spin at Turn 2, having done the same to Alex Yoong in the same spot the previous day!
Terrien opened up a small advantage on Johansson, while Alzen soon began pressuring the former McLaren and Ferrari star. Alzen eventually forced his way by at the last corner at the end of lap 5, and the two men traded paintwork as they came out onto the pit straight.
As Alzen set his sights on leader Terrien all eyes were on the battle behind. Alesi began to ease closer to Johansson, and soon the three former Grand Prix drivers were nose to tail and enjoying a fabulous dice that kept those watching in the F1 garages thoroughly entertained.
Herbert passed Alesi for fourth on the eighth lap, but the Frenchman regained the position almost immediately. However, when Alesi got into a slide Herbert nipped back through.
The Briton then started to hassle Johansson, and when Stefan appeared to go a little wide, Johnny needed no second invitation and dived down the inside. However Johansson closed the door and the pair touched, sending Stefan into a spin on what was an unlucky lap 13. Herbert lost momentum briefly and a delighted Alesi jumped past both of them. From ninth on the grid Gianni Morbidelli was also close enough to gain a place before Johansson could recover.
“It was very competitive”, said Alesi. “We had Stefan holding us up a little bit, and he was not easy to pass. Always when I made a mistake, Johnny went ahead of me! It was a shame for Stefan because he was doing a good race, but at the end of the day we are all competitors, and we do our best.”
Meanwhile out front Alzen caught Terrien, passing him for the lead in the hairpin in a clean move and staying clear for the remainder of the race. He was just under 2secs clear at the flag.
“It was an unbelievably hard race”, said Alzen. “The start was not bad, better than yesterday. I made a mistake on the first lap and lost two places, and then I started to push. It was so hard, and I had to push over the whole distance. I think it was 70degC in the car, quite unbelievable! I passed Terrien in the hairpin, where I overtook Lauda yesterday. It’s good because now I am a little bit closer to Alesi in the championship.”
Alesi, Herbert, Morbidelli and Johansson completed the top six, while Navarro recovered to seventh after his pitlane start. Hasher al Maktoum, Alex Yoong (after surviving an off) and Lehto rounded out the top 10, while Katayama and Danner were the only other finishers. Saturday’s third placed man Mathias Lauda retired after twice suffering punctures, while Mikola, Marchy Lee and Fabien Giroix also failed to finish.
Benoit Lamonerie, General Manager of Speedcar Series was pleased with the first F1 participation race saying, “I’m delighted at the clean and entertaining show that we put up and it is an honour to have done so at the Malaysian Grand Prix. It was also good to see that the podium was shared by young talent as well as motorsport veterans which is the spirit of Speedcar.”
The series resumes in two weeks’ time with another pair of races supporting the Bahrain GP, where the hot weather will again provide a challenge. |
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