F1SA - Motorsport: News channel - GP2 : 2009 Belgium - Sunday GP2 Teams - Race 2 reports & quotes

GP2 : 2009 Belgium - Sunday GP2 Teams - Race 2 reports & quotes - 11 teams

Source - F1SA

Sunday, 30 August 2009

GP2 Series team Race 2 reports and quotes from Spa.

Durango

SPA ALWAYS SPECIAL FOR DURANGO

Spa race 2 with just Panciatici on track for Durango. Nelson crossed the line as thirteenth, which means he has been able to race here for the first time in GP2 getting away honourably.

This for what the sport is about. The news about Stefano Coletti, who yesterday evening was taken to the hospital just for due precaution reasons, we are happy to confirm that it has been just a matter of fright.

Stefano within few hours will be discharged and will surely drive for the Monza homeraces.

This is Enrico Magro final comment: "For a good or a bad reason Spa is always very special for us of Durango. Even this year we were doing something good when the accident happened. But Stefano is alright, this is the most important thing”.

Durango

SPA SEMPRE SPECIALE PER DURANGO

Spa gara 2 con il solo Panciatici in pista per la Durango. Nelson ha concluso al tredicesimo posto e a lui va accreditato il fatto di aver corso per la prima volta in GP2 a Spa cavandosela onorevolmente.

Questo per quanto riguarda lo sport. Per quanto riguarda Stefano Coletti, che ieri sera è stato portato in ospedale solo per doverosi motivi precauzionali, siamo felici di confermare che si è trattato solo di un grande spavento.

Stefano entro qualche ora sarà dimesso e sarà sicuramente in pista per la gara di casa a Monza.

Questo il commento finale di Enrico Magro. “Per una ragione o per l’altra per noi della Durango Spa rappresenta sempre qualcosa di molto speciale. Anche quest’anno stavamo facendo qualcosa di buono quando è successo l’incidente. Ma Stefano sta bene, questa è la cosa più importante”.

iSport International

Double podium joy for iSport as Van der Garde takes sprint race victory.

Giedo van der Garde (NED) – P1
Diego Nunes (BRA) – P3

After a penalty in the feature race, iSport bounced back in spectacular fashion to take victory and third place in the sprint race at the Spa Francorchamps circuit.

Giedo van der Garde, starting from third, had a great start darting down the inside of pole sitter Edoardo Mortara to take the lead into the first corner. The iSport racer remained in the lead for the whole race despite a safety car period to win in convincing fashion. His team mate Diego Nunes started from ninth on the grid after several late penalties were applied by the stewards after yesterday’s feature race. Bouncing back in impressive fashion, Nunes took advantage at the start and after the safety to storm through to third. Holding off intense pressure from fourth placed man Sergio Perez, Nunes joined his team mate on the podium to cap off a fantastic sprint race for iSport.

The GP2 Series move on to the penultimate round in Monza in two weeks time.

Giedo van der Garde
“I had a very good start and I’m very happy. I cruised the last five or six laps and I think it was a very good result and I’m very pleased for the team. The car was good; everything was good so I’m very happy.

Diego Nunes
“I did a really good start I gained two or three places and after that the car was really good, I was very competitive. Di Grassi crashed in front of me and then there was a safety car and after the safety car I managed to pass Mortara on the outside and at the end of the straight. Then after that I started to catch, I was slightly quicker than Rodriguez so it wasn’t enough to clear the gap between us. It was good, Perez was also behind me, he was very quick so I had to hold him and catch Rodriguez so I think it was a good race”.

Racing Engineering

To finish first, you have to first finish

Today, another eventful GP2 race took place at the Spa Francorchamps Circuit. However, unlike yesterday, both Fat Burner Racing Engineering drivers, Lucas Di Grassi and Dani Clos, were unable to stay away from trouble and had to retire early in the race due to accidents.

After the great results during Friday's qualifying and Saturday's feature race, both Lucas and Dani had high hopes for today's event. Everything was set for the two Fat Burner Racing Engineering drivers to score excellent results.

But once the lights went off at the Belgian track, Dani found his race ending at the first corner, when he braked too hard into the turn, locking up his wheels. Carrying too much speed into the corner, the Spanish rookie crashed into the car of Hülkenberg.

Things seemed to work out better for Lucas. After his podium finish on Saturday, the aim was clearly to score some more important points for the championship battle. Despite having lost two positions at the start, he quickly put Nunes under pressure. When Maldonado and Kobayashi crashed at the Bus Stop corner, Lucas gained two positions. The safety car had to be deployed and Lucas gained one more position when Parente suffered an engine failure ahead of him.

When the safety car left the track, things turned bad when Lucas tried to pass Mortara, who had been overtaken by Nunes just seconds before. Mortara ran at a much slower pace than the rest of the field and, maybe being too optimistic in thinking the Italian would let the faster Fat Burner Racing Engineering car go through, Lucas tried to pass the Italian on the inside of the corner, climbing onto the Italian's car instead and forcing both of them to retire.

Lucas Di Grassi:
The race start was not great, but after things went well. Until I tried passing Mortara, who was much slower than me. There was contact between our cars and the race was over for me. I am not satisfied with the final results as I think our car was good for another podium today. We will work hard now for the next race.

Dani Clos:
My tyres were not at the optimal temperature. So when I moved to the inside, the track was dirty and when I braked, all tyres locked up and there was nothing I could do anymore to avoid the crash.

Alfonso de Orleáns-Borbón, Team President:
Both drivers could have been in the points today and there was no reason to be involved in accidents. It's a real shame as these were thrown points important for both the drivers, as well as the teamschampionship. It is upsetting as everyone has done a great job. Now unto Monza.

Bridgestone

Alvaro Parente (Ocean Racing Technology) and Giedo van der Garde (iSport International) both took race wins in the eighth round of the Bridgestone supported GP2 Series at Spa Francorchamps, on Bridgestone’s soft compound racing slick.

Spa lived up to its reputation for being a demanding and technical circuit, and as expected, tyre pressures and durability were key to maximising tyre performance at this venue. However, with no wet track conditions during the feature race, pit stop strategies were not so influential on the results as in previous years.

In Saturday’s eventful 25 lap feature race, Parente took his second ever GP2 race win, after qualifying for his maiden pole and holding off championship leader Nico Hulkenberg (ART Grand Prix). With dry weather for the duration of the race, the Bridgestone slick tyres were used by all teams, with the compulsory pit stop being taken by most drivers between laps six and ten.

Hulkenberg took eight points for second place, while Lucas di Grassi (Fat Burner Racing Engineering) finished third. Parente claimed the point for fastest lap.

Sunday’s 18 lap sprint race gave van der Garde victory, as the iSport driver made a great start passing Edoardo Mortara (Telmex Arden International) and Kamui Kobayashi (DAMS) before the first corner, leading the race from start to finish.

Hulkenberg’s weekend finished early as he went out on the first lap due to an incident at turn one. Roldan Rodriguez (Piquet GP) finished second, with Diego Nunes (iSport International) taking third. Sergio Perez (Telmex Arden International) climbed to fourth place from the back of the grid and put in the quickest lap.

Hulkenberg is currently on 83 points at the top of the drivers’ championship, with Vitaly Petrov (Barwa Addax Team) on 56 and di Grassi in third place with 46. ART Grand Prix leads the teams’ championship with 119 points from Barwa Addax Team on 101.

Fat Burner Racing Engineering is in third position with 46. The penultimate round of the GP2 Series will be held in Monza on 11-13 September, with Bridgestone’s GP2 medium compound making its fourth and final appearance of the year.

Quote from Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development
“Using the soft compound tyre here in Spa has meant a noticeable reduction in overall lap times. The durability of the tyres has been, as expected, a challenge for the drivers as they have needed to learn how to preserve the tyres for maximum performance. From analysis of the data obtained here by our engineers, we would not have been able to go any softer with the compound for this circuit. Tyre pressures, as we also anticipated, played an important part this weekend, higher pressures being required in order to provide good stability in the high speed corners. Congratulations to Alvaro Parente and Ocean Racing Technology for the team’s first race win and to Giedo van der Garde for his second sprint race victory this season. ”

Temperatures Ambient Track Weather
Saturday race 20C-19C 26C-30C-23C Sunny/Cloudy
Sunday race 13C 17-20C Sunny/Cloudy

DAMS

A couple of points for DAMS!

This weekend, DAMS raced in the eighth round of the 2009 GP2 Series Championship on the mythic Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. The very quick 7 kilometre layout is a huge challenge for both drivers and engineers.

The teams scored points in Valencia after the summer break, and Jérôme d'Ambrosio and Kamui Kobayashi were determined to continue the good work after 4 difficult meetings. Unfortunately, things did not work out as expected and DAMS bagged just 2 points this weekend.

The 2 drivers started from the second half of the grid for Saturday's race and both made spectacular comeback, which gave Kamui an eighth place finish. The Japanese driver moved up another place after one of his rivals was handed a penalty on Saturday evening. Jérôme was aiming for a points finish, but a trip over the kerbing in the Raidillon damaged his car forcing him to retire. It was frustrating for the Belgian who was racing at home this weekend.

This morning, Kamui started from the front row, and he was lying fourth after the first lap when he was hit by another car through no fault of his own. He spun but was able to rejoin at the back of the field. Jérôme's race ended in the first corner with broken left hand front suspension when he too was the victim of another car's unwanted attentions!

With 4 races left (Italy and Portugal) DAMS is currently lying 8th in the teams' classification while Kamui and Jérôme are in 11th and 16th places in the drivers' championship.

The second last round is on the legendary Monza circuit in 2 weeks time.

Eric Boullier, Team Manager:
“It's been yet another frustrating weekend. Kamui has been on the front row two Sundays on the trot, and we haven't managed to turn this into points because of collisions. It's exasperating as our results could be much better than just two victories. Jérôme had a difficult weekend in front of his home crowd, even though he had everything needed to put on a scintillating display. A slow puncture screwed up his qualifying session, which penalized him for both races. Of course, we're disappointed but we're not giving up. It's really a weekend to forget, our luck will change.”

Kamui Kobayashi:
10th on the grid for race 1, 8th at the finish, 2nd on the grid for race 2, 11th at the finish
“Infuriating is the only word I can find to describe my weekend. After my fight back, my reward was a front row place and a victory looked on the cards today. Unfortunately, another car ran into me on the second lap and that put paid to my chances. A weekend to forget but two points is better than nothing.”

Jérôme d'Ambrosio:
15th on the grid for race 1, retired, 14th on the grid for race 2, retired
“I'm really disappointed. I was quick enough to get a place at the front end of the grid as my performance in free practice showed. A slow puncture prevented me from fighting my corner. When you start from far back it's difficult to fight your way up through the field. Nonetheless, I thought I could score points yesterday when I was forced to retire. It was even worse this morning. My race lasted barely one hundred meters. I'm going to try and forget this missed opportunity and concentrate on Monza.”

Addax Team

VITALY PETROV LLEGA A LOS PUNTOS DESDE EL PUESTO 19 Y DAVIDE VALSECCHI TERMINA OCTAVO.

LOS PILOTOS DE BARWA ADDAX TEAM HACEN BUENAS REMONTADAS.

Muy buenas las carreras que han realizado los pilotos de Barwa Addax Team en Spa remontando ambos muchas posiciones para que Vitaly Petrov llegue a la zona de puntos al terminar sexto y Davide Valsecchi ascienda hasta la octava posición.

En cuanto la mecánica le ha respetado, Vitaly Petrov ha vuelto a demostrar porqué esta en segunda posición del campeonato luchando por el titulo final de la temporada. Salía en el puesto décimo noveno al desfallecer su motor en la carrera de ayer y ha ido escalando posiciones hasta finalizar sexto que le permite cosechar un punto importante para mantener sus opciones al campeonato. Su magnifica carrera solo se ha visto frenada por la lucha contra su propio compañero de equipo que demuestra la ausencia de ordenes en el Barwa Addax Team aunque esto haya hecho que veamos a Alejandro Agag, (propietario y Team Principal) y a Alberto Longo, (Director General), pasándolo muy mal en el muro. El piloto ruso se muestra en un grado de calidad y madurez que le acercan en cada carrera a la Formula 1, como no hacen más que repetir los rumores que circulan por el pit lane.

Davide Valsecchi “progresa adecuadamente” como lo confirma el hecho de que haya terminado su primera carrera con Barwa Addax Team, haya remontado desde la posición 13 hasta la octava, mantenido un ritmo importante de grupo de cabeza y haya estado en condiciones de plantar cara al mismísimo Vitaly Petrov durante unas cuantas vueltas. Cada vez se muestra más asentado en su nuevo equipo y se espera que continúe mejorando su rendimiento pues está corriendo con un propulsor que realmente muestra sospechas de que no rinde como los mejores de la parrilla.

En el campeonato de pilotos, Vitaly se mantiene en segunda posición tras recortar un punto al líder. No es una gran cantidad de puntos pero permite que el campeonato siga abierto y se pueda seguir disputando en las dos pruebas que faltan de la temporada sobre todo pensando que sus rivales partían en la parrilla de salida, muchos puestos por delante del piloto ruso que ha sabido darle la vuelta a la situación. Parece que el número de pilotos que puedan luchar por el campeonato se va reduciendo y, salvo que pase algo muy raro en las siguientes carreras, se disputaran los puestos del cajón de la clasificación final entre tres y cinco pilotos. Davide Valsecchi ocupa en la actualidad la décimo sexta posición.

Barwa Addax Team mantiene su segunda posición en el campeonato de equipos y a pesar de que, como en el de pilotos, sus rivales parecía que se iban a terminar de distanciar en el campeonato al salir muy por delante en parrilla, el equipo español ha conseguido en esta carrera no solo aguantar el tipo sino rebajar un puntito su diferencia con lo que el campeonato sigue vivo y abierto, cuando menos, hasta la próxima carrera aunque a este campeonato solamente optan ya dos equipos que se han destacado con gran diferencia sobre todos los demás.

Quedan dos citas en esta temporada y la siguiente será en el circuito italiano de Monza el fin de semana del 11 al 13 de Septiembre.

Addax Team

PETROV GETS INTO THE POINTS STARTING FROM 19th AND DAVIDE VALSECCHI FINISHES EIGHTH.

GREAT FIGHTBACKS FROM THE BARWA ADDAX TEAM DRIVERS.

The Barwa Addax Team drivers both drove very good races this morning in Spa. Vitaly Petrov managed to get into the points, finishing sixth after starting way down the field and Davide Valsecchi climbed to eighth from thirteenth on the grid.

Vitaly Petrov demonstrated once more why he is second overall in the championship and that he still has a faint hope of winning the drivers championship, provided that he is not plagued by mechanical problems.

He started from nineteenth position on the start grid, due to an engine failure in yesterday’s first race and right from the start he started to climb through the field, finishing in a magnificent six place, picking up a valuable point and keeping his championship hopes alive. The only obstacle in the race came from his team mate who held him up for several laps, demonstrating that there are no team orders in the Barwa Addax Team.

Nevertheless, the battle between the two meant that Alejandro Agag (owner and team principal) and Alberto Longo (managing director) had some tense moments behind the pit wall. The Russian driver showed maturity and the patience necessary and it seems that it won’t be long before he is in Formula 1, particularly after the rumours of this weekend in the pit lane.

David Valsecchi, having finished for the first time in four races, shows that he is making steady progress with Barwa Addax Team. He fought back from his thirteenth place start to finish eighth, keeping up with the race rhythm of the leading drivers which included a tough battle with his team-mate Vitaly Petrov, keeping him at bay for a few laps.

With every race he appears to be more integrated within the team and it is hoped that his performances keep improving. With the engine problems the car is having in recent races nothing can be taken for granted.

In the drivers championship, Vitaly remains second overall after having reduced the lead by one point. It hasn’t made much difference overall but it keeps the championship alive and there is still a sense of hope for the remainder of the season. Considering that his main rivals started in better grid positions , the Russian driver has managed to turn the situation around.

The number of drivers in contention for the drivers championship has been reduced and if nothing really really strange happens in the following races, the top three places on the final podium will be between a maximum of five drivers. Davide Valsecchi is currently lying 16th overall in the championship.

Barwa Addax Team remains second overall in the team championship, in spite of the fact that the principle rivals seemed to have all the card in their favour. However, instead of losing pace with their main competitors, they have actually managed to reduce the difference, even if it’s only by one point. The championship is still up for grabs, at least going into the next event but it can be safely said that the constructors championship is between two teams, who are a long way ahead of the rest in the overall rankings.

There are two events remaining this season and the next race will take place at the Italian circuit of Monza between the 11th and 13th of September.

Arden International

Perez fourth after one of the season’s finest drives.

Sergio Perez made amends for yesterday’s disappointing GP2 Series race at Spa by charging from the back of the field to finish a spectacular fourth.

Condemned to last place on the grid because his hydraulic pump failed before yesterday’s event had started, Perez drove a storming opening lap, steering clear of a multi-car accident at the first turn and gaining several places in the process.

By the time the Safety Car was scrambled on lap two, so that ART driver Pastor Maldonado’s crashed car could safely be retrieved from the circuit, the Mexican was up to seventh.

He maintained his relentless progress after the restart, moving up to fourth position, hounding Diego Nunes (iSport) all the way to the chequered flag and setting fastest race lap in the process. Although he was able to draw alongside the Brazilian from time to time, there was no way through and he ultimately had to settle for fourth place after a spirited morning’s work.

Perez gained a couple of places as a result of an accident that eliminated team-mate Edoardo Mortara. Ninth on the road yesterday, the Italian was promoted to eighth, and pole position for today’s sprint, when Nunes was given a 25s penalty for short cutting the chicane. He made a slowish start, however, and was passed immediately by Giedo van der Garde (iSport). Mortara soon recovered his momentum, however, and was running a strong third when Lucas di Grassi (Racing Engineering) hit him from behind at the chicane. Both drivers were obliged to retire on the spot.

Sergio:
“I’m really happy with that. I knew I had the potential to do well this weekend, but it’s quite something to finish fourth when you start last. I tried my hardest to pass Diego Nunes, but he didn’t make any mistakes and there was no way through. After what happened yesterday, it was great to score some points, and to net fastest lap, and it’s a brilliant way to prepare for the next race, at Monza. The Italian Grand Prix’s home is my favourite circuit and I hope, and believe, that I can score my first win of the season when we get there.”

Edoardo:
“I didn’t get a great start, but it was good enough to keep me in second place. I was pushing hard to stay with Giedo van der Garde, but he was starting to pull away slightly because I was slow on the straights… and I was also having to defend, because I was coming under attack from Pastor Maldonado, Diego Nunes and then Lucas di Grassi.

“I had a brush with Maldonado when I was on the inside and he was on the outside. He tried to outbrake me and then take the normal line, but of course I was already there and we touched. He spun and hit the wall. It is difficult to say if it was his fault or mine, but I think the replays confirm it was just one of those things, a racing accident.

“As for the di Grassi incident, I was having problems with my car because the Maldonado incident had bent my front suspension, and Lucas’s move just finished me off. The stewards have given him a 10 position penalty for the next race, so I think that indicates where blame lies.”

Ocean Racing Technology

Chandhok in the top 10 at Spa, Ocean Racing Technology among the fastest teams.

Karun Chandhok attacked from start to finish in the second race here at the Spa Francorchamps circuit to finish inside the top ten. Winner of the 2nd round in Belgium two years ago, the Indian driver had a strong race today and rediscovered a very good feeling courtesy of the changes made to his single seater.

Therefore he crossed the finish line in 7th place after moving up ten positions from his starting place on the grid.

Karun regrets having failed to finish in the points but underlines the positive assessment from Spa Francorchamps and the prospects it has opened up for the two last rounds of the GP2 Main Series championship.

"I had a good race despite a few complications at the start when I lost a bit of ground in order to avoid a collision," he explained. "Once in seventh place it was very difficult to move up any further but I was delighted to see that we had improved a lot since yesterday. Congratulations to the team because the improvement was really impressive. I started the weekend being slower than Álvaro but I finished it having closed the gap, which bodes well for Monza."

Meanwhile, team-mate Álvaro Parente started from eighth on the grid due to his win on Saturday and was aiming for another solid points finish when he was let down by the engine in his racing contender.

Once again he was one of the fastest drivers in the field, the Portuguese driver leaped from 8th to 6th at the start and was in 4th place, ready to attack for 3rd when his engine died, losing him and the team very valuable points in both championships.

"I had a solid race at the start but the engine died. It is a pity because those points would have been very important for us, especially as a podium as possible. This result does not give justice to the team's hard work but it changes nothing of its excellence," explained Parente. "Winning the feature race at Spa is the proof that our performances have improved a great deal."

Spa Francorchamps will always remain in Ocean Racing Technology's history as the circuit where the Portuguese team secured its maiden victory in what is a very competitive championship, the main feeder series of Formula One. Ocean Racing Technology won the 100th race in the GP2 Main Series which only reinforces its strength.

In two weeks time in Monza, Ocean Racing Technology's aim will be to once again fight for the top positions.

ART Grand Prix

ART Grand Prix left the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium with their 10th podium finish to add to their 2009 tally, courtesy of Nico Hülkenberg.

The German driver started from third on the grid and put pressure on eventual race one winner Alvaro Parente for the entire event however, he was forced to settle for the second step of the podium and a seventh placed start in race two.

Sadly, Sunday.s race was over in the blink of an eye when he was the victim of a more than optimistic over braking manoeuvre at turn one by Clos, who was later penalized with a 10 place grid penalty in the next event.

Meanwhile, after setting the fastest time in free practice Pastor Maldonado secured ninth on the starting grid after enduring a tough qualifying session.

Mechanics changed his engine for Saturday's race due to an overheating issue and he made up four places by the first corner, eventually finishing fourth. The aim was to get onto the podium in race two and after making it into P3, a coming together with Mortara ended his hopes.

Nico Hülkenberg:
We didn.t put it together and I did not put my best partials in the same lap in qualifying and so third place was not so bad because it could have been much worse in a tricky session. I had a good start and was faster than Parente coming to La Source but he had the inside line. After that he was really fast and I had my moments especially with the tyres. temperature. I tried to put him under pressure when there was oil as I could see how his car was behaving and I tried to adapt my braking and lines. But Alvaro was strong and he did a great job. My second race was over after a few meters when somebody forgot to brake at the first turn. I.m not thinking about the championship, I want to take it race by race and to get some great results.

P astor Maldonado:
With Monaco Spa is my favourite track. I won there in Formula Renault 2.0 Italy, in Euroseries 3000 as well as in GP2 last year and I had big expectations arriving in Spa. The practice session went well on a damp but drying asphalt. The car was efficient and was making a good use of the tyres but the qualifying was much harder as it was the first time we were driving on the dry and because it got neutralized. I took a good start but it could have been even better if di Grassi had not hampered me. Our strategy was the best. We pitted early to compensate some problems and the 4th position was ideal to fight for a podium the next day. The beginning was really promising as I was third after three turns. I overtook Kobayashi at Les Combes and I made a move on Mortara soon after but I had to brake because he did not see me. I was much faster than him and I got past, half of my car was ahead of his but he did not brake and pushed me into the gravel. We had a contact and it was the end of my race. I.m upset because the podium was a realistic and minimum objective.

Frederic Vasseur:
It is a very good weekend in regard to the standings as we opened up a gap in both championships. Nico and Pastor were both very competitive but were victims of weird manoeuvres from two other drivers in the second race and that.s a shame. Congratulations to Ocean and to Tiago Monteiro. I was happy when he was driving for ASM and I am delighted for him now because just like the driver, the team manager, is doing a great job.

Super Nova Racing

GP2 Team Standing - 44pts / 4th

Javier Villa recovered from the chaotic start in this mornings Belgium GP2 race to finally finish a commendable tenth place, from 13th on the grid.

Team mate Luca Filippi, was left behind as he stalled on the grid. When marshals failed to return him to the pit lane, for the team to restart his car, there was no chance of rejoining the race, making this a weekend to forget for the Italian.

Javier was hit & spun by Fat Burner Racing Engineering driver Dani Clos, as cars jostled for position, heading into the first corner. He did a superb job of handling his car, and was very quick through the combination of fast corners and elevations, passing several cars to complete the 18 laps tenth.

Spa is one of the most technical circuits on the GP2 calendar, & presents many challenges. Only fourteen out of twenty two cars finished today, after many battles at the front, the race went to Isports’ Giedo Van Der Garde.

Luca Filippi – Car 14 – DNF
Championship Standing: 7th / 24pts
“To me there seems to be an issue with the clutch. I stalled on the gird, and when the stewards pushed me outside instead of into the pit lane, the team were unable to get me started again. This isn’t normal. Monza is next, my home race, and it is very important for me to win there. We need to work very hard, but I do believe we can do it.”

Javier Villa – Car 15 – P10
Championship Standing: 13th / 20pts
“We got a very good start, but I got hit by Clos, and we lost time, but I didn’t stall, so we could continue. The car was very quick and I thought if I could stay out in front I could maybe get some points, but in the end we were P10. We’re going to have to work hard for Monza, getting the brakes and traction just right at that circuit is really important, and it would be great to finish off the season with some highs!”

David Sears – Team Principal
“With Luca Filippi stalling on the grid and Javier Villa being spun around on the first corner, it was another bad day for Super Nova. Javier recovered very well to set some impressive lap times and finished in tenth place at the flag. We really need to analyse what went wrong over the weekend and correct it before the next race in Monza in two weeks time.”

Trident Racing

Race 1
Davide Rigon, DNF
Ricardo Teixeira, DNF

Race 2
Davide Rigon, 5th
Ricardo Teixeira, 14th

The eight round of the 2009 GP2 Main Series has been one of the hardest and most unfortunate of Trident Racing's history.

The worst moment came before Race 1, when cars complete some insallation laps before getting to the grid. During the routine pre-race preparations, Ricardo Teixeira restarted from the pit lane as usual, but a wheel gun got stuck on one of his wing's endplates, pulling the team toolbox forward.

Unfortunately, an air hose we use for pit stops hit Vasco Rossi, one of our car chiefs, hard on the head, injuring him seriously.

He was treated on the place and admitted to the Liège hospital, where he's still receiving care. News have been positive since the beginning, excluding life threatening consequences. Rossi passed the nights of Saturday and Sunday without complic ations, and he's still there due to an hairline ear fracture that prevents him from flying.

He'll be back to Italy on the next weekend. Before talking about results, which were obviously overshadowed by what happened, Trident Racing want to thank who have been close to the team in such a tough moment, especially the medical staff of McLaren, that gave Vasco the first care after the incident.

From the sporting point of view, the races at Spa Francorchams handed Trident Racing a well deserved points finish, as Davide Rigon ended up Race 2 in 5th. The race held on Saturday could have brought him to a top 8 finish, before he was caught in an unavoidable crash triggered by Karun Chandhok at the Les Combes corner.

Teixeira also retired on Race 1 due to an on grid engine problem. The Angolan driver came back to 14th on Race 2, lapping consistently fast. Triden t Racing will be spending the two weeks before the penultimate round of the seasom, scheduled for September 12 and 13 at Monza, in preparing for a flawless performance on its home venue.

The team's attention though will be on the recovery of Vasco Rossi. We're waiting him to be back sooner than possible. All the team is aware of huge contribution he gave on both the technical and professional standpoint.

Davide Rigon:
“It's been a weekend with mixed emotions. Starting from the fears for Vasco, who we're expecting on track really soon, to the disappointment for how Race 1 ended up and the satifaction for the points finish captured on Race 2. Sunday has been the best part of the weekend: while on Saturday I was hit by Chandhok after showing an impressive pace, I've been able to end up into the top 5 despite having to start from the second half of the field. The only scary moment came on lap 1, when Michael Herck tapped me from behind. I feared for my rear wing but everything seemed fine right after and through the whole race. This is my best result of the season, and it's all for Vasco: we wait you back!”

Ricardo Teixeira:
“Saturday has been a day to forget really fast. We had the pit lane incident with all the fears that arised from it, though they fortunately started fading as positive news kept coming from the hospital. Then we had an engine issue that prevented me from taking off. A black day. Sunday we have been motivated by the improving conditions of Vasco, and I really wanted to have a good race. The final position could have been better without a mistake at La Source, where I made a spin, but my pace proved to be solid. Staying in the pack on such a tough circuit is a good sign to me. I'm looking forward to the next race at Monza. A really special venue, and the home track of the team.”

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