Sunday 3 June is a day that Adrian Quaife-Hobbs won’t forget easily
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The young Briton of Supernova today won the second race of the Portimão Auto GP weekend starting from P8 and doing so he clinched a perfect weekend taking pole position, both race wins and both fastest laps. The fifth win of his season is another championship record secured by the driver from Kent, and the “hat-trick” is also an absolute premiere for the Series: thanks to this weekend’s results Quaife Hobbs added 48 points to his tally, bringing his advantage on the closest rival to 73 points.
It was an eventful race right from the beginning: at the start poleman Chris Van der Drift was passed by team mate Daniel de Jong, while Quaife-Hobbs was quick-off the line and made the most of a bad start from Pål Varhaug and Sergey Sirotkin to pass them, then overtaking also Victor Guerin for P5 and following Facu Regalia and Sergio Campana into Turn 1. By the end of lap 1 the championship leader had already passed the Italian, while Van der Drift was the new race leader after overtaking de Jong on the main straight. Lap 1 also saw a collision between Varhaug and Sirotkin and while the Russian managed to rejoin, the Virtuosi UK driver spun and had to retire after his car came to an halt.
Deeming that the #7 Lola was in a dangerous position the Race Direction deployed the Safety-Car on lap 2, but when the race restarted two laps later another accident happened when Juan Carlos Sistos outbraked himself and crashed into Guerin, taking both drivers out of the race (the Mexican was handed a 5 position penalty on the grid of the next Auto GP race he will contest). In order to remove the cars the Safety-Car was deployed again and most of the teams opted for serving their mandatory pit-stops in the caution period as soon as the pit-lane was open.
At the second restart, on lap 8, Quaife-Hobbs made the most of the slipstream to overtake both de Jong and Van der Drift in one move, while Sirotkin climbed to P3 after that a good pit-stop by the Euronova crew did put him in the right position to attack de Jong.
From then on Quaife-Hobbs stretched his lead lap after lap, posting the fastest laptime of the race on lap 11 and then crossing the line with a 5” advantage on Van der Drift.
The kiwi of MP Motorsport was the only driver of the grid to start on a set of new soft Kumhos but his late pit-stop strategy was spoilt by the Safety-Cars. Despite being forced to pit early he could still post a great performance, fending off Sergey Sirotkin’s attacks all race long: the gap between Chris and the young Russian remained under the 1” mark for nearly the whole race, but despite that the Euronova driver never had a real chance to pass because Van der Drift’s driving was flawless. In the last two laps Sirotkin even backed off in order not to put too much stress on his tyres, settling for a third place that was an amazing result considering that at the end of lap 1 he was just P12.
Sergio Campana was fourth for MLR71 after a consistent performance that saw him pass both de Jong and Regalia on track. Facu ended the race in fifth place behind the Italian, while de Jong had to settle for P7 after being slowed down by a piece of astroturf that remained stuck to his front wing and altered his car’s balance. Giancarlo Serenelli took sixth place thanks to a good start and a consistent pace, while Max Snegirev was 8th after a great battle with Antonio Spavone, who finished P9 ahead of Francesco Dracone.
The second race of the Auto GP Portimão weekend saw Adrian Quaife-Hobbs clinch the fifth win of his season ahead of Chris Van der Drift and Sergey Sirotkin. Here is what they said in the post-race press conference.
Hat-trick, record number of wins in a single season, a huge championship lead. How do you feel after such a weekend?
“It’s really difficult to say, too many emotions in just one weekend. I’m so happy, we really wanted this perfect weekend because we worked incredibly hard to achieve it. We knew that it was possible because in Hungary we were very close already, but unluckily I was ‘only’ 2nd in Race 2. Now we made it, and I feel that it’s the deserved prize for the SuperNova guys. From the start of the season they’re doing their best to give me a great car and everybody can see that they did a great job”.
On a track like this top speed is important and on the grid we saw that your car aero setup had less rear wing than most of your rivals. Was it important for the outcome of your race?
“Definitely. We tried that solution in Qualifying but then we thought that in the race, with slipstream and some overtaking to do, it would have been much more useful. It didn’t take away any confidence from my driving and I could still go flat out through last corner anyway, so we decided to go that way. It was definitely a good idea, it gave that extra speed that made overtaking easier. It just overheated our tyres a bit towards the end of the race because I was sliding a bit, but it wasn’t a big issue”.
Chris Van der Drift
You were the only driver to start the race on new softs, two early Safety-Cars weren’t exactly what you had hoped for…
“It completely ruined our strategy, because with new tyres we were planning to stop late and make the most of the extra grip. Instead we had to pit under Safety-Car like everybody else and I did put on used softs at the front. I think that even if Adrian was very quick we could have won a ‘normal’ race, but the SC changed all”.
You lost the lead at the second restart but then managed to defend 2nd place from Sirotkin’s attacks, how was it from the cockpit?
“At the restart I really did underestimate the effect of the slipstream: I packed the group behind me before last corner, then I got a good acceleration through it and I thought that the gap was enough to be safe. I was wrong because people just flew past me, I wasn’t expecting that. Anyway it was fun because a couple of laps later I managed to do the same and I overtook Daniel and Campana in just one move, so it was just that effective on this straight.
The fight with Sergey was good, he was close but I felt confident that I could keep him at bay, the car was behaving well, my rear tires were in good shape, so there was no drama”.
Sergey Sirotkin
The second podium of the weekend must feel good, but the start of your race wasn’t an easy one…
“I had a really bad start again, I nearly stalled and I ended up somewhere around P13. I had to make my way up trough the traffic and it wasn’t easy. I made contact with Varhaug but luckily I managed to continue even if it costed me some time. The team also did a good job with the pit-stop when the yellow flags were out, that was important too”.
You managed to put pressure on Van der Drift but it wasn’t enough in order to overtake. Did it seem possible from the car?
“I always try if I have a chance to, but I knew it would have been difficult because my tyres were already gone at that moment. I was quick enough to stay close and make the most of a mistake by Chris if it was coming, but that wasn’t the case. When I realized that I wasn’t going to pass him I decided to back off a bit to save my tires, taking too many risks didn’t make any sense”.
soure: Auto GP, autogp.org
SIROTKIN FIGHTS BACK FROM 12TH TO TAKE SECOND PODIUM OF THE WEEKEND
Sergey Sirotkin claimed his second podium of the weekend at Portimao today after a brilliant performance in an action packed Auto GP race. The Russian started from 6th on the grid but faltered at the start and was swamped by the 16 car field as they streamed into the first corner. At the end of the opening lap he was down in 12th place and had sustained damage to his left sidepod and a split front wing.
After a single lap safety car period the Russian came in for an early pit stop along with the other front runners. This proved to be an excellent strategy as the safety car was immediately released once again and while the remaining 8 drivers pulled in for their pit stops Sirotkin was able to gain several places and moved into 6th place. An excellent re-start saw him take 5th away from Regalia and then 4th away from Campana. The Lukoil driver then entertained the crowds with a breathtaking three-way dice for 2nd place with Manor drivers de Jong and Van der Drift which lasted for several laps before de Jong dropped back. Sirotkin crossed the line at the end of the 18 lap race in a fine 3rd place.
Antonio Spavone started the race from 11th place and completed the first lap on 10th before losing out to two drivers and dropping back to 12th. The Italian, still suffering from the after effects of a bad flu virus, made his pit stop at the end of lap 5 under caution. When the field had sorted itself out he was sandwiched between Snegeriv and Dracone and whilst he was able to shake off the attentions of Dracone he was unable to make it past Snegeriv and took the chequered flag in 9th place.
Sirotkin: For my first time at Portimao I’m quite happy to have finished twice on the podium. Today’s race was really good apart from the start. My car was rolling forward so I put the clutch all the way in to stop it and at that moment the lights went on and off really quickly and I nearly stalled. I was right at the back so had a lot to do but I made some really good passes on the outside and we had a great strategy. My pit stop was very quick and I made a good re-start so then I was back at the front and able to fight for a podium. Vincenzo kept telling me to push to catch Van der Drift but at the end my tyres were really finished and I couldn’t get close enough.
The Auto GP season now takes a break until the middle of July when the Championship races in Brazil. But for Euronova and for Sirotkin the racing continues at Mugello next weekend when the team’s Formula Abarth and Formula 3 drivers will be in action.
source: euronova-racing.com
FOURTH AUTO GP PODIUM OF YEAR FOR MANOR MP MOTORSPORT
Chris van der Drift secured Manor MP Motorsport’s fourth podium finish of the Auto GP season with second place during an incredibly hectic 10th round of the season at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal this afternoon, Sunday, 3rd June.
Beginning the encounter on the ‘reverse grid’ pole position alongside team-mate Daniël De Jong, by virtue of finishing eighth and seventh respectively in round nine on Saturday, 2nd June, van der Drift was leapfrogged off the line by his faster-starting team-mate but held second on the run to turn one.
Sparking a monumental battle between the pair during the early laps, van der Drift took the lead on lap two into the first corner but the advantage the duo managed to establish over the chasing pack was eradicated soon after due to the appearance of the Safety Car.
Racing resumed after just a single lap under caution and this time 19-year-old De Jong managed to slingshot past the sister Manor MP car to move back into the lead but van der Drift hit back again on lap five. Then, the Safety Car swiftly returned to the track following an incident so the team took the decision to pit both drivers for their mandatory stops at the end of the lap.
The strategy worked a treat and the pit-crew did a fantastic job, van der Drift and De Jong emerged back on track in first and second as the Safety Car continued to circulate. At the second re-start on lap eight though, championship leader Adrian Quaife-Hobbs was able to benefit from a major tow from both Manor MP cars as they jostled for position and he passed on the inside line for the lead.
De Jong held on to second, despite having picked-up front wing damage from debris on track, while van der Drift was bundled back to fourth. On lap 11 though, as De Jong battled hard with Sergey Sirotkin, van der Drift surged past both to smartly take second at turn one but as the race wore on De Jong’s pace was compromised more and more by the wing damage and so he slipped to seventh.
Van der Drift finished in second place for his third podium of the year, despite serious pressure from Sirotkin during the latter stages, and he also posted the third fastest lap of the race. There was also some consolation for De Jong, he posted the fastest middle sector of the race to confirm his speed.
“Overall we’ve had quite a good weekend in Portugal”, said team principal Sander Dorsman, “The speed was there with both Chris and Daniël, they both did a fantastic job, and we’re all really happy to be back on the podium. It could have been a one-two finish in the second race, the Safety Car just worked against us but we showed we had strong pace.
“The guys in the pits did a really great job, we had to bring both drivers in at the same time so they didn’t lose out under the Safety Car but we managed to do really good stops and get them back out in first and second. It was a big pity Daniël had the problem with his front wing, our guys were the first to pass through where the accident happened so it was just bad luck he hit some debris.”
For round nine on Saturday, van der Drift and De Jong both started on the fourth row of the grid and the former held station in seventh for the first four laps which marked the point when some drivers began to take their mandatory tyre change pit-stops.
Van der Drift’s strategy was to make a relatively late stop and he ran as high as second prior to pitting at the end of the 12th tour. De Jong slipped to 11th on the first lap but he climbed back into ninth before making an early pit visit on lap five.
When van der Drift rejoined the race, he did so just ahead of his team-mate as De Jong had reeled off some particularly impressive laps – including the fastest of the race at that point. On lap 14 De Jong got ahead and the pair circulated in that order to the finish, claiming seventh and eighth place results. De Jong also ended the race with the second fastest lap, 1m35.478 seconds.
In terms of the championship, Manor MP Motorsport remains second in the team standings while van der Drift holds onto fourth in the driver classification and De Jong is seventh. In the Under-21 points table, De Jong has held on to his top six placing.
Manor MP Motorsport’s Auto GP squad now has a seven week break from competitive action with rounds 11 and 12 of the season – the penultimate event of the championship – set to take place on 21st/22nd July at the Autodromo Internacional de Curitiba in Brazil.
2012 Auto GP Team Standings (after Rd10):
2nd Manor MP Motorsport, 155pts
2012 Auto GP Driver Standings (after Rd10):
4th Chris van der Drift, 102pts; 7th Daniël De Jong, 53pts
2012 Auto GP Under-21 Driver Standings (after Rd10):
6th Daniël De Jong, 73pts
source: www.marc-orme.co.uk