Mark Boudreau

Mark Boudreau has been following Formula 1 since the days of fellow Canadian Gilles Villeneuve. While he loves Formula 1 he is most interested in the future stars of the sport which is why he publishes F1 Prospects.com

FR3.5 Series – Hockenheim – Collective Testing: Costa in good company with Ricciardo and Aleshin

Formula Renault, World Series By Renault No Responses »
Sep 032010

Tech 1 Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo got back off to a good start in Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Hockenheim today when he claimed the fastest lap in collective testing, the Australian leading Epsilon Euskadi’s Albert Costa and Carlin’s Mikhail Aleshin. The duel between Daniel Ricciardo and Mikhail Aleshin was as exciting as ever. However, following a summer break which appears to have been all work and no play, Albert Costa seems ready to take the pair on as the end of the season draws closer.

At a sunny Hockenheim, the 24 Formula Renault 3.5 engines rang out once more following a two-month break. As this is the first time that Formula Renault 3.5 Series has visited the German circuit, the first session was the chance for drivers and teams alike to find their feet. The day also marked the occasion of 2010 British F3 International Series champion Jean-Eric Vergne’s move to Formula Renault 3.5 Series. Driving for Tech 1 Racing, the Frenchman has already had a taste of the FR3.5 car, having participated in pre-season testing last winter.

An early pecking order was established as Daniel Ricciardo set a time of 1’30″436, followed by International Draco Racing’s Nathanël Berthon, and behind him Vergne. However, things would not remain this way for long as Comtec Racing’s Stefano Coletti took control of the session with a 1’29”726 lap. Fortec Motorsport’s Jon Lancaster soon followed suit before ISR’s Esteban Guerrieri countered with a time of 1’29”312. The drivers soon found their rhythm, racking up several flying laps mirroring Jon Lancaster, one of the day’s most tenacious drivers. It was only in the closing minutes of the session that the order began to crystallize. With a time of 1’29”090, ISR’s Filip Salaquarde led the charge closely followed by Pons Racing’s Federico Leo, who crept into third place behind the two ISR cars.

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 13:01 Tagged with: , , ,

Eurocup FR2.0 – Hockenheim – Collective Tesing: Vainio on form, Tarancon impressive

Formula Renault No Responses »
Sep 032010

It was down to business for the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 at Hockenheim today as Finland’s Aaro Vainio, driving for Tech 1 Racing, proved he was on the pace in collective testing. He was closely followed by an impressive Javier Tarancon, the new face at the Epsilon Euskadi team, who seemed perfectly at ease in a car he had not driven before today. The three main championship hopefuls, Korainen Bros Motorsport’s Kevin Korjus, Tech 1 Racing’s Arthur Pic and Interwetten.com’s Luciano Bacheta made their intentions clear, finishing the session in 3rd, 4th and 5th place respectively.

It was back to school for the World Series by Renault at Hockenheim today, with the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 drivers opening the proceedings. The usual faces were joined by three wild-cards, SL Formula Racing’s Kevin Mirocha, Keo Racing’s Ludwig Ghidi and Kochanski Motorsport Project’s Jakub Smiechowski, while Javier Tarancon replaced Miguel Otegui at Epsilon Euskadi. At just 18 the Catalan driver, a member of the Gravity Academy and current fifth place in the Formula BMW Europe championship, made his Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 debut today in familiar surroundings.

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 12:56 Tagged with: , ,

FR3.5 and F1 send drivers back to school

Driver Development, World Series By Renault No Responses »
Sep 032010

Formula Renault 3.5 Series drivers will find themselves immersed in a world of F1 this September as part of two programmes organized by Renault Sport Technologies and Renault F1 Team. Held at Monza on Thursday September 9 at the very heart of the Formula 1 paddock, the first session plays host to five special guests of the Renault F1 Team. Next stop is Enstone, nerve-center of the Renault F1 Team, where on September 20-21 they will be joined by the remaining Formula Renault 3.5 Series drivers for two days of training.

To progress to Formula 1, the ultimate goal of any driver racing in Formula Renault 3.5 Series, it is not enough just to prove your worth on the track. Drivers must also become acclimatized to the rarefied atmosphere of the class. Through two joint-run programmes, Renault Sport Technologies and Renault F1 Team give drivers a very real taste of the world of F1 while providing further evidence of the crucial role played by Formula Renault 3.5 Series as a gateway to the top rung of motorsport.

The first stage at Monza on Thursday, October 9, coincides with the Italian F1 Grand Prix as five drivers are welcomed by the Renault F1 Team. They will be given a close-up of the Renault F1 Team’s organization during a Grand Prix, visiting the pits and chatting to the team’s managers, engineers and drivers. Robert Kubica, winner of the 2005 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, will also be there to share his experience with his successors. The five drivers will also be given free access to the paddock allowing them to meet F1’s decision makers.

The second session will be held directly following the Silverstone meeting of the World Series by Renault. On Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 September, all the drivers will converge on Enstone for two days of training at the very heart of Renault F1 Team. Renault F1 Team Principal, Éric Boulier, will welcome the drivers with a Q&A session. After an in-depth visit to the Technical Center and Digital Aerodynamics Center (CFD), which boasts the most up to date technologies in fluid dynamics, the guests will be given the benefit of the team nutritionist’s insight before undergoing a series of physical tests.

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 12:11 Tagged with: , , ,

Formula BMW Europe: Rounds 15 &16, 10 – 12 September Monza – The final showdown in Monza

Formula BMW No Responses »
Sep 032010

After seven race weekends, 14 races, 163 laps and 826.554 kilometres of racing the finale for the Formula BMW Europe crown will be between Jack Harvey (GB/Fortec Motorsports) and Robin Frijns (NL/Josef Kaufmann Racing) who, going into the Monza weekend, are just seven points apart. As there is a total of 62 points on offer – 30 for each win and an extra point for each pole – this could be one of the most exciting and close fought final weekends in the ten year history of the formula.

The two youngsters started their Formula BMW battles when they were Rookies in the series last year, eventually finishing with Frijns as the Rookie Cup winner and Harvey runner-up. Now it is Harvey in front and their rivalry, which will now play out on the final ever weekend for Formula BMW Europe, should be a fitting curtain call for the series.

The results from Spa-Francorchamps last weekend put a very different complexion on the points’ tables. Frijns reduced the gap to Harvey from 23 to seven points, Josef Kaufmann Racing overtook Fortec Motorsports at the top of the Teams’ competition, and Timmy Hansen (SE/Mücke Motorsport) overtook Carlos Sainz (ES/Eurointernational) for third place in the drivers’ battle, even though the Spaniard went on to clinch the Rookie Cup. Now the Swedish driver, who was second quickest in qualifying last year in Monza, is determined to be one of the front runners again. His comment on the track was: “Monza is a very special track with long straights and no downforce. It is really going to be down to tactics in the race and qualifying to get the best slip streams. It is very difficult, but last year I was second and fourth on the grids, so I like the track and like the moments when you have to think ahead and plan everything. It is a great opportunity to try to get in front and have some nice racing.”

Last year Hansen was a Rookie and this year his fellow Scandinavian, Petri Suvanto (FI/Josef Kaufmann Racing), who is a 2010 Rookie, is hoping to match his qualifying feats. “It is quite a special track and very different to the others we race on, so that makes it quite exciting. It also has an atmosphere like Silverstone and Hockenheim, so I would say the race and event has a soul to it. When we tested there it was our first official one, so there was a lot of learning to do as I had to work on my driving instead of the set-up, and so it is quite a challenge to go to the race weekend. However, I am planning to turn the quite difficult season round there and make a good result,” he said.

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 08:36 Tagged with:

Tech 1 Racing’s Simon Abadie: “A decesive end to the season”

Formula Renault, GP3, Team Profile, World Series By Renault No Responses »
Sep 032010

The World Series by Renault kicks off again this weekend at Hockenheim after a 2-month break. It will be an important meeting for Tech 1 Racing as the Toulouse-based squad is fighting for the drivers’ and teams’ titles in both the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. There is also one more round left in the GP3 Series, and the team is starting to look ahead to 2011. Simon Abadie, the team manager, sums up the situation just as the final part of the season gets under way.

Simon, the break in the World Series by Renault lasted two months, but it’s been a fairly hectic few weeks in the GP3 Series, hasn’t it?

“It’s true. We strung together a series of races in the GP3 Series as we went to Silverstone, Hockenheim, Budapest, and then to Spa-Francorchamps. We have a stable trio of drivers consisting of Daniel Juncadella, Stefano Coletti and Dora Sechelariu, and we made a big step forward. We finished on the podium at Hockenheim with Juncadella second and Coletti third. We consolidated this performance at Budapest with Stefano’s third place. At Spa-Francorchamps, we also proved our speed with Juncadella’s pole even if he was then penalised. Coletti is now ninth in the drivers’ ratings despite the fact that he hasn’t done the whole season. Tech 1 Racing is sixth in the teams’ classification. Our aim is to finish in the top five in our first season in GP3, and a win at Monza in the last race to end on a high note would be the cherry on the cake! Then it’s up to us to gear up well for the 2011 season to fight for the title.”

In the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup Tech 1 Racing can win four titles!

“The end of the season will be decisive for the attribution of the titles in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. It’s true, we can finish the year with four titles – or with none!”

Daniel Ricciardo is eleven points behind Mikhail Aleshin in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. What strategy will you adopt to close the gap?

“There’s no precise strategy. He just has to finish in front of Mikhail Aleshin in each race. Aleshin is having a very good season, and it won’t be easy to beat him. But we took full advantage of the two-month break to do a good job preparing for the last six races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series to put the best possible car at Daniel’s disposal. He knows the Silverstone and Barcelona circuits very well so everything’s in place for him to make the difference. If he manages to win the title it’ll be the first time a rookie had done so in the Renault 3.5 Series since Robert Kubica in 2005. It’d be a huge boost to his career and his aims, which are to break into Formula 1.”

Jean-Eric Vergne, who has just won the British F3 Championship title, is joining Tech 1 Racing for Hockenheim, Silverstone and Budapest. What aims have you set for him?

“Jean-Eric doesn’t have any real aims. He’s there just to drive and to spring a surprise if he can. He knows the car; he knows the team but remember that his rivals have been driving this machine since the start of the championship. It won’t be easy for him, but he’s under no pressure. He’s already had a great season by becoming the first Frenchman to win the British F3 title and he knows what he has to do. If he can score points for the team while taking away good points from Daniel’s rivals it’ll be perfect!”

In the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, the gap between the leader Kevin Korjus and Arthur Pic is also eleven points. Tech 1 Racing is leading the teams’ classification. So the challenge is the same?

“Yes, here too, Arthur has to finish in front of Kevin in every race. Arthur has set seven pole positions, which proves that he’s the quickest driver this year in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. But Kevin’s very steady. It’s very open. If Tech 1 Racing wins the teams’ title in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup in our first year in the championship, it’ll be a really great achievement.”

2011 is just round the corner. What are your plans?

“In 2011, Tech 1 Racing will again be competing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and in the GP3 Series. In the FR 3.5 Series we’ll have a seat for a Red Bull Junior team driver but nothing’s been confirmed yet. The number of drivers in the Red Bull Junior squad is smaller than in the past, and we don’t yet know what Dr. Helmut Marko’s strategy will be in 2011. We’re hoping to finalise our 2011 driver line-up soon as testing starts immediately after the final with a two-day session on the Barcelona circuit on 12-13 October, followed by three days’ testing at Motorland Aragon on 18-19-20 October. The ideal thing would be to be able to sign up our two 2011 drivers after this collective test.”

And what about GP3 and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup?

“In the GP3 Series, there’ll be six days collective practice in October at Estoril and Jerez. There too we’re hoping to be able to test different drivers to choose our trio for 2011. In the Formula Renault Eurocup 2.0 Series, testing is free between 11th October and 3st December and we plan around ten days’ running. That’ll help our drivers to get used to the Formula Renault 2.0, and to be in a position to tackle the 2011 season in the best possible conditions.”

http://www.tech1racing.fr/

Posted by Mark Boudreau at 08:23 Tagged with: , , , ,

USF2000 Series Announces $71,400 in Special Incentive Awards for 2011

Driver Development, F2000 No Responses »
Sep 022010

USF2000

Andersen Promotions, the administrator of the “Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda,” is pleased to announce a number of special incentive awards valued at $71,400 that will be available to top amateur and semi-pro formula car drivers desiring to advance to the professional ranks for the 2011 season.

“Now that the IZOD IndyCar Series has a clearly defined ladder system in the Road to Indy, it’s important that the world’s top junior formula car drivers are competing in the first North American pro step, the USF2000 National Championship,” said Dan Andersen, chief executive officer of Andersen Promotions. “We hope these awards will help many amateur and semi-pro drivers compete in the USF2000 National Championship next year.

“In place already is the excellent MAZDASPEED Motorsports full-season scholarship for the 2010 Skip Barber National champion, valued at $150,000,” Andersen pointed out. “With the additional awards we’re announcing today we expect to see the best of the world’s young open-wheel drivers competing for the USF2000 champion’s prize of a MAZDASPEED scholarship into the next level on that Road to Indy ladder, the Star Mazda Championship.”

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 21:56 Tagged with: ,

THE “1st INTERNATIONAL CUP KARTING”

Driver Development No Responses »
Sep 022010

THE “1st INTERNATIONAL CUP KARTING”
A unique opportunity for young drivers…..

(Press Release) It is the only karting championship that gives the winners 3 steering wheel in a single seater championship F3 and a lot tests in F3! The Championship is the “F3 EUROPEAN OPEN”.

Organized by HACHE TEAM, the “1st INTERNATIONAL CUP KARTING” is intending to all nationalities karting drivers and from 15 to 21 years old. There will be 12 evaluations tests which will take place between the months of November / December 2010 and January 2011.
The entry free is 6825 € include official suit, insurance, entry, free practice, helmet homologated, oil.

Three categories will be admitted : HTR1 (K22); HTR2 (X-30); and HTR3 (KF2)

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 13:24 Tagged with:

Formula BMW Europe: Rounds 13 & 14, 27 – 29 August Spa-Francorchamps – Frijns takes vital win and Sainz is Rookie Champion

Formula BMW No Responses »
Aug 292010

The second race of the weekend in Spa-Francorchamps was not only an exciting one, but also a crucial one for the championship battle as a win by Robin Frijns (NL/Josef Kaufmann Racing) has moved him to within seven points of championship leader, Jack Harvey (GB/Fortec Motorsports), who finished fourth. Second was race one winner, Javier Tarancon (ES/DAMS), while third was polesitter, Côme Ledogar (FR/Eifelland Racing). Top Rookie for the third time this year was Daniil Kvyat (RU/Eurointernational.

It was very soon after the start that leading Championship Rookie, Carlos Sainz (ES/Eurointernational), ended up as a retirement for the second time in Spa-Francorchamps. In a collision with Frijns he came off worst and that was the end of his race. However, despite this the Spanish youngster, who turns 16 on the 1st September, is now the Rookie Cup winner for 2010. In his first year of single-seater racing not only has he won the Rookie class nine times out of 14, but also started from pole twice and won a race in Silverstone. This also gives his team, Eurointernational, the only title that has so far eluded them in all the Formula BMW series they have competed in.

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 20:09 Tagged with:

Formula BMW Europe: Rounds 13 & 14, 27 – 29 August Spa-Francorchamps – Tarancon and van Asseldonk take first wins

Formula BMW No Responses »
Aug 282010

Spa-Francorchamps, 28 August 2010. Javier Tarancon (ES/DAMS) notched up his first Formula BMW Europe win in today’s very exciting Formula BMW Europe race in Spa-Francorchamps. Behind him were the two championship protagonists, Robin Frijns (NL/Josef Kaufmann Racing) and Jack Harvey (GB/Fortec Motorsports), in second and third, while Hannes van Asseldonk (NL/Josef Kaufmann Racing) made sure his name was in the series’ history books by finishing the top Rookie and in fourth.

After some atrocious weather conditions for free practice and qualifying, thankfully today’s race was held in dry conditions, even though there were some damp patches on the track. However, this did not mean the race was not incident packed with the first accident as the cars left the grid and went into La Source. As the cars threaded their way round the corner that is notorious for first lap accidents there was contact between several cars, with a spinning Carlos Sainz (ES/Eurointernational), who was tagged by another car, finishing up pointing in the wrong direction and being hit head on by Maciej Bernacik (PL/Mücke Motorsport). Sainz retired immediately while Bernacik and Michael Lewis (US/Eurointernational) made it back to the pits. The Pole continued, but the American retired.

At the end of lap one the Safety Car was deployed for one lap to clear away the Sainz car, and at this point polesitter, Côme Ledogar (FR/Eifelland Racing), was leading from van Asseldonk and Tarancon. Frijns had made up two places from eighth on the grid, while Marc Coleselli (AT/Eifelland Racing) had moved up from 13th to eighth and fellow Rookie, Daniil Kyvat (RU/Eurointernational) had already made up five places in the race that saw him make up nine in total.

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 08:57 Tagged with: ,

Qualifying Formula BMW Europe: Rounds 13 & 14, 27 – 29 August Spa-Francorchamps – Ledogar claims his first brace of poles

Formula BMW No Responses »
Aug 272010

It was no surprise for anyone to see heavy rain in Spa-Francorchamps, but this did not stop Côme Ledogar (FR/Eifelland Racing) claim his first brace of pole positions in Formula BMW Europe. Starting next to him on the grid for race one will be Formula BMW Junior driver, Carlos Sainz (ES/Eurointernational), while Javier Tarancon (ES/DAMS) is third.

The fickle weather in the Ardennes region of Belgium meant the young drivers were tested to their limits, and they were a credit to the series in the way they handled the sudden downpours which left the track with standing water. There were several spins and off track excursions, but unfortunately for George Katsinis (GR/Fortec Motorsports) his ended up with his car hitting the barrier and him visiting the medical centre to check on a painful hand. The conditions that saw the free practice session red flagged with eight of the 25 minutes to go, and the drivers in qualifying warned of standing water on the run down to the notorious Eau Rouge section, also saw some new names at the top of the grid. Michael Lewis (US/Eurointernational) had by far his best qualifying of the year and will start race one from fourth and race two from third. Also Maciej Bernacik (PL/Mücke Motorsport) is the second Rookie after Sainz and will start race one from seventh.

It was not a good session for the two championship leaders, Robin Frijns (NL/Josef Kaufmann Racing) and Jack Harvey (GB/Fortec Motorsports), who have nine poles this year between them, as they were fifth and sixth respectively. However, things just got worse for Frijns, who complained of being stuck in traffic while the track was at its driest, as he was demoted three places on the grid for setting his quickest lap under yellow flags.

This weekend there is a new face in the paddock as Luciano Bacheta is a guest driver. The 20-year-old British driver, who comes from Brentwood, Essex, is driving the DAMS car number 16.

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Posted by Mark Boudreau at 12:35 Tagged with:
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