Round twelve of this years’ OWRL F1 championship and one title has already been given away, but there was still the Team Championship left to decide. The 1stBFA Racing Team could seal the deal with three points at the Aston GT Reversed course. During Qualifying it became clear that it was just a formality to achieve the necessary position. However another driver, who didn’t have anything to do with the championship was leading the time table in the final seconds of qualifying.
Innovate Racing driver Jürgen Gießler was at the top when everyone made their final attempt to take pole-position. SK driver Carsten Hörenbaum was the first who improved his personal best by more than a second to reach pole, but the new champion Adam Wisniewski drove almost half a second faster than Hörenbaum and took over, just before Pete Hopkins of Sonicrealms Racing was coming out of the last turn to set another fastest lap and with just one tenth of a second faster than Wisniewski the run for the top grid position ended with Hopkins staying on pole. But his joy didn’t last long after the red lights went out when Wisniewski had a better start and went first into the chicane. At the back Matthias Lust got pushed off the track by Matt Maslen, but both continued.
Gießler went back to sixth after starting from fourth when Sascha Riegler and Matthias Felix overtook him. Riegler was on a fast pace and also got Hörenbaum in lap three. Stefan Piotrowski could advance from twelfth to eighth until he saw Franz-Josef Stumm spinning in front of him. Both collided, Stumm had to retire, Piotrowski lost three places. Gießler got it much worse when he lost his car on the curbs while chasing Hörenbaum and Felix for fourth and was stuck in the gravel. He could continue, but he rejoined as last. During the race he could made his way up to seventh thanks to his speed compared to the midfield-runners, also passing both drivers of the new team Tiger Express Motorsports, namely Lims Chebbi and Yann Laprevotte. Neither of them saw the finish thanks to retirements in the second half of the race and got company by Pasi Juvani who had another retirement.
The first of two pitstops arrived and Hopkins went first into the pits, followed by Wisniewski one lap later and therefore rejoined clearly in front of the former. But Wisniewski made a mistake a few laps later and had to pass the lead to Sascha Riegler, who was the last of the top-runners in the pits and now in the lead. Even Hopkins could overtake Wisniewski in a short battle. Hörenbaum and Felix were going into the pits at the same time and rejoined the track in the same order, but half a lap later Felix could overtake him and was now on fourth position, which means that both Sonicrealms cars were in front of both 1stBFA drivers, followed by Hörenbaum and Gießler. Matthias Lust of Factory Phantom Racing, team championship winner 2008, was on seventh followed by Maslen and Piotrowski who fought over the last point during second and third stint. Maslen was first at the pits but couldn’t find his rhythm that gave Piotrowski, despite his second pit stop seven laps later, the eighth position and possibly the last point of the race.
Wisniewski could improve his position after a late stop against Felix. Leader Riegler could stay out four laps longer than Hopkins but wasn’t able to open the gap, and a small mistake by Riegler gave Hopkins the opportunity to win this race by staying leader in the final eight laps. Wisniewski behind them wasn’t able to dispute a possible Sonicrealms double victory after a tyre blew up on his car and he had to pit another time. He rejoined behind Gießler, but the latter threw his car at the first chicane again off the track and handed fifth back to Wisniewski. Felix and Hörenbaum as third and fourth kept a safe distance to both leaders and that way the laps went on and on until the final lap, when a front tyre blew up at Hopkins’ car at the fastest turn on the track. He spun off track, hit the wall and rejoined in fourth just behind his opponent Hörenbaum in the battle for third place overall. Sascha Riegler could avoid his spinning teammate and won his second race out of five just one minute later.
Both 1stBFA cars finished in the points and can therefore be called official Team Champions 2009. Hörenbaum and Hopkins now fight for the third position in the championship, the latter trailing by one point before the final race at Kyoto on 7th November.
Q1 | Q2 | Race
Standings (Clear your cache if necessary)
Replay Race (members only)
Innovate Racing driver Jürgen Gießler was at the top when everyone made their final attempt to take pole-position. SK driver Carsten Hörenbaum was the first who improved his personal best by more than a second to reach pole, but the new champion Adam Wisniewski drove almost half a second faster than Hörenbaum and took over, just before Pete Hopkins of Sonicrealms Racing was coming out of the last turn to set another fastest lap and with just one tenth of a second faster than Wisniewski the run for the top grid position ended with Hopkins staying on pole. But his joy didn’t last long after the red lights went out when Wisniewski had a better start and went first into the chicane. At the back Matthias Lust got pushed off the track by Matt Maslen, but both continued.
Gießler went back to sixth after starting from fourth when Sascha Riegler and Matthias Felix overtook him. Riegler was on a fast pace and also got Hörenbaum in lap three. Stefan Piotrowski could advance from twelfth to eighth until he saw Franz-Josef Stumm spinning in front of him. Both collided, Stumm had to retire, Piotrowski lost three places. Gießler got it much worse when he lost his car on the curbs while chasing Hörenbaum and Felix for fourth and was stuck in the gravel. He could continue, but he rejoined as last. During the race he could made his way up to seventh thanks to his speed compared to the midfield-runners, also passing both drivers of the new team Tiger Express Motorsports, namely Lims Chebbi and Yann Laprevotte. Neither of them saw the finish thanks to retirements in the second half of the race and got company by Pasi Juvani who had another retirement.
The first of two pitstops arrived and Hopkins went first into the pits, followed by Wisniewski one lap later and therefore rejoined clearly in front of the former. But Wisniewski made a mistake a few laps later and had to pass the lead to Sascha Riegler, who was the last of the top-runners in the pits and now in the lead. Even Hopkins could overtake Wisniewski in a short battle. Hörenbaum and Felix were going into the pits at the same time and rejoined the track in the same order, but half a lap later Felix could overtake him and was now on fourth position, which means that both Sonicrealms cars were in front of both 1stBFA drivers, followed by Hörenbaum and Gießler. Matthias Lust of Factory Phantom Racing, team championship winner 2008, was on seventh followed by Maslen and Piotrowski who fought over the last point during second and third stint. Maslen was first at the pits but couldn’t find his rhythm that gave Piotrowski, despite his second pit stop seven laps later, the eighth position and possibly the last point of the race.
Wisniewski could improve his position after a late stop against Felix. Leader Riegler could stay out four laps longer than Hopkins but wasn’t able to open the gap, and a small mistake by Riegler gave Hopkins the opportunity to win this race by staying leader in the final eight laps. Wisniewski behind them wasn’t able to dispute a possible Sonicrealms double victory after a tyre blew up on his car and he had to pit another time. He rejoined behind Gießler, but the latter threw his car at the first chicane again off the track and handed fifth back to Wisniewski. Felix and Hörenbaum as third and fourth kept a safe distance to both leaders and that way the laps went on and on until the final lap, when a front tyre blew up at Hopkins’ car at the fastest turn on the track. He spun off track, hit the wall and rejoined in fourth just behind his opponent Hörenbaum in the battle for third place overall. Sascha Riegler could avoid his spinning teammate and won his second race out of five just one minute later.
Both 1stBFA cars finished in the points and can therefore be called official Team Champions 2009. Hörenbaum and Hopkins now fight for the third position in the championship, the latter trailing by one point before the final race at Kyoto on 7th November.
Q1 | Q2 | Race
Standings (Clear your cache if necessary)
Replay Race (members only)