2008 Estoril Superleague Formula round

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2008 Estoril Superleague Formula round
Superleague Formula round Portugal
Estoril track map.svg
Circuit Map
DateOctober 19, 2008
Location Flag of Portugal (official).svg Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril, Portugal
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.599 mi (4.183 km)
Laps31 & 30
Pole position
Team Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Franck Perera
Time 1:26.368
Podium (1st race)
First Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Adrián Vallés
Second Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Robert Doornbos
Third Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Franck Perera
Fastest lap (1st race)
Team Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Andy Soucek
Time 1:26.711 (on lap 14)
Podium (2nd race)
First Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Paul Meijer
Second Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Robert Doornbos
Third Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Alessandro Pier Guidi
Fastest lap (2nd race)
Team Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Enrico Toccacelo
Time 1:28.491 (on lap 15)

The 2008 Estoril Superleague Formula round was the fourth round of the inaugural Superleague Formula championship, with the races taking place on October 19, 2008. Eighteen football teams were represented on the grid, the same number of teams as there was at the previous two rounds. There were four driver changes for this round of the championship: Franck Perera joined A.S. Roma replacing Enrico Toccacelo, [1] with Toccacelo moving to the Borussia Dortmund car, replacing Paul Meijer as original driver Nelson Philippe was on GP2 Asia Series duty in Shanghai. [1] Meijer also stayed in the series, moving to the Al Ain car, as both of their previous drivers Andreas Zuber (also in Shanghai) and Bertrand Baguette (in Barcelona for the final World Series by Renault round of the season) were unavailable. [1] Just like Baguette, Duncan Tappy was unavailable to drive the Tottenham Hotspur car, and was replaced by Dominik Jackson. [1] The meeting saw a second win for Liverpool F.C. and a first win for Al Ain. Beijing Guoan extended their championship lead to 35 points, thanks to a pair of fifths for Davide Rigon.

Contents

Report

Qualifying

After the random draw which split the eighteen-car field into two groups, the fastest four qualifiers from each progressed into the knockout stages to decide places 1 to 8 on the grid. For the first time in Superleague Formula, the eight knockout qualifiers were the eight fastest drivers out of the two groups. As fastest drivers in their groups, Franck Perera (A.S. Roma) and Kasper Andersen (Olympiacos CFP) were expected to meet in the final, however Robert Doornbos' A.C. Milan machine knocked out the Dane in the semis. In the final itself, Perera recorded the fastest lap to become the fourth different polesitter in four races.

Race 1

From the start, Perera led away from Doornbos, Adrián Vallés (Liverpool F.C.) and Tristan Gommendy (F.C. Porto), with Andersen being delayed from third on the grid. Lower down the field, tenth-placed Max Wissel (FC Basel 1893) collided with seventh-placed Enrico Toccacelo (Borussia Dortmund) collided at Curva 1, with Wissel retiring on the spot and Toccacelo retiring at the end of the lap, with front wing damage from the accident. It stayed that way until the mandatory stops, with Davide Rigon (Beijing Guoan) joining in on the fun also. Lap 10 saw Perera pitting with a four-second lead, closely followed by Vallés. A fumble by a rear tyre changer cost the French driver time and the place to Vallés. Doornbos came in to pit next time around with Rigon which put Gommendy into the lead, for home side Porto. He would lead for a couple of laps, before pitting which allowed Antônio Pizzonia (SC Corinthians) to lead for a lap. When all the stops cycled through, Liverpool led from Milan, Roma and Beijing with Pizzonia up to fifth. Pizzonia would pass Rigon for fourth towards the end of the race as the Italian was nursing an ailing car home with only fourth through sixth gears, and closed to a second behind Perera at the finish. Gommendy's strong run was ended by a water pump failure on lap 26, ruling that car out for the rest of the day. So, Vallés won his second Superleague race by 0.948 seconds from Doornbos, and then followed by Perera, Pizzonia, Rigon, Andy Soucek (Atlético Madrid), Alessandro Pier Guidi (Galatasaray S.K.), Borja García (Sevilla FC), Yelmer Buurman (PSV Eindhoven), Andersen, Tuka Rocha (CR Flamengo), Paul Meijer (Al Ain), Ryan Dalziel (Rangers F.C.), Craig Dolby (R.S.C. Anderlecht) and debutant Dominik Jackson rounding out the field for Tottenham Hotspur in 15th.

Race 2

Rigon started from the pit lane, following a gearbox change after race one. From the start, polesitter Wissel led from Toccacelo and Jackson with action towards the back with Soucek's engine blowing. Jackson moved up to second, passing Toccacelo around the back of the circuit and closed up on Wissel down the front straight, and at Curva 1, Jackson would take the lead for a couple of laps. On lap 4, Toccacelo came up to the back of the Englishman's car, having already disposed of Wissel and did the same to Jackson. Towards the back, Perera and Vallés would collide at turn six, with Perera spinning into the gravel and retirement and Vallés retreating to the pits for a new nosecone. Dalziel also had a moment, and spun into retirement as well, with unrepairable accident damage. Out front, Toccacelo was establishing a healthy lead before his pit-stop on lap 14. Andersen then led for three laps before his pitstop, handing the lead back to Toccacelo, with Meijer now in tow, thanks to an early pitstop on lap 10. Wissel and Andersen would both retire in the late stages with mechanical problems and with three laps to go, gremlins would strike Toccacelo. Fading oil pressure switched the engine's ECU into safety mode, and was helpless in stopping Meijer through to the lead. After recording his first pole at Zolder, Meijer recorded his first win by nearly two seconds from Doornbos (up from 17th) with Pier Guidi, Pizzonia and Rigon further deposing Toccacelo before the flag. García, Buurman, Dolby, Rocha, Jackson and Vallés completed the finishers. Healthy finishes for Rigon allowed Beijing to head to the penultimate round at Vallelunga with a 35-point lead from PSV, with Liverpool now in third just a point further back. With a maximum of 200 points available, the championship is still wide open.

Results

Qualifying

Group A

Pos.TeamDriverTime
1 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 1:25.881
2 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 1:27.071
3 Flag of Portugal (official).svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 1:27.105
4 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo 1:27.175
5 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 1:27.303
6 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 1:27.447
7 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 1:27.529
8 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 1:27.733
9 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Paul Meijer 1:28.396

Group B

Pos.TeamDriverTime
1 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Denmark.svg Kasper Andersen1:26.761
2 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 1:26.791
3 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 1:26.866
4 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 1:27.150
5 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 1:27.190
6 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 1:27.249
7 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 1:27.828
8 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 1:28.072
9 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dominik Jackson 1:29.213

Knockout stages

Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Pole Shoot Out
A1 A.S. Roma 1:26.469
B4 SC Corinthians 1:27.184 A1 A.S. Roma 1:25.670
A3 F.C. Porto 1:27.129 B2 Liverpool F.C. 1:25.726
B2 Liverpool F.C. 1:26.785A1 A.S. Roma 1:26.368
A2 Beijing Guoan 1:26.294 B3 A.C. Milan 1:26.715
B3 A.C. Milan 1:26.020B3 A.C. Milan 1:25.879
A4 Borussia Dortmund 1:27.653 B1 Olympiacos CFP 1:26.014
B1 Olympiacos CFP 1:26.373

Grid

Pos.TeamDriverTime
1 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 1:26.368
2 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 1:26.715
3 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Denmark.svg Kasper Andersen1:26.014
4 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 1:25.726
5 Flag of Portugal (official).svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 1:27.129
6 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 1:26.294
7 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo 1:27.653
8 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 1:27.184
9 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 1:27.303
10 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 1:27.190
11 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 1:27.447
12 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 1:27.249
13 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 1:27.529
14 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 1:27.828
15 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 1:27.733
16 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 1:28.072
17 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Paul Meijer 1:28.396
18 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dominik Jackson 1:29.213

Race 1

PosNoTeamDriverLapsTime/RetiredGridPts.
121 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 3146:44.582450
23 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 31+0.948245
322 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 31+2.067140
414 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 31+3.108836
512 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 31+8.918632
615 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 31+9.2431129
74 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 31+20.4721526
818 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 31+37.7451223
95 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 31+38.9321320
109 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Denmark.svg Kasper Andersen31+41.163318
117 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 31+1:14.3761616
126 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Paul Meijer 31+1:14.9141714
1317 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 31+1:29.6901412
148 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 30+1 Lap910
1519 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dominik Jackson 30+1 Lap188
1616 Flag of Portugal (official).svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 25Water Pump57
1711 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo 1Acc. Damage76
1810 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 0Accident105
Fastest lap: Andy Soucek (Atlético Madrid) 1:26.711 (107.886 mph)

Race 2

PosNoTeamDriverLapsTime/RetiredGridPts.
16 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Paul Meijer 3045:59.268750
23 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 30+1.8591745
34 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 30+5.4471240
414 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 30+5.7491536
512 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 30+15.5661432
611 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo 30+17.757229
718 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 30+21.3631126
85 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 30+22.1381023
98 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 30+22.891520
107 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 30+40.439818
1119 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dominik Jackson 30+1:02.199416
1221 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 29+1 Lap1814
139 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Denmark.svg Kasper Andersen23Stuck in gear912
1410 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 20No Drive110
1517 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 5Acc. Damage68
1622 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 4Accident167
1715 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 0Engine136
DNS16 Flag of Portugal (official).svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy Water Pump30
Fastest lap: Enrico Toccacelo (Borussia Dortmund) 1:28.491 (105.715 mph)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mid-season substitutions and transfers". Automobil Sport. 2008-10-17. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-05.