2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round

Last updated
2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round
Superleague Formula round Italy
Autodromo Vallelunga.svg
Circuit Map
DateNovember 2, 2008
Location Flag of Italy.svg ACI Vallelunga Circuit, Vallelunga, Italy
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.538 mi (4.085 km)
Laps32 & 30
Pole position
Team Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Adrián Vallés
Time 1:21.855
Podium (1st race)
First Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Davide Rigon
Second Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Robert Doornbos
Third Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Alessandro Pier Guidi
Fastest lap (1st race)
Team Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Davide Rigon
Time 1:23.586 (on lap 13)
Podium (2nd race)
First Flag of Portugal.svg F.C. Porto Tristan Gommendy
Second Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Franck Perera
Third Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Yelmer Buurman
Fastest lap (2nd race)
Team Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Andy Soucek
Time 1:23.475 (on lap 14)

The 2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round was the fifth round of the inaugural Superleague Formula championship, with the races taking place on November 2, 2008. Eighteen football teams were represented on the grid, the same number of teams as there was at the previous three rounds. There were two driver changes before this round of the championship and one during the round: Duncan Tappy returned to the Tottenham Hotspur cockpit replacing Dominik Jackson, having missed the previous round in Portugal and Kasper Andersen was replaced by Stamatis Katsimis in the Olympiacos CFP car. [1] Having broken a bone in his right hand in practice, Paul Meijer was replaced by Dominick Muermans in the Al Ain car [2] becoming their fourth driver in five races. The meeting saw a third win for championship leaders Beijing Guoan and a first win for F.C. Porto. Beijing also extended their championship lead to an almost unassailable 59 points.

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. Andy Soucek (Atlético Madrid) missed out on the top eight, despite setting a time some 0.052 seconds faster than Group B 4th Adrián Vallés in the Liverpool F.C. car. As fastest drivers in their groups, Antônio Pizzonia (SC Corinthians) and Davide Rigon (Beijing Guoan) were expected to meet in the final, but neither made the final. Instead, Vallés and Robert Doornbos (A.C. Milan) battled it out, with Vallés coming out on top by 0.260 seconds the fifth different polesitter in five races.

Race 1

Before the race even began, there was dramas - Borja García (Sevilla FC) started from pit lane and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Galatasaray S.K.) having gearbox troubles on the grid. At the start, Vallés led away from Doornbos and Rigon, with Pier Guidi passing Tuka Rocha (CR Flamengo) for fourth on the opening lap. Lap three saw the end of Enrico Toccacelo's Borussia Dortmund car with suspension failure while running towards the back. The top ten somehow stayed in order, until the pit window. Rigon pitted first followed by Rocha, Franck Perera (A.S. Roma) and Yelmer Buurman (PSV Eindhoven. Doornbos and Vallés pitted on lap 11, allowing Pier Guidi to lead for two laps before his pit stop. Pizzonia took the lead for a lap until he pitted, and after the cycle through, Rigon led from Doornbos, Pier Guidi, Vallés and Rocha. Lap 16 saw Garcia's race end with a stuck throttle. There was a somewhat crazy finish to the race, with Soucek and Perera both retiring within the last five minutes of the race with engine problems and a puncture respectively. Vallés suffered fuel pressure problems towards the end, falling five places in as many minutes as Rigon went on to claim his third victory of the season, opening up a 67-point lead over PSV. Following him home were Doornbos, Pier Guidi, Rocha, Ryan Dalziel (Rangers F.C., Pizzonia, Craig Dolby (R.S.C. Anderlecht), Tristan Gommendy (F.C. Porto), Vallés, Buurman, Duncan Tappy (Tottenham Hotspur), Max Wissel (FC Basel 1893), Stamatis Katsimis (Olympiacos CFP) and Dominick Muermans (Al Ain) both rookies finishing a lap down.

Race 2

Race two began with a bang a first corner incident taking out Pizzonia, Doornbos and Rocha at Curva Cimini, causing a long safety car period. Wissel retired the Basel car during this with engine trouble. All was cleared up for the restart on lap six with Toccacelo still leading from Soucek (up from third) and García. A brave move from Soucek at Campagnano moved the Spaniard into the lead with Perera passing García for third. Lap nine saw another accident, this time between Toccacelo and Perera again at Cimini. Toccacelo defended the inside line before moving sharply to the outside where Perera already was. Soucek pitted from the lead on lap eleven, but gremlins struck causing him to pit again, before retiring with gearbox trouble on lap 21. Katsimis led for a lap before he pitted, letting Tappy lead until his pitstop on lap 15. Perera took the lead, having pitted on lap eleven. A mistake from Buurman on lap 17 allowed Gommendy into second and after Perera. García retired again, with brake failure continuing Sevilla's spiral down the championship standings. The number of runners fell into single-figures on lap 27 with another three-car accident with Katsimis, Tappy and Pier Guidi crashing at Cimini. The race wasn't decided until the final lap when Perera made a slight mistake at Curva Soratte, allowing Gommendy through to win by 1.482 seconds from Perera, with Buurman, Vallés, Rigon, Dolby, Dalziel and Muermans completing the finishers. In the championship standings, Beijing had their lead cut to 59 points, which meant that a maximum of 42 points required for championship glory.

Results

Qualifying

Group A

Pos.TeamDriverTime
1 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 1:21.847
2 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 1:22.551
3 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 1:22.684
4 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 1:22.715
5 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 1:22.833
6 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 1:23.229
7 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Duncan Tappy 1:24.345
8 Flag of Portugal.svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 1:24.516
9 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Paul Meijer no time

Group B

Pos.TeamDriverTime
1 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 1:22.322
2 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 1:22.471
3 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 1:22.874
4 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 1:22.885
5 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 1:23.498
6 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 1:23.664
7 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 1:23.758
8 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Greece.svg Stamatis Katsimis 1:24.661
9 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo no time

Knockout stages

Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Pole Shoot Out
A1 SC Corinthians 1:22.627
B4 Liverpool F.C. 1:22.411B4 Liverpool F.C. 1:22.524
A3 Galatasaray S.K. 1:22.771 B2 CR Flamengo 1:30.310
B2 CR Flamengo 1:22.261B4 Liverpool F.C. 1:21.855
A2 A.C. Milan 1:22.122A2 A.C. Milan 1:22.115
B3 R.S.C. Anderlecht 1:22.645 A2 A.C. Milan 1:21.680
A4 A.S. Roma 1:21.998 B1 Beijing Guoan 1:22.373
B1 Beijing Guoan 1:21.836

Grid

Pos.TeamDriverTime
1 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 1:21.855
2 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 1:22.115
3 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 1:22.373
4 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 1:30.310
5 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 1:22.771
6 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 1:22.645
7 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 1:21.998
8 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 1:22.627
9 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 1:22.833
10 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 1:23.498
11 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 1:23.229
12 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 1:23.664
13 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Duncan Tappy 1:24.345
14 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 1:23.758
15 Flag of Portugal.svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 1:24.516
16 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Greece.svg Stamatis Katsimis 1:24.661
17 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo no time
18 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Paul Meijer no time

Race 1

PosNoTeamDriverLapsTime/RetiredGridPts.
112 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 3245:40.448350
23 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 32+1.679245
34 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 32+11.750540
47 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 32+32.539436
517 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 32+33.2051032
614 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 32+34.288829
78 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 32+35.238626
816 Flag of Portugal.svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 32+35.7121523
921 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 32+38.594120
105 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 32+43.2161118
1119 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Duncan Tappy 32+59.9871316
1210 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 32+1:02.5491214
139 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Greece.svg Stamatis Katsimis 31+1 Lap1612
146 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dominick Muermans 31+1 Lap1810
1522 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 29Puncture78
1615 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 27Engine97
1718 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 15Throttle146
1811 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo 2Suspension175
Fastest lap: Davide Rigon (Beijing Guoan) 1:23.586 (109.323 mph)

Race 2

PosNoTeamDriverLapsTime/RetiredGridPts.
116 Flag of Portugal.svg F.C. Porto Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 3046:15.5081150
222 Flag of Italy.svg A.S. Roma Flag of France.svg Franck Perera 30+1.482445
35 Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven Flag of the Netherlands.svg Yelmer Buurman 30+4.562940
421 Flag of England.svg Liverpool F.C. Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Vallés 30+13.3211036
512 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing Guoan Flag of Italy.svg Davide Rigon 30+14.1261832
68 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg R.S.C. Anderlecht Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Craig Dolby 30+25.2841229
717 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers F.C. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ryan Dalziel 30+30.1851426
86 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Al Ain Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dominick Muermans 30+1:04.015523
99 Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos CFP Flag of Greece.svg Stamatis Katsimis 26Accident620
1019 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Duncan Tappy 26Accident818
114 Flag of Turkey.svg Galatasaray S.K. Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Pier Guidi 26Accident1616
1215 Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Andy Soucek 21Gearbox314
1318 Flag of Spain.svg Sevilla FC Flag of Spain.svg Borja García 18Brakes212
1411 Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund Flag of Italy.svg Enrico Toccacelo 8Accident110
1510 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg FC Basel 1893 Flag of Germany.svg Max Wissel 3Engine78
1614 Flag of Brazil.svg SC Corinthians Flag of Brazil.svg Antônio Pizzonia 0Accident137
173 Flag of Italy.svg A.C. Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 0Accident176
187 Flag of Brazil.svg CR Flamengo Flag of Brazil.svg Tuka Rocha 0Accident155
Fastest lap: Andy Soucek (Atlético Madrid) 1:23.475 (109.469 mph)

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References

  1. "Stamatis Katsimis takes over as first driver of the Olympiacos Racing Team". Automobil Sport. 2008-10-30. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. "Meijer breaks wrist". Autosport . 194 (6): 11. 6 November 2008.