| 10/02/2010
SUPER NOVA SHOWS PACE |
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SATURDAY, 6TH FEBRUARY, 2010
The Super Nova team will leave Abu Dhabi empty handed this evening after another unlucky race. With no pit stops in the sprint race drivers had to rely on their overtaking skills, rather than strategy as well, to gain places in the race. A few spots of rain early in the race threatened to make it more difficult but an anticipated storm never came.
Josef had a very good start and was already up to 7th position before a collision on the opening lap abruptly ended his race and with it the chance to pick up valuable points.
Starting from 17th on the grid Marcus, once again, had a very difficult task to get into a points position. He made a very good start but then lost places after having to avoid an incident during the opening lap melee. He then showed good pace throughout the race and produced some great overtaking manoeuvres to finish in 12th place, even though he was still struggling with a throttle problem.
The team is looking forward to a more rewarding event in the next GP2 Asia round in Bahrain, on the 25th – 27th February, 2010.
Marcus Ericsson - Car 14
Race Classification: P12
“Starting from near the back again we have had another tough day. After making a good start I was unlucky on the first lap, having to avoid an incident in front of me which lost me four or five places. The car still had a problem with the throttle so I was pleased with the pace we had and to be able to gain positions.”
“The team have down a great job in repairing my car from yesterday and I feel that I am building a very good relationship with my engineer. Overall we have had two very good race performances and had we started higher then I think we would have come away with good results. This is my last GP2 Asia race, so now I am looking forward to the main series and I am very confidant that the team and I can have a great season.”
Josef Kral - Car 15
Race Classification: DNF
“I had a good start again but chose the wrong side of the track to go for the first corner, allowing Valsecchi to get past me again. I was pushing hard behind the two Isport cars when they broke earlier than I expected and this allowed Filippi to close in. I saw him coming to overtake in my mirrors at the next corner and we touched. Perez then got a good run on me as a result and moved to go around the outside of me. At the same time Filippi came up the inside and I had nowhere to go, we had hard contact and I retired. It is a shame because the car felt better than yesterday so we could have had a really good result today. I feel confidant for next time as we did a good job but unfortunately had no good results.”
David Sears – Team Principal
“Perhaps another race to forget in terms of results. Josef had a good start and opening lap until he was involved in an accident which eliminated him on the spot. Marcus had a continued throttle problem but drove very well under the circumstances to finish in 12th position. Both drivers have showed exceptional promise and we are unlucky not to come away with any points this weekend.”
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| 06/02/2010
UNFORTUNATE RACE FOR SUPER NOVA |
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FRIDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY, 2010
After an action packed race this evening Super Nova has been left frustrated after a strong performance by both drivers ended with no points for the team.
Marcus Ericsson drove a storming race from 21st on the grid up to eighth position with a few laps to go, when he was hit by Michael Herck in a failed overtaking manouvre. Marcus was struggling with oversteer, due to rear tyre wear, after an early stop. A safety car was deployed with less than ten laps remaining and the field bunched up leaving Herck, with fresher tyres, on the tail of the Super Nova car. Unfortunately this led to disaster with Marcus retiring after Herck didn’t allow him enough room and the pair collided. The pace that Marcus showed throughout the race was very promising though.
Josef Kral also had a solid race, finishing in 10th position and was unlucky not to be in the points. When the safety car was due to come in the field closed up in preperation for the restart but the car in front of Josef slowed with a problem, leaving him no where to go and allowing 3 drivers to get past. Josef then resisted intense pressure from Sergio Perez for the final laps, until the very last lap when the Mexican managed to find a way past.
The team is targeting a points finish from Josef in the race tomorrow, with Marcus left to fight his way through the field once again.
Josef Kral - Car 15
Race Classification: P10
“I made a really good start and got into the top ten after the first lap. The car was then difficult to drive and felt strange on the first set of tyres. After the pit stop the car was much better and I started to push hard to catch up the group in front of me. The safety car then came out and on the restart the car in front of me stalled, so I lost time and positions after nearly stalling myself. I then tried to recover and managed to overtake Pic and kept Perez behind me. Unfortunately on the final lap Perez took me by surprise and overtook me into the hairpin.”
Marcus Ericsson - Car 14
Race Classification: P17 (Retired)
“First of all I want to thank the team for working hard to solve the problems that we had yesterday and give me a great car today. I had a good start and was aggressive in the first few laps and overtook some of the cars in front. Unfortunately, even though the team made an excellent pit stop, we lost a few seconds in the pit lane due to traffic. The car felt really good and I pushed hard up to P8. After the safety car the rear tyres were very worn and I was fighting hard to keep my position when I went over the kerb and had contact with Herck after not being given very much room. I feel very positive though after a good day apart from the result.
David Sears – Team Principal
“Both of our drivers drove really well today in Abu Dhabi. Marcus pitted very early when the pit window opened and managed to go from 21st on the grid up to 8th position in the race before his tyres started to go off and unfortunately he tangled with Michael Herck and retired. Otherwise he would have been on pole position for tomorrows race.”
“Josef managed to go from P15 to P9 on the first lap but struggled on his first set of tyres. He then drove really well after his pit stop to take a strong 10th position finish.”
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| 05/02/2010
POOR PERFORMANCE IN ABU DHABI QUALIFYING |
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THURSDAY, 4TH FEBRUARY, 2010
The qualifying session this evening proved to be much more competitive than round one, with the majority of teams drafting in their main series drivers for the event. However it was a rookie, Charles Pic, who claimed pole position.
Super Nova had high hopes for qualifying after their previous performance in Abu Dhabi with Josef Kral and the addition of Marcus Ericsson. Unfortunately these expectations weren’t fulfilled as both drivers struggled for pace and qualified towards the back of the grid. A strategic decision by the team to be the first cars on track, in order to avoid traffic, backfired as the track improved significantly towards the end of Qualifying allowing drivers with fresher tyres to vault up the timesheets. Marcus Ericsson was also struggling to cope with an possible engine problem that caused his car to stutter on the throttle in the low speed corners.
The team is left frustrated and dissappointed by this performance and will be working extremely hard to overcome these problems in order to salvage something from the weekend.
Josef Kral - Car 15
Qualifying Classification: P15
“My time on the first set of tyres could have been a little bit better as I had traffic in the middle sector of my best lap. I think that perhaps we went out too early on the second set of tyres but I pushed as hard as I could, with my best lap good enough for P8 at the time, before other drivers went quicker at the end of the session.”
“Maybe we will have an advantage by saving tyres for tomorrow and I hope that this will allow me to overtake the cars in front and achieve a good result tomorrow.”
Marcus Ericsson - Car 14
Qualifying Classification: P21
“The car felt pretty good in practice although we were first out and the tyres were overheating towards the end, so I felt confident for qualifying. For my first qualifying run I had a lot of traffic and therefore couldn’t put a lap together. On the second run I felt lots of hesitation in the engine so I struggled to be fast and consistant, especially in low speed corners.”
“We just need to work hard to resolve this problem and do a better job in the race tomorrow.”
David Sears – Team Principal
“I’m sorry to say but we had a terrible qualifying performance today. The track was very dirty and we were the first team to send the drivers out on their second set of tyres and unfortunately the track became cleaner and quicker for the final few laps of the session, allowing the last cars on track to significantly improve their times.”
“Unfortunately we have ended up near the back of the grid, with an engine problem for Marcus not helping matters. This leaves us with a lot of work to do in the race tomorrow.”
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| 04/02/2010
STEADY PROGRESS IN SANDY CONDITIONS |
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THURSDAY, 4TH FEBRUARY, 2010
Josef Kral - Car 15
Practice Classification: P12
Marcus Ericsson - Car 14
Practice Classification: P17
Super Nova Racing has completed a trouble free practice session in preparation for this evening’s qualifying session. The weather has been windy for most of the day, resulting in dust being blown onto the track from the surrounding desert areas. This meant that the drivers encountered a very slippery track as they left the pits for the flood-lit evening practice session.
Josef and Marcus worked through their practice programme in order to reach a qualifying set up that will give them a chance of a good starting position for tomorrow’s race. The session was disrupted half way through by the Scuderia Coloni car of Valerio spearing into the barriers, requiring a lengthy stop to the session while the tyre wall was restored. The session was then restarted and the time reset to 15 minutes.
Both drivers steadily improved their times throughout the session with Josef’s final lap looking good enough to put him in the top six before traffic lost him time in the final sector. Marcus struggled with oversteer during the second half of the session, making the car difficult to drive and therefore he couldn’t achieve consistent lap times. Both Josef and Marcus are confident that they can improve their performance in qualifying to propel the team towards the front of the grid.
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| 22/01/2010
ERICSSON WORKSHOP VISIT |
| Following Super Nova’s announcement at the Autosport show last week, Marcus Ericsson, one half of the teams’ all-rookie driver line-up for the 2010 GP2 Main Series, has been visiting the Norfolk based workshop this week from his home town Kumla in Sweden.
The nineteen year old driver came over to do a seat fitting and get to know the team ahead of his Super Nova debut in February. Having signed for the main series, Ericsson will also race in Abu Dhabi as a one off appearance with the team in the Asia championship.
From the SN headquarters today, the down to earth driver said “I am really looking to forward taking the step up from F3 to GP2 with Super Nova Racing and cannot wait to get going! It’s been great visiting the workshop and the team. Part of the battle in racing is “gelling” with the team, but Kenny Brack, part of my management, was very successful with Super Nova in F3000 in 1996, so it feels like a family already despite not having started yet...”
Next round: GP2 Asia
Abu Dhabi 4th – 6th February
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| 15/01/2010
GP2 MAIN SERIES DRIVERS JOSEF KRAL AND MARCUS ERICSSON ANNOUNCED AT AUTOSPORT SHOW |
| Thursday 14th January 2010
The opening day of the annual Autosport racing car show was the perfect opportunity for Super Nova Racing Ltd to announce their new GP2 Main Series drivers; Josef Král and Marcus Ericsson
Amongst a host of motorsport enthusiasts Team Principal, David Sears, took to the main stage at the NEC Arena in Birmingham this afternoon to chat about the teams’ driver choice and interview the two young drivers.
Having finished third in the International Formula Masters championship last year with JD Motorsport Team, nineteen year old Czech driver Josef Král has continued to show great potential with Super Nova in the current GP2 Asia Series. The team are very happy to extend this association with Josef into the main series and believe the pairing with Marcus Ericsson will make for an interesting & competitive season.
No stranger to competing side by side Ericsson endured a season long battle with Král in the 2007 Formula BMW UK championship. The then sixteen year old driver from Sweden clinched the title by 40 points. More recently, last year, Marcus won the Japanese Formula Three championship and took the pole and finished 4th at the Macau Grand Prix, both with team TOM’s. Marcus did the first Asia race with ART but will do the next round with Super Nova.
Team Principal David Sears
“Super Nova Racing has changed their policy. Last year we ran two veteran GP2 drivers, but this season we have two very promising rookie drivers. We saw ART Grand Prix doing this, and thought if they can we can too! GP2 is an established breeding ground for future F1 drivers, and it is great to be able to give these young drivers the opportunity at this high level of racing.
Marcus Ericsson in fact came and introduced himself as few years ago, and I was very impressed with his attitude even then. I have tracked both their driving careers with interest, and think with the Super Nova team, we have a promising season ahead of us. ”
Marcus Ericsson
“I am really looking forward taking the step up from F3 to GP2 with Super Nova Racing and cannot wait to get going! I want to thank everyone in the team, in my management and sponsors who make this opportunity possible.
Part of the battle in racing is “gelling” with the team but Kenny Brack, part of my management, was very successful with Super Nova in F3000 in 1996 so it feels like family already, despite not having started yet.
I expect it to be a very tough season. GP2 have very limited track time and the cars are blindingly fast so it’s a lot to learn in very little time. But I did quite a few miles in GP2 and with the Brawn F1 team in the autumn of 2009 so I know what’s required and I feel more than ready for the challenge.
Josef, my team mate and I have had great battles in the past so I expect this to continue but hopefully we can also help the team to develop the car to keep us competitive overall”
Josef Král
“We had a really good first round in GP2 Asia, although the cars are quite different to the Main Series, together with the Main Series test in Paul Ricard, its all good preparation. In France, we were sixth with only one day on track that was pretty good. My expectations are high, I obviously want to score very good points throughout the season, you need to because its so competitive, but other than that I don’t know what to expect! I just want to do as well as I can.
Racing again with Marcus will be good fun, like before, but I think it is a good opportunity for us both. We will push each other, and just see what happens.
I’m hoping GP2 will open a lot of new important contacts for me, obviously F1 depends on the results I get, but I’m a very much looking forward to the season ahead. ”
GP2 Main Series calendar 2010
23rd, 24th, 25th March Paul Ricard test
7th, 8th, 9th April Barcelona test
09/5 Barcelona, Spain
16/5 Monaco, Monaco
30/5 Istanbul, Turkey
20/06 Portimao, Portugal
27/6 Valencia, Spain
11/7 Silverstone, Great Britain
25/7 Hockenheim, Germany
01/8 Budapest, Hungary
29/8 Spa, Belgium
12/9 Monza, Italy
14/11 Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
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| 14/12/2009
SUPER NOVA SIGNS UP TO AUTO GP 2010 CHAMPIONSHIP |
| Monday, 14th December, 2009
Super Nova Racing is delighted to announce its participation in the inaugural AUTO GP championship in 2010. The team, with one of the best records in international motorsport and currently competing in GP2 and GP2 Asia, has a highly successful history in F3000 and A1GP with the Lola / Zytek package that will be used in AUTO GP.
The results speak for itself, including championship wins in 1995 (Vincenzo Sospiri), 1997 (Ricardo Zonta), 1998 (Juan Pablo Montoya), 2002 (Sebastien Bourdais) and 2006/7 in A1GP with current Williams Formula 1 driver, Nico Hulkenberg. The team also has a number of second place finishes in F3000, with Ricardo Rosset, Kenny Brack and Nicolas Minassian and Mark Webber.
The opportunity to fight for the largest prize money package in European racing, as well as the ability to give young drivers the chance to race on some of the most exciting circuits in Europe and test their skills in a highly competitive environment with powerful machinery, creates an exciting new challenge for the Super Nova Racing team.
Team Principal David Sears
“We are really looking forward to a new challenge with Auto GP. We think that having won four F3000 championships with Lola products and a fifth championship with A1GP, we understand these cars and can provide a platform for drivers to learn with high powered machinery before graduating to GP2. Auto GP represents incredible value and includes an astounding prize fund of €1.2 million.”
2010 Auto GP Season
11th Apr Imola
23rd May Portimão
27th Jun Spa
11th July Magny Cours
19th Sep Brands Hatch
3rd Oct Monza
www.autogp.org
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| 12/11/2009
JAMES JAKES FINISHES ON TOP AT PAUL RICARD |
| Thursday 12th November 2009
The teams’ British racer James Jakes topped the times again for the second day running in Paul Ricard, concluding this years GP2 winter testing schedule in Le Castellet.
James reconfirmed his strong performance posting a 1:12.516 lap this morning, 0.05 seconds ahead of Oliver Turvey (iSport) who was unable to nudge the 22 year old off the top spot this afternoon.
Josef Král continued to show great potential in the GP2 car today, having got off to a flying start with the team in the GP2 Asia series two weeks ago, the Czech finished today’s session an impressive sixth place.
A great way for the team to round off an exciting year of racing, who look forward to resuming racing in Abu Dhabi in February 2010.
Team Principal David Sears
“James Jakes drove extremely well over the whole three day test being the fastest driver on days two and three. On the first day Michael Herek was fastest although his car was found to be underweight, and for the following two days could not touch his previous time, so perhaps James Jakes was really the fastest driver over the 3 days.
Josef Král continued his fast learning curve in GP2 by ending up sixth today and only half a second off the quickest. Obviously the Main series car has much more down force than the Asia Series car, therefore this takes a little more time to adjust, but the team feel Josef has done an extremely good job this week.
This is the last of testing and racing until February next year, when the GP2 Asia series resumes in Abu Dhabi.”
Josef Král
“It has finished off pretty good because to begin with I was struggling with the seat, I didn’t feel comfortable and so we lost half the day and then go out and learn track. But in the new seat, it felt like a different car and I started to improve the set up of my driving style. I think in the end we finished sixth today, which is really good, we’ve moved on a lot from where we started, so thanks to Patrick and all the guys. They’ve done a great job.
It’s been a very good experience overall, I’ve learnt a lot. In some ways the experience in this car is even more important than the Asia car, I now feel well prepared for winter!”
James Jakes
“We’ve had two really good days, shame we weren’t up there on the first day, but I think we managed to prove ourselves on the following days.
We arrived on Tuesday and the car worked well. We tried a few different options this week, but we came back to where we started each time. The car felt good, and ready for next year which is great!”
DAY ONE MORNING: James Jakes 7th, Jake Rosenzweig 19th
DAY ONE AFTERNOON: James Jakes 8th, Jake Rosenzweig 13th
DAY TWO MORNING: James Jakes 1st, Josef Kral 22nd
DAY TWO AFTERNOON: James Jakes 2nd, Josef Kral 19th
DAY THREE MORNING: James Jakes 1st, Josef Kral 11th
DAY THREE AFTERNOON: Josef Kral 6th, James Jakes 9th
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| 11/11/2009
JAMES JAKES QUICKEST AT PAUL RICARD |
| Wednesday 11th November 2009
British racer James Jakes and the team topped the time sheets at Paul Ricard today, on day two of testing the 3D configuration.
Setting the quickest lap time of the day (1:12.346) in this mornings’ session, the Brit continued to shine confirming his top form by signing the second best lap this afternoon, with just one second separating eighteen cars.
Also testing with the team today and tomorrow is Super Nova’s GP2 Asia rookie Josef Kral. Having mastered the Asia car in Abu Dhabi recently the young Czech is getting to grips with the Main Series car, providing valuable experience.
The three day test will end tomorrow at 4pm local time, concluding the GP2 on track action for this calendar year.
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| 09/10/2009
JEREZ WINTER TEST |
| The team completed a three day test at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain this week, testing James Jakes, Ricardo Teixeira and Davide Valsecchi; with a view to selecting drivers for the 2010 GP2 season.
Super Nova welcomed Jakes back into the car for the duration, preparing the young Brit for the forthcoming season with the team in GP2 Asia, which travels to Abu Dhabi in just two weeks time.
Portuguese Teixeira who competed in both GP2 Asia and Main Series last season, tested with Super Nova for the first two days.
Experienced GP2 driver Davide Valsecchi traded seats to test on the final day, having joined GP2 in 2008, finishing 4th in GP2 Asia and 15th in this years’ GP2 Main championship.
Test Results
DAY ONE MORNING: James Jakes 13th Ricardo Teixeira 21st
DAY ONE AFTERNOON: Ricardo Teixeira 11th James Jakes 21st
DAY TWO MORNING: James Jakes 10th Ricardo Teixeira 16th
DAY TWO AFTERNOON: James Jakes 5th Ricardo Teixeira 22nd
DAY THREE MORNING: Davide Valesecchi 11th James Jakes 12th
DAY THREE AFTERNOON: Davide Valesecchi 8th James Jakes 12th
Total laps: 265
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| 02/10/2009
JAMES JAKES RESIGNS WITH SUPER NOVA |
| In the same week GP2 announce their Asia Calendar, Super Nova is pleased to name James Jakes as one of their drivers for the forthcoming 2009-2010 GP2 Asia Championship, having resigned the Brit for the second year running.
22 year old James Jakes said “I’m really looking forward to getting back into the seat. I’ve had a bit of time off, and it will be nice to jump back in with Super Nova. We had some good races last season, and a few unlucky ones, so hopefully we can learn from any mistakes and have a successful season with the sole aim of winning the championship!”
Speaking today Team Manager Andy Roche was happy to confirm British racer James Jakes will be returning to drive for Super Nova. “We are very pleased to be joining forces with Jakes again this season. It is a great testament to the whole team, who continue to do a brilliant job!
“We are in talks with three other drivers at the moment for the remaining seat, and we will be able to confirm this position very soon.”
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| 02/10/2009
COUNTDOWN TO GP2 ASIA |
| The GP2 Asia calendar has been officially announced this week, confirming that Abu Dhabi and Bahrain will play host to the entire championship this winter.
In a bid to limit transportation costs GP2 organisers decided to trim the championship to eight rounds this season, as apposed to 10-12 in previous years.
Super Nova Racing will join twelve rival GP2 Asia teams to become the first racing cars to run at the new Yas Marina Circuit, at the Abu Dhabi pre-season test on 23rd and 24th October. Supporting Formula One a week later will kick start the third GP2 Asia season.
After a well deserved break, the teams will be reunited with the cars when they will return to the impressive circuit in Abu Dhabi to resume racing on 5th and 6th February 2010. The series will then fly out to Bahrain two weeks later where GP2 Asia will be the main event, before concluding the season supporting Formula One mid March.
2009/2010 GP2 Asia Series
Oct 31/ Nov 1 - Abu Dhabi - Yas Marina Circuit
Feb 5/6 - Abu Dhabi - Yas Marina Circuit
Feb 26/27 - Bahrain - Sakhir
Mar 13-14 - Bahrain - Sakhir
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| 20/09/2009
TEAM SPIRIT HIGH WITH A 1-2 FINISH IN PORTIMAO |
| Sunday, 20th September, 2009
Super Nova Racing
Team Championship position: 3rd /67pts
Super Nova are celebrating today, following a tremendous 1-2 result in Portugal and regaining the third place title in the teams’ championship in the process!
Rounding the season off on a real high, Luca stormed through, passing several cars, including championship winner Nico Hulkenburg and Kamui Kobayashi in a swift manoeuvre. The Italian drove a faultless race, taking a point for fastest lap, to win in style, with team mate Javier Villa joining him on the podium.
After this afternoons’ race in Portimao was suspended following an accident on the grid, the race finally got underway, under a safety car. As racing resumed, the first six cars overtook the safety car as it came in, resulting in drive through penalties for all of them. This cleared the way for Luca to take and maintain the lead, until the chequered flag.
The chase for third in the teams’ championship was decided in the final moments, as Javier Villa fought for second place from thirteenth on the grid. The team were finally rewarded this title when Sergio Perez (who was 2nd) was penalised 25 seconds for overtaking under safety car conditions, promoting Javier to second place and the team equalling points with Fat Burner Racing Engineering on 67points. With more points finishes than the Spanish team, Super Nova happily takes third in the Teams 2009 Championship!
Luca Filippi – Car 14 – P1
Championship Standing: 5th / 40pts
“I’m so happy! I really wanted to win a race this season, and after yesterday I knew it could be difficult. But I got a good first few laps and overtook four cars with some nice moves! We were fighting for this result, and it’s only fair! We have finished the season with a P1-P2 result and 16 points! Fantastic!”
Javier Villa – Car 15 – P2
Championship Standing: 10th / 27pts
“Well it wasn’t an easy race, starting from thirteenth but we got a good start and also got lucky with the safety car. We had some good moments this season, and some unlucky times when we’ve lost out, so it is very good to have a podium finish to end the season!”
David Sears – Team Principal
“What a fantastic result for the whole Super Nova team today! Luca Filippi’s efforts were rewarded with his first win of the season! Both he and Javier Villa drove superb races to bring home a 1-2 finish, and end the season on a real high note! It’s been a tough season, so it is great for the entire team to be rewarded third in the championship!”
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| 20/09/2009
PORTUGAL PODIUM PARTY FOR SUPER NOVA! |
| Super Nova is celebrating a tremendous result today in Portugal with a double podium finish to conclude the season on a real high. Luca stormed through to win the race in style joined on the podium by team mate Javier Villa who finished third.
An accident on the grid suspended play for 38 minutes, while scattered debris was cleared. When the race finally got underway the front six cars were all penalised for overtaking the deployed safety car before it returned to the pit lane. Drive through penalties cleared the path for Luca who drove a faultless race today, passing Nico Hulkenburg and Kamui Kobayashi in one swift manoeuvre.
The chase for third in the teams’ championship was on this afternoon as Javier Villa fought for second place from thirteenth on the grid, the team were finally just one point off Fat Burner Racing Engineering in the standings, after Dani Clos finished in 4th position behind Javi. Sergio Perez is however currently under investigation for overtaking under safety car conditions, which could result in one more point for fastest lap & third place in the teams championship!
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| 19/09/2009
FILIPPI ON FIRE IN PORTIMAO FINALE! |
| Saturday, 19th September, 2009
Super Nova Racing
Team Championship: 4th / 55pts
Super Nova celebrated a podium finish today in Portugal, following a tremendous show from Luca Filippi who was rewarded with second place in race one this afternoon. Proving to be quickest on the track today, he added an extra point to his total for fastest lap, taking home nine points.
The Italian gained a worthy four positions in the first lap before being the first into the pit lane. The team did a superb job and Luca then produced a series of stunning laps to jump seven cars after they had made their pit stops, resulting in second position on the track. Luca fought off Di Grassi’s Fat Burner Racing Engineering car as his tyres went off to take a fantastic podium finish. The points were rounded off by Petrov, Rodriguez, Herck, Kobayashi and Valsecchi.
Javier Villa unfortunately got caught up in the chaos at the first corner of today’s GP2 race. Starting from P14 the Spaniard’s rear wing got clipped as twenty four cars squeezed into the first turn of this new circuit, but managed to swing his car back to rejoin at the back behind a safety car. It was a difficult race for him, finally finishing sixteenth at the flag.
Luca Filippi – Car 14 – P2
Championship Standing: 7th / 33pts
“I am really pleased today. We got a really good start, overtook many cars and got up to P8 before we pitted. We also got fastest lap today, so one point there! Hulkenburg was a little in front of me, but I always stayed close to him, more or less doing the same pace. Then there was a safety car, and I glazed the brakes, so we struggled a little bit then. But anyway I am really pleased for the team, because we have collected points today!”
Javier Villa – Car 15 – P16
Championship Standing: 12th / 22pts
“The biggest problem today was at the very start of the race when I got hit, and in this moment it was very difficult. I felt there was something wrong in the rear, but it couldn’t be resolved in the race. So, we will try and check everything ready for tomorrow, so we can do our best and go quick.”
David Sears – Team Principal
“Luca Filippi certainly made up for qualifying yesterday, by storming from thirteenth to second place at the flag behind race winner Nico Hulkenburg. The team called Luca in as early as possible, to get him back out into fresh. By setting fastest lap after fastest lap Luca jumped most of his rivals as a result. Although the team knew his tyres were marginal he came through to finish on the podium.
Javier Villa pit stopped a lap later along with a lot of other people, so he did not get out into fresh air and struggled with traffic, finally finishing in sixteenth.
The whole Super Nova team are looking forward to another exciting race tomorrow. Luca is capable of even winning from seventh on the grid.”
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