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TOP ROOKIE ROSSI CLINCHES SEASON FINALE
 ISR's
Alexander Rossi clinched the 2009 IFM Rookies' Title today after winning
his third win of the season in the last 2009 round of the International
Formula Master Series at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola,
Italy.
The 17-year-old American moved to second place from a fourth-place grid
slot after an excellent start, before pressuring team-mate Erik Janis
for the majority of the race. Rossi eventually took the lead on lap 12,
pulling away to win the race unchallenged.
JD Motorsport's Josef Kral claimed his sixth podium of the season after
crossing the finish line in second place. Having started fifth on the
grid, the Czech driver was third by the end of lap one and passed Janis
with three laps to go for P2.
Team-mate Sergey Afanasiev used Kral's move to overtake Janis on the
same lap and secured third place, his ninth podium of the year, as well
as the runner-up title in the drivers' classification.
Having led the field of IFM racers for eleven laps, Janis eventually
finished in fourth place, despite challenging the front-runners until
the very last turn. Iris Project's Patrick Reiterer took the chequered
flag in fifth place, ahead of Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug who
claimed today's last point-scoring position in sixth.
The 2009 IFM Team title was also secured today thanks to duo Kral and
Afanasiev who secured team JD Motorsport the title for the second year
in a row, finishing second and third respectively this afternoon.
The 2010 International Formula Master season will begin next May,
alongside the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Italy and will
feature the newly-launched Formula Master Light class in addition to the
usual field of Formula Master single-seaters.
 Alexander
Rossi, ISR
"It's been fantastic to come out and race in Europe; this year had
quite a few ups and downs but it's definitely been an experience and
it's great to win a title in my first season. I was racing my team-mate
today and you have to be a bit more careful in those cases but I kept
pushing harder and harder and eventually the opportunity was there and I
took it. Once I was through, it wasn't long before Josef [Kral] moved to
second and I could see he was as fast if not faster than me so I kept
pushing until the chequered flag."
Josef Kral, JD Motorsport
"I started the weekend in the wrong way unfortunately as I was moved
back five places on the grid for race one after qualifying second. So
the whole weekend has been about climbing back and it's a shame I wasn't
able to fight with Sergey [Afanasiev] for the runner-up title.
"Today the car was really great but still there wasn't a lot I could do
for the classification. It was a great fight with Erik and I pushed a
lot to get passed him. Anyway I finally managed it but couldn't catch
Alexander [Rossi]. I think he did a really good job today!"
Sergey Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"I just wanted to stay calm and have a clean start today and that
was it. I lost quite a bit of time at the start and then was fighting to
catch up. Both my team-mates were in front and it's always tricky to
fight with them but I waited for a chance and it came up against
Vladimir [Arabadzhiev]. I passed a few more people and then I had to try
to overtake Josef [Kral] but ran out of time. I think the race went well
though; I'm happy with third position!"
International Formula Master -
Imola
Round 16
1. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
2. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
3. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
4. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
5. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
6. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
7. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
8. Nicolas Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
9. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
10. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
11. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
12. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
Not classified
Frankie Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE FOR 2009 IFM CHAMPION
 Jenzer
Motorsport's Fabio Leimer clinched a record-breaking seventh win in
today's round 15 of the International Formula Master Series (IFM),
running unchallenged from a pole position start.
The 2009
IFM champion secured his sixth pole of the year in this morning's
qualifying session before leading the race from start to finish and
breaking the record for the most victories in a Formula Master season.
JD
Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev raced to a second-place finish despite
starting the race in sixth place. The young Russian climbed to fourth
thanks to a strong start before passing team-mate Vladimir Arabadzhiev
for third on lap two.
A
retirement from second-placed man Pål Varhaug, driving for Jenzer
Motorsport, on lap four then promoted Afanasiev to second place, which
he kept until the chequered flag.
Arabadzhiev
followed in third after defending his position from team-mate Josef Kral
and Alexander Rossi for the majority of the race. The faultless
performance allowed the Bulgarian to claim his fifth podium of the
season.
Both Kral
and Rossi stayed in position throughout the fight, finishing in fourth
and fifth respectively. Having qualified second and sixth in this
morning's session, both drivers were handed a five-place grid drop for
not respecting the track limits at T13 having set their best sectors.
Iris
Project's Patrick Reiterer followed in sixth place, ahead of ISR's Erik
Janis, whilst fellow Iris Project driver Simon Trummer claimed the last
point-scoring position in eighth. The Swiss driver will start tomorrow's
season finale on pole position thanks to the Series' reverse grid
regulation.
Afanasiev
and Kral's respective performances in today's race ensured that the
team-mates are now the only drivers able to fight for this year's
runner-up spot in the drivers' standing whilst Rossi's top rookie finish
means the young American is now leading the rookies' classification with
just one round to go.
 Fabio
Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
"It was really important for me to get the seventh win; I really wanted
to break Chris van der Drift's record. That's why it was really
important to get a good qualifying and also a good start. I had a pretty
good start; I was able to hold Pål [Varhaug] behind me. Then it was like
every race, I was driving at the front, doing my own race and tried to
be consistent as much as possible. In the end I was pretty fast and set
the fastest time on the last lap.Now I can drive without pressure and it
meant that today's race was a lot of fun. But it was still very
important that I concentrate on the race and not make any mistakes.There
are places where you can overtake here but not a lot. Last year I
started eighth and finished third though so when you're pretty fast, it
is possible to overtake and we will try to win the race. In Spa, I
almost managed it but in the end the race was one or two laps too short
for me to win so I will try again tomorrow. It's not easy in the shorter
race as there is even less time to get to the front from eighth but
we'll see!"
Sergey
Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"The first few laps were the best part of the race for me and the fight
with Vladimir [Arabadzhiev] was also fantastic. I didn't have a good
qualifying so after that I had to do something as we are still fighting
for championship positions. Most of my competitors were in front of me
so I had to do my best during this race. Tomorrow is going to be a big
race for the teams' classification, between Jenzer and JD Motorsport. I
also know that Josef [Kral] is my main competitor for the runner-up spot
now but in my mind he has been the main rival all season so it's
something I have accepted and we'll see what happens. I'll definitely be
fighting though as I want to be on the podium again tomorrow."
Vladimir Arabadzhiev, JD Motorsport
"I had a pretty good start and was fighting with Varhaug but I think we
touched and that unsettled my car a bit. After that it was really hard
to stay on track and I didn't do well in the last corner. That meant
that Sergey [Afanasiev] was faster than me and overtook me at the end of
the straight. After that I had to just keep going and try to be fast,
especially in the last sector, to keep my position."
International Formula Master - Imola
Round
15
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
2. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
3. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
4. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
5. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
6. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
7. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
8. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
9. Nicolas Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
10. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
Not
classified
Frankie Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
Fabio
Leimer is the 2009 International Formula Master champion
KRAL HEADS OSCHERSLEBEN 1-2 FOR JD MOTORSPORT
 JD
Motorsport's Josef Kral led a 1-2 finish for his team with Vladimir
Arabadzhiev in Sunday's International Formula Master race at the
Motorsport Arena in Oschersleben, Germany.
Scoring his
second win of the season, Kral took the lead from third on the grid,
passing team-mate Arabadzhiev and Iris Project's Simon Trummer before
heading into Turn 1.
A difficult
start saw Arabadzhiev drop from pole position to second place, which he
maintained until the chequered flag despite constant efforts from a
third-placed Pål Varhaug.
Averaging a
gap of seven tenths to Arabadzhiev throughout the 21-lap round, Varhaug
fought hard to overtake the Bulgarian driver to no avail. JD
Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev climbed from seventh to a fourth place
finish, overtaking Iris Project's Simon Trummer on the penultimate lap
of the race.
Trummer
went on to complete round 14 in fifth place, ahead of ISR's Erik Janis
who secured the last point-scoring position in sixth.
Recently-crowned IFM champion Fabio Leimer had to pit on lap one after
an incident at the first corner broke his front wing. Having collected a
new nose cone, Leimer rejoined the race in last place with a 43-second
deficit.
The 2009
title winner went on to set fastest lap after fastest lap, pushing his
Jenzer Motorsport single-seater for the remaining 19 laps to bring the
gap down to 24 seconds.
IFM's 2009
season concludes in two weeks' time at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
in Imola with rounds 15 and 16. Both races will be broadcasted on the
pan-European channel Eurosport
Josef
Kral, JD Motorsport
"This is a really good result. We improved a lot throughout the season
and there was a lot of bad luck for me so far so I'm really happy for
the win. Today felt a lot like last year, where I won the weekend's
second race too so I had some experience! The start was really good; it
was probably the main part of the race. And after that it was all about
pushing!"
Vladimir Arabadzhiev, JD Motorsport
"We had some problems during the weekend; it was difficult to find the
right set-up during free practice and qualifying. I was able to be
consistent during the first race though and finished eighth. Today I was
much quicker as we changed the overall set-up but I didn't have a very
good start and so my team-mate overtook me! After that I drove without
taking risks to avoid any mistakes and keep second position."
Pål
Varhaug, Jenzer Motorsport
"I had a very good start to the race; I passed Simon [Trummer] and
nearly got Vladimir [Arabadzhiev]. It was very close racing for the
first lap but I kept third. Afterwards it was difficult to fight for
position; every time I got close I risked making a mistake. Overall, I'm
very happy with today's results. It's a good comeback after a
disappointing few races when we partnered Formula 1."
 International
Formula Master - Oschersleben
Round 14
1. Josef
Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
2. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
3. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
4. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
5. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
6. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
7. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
8. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
9. Frankie Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
10. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
11. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
Not classified
Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
Fabio Leimer wins the race and the Championship
 Jenzer
Motorsport's Fabio Leimer raced to victory unchallenged on Saturday to
become the new International Formula Master champion in the Series'
thirteenth round at the Motorsport Arena in Oschersleben, Germany.
The 20-year-old Swiss collected his fifth pole position of the season in
yesterday's qualifying session before storming to his sixth 2009 win,
the ninth of his two-year IFM career, to become the Series' new
champion.
Despite a safety car period brought on half way through the 28-lap race
to recover Patrick Reiterer's Iris Project car, which was stopped at
Turn 1, Leimer raced to the finish line unchallenged.
JD
Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev maintained his P2 start position
throughout round 13 but was unable to catch the leader and finished
ahead of ISR's Erik Janis.
A
blistering start allowed the ISR driver to make up three places, before
taking the chequered flag ahead of team-mate Alexander Rossi. The pair
fought closely during the race with Rossi unable to make the most of a
good restart against Janis, after the safety car period.
Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug kept his fifth place finish, despite
pressure from JD Motorsport's Josef Kral in the closing stages of the
race. The Czech driver finished just 0.479 seconds behind in sixth.
Having started ninth, Iris Project's Simon Trummer climbed to a
seventh-place finish, ahead of JD Motorsport's Vladimir Arabadzhiev.
Arabadzhiev will now start tomorrow's race, round 14, on pole position
thanks to the Series' reverse grid regulation.
Whilst Leimer is now champion, the runner-up position is still open with
Afanasiev, Kral, Varhaug and Rossi all within 11 points of each other.
The Rookies' standings are a close fought battle between Varhaug and
Rossi with only two points separating the two young contenders.
 Fabio
Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
2009 International Formula Master Winner
"It means a lot to me because it in the end this is the next step to
GP2. Having such a good result means a lot for next year. I'm pretty
happy; I didn't think we would do so well this year. I thought we would
be at the front because we finished runner-up last year but it was even
better. I won all the Saturday races apart from in Budapest so far this
season, and I was also on the podium in Spa for the second race... I'm
pretty happy!!
"This afternoon, I had a problem just before the formation lap so I was
pretty nervous about the start but it went ok. I hit a couple of curbs
at the beginning but in the end I was happy to keep Sergey [Afanasiev]
behind me to win the race!"
Sergey Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"It was a difficult challenge today, I knew Fabio [Leimer]
wanted to win the race. We all know this is a hard track to pass in
corners so it was all about the start. It was bad for both of us, but I
think mine was a little bit worst. We started and I just had to follow
Fabio. The key was to avoid the curbs as much as possible and not throw
away points by driving carelessly. Now it's all about maintaining my
position."
Erik Janis, ISR
"My start was pretty good; I worked well with the clutch to get
a good start so it was my advantage going into the first corner. Maybe
my start should have been better so that I could be second but from then
on I focused on keeping my position.
"I
was quite competitive at the beginning of the race and I tried to attach
Sergey [Afanasiev] but he was able to pull off. I then focused on not
making any mistakes as Alexander [Rossi] was close behind and I wanted
to keep third place! I'm happy to finish in that place and collect the
points... We'll see what happens tomorrow!"
International Formula
Master - Oschersleben
Round 13
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
2. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
3. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
4. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
5. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
6. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
7. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
8. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
9. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
10. Frankie Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
11. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
Not classified
Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9),
Rossi races to victory at Spa
 ISR's
Alexander Rossi stormed to his second win of the season in the twelfth
round of the International Formula Master (IFM) Series at the Spa-Francorchamps
circuit in Belgium.
Starting fourth, the young American was up to second as the field of IFM
single-seaters charged through the first corner, before the safety car
was deployed following an incident on the grid.
IFM Talent Support Program (TSP) driver Alexander Sims had been left
stranded on his P3 slot as the lights went out, with AR Motorsport's
Kelvin Snoeks unable to avoid him, resulting in three laps of safety car
period.
Rossi took the lead of the race a lap after the restart, racing to the
chequered flag unchallenged, despite a strong drive from Jenzer
Motorsport's Fabio Leimer who finished the 12-lap race less than a
second behind.
Having started eighth after winning yesterday's race, Leimer fought his
way through the field to second place, overtaking five drivers in as
many laps. Time ran out before he could catch the leader however,
although the Swiss secured an extra point by setting the fastest lap of
the race in 2:13.513.
ISR's Erik Janis claimed his share of overtaking in this morning's
unrelenting round, climbing from fifth to the last podium-finish
position in third, ahead Sergey Afanasiev. A loose front wing could have
scuppered the JD Motorsport driver's chance of scoring points early on
in the race but the Russian held on to fourth place until the chequered
flag.
Pole position starter Pål Varhaug kept the lead for four laps before
losing out to Rossi at the restart. A strong drive saw the Jenzer
Motorsport racer finish in fifth place, ahead of Cram Competition's
Frankie Provenzano who claimed the last
point-finish position in sixth place.
Leimer is now just one point away from clinching the 2009 IFM
championship with 80 points, ahead of Afanasiev and Kral with 45 and 43
points respectively. Varhaug still leads the rookies' classification
with 81 points ahead of Rossi (75 points).
Alexander Rossi, ISR
"I had a good start with Alexander [Sims] dropping out; I could
focus on passing Josef [Kral] quickly. Then the safety car was out for
three laps and I worked very hard to keep the tyres and brakes as warm
as possible. I had a very good restart; I was able to get the lead
straight away and we almost had a 1-2 for the team but getting both cars
in the top three is pretty great too."
Fabio Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
"It was a really nice race; a bit different from my other Sunday
races because normally I'm not able to overtake other drivers so easily
but here in Spa you can use the long straights. My start was not very
good but it wasn't too bad either; I think I lost one position but got
it back after the first corner.
"At the restart, I got stuck behind Tiago [Petiz] as he was braking very
late so I couldn't overtake. I lost a lot of time behind Sergey [Afanasiev]
too but in the end my car was really fast, I closed the gap in one or
two laps and was passing someone on each lap! I'm pretty happy although
I would have loved to win the race as I only needed one more point to
get the championship!"
Erik Janis, ISR
"It was quite a good race although the start was quite tight for me;
I had to squeeze past a lot of cars! I was worried about my front wing
for a while but it was ok in the end. Then I just concentrated on the
racing. My tyres were quite ok after the safety car period and I could
overtake Pål [Varhaug].
"When Leimer started to attack though, I was already quite slow through
the right-hand corners as my tyres had gone a bit so he was able to pass
me easily once he'd got the slipstream. After that I focused on keeping
P3 to finish on the podium and bring as many points to the team as
possible."
International Formula
Master - Spa-Francorchamps
Round 12
1.
Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
2. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
3. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
4. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
5. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
6. Frankie Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
7. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
8. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
9. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
10. Samuele Buttarelli (ITA), TSP (#41)
11. Edwin Jowsey (GBR), TSP (#44)
12. Nicolas Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
Not classified
Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
Andrea Roda (ITA), TSP (#43)
Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
Alexander Sims (GBR), TSP (#40)
Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
Leimer back on top step
 Jenzer
Motorsport's Fabio Leimer clinched his fifth win of the season today in
front of the Formula 1 crowds for round 11 of the International Formula
Master Series at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.
Having qualified on pole position in this morning's session, the Swiss
lost the lead briefly to IFM Talent Support Program (TSP) driver
Alexander Sims after a poor start. Leimer was back in front before the
race's first lap was completed however, and raced to the finish line
unchallenged.
JD
Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev secured second place from a P6 grid
position, after a strong start saw the Russian racer move up to fourth.
Afanasiev promptly overtook Iris Project's Simon Trummer for second
place before giving chase to Leimer, but the gap to the leader remained
for the rest of the race.
Trummer held on to second place for the first three of the 12-lap round
before Afanasiev's move, and crossed the finish line in third to collect
his and team Iris Project's first podium of the season.
Starting eighth, ISR's Erik Janis made up three places on lap one before
passing Sims for fourth, where he remained until the chequered flag.
Fellow ISR driver Alexander Rossi followed in fifth place after a
difficult start saw the young American move down to P6. Rossi was able
to salvage a position however, achieved by passing Sims shortly after
his team-mate had done so.
Sims secured sixth place despite strong pressure from JD Motorsport's
Josef Kral, claiming the highest TSP finish, whilst Kral claimed
seventh. Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug took the last point-finishing
position in eighth place and will start tomorrow's race on pole
position.
Fabio Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
"I had a lot of wheel spin at the start and saw that Patrick [Reiterer]
was close to overtaking me but then I saw that he had a jump start. Sims
passed me early on but I got the place back as soon as I started pushing
properly. The rest of the race was good, the car was really good; I
lifted a little bit towards the end to look after the tyres and make
sure I could finish but that's all.
"I'm pretty happy because our first race with Formula 1, at the
Hungaroring, I didn't score a win but now I've been able to do it here,
so I'm pretty pleased!
"For tomorrow, it's a lot easier to overtake here compared to other
tracks we race at, like Brands Hatch or Budapest. There are many long
straights, which you can use to pass when you catch someone else's
slipstream. As long as the car is as perfect as it was today, I will aim
for another podium."
Sergey Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"I was quite slow in the beginning and had to fight with Erik
[Janis] and Josef [Kral] but I managed to find a gap to fourth place. It
took a while to move to second place, I was waiting for Alexander [Sims]
and Simon [Trummer] to make mistakes so I could pass them. In the end I
got both but I couldn't catch Fabio [Leimer].
"We'll see for tomorrow; we're improving throughout the weekend so who
knows!"
Simon Trummer, Iris Project
"My start was ok; I was able to catch Alexander [Rossi] for third
place but Sergey [Afanasiev] was pushing to pass me really early on. I
was faster in the quick corners but he definitely had more speed on the
straights. When he closed the gap to me on the straight, I had no chance
to block him.
"After that, the back of my car was sliding quite a bit so I worked
against that but I finished on the podium for the first time here so
it's a great result!"
International Formula
Master - Spa-Francorchamps
Round 11
1. Fabio
Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
2. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
3. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
4. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
5. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
6. Alexander Sims (GBR), TSP (#40)
7. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
8. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
9. Nicolas Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
10. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
11. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
12. Frankie Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
13. Andrea Roda (ITA), TSP (#43)
14. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
15. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
Not classified
Samuele Buttarelli (ITA), TSP (#41)
Edwin Jowsey (GBR), TSP (#44)
JD MOTORSPORT CLAIMS SECOND F1-SUPPORT RACE WIN
 JD
Motorsport claimed their second win of the weekend today, with Sergey
Afanasiev scoring his first victory of the season in round ten of the
International Formula Master Series at the Hungaroring in Hungary.
Starting from the front row, Afanasiev took the lead from ISR's Erik
Janis at the start and kept it for the 17-lap race, finishing first in
IFM's second round as a support series to the FIA Formula 1 World
Championship.
AR
Motorsport's Paul Meijer secured second place on his first weekend in
Formula Master, earning his team their first ever IFM podium-finish. The
Dutchman passed Janis on the first lap and remained there unchallenged
until the chequered flag.
ISR's Janis eventually finished third, ahead of Talent Support Programme
(TSP) driver Alexander Sims in fourth place. Sims, together with Jenzer
Motorsport's Fabio Leimer and fellow TSP racer Earl Bamber, fought
feverishly throughout the 30-minute race, attempting several overtaking
moves on each other.
Starting fifth, Sims was able to keep both rivals behind after passing
Bamber on lap one, despite intense pressure from both Bamber and Leimer
who swapped places throughout the race.
Leimer ultimately claimed fifth place, with Bamber in sixth, ahead of
Iris Project's Patrick Reiterer. JD Motorsport's Vladimir Arabadzhiev
crossed the finish line in eighth place, securing the last point-scoring
position since both Sims and Bamber are ineligible to score points as
TSP drivers.
Afanasiev claimed today's fastest lap, posting a best time of 1:38.696
and promoting JD Motorsport ahead of Jenzer Motorsport in the Teams'
Classification.
 Sergey
Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"I made a few mistakes yesterday so this is a good way to make it up to
my team. I've never started from second place before on the reverse grid
so I wanted to make the most of it. It was fun as I was sure I would do
my best; I knew I could win the start and keep the lead. It's a good
feeling; I'm really happy for my team! This is the best result this
year; two races and two JD Motorsport drivers at the top."
Paul Meijer, AR
Motorsport
"I had
another good start, which is great because it's the first time I use
gear-shift paddles! I took second place after the first corner and then
made sure I was on pace and as consistent with my lap times as possible.
I felt really confident in the car and its balance. I tried to get to
Sergey [Afanasiev] for the lead but he was able to build a gap early on
in the race so I couldn't catch him!"
Erik Janis, ISR
"My
start wasn't very good; I had a little bit of wheel spin. I was second
in the first corner so it was still ok and then Meijer came over from
the outside and passed me. My front wing got damaged in the move so I
had to be careful for the rest of the race; I had a lot of vibration
coming from the front. I was lucky the wing held on. I focused on saving
third place for the rest of the race. It's a shame because I was on new
tyres and had really good speed."
International Formula Master - Hungaroring
Round 10
1. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
2. Paul Meijer (NED), AR Motorsport (#33)
3. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
4. Alexander Sims (GBR), TSP (#40)
5. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
6. Earl Bamber (NZL), TSP (#42)
7. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
8. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
9. Samuele Buttarelli (ITA), TSP (#41)
10. Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
11. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
12. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
Not classified
Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
FIRST 2009 WIN FOR KRAL AT HUNGARORING
JD
Motorsport's Josef Kral clinched his first win of the season today in
front of the Formula 1 teams for round nine of the International Formula
Master Series (IFM) at the Hungaroring in Hungary.
Starting first on the grid after securing his first IFM pole position
yesterday, Kral led the race from start to finish to score his and JD
Motorsport's first win this year.
 Despite
a good start, Jenzer Motorsport's Fabio Leimer was unable to pass the
young Czech and settle for a second-place finish, earning his fifth
podium of the season. ISR's Alexander Rossi enjoyed an equally strong
start, passing TSP's Earl Bamber on the first lap to take third.
Fourth place was secured by fellow Talent Support Programme Alexander
Sims who also overtook Bamber, making his move on lap 14. Starting
seventh, the young British driver showed solid pace throughout his first
IFM race and could have challenged Rossi for a podium-finish had the
race lasted longer than the planned 17 laps.
Bamber eventually finished fifth, ahead of AR Motorsport's Paul Meijer
who secured sixth place on his IFM Racing debut, despite JD Motorsport's
Sergey Afanasiev's best efforts to pass him. Afanasiev took the
chequered flag in seventh and will start tomorrow's race on the first
row, alongside ISR's Erik Janis who secured round nine's pole position
by finishing in eighth place today.
Newcomer Samuele Buttarelli, racing under the Talent Support Programme,
drove a solid race to secure 10th place from a 15th slot on the grid.
Kral is now second in the Drivers' Classification thanks to today's
victory, along with a point for setting the race's fastest lap in
1:39.067. Leimer still leads with 59 points, with Kral on 40 points. Pål
Varhaug remains the leader in the Rookies' Classication, with Rossi only
10 points behind.
 Josef
Kral, JD Motorsport
"I had a fantastic start; it was the main thing to get right for today's
race because you can't really overtake here. After that I was struggling
with the brakes for the first few laps and the track was really
slippery, but then I found a really good balance with the brakes and the
car felt much better. I started to push really hard and focused on doing
very constant laps in the 1mins39s for the next six laps so that I could
pull away. I kept to those times to make a gap to Fabio [Leimer] and
that was it! The car felt really good; it's the first time it is 100% on
set-up.Tomorrow I start eighth but that's the kind of race I really
enjoy so I will do everything possible to overtake and get to the
front!"
Fabio Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
"The start was really important for me; I wanted to overtake Josef [Kral]
but he also had a very good start. The first three or four laps were
really slippery but I could see that he had the same problem. I was a
little bit quicker than him at the beginning so thought I might be able
to overtake him but I lost a bit of time in the last corner of each lap
so it wasn't possible to get him on the straight. After a few laps, he
was going faster and faster so I concentrated on holding my second
place. We had some problems in the set-up yesterday and definitely
improved today but it's still not perfect."
Alexander Rossi, ISR
"The start hasn't been my strongest point so far this season so I spent
a lot of time working on the technique and it worked really well today.
I got by Earl [Bamber] and then in the opening laps, I got close to
Fabio [Leimer] and thought I would be able to pass him but we weren't
able to keep the pace.
"I'm definitely aiming for a podium tomorrow; I'm starting sixth and it
is difficult to pass but I feel I have to make up the points I lost
earlier in the season so two podiums this weekend would go a long way in
improving that."
International Formula
Master - Hungaroring
Round 09
1. Josef
Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
2. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
3. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
4. Alexander Sims (GBR), TSP (#40)
5. Earl Bamber (NZL), TSP (#42)
6. Paul Meijer (NED), AR Motorsport (#33)
7. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
8. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
9. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
10. Samuele Buttarelli (ITA), TSP (#41)
11. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
12. Tiago Petiz (POR), Cram Competition (#4)
13. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
14. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
15. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
Not classified
Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
KOUZKIN
CELEBRATES SECOND WIN AT BRANDS HATCH
 Cram
Competition's Alessandro Kouzkin scored his second win in Formula Master
on Sunday in Round 8 of the International Formula Master Series at the
Brands Hatch. Leading the Series' 40th race from start to finish, after
starting on pole courtesy of the reverse of the top 8 positions from
yesterday’s race where he finish eighth, Kouzkin held first place
throughout holding off ISR's Alexander Rossi in the later stages of the
race.
Rossi eventually finished second, despite losing out to team-mate Erik
Janis at the start of the race. Rossi claimed the position on lap four,
as Janis ran wide, which also benefited third-place finisher JD
Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev.
A
great start from Afanasiev saw the Russian move from sixth on the grid
to his third-place finish, the second this weekend, ahead of Janis who
claimed fourth. JD Motorsport's Josef Kral secured fifth from a
sixth-place start; a late surge saw the young Czech put pressure on
compatriot Janis, however the race ended before a move could be made by
Kral.
Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug claimed the last point-scoring position
in sixth place, ahead of team-mate Fabio Leimer. Leimer maintained his
lead in the Drivers' Classification however, by setting today's fastest
lap, 1:18.603, which earned him a point.
IFM's 2009 season resumes next weekend at the Hungaroring in Hungary for
rounds nine and ten, where the Series will partner its first FIA Formula
1 World Championship. Both races will be broadcasted on the pan-European
channel Eurosport.
Alessandro Kouzkin, Cram Competition
"It was a good race, especially in the beginning. After that I
had a few problems with oversteer in the middle of corners but it was ok
in the end. I won, and it was a special day today, because it was my
second win of the season after Pau."
Alexander Rossi, ISR
"I was expecting more grip on the left hand side of the grid than there
was, so I got too much wheel-spin at the start. I was able to hold on to
fourth and once I got behind Erik [Janis], Alessandro [Kouzkin] opened
up a pretty good gap. I waited until Erik made a mistake and fortunately
for me he did. As soon as I got clear, I saw that I was about four
seconds behind the leader so I started to push. Doing that, you tend to
use the tyres up fairly quickly so I got the gap down to three or four
tenths but couldn't pass him. In fairness, he made no mistake and drove
a great race."
Sergey Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"It was a good way to make up on last year's result and on losing the
start yesterday. This time I had a fairly good start, there was a little
bit less grip than expected but I got away ok. After that I just took
the race step by step without any problems. I was trying to find
something special on the straight as I saw I was losing some time there
but otherwise it was a straightforward race."
International Formula
Master - Brands Hatch
Round 08: provisional top six results
1. Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
2. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
3. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
4. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
5. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
6. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
LEIMER TAKES BRANDS HATCH WIN
 Jenzer
Motorsport's Fabio Leimer claimed his fourth win of the season today in
round seven of the International Formula Master (IFM) Series at the
Brands Hatch circuit in England.
Starting from pole position, the young Swiss lead the field from start
to finish, despite pressure from JD Motorsport's Josef Kral in the
closing stages of the race.
Having qualified fourth yesterday, Kral produced a strong start to
overtake team-mate Sergey Afanasiev and ISR's Erik Janis. Kral pushed
hard to keep Leimer within his grasp, attempting to overtake him on lap
26 of the 28-lap round to no avail. Kral eventually finished second,
ahead of team-mate Afanasiev who raced to the finish unchallenged in
third.
Fourth place was secured by Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug. Starting
sixth, Varhaug passed Iris Project's Patrick Reiterer for fifth at the
start, before overtaking Janis for P4 on lap four. Norwegian Varhaug
kept his position despite Janis' best efforts who claimed fifth place.
Reiterer finished today's race in sixth place, only losing one position
to Varhaug, with ISR's Alexander Rossi claiming seventh. Cram
Competition's Alessandro Kouzkin took the last
point-scoring position in eighth place, securing pole for tomorrow's
race.
Team-mate Tiago Petiz, racing with IFM for the first time this weekend,
battled his way to the finish with AR Motorsport's Kelvin Snoeks to
eventually finish tenth ahead of Snoeks in 11th place.
Leimer consolidated his lead in the Drivers' Classification thanks to
today's win as well as claiming the fastest lap of the race in 1:18.853,
whilst team-mate Pål Varhaug was the top rookie.
 Fabio
Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
"The important thing was to have pole position because then I could
drive my own race. I had a good start and got a four second gap to Josef
[Kral] very quickly. After that Kral was getting closer and closer and
seemed much faster so I was worried I might not win the race after all.
I saved my tyres as much as possible during the middle stint of the race
and managed to keep him behind me in the last laps, which allowed me to
take the win. We will have to see for the race tomorrow; I haven't had
much luck in Sunday races so far! I will try to make up as many places
as possible in the first three, four laps as everyone gets their
concentration going after that and it becomes very difficult to pass. In
any case, I will give my best tomorrow to finish as high up as
possible."
Josef Kral, JD Motorsport
"I knew the best way to start here from previous races at Brands Hatch,
which really helped. The first row is slightly uphill whereas row two is
still downhill and that can make a difference. I think I got a pretty
good start and the car had really good grip so it worked out! I need to
thank the team too because they did a fantastic job with the set-up and
we really got to show how quick we are. I was pushing really hard
towards the end of the race, for the last four or five laps, but
overtaking is difficult here. I got close but you have to really watch
your turning points in the second and third sectors of the lap and
whenever I got close to Fabio, I couldn't see where to turn so I had to
slow down and move back... that didn't help! But the race was really
good, we got to show that we are really close; we are closing the gap to
Jenzer [Motorsport]!"
Sergey Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"It's a tricky start here and I didn't start really well. Josef had a
great start though; I was smiling into the first corner because I got to
watch a really great start! Throughout the race I was following the
leaders but I decided to come down a little bit to make sure I could
score as many points as possible, rather than risk the car. I was racing
a little bit on my own but it wasn't hard to stay focused. You just have
to concentrate; otherwise you can make small mistakes, which cost a
lot!"
Round 07: provisional top eight results
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
2. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
3. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
4. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
5. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
6. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
7. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
8. Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
For full results please click
here.
ROSSI
RACES TO HISTORIC FIRST WIN
 ISR's
Alexander Rossi claimed an historic first win today in round six of the
International Formula Master Series at the Automotodrom Brno in the
Czech Republic.
Taking the lead on lap one from Jenzer Motorsport's Nicolas Maulini,
Rossi raced to the chequered flag unchallenged to secure the first ever
American win in International Formula Master, as well as the first ever
ISR victory in the Series.
Running second for the majority of the race, JD Motorsport's Josef Kral
received a black flag for failing to pit with a broken front wing,
promoting team-mates Vladimir Arabadzhiev and Sergey Afanasiev to second
and third place respectively.
ISR's Erik Janis finished in fourth place, despite dropping down to
sixth at the start, ahead of Hitech Junior's Kasper Andersen. Starting
ninth, Andersen overtook Jenzer Motorsport's Fabio Leimer at the start
of the race and claimed fifth place, whilst Leimer took the last
point-scoring position with sixth place.
Leimer is now nine points ahead of team-mate Pål Varhaug in the drivers'
classification with 38 and 29 points respectively, whilst Varhaug still
leads the rookies' standings ahead of today's race winner Alexander
Rossi.
IFM's 2009 season resumes in four weeks' time at the Brands Hatch
circuit in the United Kingdom for rounds seven and eight. Both races
will be broadcasted live on the pan-European channel Eurosport.
 Alexander
Rossi, ISR
"We had a good result yesterday and were confident with our dry set-up
so it really was my race to lose. I had a good start, my best of the
season so far, and the opening laps were pretty close but after that
nothing happened. We still have a lot of work to do to be consistently
at the top but this has definitely broken a barrier. Fabio [Leimer] and
Jenzer Motorsport have done very well up until now but we will go to
Brands Hatch looking for more strong results."
ladimir
Arabadzhiev, JD Motorsport
"The weekend didn't start very well for every driver and team because of
the heavy rain and that meant it was hard to find a good set up for dry
conditions. Yesterday wasn't very good for me, it was hard to put good
laps together but the car felt a lot better today. The goal was to make
a good start and that didn't happen but I kept my position at least. I
tried to overtake Nicolas [Maulini] in the first lap but couldn't find a
way past him and then Kral overtook me, but neither finished the race...
And that was my race!"
Sergey Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"I had a good start but made a mistake by trying to keep on the outside
line for the first corner. I tried to collect as many points as possible
to make up for my first few races of the season and I'd like to thank
the team though as the car was perfect for me."
International Formula
Master - Brno
Round 06
1.
Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
2. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
3. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
4. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
5. Kasper Andersen (DEN), Hitech Junior (#24)
6. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
7. Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
8. Dennis Retera (NED), AR Motorsport (#32)
9. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
10. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
11. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
12. Matteo Davenia (ITA), Cram Competition (#12)
Not classified
Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
Nicolas Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
Harald Schlegelmilch (LAT), Hitech Junior (#10)
Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3) - Excluded from results
JENZER MOTORSPORT CLAIM ONE-TWO FINISH
 Jenzer
Motorsport claimed this season's first one-two finish with drivers Fabio
Leimer and Pål Varhaug today in round five of the International Formula
Master Series at the Automotodrom Brno in the Czech Republic.
Leimer took his third victory of the season despite qualifying in P3. A
strong start saw the young Swiss pass JD Motorsport's Josef Kral, before
overtaking team-mate Varhaug on lap four.
Varhaug held on to second place, claiming his fourth podium in five
races, whilst Czech driver Kral secured third place in front of his home
crowd, climbing back from a difficult start which saw him drop down to
fourth initially.
Fellow JD Motorsport driver Sergey Afanasiev took the chequered flag in
fourth place, ahead of ISR's Erik Janis who passed JD Motorsport's
Vladimir Arabadzhiev on lap three for an eventual fifth position finish.
Arabadzhiev held on to sixth place until the end of the race, finishing
ahead of ISR's Alexander Rossi and Jenzer Motorsport's Nicolas Maulini
who claimed seventh and eighth position respectively.
Hitech Junior's Kasper Andersen and AR Motorsport's Dennis Retera
provided the afternoon's entertainment when a pass on Retera by Andersen
resulted in both drivers racing abreast on the main straight on lap 12.
A
tight defensive line from Retera earned him a black and white flag,
whilst Andersen had to wait until the last lap to successfully overtake
the AR Motorsport driver, and finish in ninth place.
Fabio Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
"I had a bad qualifying session this morning, for me anyway as I took
third when I normally qualify on pole, so it was important to have a
really good start. I passed Josef [Kral] and then I knew I only had two
or three laps where I could overtake. The circuit is made up of long
corners mainly so it's really hard to pass once the race gets underway.
I was pushing through the race and was consistent with my times so I'm
pretty happy; I win three races in three race weekends! For tomorrow, I
start the race in eighth place because of the reverse grid and I haven't
done well in Sunday races so far this season so we will see. I will push
as hard as possible, although I don't think it's easy to overtake on
this track."
Pål Varhaug, Jenzer Motorsport
"I had a really good qualifying session this morning; I liked
driving in the rain. The race was ok; I had a good start and led for
three laps before Leimer passed me. He was very fast so I'm happy to
have kept second place."
Josef Kral, JD Motorsport
"The start was my best chance of challenging for a win and
unfortunately I started from the dirty line which meant I had a lot of
wheel spin and lost time. I overtook Sergey [Afanasiev] but it was
difficult to pass anyone after that; I pushed as hard as I could but
that was the race!"
International Formula
Master - Brno
Round 05
1. Fabio
Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
2. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
3. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
4. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
5. Erik Janis (CZH), ISR (#20)
6. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
7. Alexander Rossi (USA), ISR (#16)
8. Nicolas Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
9. Kasper Andersen (DEN), Hitech Junior (#24)
10. Dennis Retera (NED), AR Motorsport (#32)
11. Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
12. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
13. Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
14. Matteo Davenia (ITA), Cram Competition (#12)
Not classified
Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
ANDERSEN
SCORES FIRST IFM VICTORY FOR HITECH JUNIOR
 Hitech
Junior's Kasper Andersen claimed the first win for his team today in the
fourth round of International Formula Master in Valencia, Spain.
After passing Jenzer Motorsport's Nicolas Maulini and fellow Hitech
Junior driver Alexander Rossi at the start, Andersen led the race to the
chequered flag to claim his first IFM win since Anderstorp in 2007.
Starting fifth, Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug fought hard with Rossi
on the first lap before catching Maulini and passing him on lap five.
The young Norwegian then had to defend his position against JD
Motorsport pair Josef Kral and Sergey Afanasiev, before claiming second
place, his highest IFM finish of the season to date.
Afanasiev claimed the final podium finish in third place, having started
the race in P11. The Russian driver enjoyed a strong start and climbed
to sixth place on the first lap before working his way through the field
to finish third.
Fellow JD Motorsport drivers Kral and Vladimir Arabadzhiev followed
closely, claiming fourth and fifth-place finishes, with Kral setting the
race's fastest lap in 1:28.700 on lap 18.
Yesterday's round four winner Fabio Leimer claimed the final
point-scoring place, ahead of Maulini and Cram Competition's Harald
Schlegelmilch, whilst earlier front-runner Rossi eventually finished in
twelfth place following his lap one incident with Varhaug whilst
fighting for third.
IFM's 2009 season resumes in two weeks' time at the Automotodrom Brno in
Czech Republic for rounds five and six. Both races will be broadcasted
live on the pan-European channel Eurosport.
Kasper Andersen, Hitech Junior
"It's great for the team and me; I've always done well here in
Valencia and leading the race like this really gave me flashbacks from
2007! This means a lot though; I really had no testing at all with the
team and went straight into the car in Pau after six months away from
racing in the series. We worked hard and now we have a victory as a
result.
"I had a great start, although the guy in front got away well too but I
had a good reaction time. Then Alexander [Rossi] was easy to pass; I
just drove past him. We definitely have to keep working though; our car
was quite good in the beginning but not as fast as the front-runners. We
struggled a lot as the weekend got underway although overnight we did
some changes and today we saw the result. But we can improve a lot
still, we have to keep working and then we're going for it!"
Pål Varhaug, Jenzer Motorsport
"I had a very good start, made up one position and then passed someone
else in the first corner. After that I passed also on the last corner so
a very good start really!
"I was stuck behind Maulini for some laps and could not pass him but
once that was done it was a very good race! I knew I was losing time in
the first corner; I was always controlling my line in that corner but
the rest of the track was more or less ok. I must thank the team as the
car was very good and they did a great job."
Sergey Afanasiev, JD Motorsport
"This weekend started well, we were fast in free practice and
qualifying but yesterday's race wasn't successful. Today was very
different though; I was very calm and took the start easily and then
focused on passing people one by one. I was worried only of Harald
[Schlegelmilch] because he usually has good starts but not this time.
"After that, it was a normal race, just passing people until I arrived
behind Josef [Kral]. He was attacking a lot so I decided to wait and see
what happened over the race. He did a great job keeping on the road but
in the end I was able to pass him."
International Formula Master - Valencia
Round 04
1. Kasper Andersen (DEN), Hitech Junior (#24)
2. Pål Varhaug (NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
3. Sergey Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
4. Josef Kral (CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
5. Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
6. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
7. Nicolas Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
8. Harald Schlegelmilch (LAT), ADM Motorsport (#10)
9. Frankie Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
10. Earl Bamber (NZL), ADM Motorsport (#14)
11. Dennis Retera (NED), AR Motorsport (#32)
12. Alexander Rossi (USA), Hitech Junior (#16)
13. Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
14. Patrick Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
Not classified
Simon Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
Alessandro Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
LEIMER LEADS THE WAY IN
SPAIN
 Jenzer
Motorsport's Fabio Leimer led today's International Formula Master round
three from start to finish, after qualifying on pole earlier this
morning.
The young Swiss enjoyed a strong start, maintaining his lead despite JD
Motorsport's Josef Kral following him closely into the first corner. An
incident involving ADM Motorsport Earl Bamber and Iris Project's Simon
Trummer brought out the safety car soon after, giving Kral a chance to
fight for the lead once again. Unfortunately the Czech wasn't able to
convert his restart pace into a pass and eventually finished in second
place.
Fellow JD Motorsport driver Vladimir Arabadzhiev claimed third place
despite starting fifth on the grid. The Bulgarian overtook Hitech
Racing's Kasper Andersen in the earlier stages of the race, before
benefiting from team-mate Sergey Afanasiev's retirement on lap seven.
Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug claimed fourth place, having started the
race in ninth, ahead of Iris Project's Patrick Reiterer in fifth
position. Hitech Junior's Kasper Andersen finished the round in sixth
place despite running as high as third earlier on.
Team-mate Alexander Rossi followed in seventh place ahead of Jenzer
Motorsport's Nicolas Maulini who scored a point on his return to IFM;
the Swiss last raced in the Series in 2007.
Fabio Leimer, Jenzer Motorsport
"I
had a good start but Josef was alongside me and he was really close; I
thought he could pass me! After I got settled in the race and it was ok.
I was pushing hard throughout because I didn't know if we would have
tyre problems later as Valencia is very demanding on tyres but
everything was ok."
Josef Kral, JD Motorsport
"I
had a really good start and was side by side with Fabio [Leimer] very
quickly but I had to slow down soon after. The same happened at the
restart after the safety car. "The car was starting to be difficult to
drive; I think the track changed from this morning as the car was
fantastic then. It's a good result for the team anyway, as we got lots
of points"
Vladimir Arabadzhiev, JD Motorsport
"I
had a good race; Sergey [Afanasiev] overtook Kasper [Andersen] earlier
on and I was able to pass him at the same time. Then Sergey had to pit,
which gave me third place. It wasn't a straight forward race as the
track is quite demanding to the car but I'm happy with the results."
International Formula Master - Valencia
Round 03
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)- 2. Josef Kral (CZH),
JD Motorsport (#3)
- 3. Vladimir
Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
- 4. Pål Varhaug
(NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
- 5. Patrick
Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
- 6. Kasper
Andersen (DEN), Hitech Junior (#24)
- 7. Alexander
Rossi (USA), Hitech Junior (#16)
- 8. Nicolas
Maulini (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#26)
- Not classified
Kelvin Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
- Alessandro
Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
- Sergey
Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
- Harald
Schlegelmilch (LAT), ADM Motorsport (#10)
- Frankie
Provenzano (ITA), Cram Competition (#5)
- Simon Trummer (SUI),
Iris Project (#8)
- Earl Bamber (NZL),
ADM Motorsport (#14
KOUZKIN TAKES FIRST IFM VICTORY IN PAU
 Cram
Competition's Alessandro Kouzkin scored his first International Formula
Master (IFM) victory today in the Series' second round on the French
street circuit of Pau.
Starting fifth, the 16-year-old rookie climbed through the field before
overtaking AR Motorsport's Dennis Retera for the lead in a daring
late-braking move on lap nine.
Starting from the front row, Retera had to fend off Trident Racing's
Frankie Provenzano and Cram Competition's Harald Schlegelmilch before
losing his place to Kouzkin. Both Provenzano and Schlegelmilch failed to
complete the race, whilst Retera claimed second place.
Jenzer Motorsport's Pål Varhaug scored his second podium-finish of the
weekend with a third place thanks to a clean race, as well as Provenzano
and Schlegelmilch's retirements.
Hitech Junior's Alexander Rossi claimed his first IFM points with a
fourth place finish, ahead of ADM Motorsport team-mates Earl Bamber and
Marcello Puglisi who took the last point-scoring positions in fifth and
sixth.
Despite crossing the finish line in seventh place, yesterday's race
winner Fabio Leimer still claimed a point; the Jenzer Motorsport driver
recorded the day's fastest lap in 1:11.703, setting a new IFM race lap
record for the French circuit.
IFM's 2009 season resumes in two weeks' time at the Circuit y la
Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo in Spain for rounds three and four.
Both races will be broadcasted live on the pan-European channel
Eurosport.
Alessandro Kouzkin, Cram Competition - "I had a good start
and then I passed Dennis; that was important. It was a difficult race
but a special race for me because it's my first win and I'm very happy
about this! I hope to do a fantastic race again in Valencia."
Dennis Retera, AR Motorsport - "It was a tough race for
me; I had a good start from P1 but I did have to fight to keep the lead!
Alessandro [Kouzkin] made a nice overtaking move; I thought I had the
line but he got through anyway and I had to let him go. I still got
second place, which I'm happy with. It's good to have a podium and it's
good for the team. This was my first weekend in the Series, without any
pre-season testing so we'll be celebrating!"
Pål Varhaug, Jenzer Motorsport - "I had very good start
and the rest of the race was fun. I was careful not to crash into
Schlegelmilch when I saw that he had a broken front wing and just waited
until he had to pit. So for me it was a really nice race; I enjoyed it
more today than yesterday actually as it was much tighter race. I'm
really happy and thank the team for their hard work."
International Formula Master - Pau
Round 02
- 1. Alessandro
Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
- 2. Dennis
Retera (NED), AR Motorsport (#32)
- 3. Pål Varhaug
(NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
- 4. Alexander
Rossi (USA), Hitech Junior (#16)
- 5. Earl Bamber
(NZL), ADM Motorsport (#14)
- 6. Marcello
Puglisi (ITA), ADM Motorsport (#15)
- 7. Fabio Leimer
(SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
- 8. Simon
Trummer (SUI), Iris Project (#8)
- 9. Sergey
Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
- 10. Duncan
Tappy (GBR), Team JVA (#30)
- 11. Kasper
Andersen (DEN), Hitech Junior (#24)
- 12. Kelvin
Snoeks (NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
- 13. Josef Kral
(CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
- Not classified
Vladimir Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
- Harald
Schlegelmilch (LAT), Cram Competition (#10)
- Frankie
Provenzano (ITA), Trident Racing (#4)
- Patrick
Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
- Jonathan
Kennard (GBR), Team JVA (#29)
LEIMER CLINCHES FIRST VICTORY OF THE SEASON
 International
Formula Master's first round of the season saw Jenzer Motorsport's Fabio
Leimer clinch the first victory in Pau, France, today, after leading
from start to finish.
The young Swiss secured pole position during qualifying this morning,
which he kept despite a difficult start, thanks to fellow front-runner
JD Motorsport's Josef Kral hitting the barriers on lap one.
This promoted Vladimir Arabadzhiev to second, also driving for JD
Motorsport, which he kept for the remainder of the race. Despite closing
the gap towards the later stage of the race, third-place finisher Pål
Varhaug was unable to catch Arabadzhiev and took the final step on the
podium for Jenzer Motorsport.
Running fourth for the majority of the race, Team JVA's Jonathan Kennard
fought hard to keep Cram Competition's Alessandro Kouzkin behind him to
no avail. The pair finished fifth and fourth respectively when an
overtaking manoeuvre payed off for Kouzkin on the very last lap.
Sixth-place finisher Harald Schlegelmilch provided most of the
entertainment with a strong drive after starting twelfth. The Cram
Competition driver pressurised Hitech Junior's Alessandro Rossi
increasingly before overtaking him on lap 25.
Trident Racing's Frankie Provenzano also provided a share of overtaking
action, passing AR Motorsport's Dennis Retera and ADM Motorsport's
Marcello Puglisi before crossing the finish line in seventh.
Retera collected the last point of the race in eighth place, ahead of
Team JVA's Duncan Tappy, Rossi and ADM Motorsport's Earl Bamber.
Leimer now leads the drivers' classification after scoring a point for
pole position this morning, a point for fastest lap and the 10 points
for his win. Pål Varhaug leads the rookies' classification thanks to his
third-place finish, fastest rookie lap and best qualifying position for
a rookie.
abio Leimer, Jenzer
Motorsport
"I
didn't have the best start, Josef [Kral] got alongside me and could have
passed me if he hadn't gone off. After that it was not so difficult as
there was no one in front of me so I could drive my own race. I had to
be careful in the middle part of the race as I had some tyre wear but
otherwise it was a straight-forward win and I'm really pleased for
myself and the team; things couldn't have gone better so far this
weekend. I wanted fastest lap and I got that; I got pole and now we won
the first race; it's perfect."
Vladimir Arabadzhiev, JD Motorsport
"My start was not the best but I keep my position and my
team-mate unfortunately went off, which promoted me. It's no ideal but
at least it helped me. Leimer was too fast to catch but compared to last
year, where I didn't have a very strong result, I'm very happy to be on
the podium today."
Pål Varhaug, Jenzer
Motorsport (right)
- "The race was
good; I had a good start and I was lucky with Josef [Kral] going out
as I got third place. After that the two people behind me where busy
fighting together so I was ok, I concentrated on pushing to catch P2
but the gap was too big in the end."
International Formula Master - Pau
Round 01
1. Fabio Leimer (SUI), Jenzer Motorsport (#6)
- 2. Vladimir
Arabadzhiev (BUL), JD Motorsport (#1)
- 3. Pål Varhaug
(NOR), Jenzer Motorsport (#7)
- 4. Alessandro
Kouzkin (RUS), Cram Competition (#47)
- 5. Jonathan
Kennard (GBR), Team JVA (#29)
- 6. Harald
Schlegelmilch (LAT), Cram Competition (#10)
- 7. Frankie
Provenzano (ITA), Trident Racing (#4)
- 8. Dennis
Retera (NED), AR Motorsport (#32)
- 9. Duncan Tappy
(GBR), Team JVA (#30)
- 10. Alexander
Rossi (USA), Hitech Junior (#16)
- 11. Earl Bamber
(NZL), ADM Motorsport (#14)
- Not classified
Marcello Puglisi (ITA), ADM Motorsport (#15)
- Kasper Andersen
(DEN), Hitech Junior (#24)
- Simon Trummer
(SUI), Iris Project (#8)
- Sergey
Afanasiev (RUS), JD Motorsport (#2)
- Kelvin Snoeks
(NED), AR Motorsport (#31)
- Patrick
Reiterer (ITA), Iris Project (#9)
- Josef Kral
(CZH), JD Motorsport (#3)
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