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Superleague Formula travels to Jarama for the final two races of 2009,
November 7/8. |
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LIVERPOOL CHAMPIONS
 Liverpool
claimed the 2009 Superleague Formula by Sonangol title in front of
33,000 spectators in the season finale at Jarama after a spectacular
weekend of racing at the Spanish circuit.
Anderlecht’s Yelmer Buurman was the other star of the weekend as he
backed up his race 1 victory with a win in the six-car, five-lap Super
Final to net a €100,000 prize, while Galatasaray secured their first
ever Superleague win thanks to a faultless drive from Ho-Pin Tung in
race 2.
The Super Final saw two of the six runners out of
the reckoning within seconds of the start as Dolby stalled from pole
position and FC Porto’s Tristan Gommendy out-braked himself into the
first corner while fighting Sevilla’s Sebastien Bourdais for the lead.
Bourdais also went slightly wide into the first
turn, allowing a gleeful Buurman to drive up the inside and take a lead
that he would never lose. Bourdais finished second, over one second
down, while Valles, already in jubilant mood having clinched the title
just minutes earlier, held off Tung’s attack for third.
Race 2 had seen Tung produce a fine drive to give
Galatasaray its first win. Starting from third on the fully-reversed
grid, the Chinese-Dutch driver, who had shown strong pace all weekend,
nailed front row starter Maria de Villota (Atletico Madrid) off the line
and passed pole man Kasper Andersen of FC Midtjylland a few laps later
to take the lead.
He then set a consistently fast pace throughout
the 45 minute race to take a well received victory for the Turkish club.
While Tung’s performance was impressive, it
wasn’t quite as spectacular as Dolby’s, who did everything he could to
wrestle the title from the grasp of Liverpool and Valles.
Starting down in 15th on the grid, Dolby avoided
the first corner chaos which eliminated the cars from PSV Eindhoven and
Corinthians and severely compromised the races of Olympiacos, FC Basel
and Rangers.
After a short Safety Car period to clean up the
wreckage of the PSV machine, Dolby was sensational on the restart,
immediately passing race 1 winner Anderlecht and title rival Liverpool.
He then followed Sevilla’s Sebastien Bourdais up the inside of Nelson
Panciatici in the Lyon car, before demoting Bourdais with a ballsy move
around the outside of the first hairpin. Enrique Bernoldi in the
Flamengo car and de Villota were then easily dealt with, putting
Tottenham into second place.
Dolby stayed out significantly longer than
everyone else before finally making his mandatory pit stop, but his
rapid pace wasn’t enough to jump Tung, the British driver eventually
settling for second.
His display also wasn’t enough to win the title
as Valles drove a sensible race for Liverpool, rising from tenth at the
start to finish fourth behind FC Midtjylland, securing more than enough
to seal the crown. FC Porto was fifth after a charging through-the-field
drive from Tristan Gommendy, with Sevilla in sixth.
Atletico Madrid fans had something to cheer at
their local event as de Villota held on for seventh ahead of FC Basel,
for whom Max Wissel recovered from the back of the field after a trip
through the gravel at the first corner, clinching enough points to steal
third in the final league table ahead of Anderlecht.
Race 1 winner Buurman saw his race end in bizarre
fashion as the pit stop phase began. The Anderlecht driver hit
Panciatici in the pit lane entry as the Lyon driver misjudged where the
pit lane speed limiter line started and braked too early. Giorgio
Pantano, who finished third for AC Milan in race 1, ended his afternoon
in the barrier after spinning on the exit of the final corner with ten
minutes to go.
Quotes:
Adrian Valles (Liverpool): “It’s fantastic to have won the
championship and I’d like to thank the whole team for the great job
they’ve done this season. We have been competitive at every round, yet
we’ve never had any problems with reliability. To win the Superleague
Formula title is a great honour for a driver because the level of
competition is so high and the cars are all the same. I’m also really
pleased for Liverpool. I met all the players and staff last week and
they wished me good luck so I am so happy to have clinched this title
for them. They’ve won a lot of trophies in their history so it is nice
to have added another one to that list.”
Craig Dolby (Tottenham Hotspur): “I’m
obviously very disappointed not to win the championship, but I pushed as
hard as I could and had a lot of fun. I managed to make some incredible
overtaking manoeuvres - around the outside of Anderlecht and Liverpool
into turn 1 and then around the outside of Bourdais later. It was
unbelievable and I was screaming down the radio to the boys in the pits
at one point! We’ve had some bad luck here and there without which
things could have been different, but overall it has been a great year.”
Yelmer Buurman (RSC Anderlecht): “It has
been a very good weekend and I’m really happy to have won two races.
After the crash in race 2 I had to borrow some spare parts from my
team-mate so we were a bit lucky to make it to the Super Final. The
first corner turned out to be a bit messy, but we emerged in the lead so
I was very happy.”
Alex Andreu (Superleague Formula CEO &
President): “This weekend has been a fitting finale to a thrilling
second season of Superleague Formula. The racing has been exciting
throughout and the crowds we have seen here at Jarama have been
fantastic and enthusiastically supported our teams and drivers. We’re
already looking forward to our third season next year and expanding our
calendar to 12 rounds.”
ANDERLECHT
DOMINATES AS TITLE FIGHT CONTINUES
 Yelmer
Buurman produced a dominant performance in race 1 of the Superleague
Formula by Sonangol season finale at Jarama to clinch a first win of the
season for Belgian giants RSC Anderlecht and gain revenge on Sevilla
FC’s Sebastien Bourdais.
Bourdais beat Buurman by just six thousandths of a second in yesterday’s
qualifying final to clinch pole position, but a fine passing manoeuvre
immediately after the pit stops and then a string of unmatchable quick
laps saw the Dutch driver avenge that loss.
Meanwhile, the title fight between English Premier League clubs
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will go all the way to the last race
this afternoon as Spurs’ Craig Dolby narrowed the lead of Liverpool’s
Adrian Valles by ten points.
The key moment of the race came ten minutes in as Anderlecht emerged
from its pit stop with Sevilla’s Bourdais, who had pitted one lap
earlier, bearing down the start/finish straight.
The cars were side by side heading into the first corner, but Buurman
held his line on the inside of the right hander, sliding into the lead
on the exit. From there, Bourdais was unable to match the pace of the
Anderlecht man, as Buurman rattled off a string of impressive lap times,
including the race’s best, a 1:20.011, finishing over 14 seconds clear
at the chequered flag.
Giorgio Pantano completed the podium positions for AC Milan after a
lonely run to third. Starting sixth, the Italian made a good start to
move up to fourth and then inherited a top-three finish when
Galatasary’s Ho-Pin Tung went off early in the race.
Behind him, things were far more chaotic and had a direct effect on the
title race.
Both Tottenham (10th) and Liverpool (14th) had started from the midfield
but made up places at the start and during the pit stops.
Spurs’ Dolby lost sixth place to a charging Julien Jousse of Roma midway
through the race, but then saw a huge slice of luck fall in his favour
with just two minutes of the race remaining.
Having passed Dolby and FC Basel’s Max Wissel, Jousse began to close
rapidly on Corinthians’ Antonio Pizzonia. He made his move with a couple
of laps remaining, but only succeeded in crashing into the back of the
Brazilian, ending both their races. In the melee that followed, Wissel
was badly baulked by the two stricken cars ahead, allowing Dolby to dive
up the inside into fourth.
Wissel crossed the line fifth ahead of FC Porto’s Tristan Gommendy,
while Valles managed seventh following a late pass on Lyon, ultimately
limiting his losses to Spurs during the late race chaos.
Olympiacos and Rangers both recovered to grab top ten finishes after a
scrappy start to the race. Rangers’ John Martin joined FC Midtylland’s
Kasper Andersen in the gravel after too many cars battled for two little
space at the first corner. Guerrieri, meanwhile, spun on the exit of
turn 1 on the opening lap, dropping him to the back of the field and
immediately removing one of the pre-race favourites from the lead
battle.
There was disappointment for fans of home favourites Atletico Madrid as
Maria de Villota spun out on lap 2, although her non-finish means the
series’ only female driver will join Andersen on the front row of the
completely reversed grid for race 2.
Tottenham’s task is a tough one in the second race if the London club is
to deny Liverpool a first Superleague Formula title. Trailing by 39
points, Dolby must finish at least third from 15th on the grid and hope
that Liverpool doesn’t finish the race!
Quotes:
Yelmer Buurman (Anderlecht): “The car was great and we also saved
some tyres. The start was a bit tricky when Esteban (Guerrieri) nearly
overtook me but then I managed to brake a bit later and go around the
outside at the first corner. From then on I just followed Seb (Bourdais)
who was a bit quicker in the beginning, and pushing really hard.
Eventually he spun so I was right on his gearbox again and then one or
two laps later he made his pit stop. I was in one lap later and the team
did a great job. I rejoined with Seb alongside into the first corner but
managed to overtake him there. From then on I just kept my head down and
pushed really hard. The car was so good I was able to pull out 1.2
seconds a lap sometimes.”
Craig Dolby (Tottenham): “Finishing fourth’s helped cement the
second place now. I was slightly catching the guys ahead and as soon as
they made a mistake I put the car in the right position and got past
them. When you qualify in the middle you have to try and come through,
which is what I need to do again race 2. It would have been a lot easier
if I’d qualified up front! We improved on the problems of yesterday. The
car’s still not quite right but we’ll hopefully get it sorted for race 2
and see what we can do.”
Adrian Valles (Liverpool): “It was a bit exciting at the end when
I overtook one car on the last lap. The gap’s now 39 points so it’s
still a good lead. I just need to concentrate and finish the race. I’m
just aiming for a good result and to take it easy.”
PETIZ AND SPORTING WIN
RACE TWO AS SEVILLE SCORES WEEKEND WIN
 Sporting
Lisbon’s Pedro Petiz took his and the club’s first Superleague Formula
by Sonangol victory at Monza today after a mature, untroubled drive from
start to finish. Seville’s Sebastien Bourdais meanwhile came through to
third after starting last to grab the Weekend Winner award.
Craig Dolby added a hard fought second position to race 1’s fifth place
to finish the weekend third overall with Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri
second thanks to his runners-up spot in the opener and fourth in race
two.
Just as in the opening race, the sprint down to the first corner saw
three cars go side-by-side with AC Milan popping out from behind the
front row starting Flamengo car of Jonathan Kennard. Sporting had just
enough room to hold the lead into the chicane as the Englishman
attempted to make amends by going around the outside of Pantano.
Although ahead, he just clipped the Italian and span, partially blocking
the track and forcing the rest of the field on to the grass, resulting a
delay that allowed Petiz to end lap one nearly two seconds clear.
The action remained frenetic for those behind with PSV Eindhoven’s Carlo
Van Dam relieving Pantano of second on lap two before Olympiacos and
Anderlecht collided at the first chicane, sending both momentarily into
the gravel. The accident triggered a chain reaction behind with race 1
podium finisher Julien Jousse receiving a right-rear puncture that was
to end his and AS Roma’s race.
Sporting pitted at the end of lap eight with a healthy advantage over
PSV who opted to stay out. FC Basel, who had now passed Pantano for
third, followed the Portuguese in but was delayed badly when attempting
to leave his box after Milan over-shot his marks and sat stranded in the
pits. The incident backed up those who were also pitting, handing a
significant advantage to the drivers who had opted to stay out.
With everyone having completed their stops by lap 12, Petiz regained his
advantage to the tune of over six seconds from Van Dam who was shuffled
down to third on his first lap out of the pits by Corinthians’ Antonio
Pizzonia. Tottenham’s Craig Dolby, up from 14th on the reverse grid,
soon followed suit with a recovering Max Wissel doing likewise on lap
15.
But FC Basel’s title challenge came to an end the very next lap when
Wissel slowed along the pit straight. Behind, Seville’s Sebastien
Bourdais, who’d started dead last after winning race one, slipstreamed
PSV into the first corner and set off after Corinthians who a charging
Dolby had passed a lap earlier.
With league-leaders Liverpool up to fifth, the Englishman needed all the
points he could muster if he was to reduce his deficit at the top of the
standings. Try as he might though there was simply no catching Petiz who
reeled off the last ten minutes with consummate ease to claim victory by
6.051 seconds.
Dolby came home second with Bourdais completing an excellent weekend for
Seville in third. Race 1 runner-up Guerrieri was fourth after an
opportunist move on Liverpool, who finished fifth, while battling with
the slowing Corinthians.
FC Porto’s retirement in the closing stages handed Anderlecht their
second sixth place of the day, ahead of Galatasaray’s Ho-Pin Tung, PSV,
Corinthians and Atletico Madrid’s Maria de Villota.
The result sees Tottenham close to within 49 points of Liverpool ahead
of the season finale in Jarama, Spain next month in what has effectively
become a two-horse race for the title. Wissel’s disappointing weekend
sees FC Basel replaced in third overall by Olympiacos while Milan lost
out badly at home, tumbling from fourth to eighth.
Weekend Winner driver quotes:
 Sebastien
Bourdais, Seville: “For sure the second race was going to be more
difficult to win. If someone had told me we would have finished third
after starting dead last, I would have said you are kidding! We just
took it easy to start with as I thought there would be a few tangles and
kept my push-to-passes. I thought I had a puncture on a couple of
occasions because my team mate actually ran in to the back of me when
the other guys short-cutted the chicane. Overall I am very happy. The
car was pretty solid and the team did a good job. We made no mistakes
and that’s what won us the event.”
Esteban Guerrieri, Olympiacos: “Race 2 was a good race but it was
a bit of a mess because there were a lot of incidents on the track and
in the pit lane, with many cars stopping at the same time. I got stuck
behind Olympique Lyonnais, which was stopping in front of me, and I lost
a bit of time. Before that I made contact in the first chicane with
another car and lost some time going into the gravel, so it was a bit of
a mixed race with a lot things happening. But overall I had good pace,
the car was really nice to drive and I pushed every lap at 100% trying
to get the maximum out of the tyres. With all the incidents, fourth was
the best we could have done.”
Craig Dolby, Tottenham: “The first few laps were unbelievable and
very aggressive, as I knew I had to be. I needed to catch Max in the
championship which meant finishing ahead. We caught up and passed before
his problem so I did what I’d set out to do. After the issues in
qualifying, I thought it would be difficult, but we never gave up. We
came fifth in the first race with an engine problem which we fixed and
came through from the back of the grid, passing all the people who had
problems in the pit stops before they got there. I showed a few people
that I am not going to back down and if my car is on the inside I will
stay on the inside. A few people tried to push me on to the grass but I
went wheel-to-wheel with them. For Jarama, the championship is still
wide open so I will definitely be giving it large!”
SEVILLE AND BOURDAIS NET
OPENING MONZA RACE
 Sebastien
Bourdais picked up from where he had left off in Estoril by winning the
first Superleague Formula by Sonangol race at Monza today after a
commanding performance for Spanish side Seville.
The Frenchman backed up his Shootout win on debut last month by beating
fellow Portugal winner Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerrieri down to the first
corner before reeling off the 39 minute +1 lap race in relative ease.
Series debutant Julien Jousse completed the podium for AS Roma while
Liverpool came through from eighth to fourth to increase their lead at
the top of the standings from Tottenham, who finished fifth. Fellow
title-protagonists FC Basel could only manage ninth.
The start proved typically chaotic as the field ploughed into the
braking zone for the first chicane. Both Bourdais and Wissel reacted
quickly at the lights and were three abreast with Guerrieri into the
corner. And it was the Frenchman who emerged ahead at the other side
with Olympiacos surviving to slot into second. Behind, home side AC
Milan were shuffled back with Giorgio Pantano slipping from fourth to
ninth by the end of lap one.
The top two then began to stretch their legs, Bourdais maintaining an
advantage of just under a second from Guerrieri as Wissel dropped back.
Soon, a queue of cars had formed behind the German with Monza’s long
straights offering plenty of slipstreaming opportunities.
The action was frenetic as Wissel first lost out to Jousse, then
Galatasaray’s Ho Pin Tung, before falling into the clutches of
championship rivals Tottenham and Liverpool, who had both made ground at
the start. By the beginning of lap five the trio were right together
with Adrian Valles deploying his push-to-pass system to first dispatch
Tottenham’s Dolby and then Basel around the outside of the first
chicane. Spurs soon followed suit before Wissel was also overhauled by
Corinthians’ Antonio Pizzonia.
There was just time for Liverpool to nip past Galatasaray before the pit
stops at the end of lap eight when Seville led in Roma, Liverpool,
Tottenham, Milan and Anderlecht. Olympiacos pitted the following lap and
although Guerrieri was unable emerge ahead of Bourdais, the gap was down
to just half a second. Tottenham meanwhile picked up a place thanks to
smart pit work from his mechanics to jump Tung while Milan’s dismal
start continued when Pantano endured a lengthy delay.
By lap 13 the leaders were right together as they closed on Atletico
Madrid who had inherited the lead by delaying its pit stop. Any
opportunity appeared to be over for Guerrieri when Bourdais swept around
the outside at Parabolica but the Argentine wasn’t finished, picking up
Maria de Villota’s slipstream to scythe past along the pit straight
before challenging Bourdais down the inside into the chicane. The
Frenchman blocked though, slowing his pursuer and allowing Madrid to
re-pass. It would be another half a lap before the Argentine could
re-take the position, by which time Bourdais had stolen a march.
Back in the pack, Basel had fallen further behind, running as low as
11th before re-passing Rangers’ John Martin after an entertaining battle
with the Australian. Ahead, Dolby’s mirrors were full of a charging
Corinthians which had allowed Liverpool to eke out a three second
cushion. And with less than five minutes remaining Pizzonia was ahead,
the Brazilian immediately setting the fastest lap of the race once in
clean air.
His work would go unrewarded however when a fuel surge problem three
laps from home condemned him to tenth, still one place ahead of where
he’d started.
At the front, Guerrieri’s delay had gifted Seville a two second
advantage. Despite the Argentine’s best efforts, he was unable to make
up the lost time, taking the chequered flag 0.375 seconds behind
race-winner Bourdais.
Julien Jousse offered the Italian fans something to shout about after an
excellent run to third on his Superleague debut for AS Roma with
league-leaders Liverpool extending their advantage at the top of the
standings with fourth. Their closest rivals Tottenham slipped 62 points
behind thanks to Dolby’s run to fifth from ninth while Yelmer Buurman
put in another solid display for Anderlecht to come home sixth. Tristan
Gommendy and FC Porto were seventh ahead of Galatasaray, FC Basal and
Corinthians.
Driver quotes:
Sebastien Bourdais, Seville: “It was a good race. The start was in
my favour because for some reason the pole is on the left. That sounds
like a big issue for the pole-sitter but I was very happy about it! We
were side by side at the start but I was on the inside so I made it
stick. I think that Wissel was all over me when we got to where the
track narrows and I think there was a bit of mayhem behind us as we
pulled away. It was good, I was pretty happy with the car although we
had a bit too much understeer. Then, on the second to last lap, I made a
bit of a mistake at Ascari trying to extend the gap. He closed up and
since I had used my push-to-pass he had the advantage.”
Esteban Guerrieri, Olympiacos: “I actually started second when you
consider that I was on the outside, which was a disadvantage I would say
because pole position at a rolling start should be on the inside. The
race was fun. I had a good car and pushed a lot after the pit stop to
catch Sebastien. I got him but then got blocked by another car. That
allowed him to pull away so I pushed again to try and catch up. We have
a strategy with the engineers concerning the push-to-pass but it didn’t
work as expected. We got close at the finish but had to settle for
second.”
Julien Jousse, AS Roma: “It was a great race and I am happy for
myself, the team and AS Roma. It’s the first time I’ve driven the car.
The beginning of the race was really hard because I did not understand
how the push-to-pass button worked during the first three laps, so I had
to learn! Then I found a good rhythm. We made a small mistake in the pit
stop because the Rangers mechanics were in the way but my team did a
great job and after I just controlled the gap back to Liverpool. I’m
looking forward to the second race from the back. It will be more
difficult but the car is competitive so I think we can get more points
for the team.”
BOURDAIS SHOWS HIS CLASS
TO NET €100,000 SUPER FINAL PRIZE FOR SEVILLA
 Sebastien
Bourdais netted Spanish club Sevilla a €100,000 prize by sensationally
winning the Superleague Formula by Sonangol ‘Super Final’ on his
championship debut at Estoril.
The Frenchman, who recently lost his place on the Formula One grid,
bounced back in the best possible fashion by producing a stunning drive,
taking second in race 2 to qualify for the weekend-ending six-car
sprint, before going on to win.
Starting from fourth in the five-lap Super Final, he dived past
Anderlecht into turn 1 to take third and was into second when
Corinthians driver Antonio Pizzonia slid wide and out of the lead in
turn 4.
With just Liverpool standing beaten him and a memorable debut victory,
Bourdais sliced up the inside of Adrian Valles’ car before the end of
the lap and never looked like losing his lead from thereon.
Olympiacos’ Esteban Guerreri, who earlier took a superb win in race 1,
followed Bourdais past Liverpool for second, having started from fifth,
with Valles holding off Anderlecht driver Yelmer Buurman for the final
podium spot.
Spaniard Valles may have missed the top prize in the Super Final, but he
boosted Liverpool’s championship hopes massively during the weekend with
a strong points haul from the two main 45 minute races. He extended the
English club’s lead at the top of the Superleague Formula by Sonangol
League Table to 58 points as both his major rivals hit trouble.
FC Basel, whose young driver Max Wissel starred in the last round at
Donington, were lying in second going into the weekend but didn’t even
start the first race due to gearbox problems before finishing 11th in a
troubled race 2. Tottenham Hotspur’s Craig Dolby, third heading to
Portugal, managed a solid eighth in race 1, but retired on the first lap
of the second race. Although Spurs moved to second in the table, the
London-based club has lost significant ground in the title race to their
FA Premier League rivals.
 Earlier,
the 45 minute-long race 2 saw a popular ‘home win’, despite Estoril very
much being Sporting Lisbon territory, for FC Porto whose fans celebrated
Alvaro Parente’s victory, the Portuguese club’s second triumph in as
many weekends after Tristan Gommendy took the race 2 honours at
Donington.
From the front row of the grid following his race 1 retirement, lifelong
Porto fan Parente beat pole sitter Galatasaray off the line but was
still in second at the first corner as Flamengo’s Enrique Bernoldi made
a stunning start from row 3 to lead.
Sevilla’s debutant Bourdais was also a fast starter as he went from
seventh to third on the opening lap ahead of AS Roma’s Franck Perera who
made similar gains going from 12th to fourth!
Bernoldi was three seconds clear at the pit stop, but Flamengo’s
decision to bring its car in after all their rivals didn’t pay off as he
lost his lead to Parente.
Bourdais then demoted Flamengo to third and began the pursuit of the
Porto car five seconds up the road. The Frenchman showed stunning speed
as he closed the gap to under a second, but Parente responded in the
last five minutes to ensure victory for the reigning Portuguese League
champions.
Bourdais was second for Sevilla, with Bernoldi holding onto third for
Flamengo. Yelmer Buurman produced a star performance to finish fourth
for Anderlecht, despite being forced off the track at turn 2 at the
start. He stormed back through the field, passing AC Milan and
Corinthians in the final stages to just miss out on a podium.
Antonio Pizzonia was fifth for Corinthians after charging through from
16th on the grid whilst Giorgio Pantano was sixth for Milan. Ho-Pin Tung,
who started from pole on the fully reversed grid, was seventh for
Galatasaray, holding off John Martin for Rangers and the table-topping
Liverpool car of Valles who settled for strong points after main
challengers Tottenham and FC Basel suffered problems. PSV Eindhoven’s
series debutant Carlo Van Dam completed the top ten.
Perera’s fine drive in the AS Roma machine didn’t earn its due rewards
as a problem at his pit stop put him out of fourth place and left him
outside the top ten at the chequered flag. Race 1 winner Olympiacos,
starting from the back of reversed grid, suffered some contact on the
opening lap which forced Esteban Guerrieri to pit for a new nose. He
rejoined two laps down and showed prodigious pace on his way to 14th.
Super Final Race Quotes
Sevilla FC: Sebastien Bourdais (FRA)
“This feels pretty good! It’s nice to be back on the top step of the
podium again. This has been a rollercoaster weekend with lots of ups and
downs. We started slowly but picked up the pace all the way through and
now it has finished with a massive high. I’ve never even attempted a
standing start in this car before, but it went pretty well in the Super
Final. I was using a new set of tyres that allowed me to push and I was
able to get through to win. This championship is pretty tough. There are
lots of very good drivers all using the same machinery which makes it a
real challenge. But if I can continue to learn the car and repeat what
we achieved here in the next two rounds, then I am definitely up for
it!”
Olympiacos: Esteban Guerrieri (ARG)
“I’m really proud for the team who has done a very good job all
weekend long. The car has been consistently fast which we showed by
winning race 1. In the Super Final I tried to push Sebastien as hard as
I could to force him into a mistake, but he drove really well. I’m happy
for all Olympiacos fans and now I’m hoping to stay with the team for the
final two rounds of the season.”
Liverpool: Adrian Valles (ESP)
“Our aim before the start of this weekend was to create a big gap to
our rivals in the championship race and we have done that. We’re
extremely competitive and more wins are possible for the rest of the
season and we need to keep pushing to increase our advantage ahead of
the final round at Jarama. We can’t relax because everyone is really
quick and teams like Corinthians have shown real pace this weekend which
can make them a threat.”
OLYMPIACOS TRIUMPH AFTER LATE COMEBACK VICTORY
 Olympiacos
scored a superb first-ever Superleague Formula by Sonangol victory after
a stunning second half fight back saw the Greek giants grab a win from
Liverpool with just three minutes remaining in race 1 at Estoril.
New signing Esteban Guerrieri, a summer transfer from Spanish club
Sevilla, made a scintillating debut for his new club but still had to
win the hard way. Leading at the first corner from second on the grid,
the Argentinian driver was in control of the race early on but dropped
to third during the compulsory pit stops. A late charge, aided by some
slower traffic, saw him recover the win with clean passing moves on
Corinthians and Liverpool in the dying stages.
Liverpool and their driver Adrian Valles will not be too disappointed
with second place however, as the British club extended its lead at the
top of the Superleague Formula by Sonangol League Table to a healthy 43
points as main title rival FC Basel failed to even make the grid due to
gearbox problems.
A messy start to the race combined to give Guerrieri a comfortable lead
by the first corner. Pole sitter Antonio Pizzonia in the Corinthians car
slowed dramatically just before the cars crossed the start/finish line
on the rolling grid which allowed Olympiacos to streak into the lead.
Pizzonia’s poor getaway also caused problems for third placed Liverpool,
Valles ramming the back of the Cornithians machine, although both
drivers escaped relatively unharmed to slot into second and third.
The front three pulled away from the rest of the pack in the opening
stages, Guerrieri, Pizzonia and Valles all posting similar lap times in
the 1 minute 30 second range as the rest of the field failed to break
the 1 minute 31 second barrier.
The pit stops began on lap 9 with leaders Olympiacos and third placed
Liverpool both diving in. Despite Liverpool trailing the Greek club by
two seconds prior to the stop, a stunning job by the British club’s
mechanics saw Valles vault into the lead. Worse was to follow for
Olympiacos on the next lap as Corinthians made its stop, Pizzonia also
emerging ahead of Guerrieri, but behind new leader Valles.
The gaps between the top three remained fairly stable until the last
third of the race when the late-stopping Atletico Madrid car of
Superleague Formula by Sonangol’s first female driver Maria de Villota,
emerged from the pits right in front of the leaders.
As Liverpool tried to lap the Spanish club, Valles was frustrated at
being unable to find a gap, his lead disappearing all the time as
Corinthians closed in. After Liverpool eventually squeezed through, it
was the Brazilian club’s turn to be stuck behind the tail ender,
Pizzonia struggling to get by as Olympiacos closed in behind.
Both clubs eventually made it past but now Guerrieri was right with
Pizzonia. Argentina soon got revenge on Brazil for last night’s World
Cup Qualifying defeat, as Guerrieri got the better of the former Grand
Prix driver after a dice which saw the pair go side-by-side through turn
6 and swap places twice on the run through turn 7 before the move was
finally made decisive in the turn 8 right hander.
Guerrieri, who admitted he had been looking after his tyres throughout
this period, now began the hunt of Valles and quickly caught the
Liverpool man with just five minutes remaining. After stalking his prey
for a couple of laps, Guerrieri made his move, diving inside into turn 3
after Valles had run slightly wide on the exit of the previous corner.
From there the win was a formality as Olympiacos celebrated a first ever
Superleague Formula by Sonangol victory from Liverpool in second and
Corinthians third.
Best of the rest was Belgian club Anderlecht, for whom Yelmer Buurman
has been a star performer all weekend. After holding his fifth place off
the line, Buurman used the pit window to good effect, tying the time for
fastest lap on his first tour on new tyres to jump Rangers and take
fourth.
Australian John Martin, who won the Super Final in the last round at
Donington Park, guided Rangers to fifth ahead of Italian giants AC Milan
and AS Roma in sixth and seventh. Tottenham Hotspur moved to second in
the League Table as Craig Dolby avoided the midfield maladies which
often come with starting from 13th, to claim eighth, with home outfit
Sporting Lisbon and Dutch side PSV Eindhoven completing the top ten.
Sporting’s Pedro Petiz did a strong job in the early stages, charging
from 12th to eighth in the first few laps, but he lost several spots at
the pit stop and couldn’t recover.
FC Porto were hoping to cause an upset in Sporting’s back yard,
especially after Alvaro Parente starred in qualifying during his first
Superleague Formula by Sonangol race meeting of the season. He too
started strongly, much to the delight of the watching club President
Jose Nuno Pinto da Costa and former star goalkeeper Vitor Baia, but just
after his pit stop he ended his race in the barriers after spinning in
avoidance of the sliding Atletico car.
The cruelest tale of woe from the opening race was reserved for FC Basel
and German driver Wissel. A gearbox problem prior to the race, which the
team was due to start from fourth on the grid, meant the star of the
Donington weekend was forced to sit out the race, severely denting his
title bid.
Race Quotes
 Olympiacos:
Esteban Guerrieri (ARG)
“We got a good start and pulled away. Then when I came into the pit
lane the cars around us were very close and I couldn’t stop straight. So
when I came out I’d lost time. I pushed but not at 100%. I think the
other two went a bit harder and wore out their tyres whereas I still had
some life left in mine. It will be tough to come through from the back
in race two but I’ll try to avoid incidents and get to the front.
Liverpool: Adrian Valles (ESP)
“We had a bit of trouble with the brakes at the end. But I think we’ll
be able to have a good second race. The important thing will be to build
a bigger gap in the championship before we get to Monza. At the start
Antonio was on full power and then on the brakes so I crashed into the
back of him. We didn’t damage the car so second place was a good result
and important for the championship.”
Corinthians: Antonio Pizzonia (BRA)
“The race director said he would only start when the grid was packed
which didn’t happen. There were lines of three cars maybe and Guerrieri
was maybe four car lengths ahead of me when the lights went green so it
was ridiculous. I was trying to hold everyone up and make sure they were
all in line. I was looking in my mirrors and they were everywhere.
My diffuser was destroyed although I don’t think we had a car quick
enough to win race one anyway. Starting from the back in the second race
will be difficult but we’ll see. The target is to make the Superfinal
and try to get points.”
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