BRUNO SPENGLER THIRD IN DTM RACE, OTHER RESULTS
Canadian race driver Robert Wickens, who spent last weekend at the Grand Prix of Canada serving as reserve driver for the Marussia Virgin Formula One team, continued to build up his already impressive portfolio by scoring two poles, one victory and one second place in Round 8 of the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season at Germany’s Nurburgring.
Wickens, 22, of Guelph and Toronto, dominated both practice sessions Friday and won poles for the races held both Saturday and Sunday.
After winning the pole for Sunday's race in wet conditions, Wickens had a good start and built a solid lead.
But a safety car period in the middle of the mandatory pit-window blew out the team’s strategy of a late-stop with time in hand. With his advantage eradicated and some rivals having already pitted, Wickens gave up the lead when he went to the pits.
Back on-track and charging in third with a fresh set of tires, he passed Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy on the penultimate lap to take second but ran out of time to catch leader and ultimately race winner Kevin Korjus.
“Overall it’s been a fantastic weekend,” stated Wickens. “We were close to achieving the complete sweep which would have been remarkable but unfortunately that safety car period in today’s race ended our shot at another win. It’s a bit ironic that I’m left a little disappointed because of that, not least considering the weekend was so strong, but I really am happy with our overall achievements. Carlin gave me a great car here in Germany and we’re back in the points lead!”
Round 6 of the World Series by Renault heads to the Hungaroring Circuit in Hungary on July 2 and 3. As a reward for holding the lead at the halfway point of the season, Wickens will drive an F1 Renault car in a special demonstration that weekend.
On Saturday, a heavy shower just minutes before the first race got under way created treacherous conditions and the Canadian star, who’s expected to be driving in F1 in 2012 if not sooner, traded the lead back and forth with another F1 reserve driver, Daniel Ricciardo, but managed to hold onto it when it counted most – the last lap.
IN OTHER RACING:
– Martin Tomczyk won the fourth round of the 2011 German Touring Car Championship Sunday at the Lausitzring driving an Audi A4. Tomczyk’s teammate, Timo Scheider, the 2008 and 2009 DTM champion, was second.
Canadian Bruno Spengler finished third in his Mercedes-Benz, having started from pole.
Said Spenger: Of course, I would rather have won, but one can never be really disappointed after a podium finish. In motorsport, you have days that aren’t easy. Martin and Timo have done a great job."
Spengler, of Saint-Hippolite, Que., is now second in the DTM standings, one point behind Tomczyk.
Other DTM notables: Ralf Schumacher finished 12th – and was not happy. Neither was David Coulthard, who was 13th.
– David Ostella of Maple finished seventh in Sunday’s Firestone Indy Lights race at Milwaukee. He also led a lap. In the U.S. F2000 National Championship powered by Mazda, also at Milwaukee, Matthew DiLeo of Innisfil finished eighth
– Craig Dollansky of Elk River, Minn., swept the World of Outlaws Sprint Car doubleheader at River Cities Speedway in North Dakota at the weekend. Why should we care? The Outlaws will be racing at Ohsweken Speedway on the Six Nations Reserve on July 25th and if you’ve never seen those guy go at it, you haven’t lived.
– Speaking of Ohsweken, Bryan Howland of Auburn, N.Y., won the Corr-Pak Merchandising Sprint Car feature there last Friday night. It was a warmup for next Friday’s Northern Summer Nationals, which always attracts a top field of sprinters from both sides of the border.
Go Wickens Go!!!
Posted by: nurburgringexplorer | 10/09/2011 at 05:10 AM