MP Motorsport’s Mari Boya wins Eurocup-3 race two at Spa

Photo: Eurocup-3

Mari Boya won Eurocup-3’s second race at Spa-Francorchamps ahead of Campos Racing’s Francesco Braschi and Palou Motorsport’s Javier Sagrera.

MP Motorsport driver Boya lost the lead on lap one to Sagrera, but stayed close in second to reclaim it later in the race and take a comfortable win.

Boya had led from pole into turn one with Sagrera immediately moving up to second place. Behind them, Drivex School’s Pierre-Louis Chovet found himself in third having taken the outside line after a brilliant getaway from seventh on the grid.

However, the Frenchman ran wide at the exit of the corner and dropped back to fifth, just behind Braschi and team-mate Nick Gilkes.

The slipstream allowed Sagrera get alongside Boya down the Kemmel Straight and he took the lead as they approached Les Combes.

The safety car was out 10 minutes into the race as contact between Campos’s Esteban Masson and MP’s Bruno del Pino ended with the latter at the barrier of Les Combes as they battled for seventh place.

Masson, who had taken the outside line under braking, found himself without space at the second apex of the chicane and touched del Pino’s rear-left tyre. The incident will be investigated post-race.

Racing resumed with 15 minutes remaining on the clock, but with no changes in the order at the front.

Outside the top five there was a fierce battle involving Campos’s Masson and Tasanapol Inthrapuvasak, MP’s Jose Garfias and Sebastian Ogaard, and Palou’s Miron Pingasov.

As the race progressed, Chovet and Gilkes lost contact with the leading group, and had defend their top-five places from the cars behind. Chovet would eventually finish fourth, but Gilkes dropped down to ninth while Inthrapuvasak claimed fifth having started 11th on the grid.

At the front of the field, Boya reclaimed the lead from Sagrera with under seven minutes to go on the race clock. Sagrera lost one second to Boya in the following lap and had then to defend from points leader Braschi, who passed him for second place with two laps to go.

Race result (14 laps)