Tuukka Taponen controls race three to extend FRME points lead

Photo: FRMEC

Tuukka Taponen went unchallenged despite two safety car restarts to win Formula Regional Middle East’s third race of the weekend at Yas Marina Circuit.

The R-ace GP driver claimed his third win, extending his championship lead over Taylor Barnard to 46 points. Mumbai Falcons’ James Wharton and R-ace team-mate Zachary David joined Taponen on the podium.

When the lights went out at the start, poleman Taponen immediately covered the inside to hold off Wharton. Meanwhile, PHM Racing’s Barnard lost fourth place to Mumbai Falcons’ Ugo Ugochukwu. The Briton then lost another position when Pinnacle Motorsport’s Mari Boya dived down his inside at turn five.

Boya chased down Ugochukwu, and overtook him by taking the outside line as the pair headed into turn nine on lap four. The safety car then appeared after Sainteloc Racing’s Enzo Peugeot, who had started from the pitlane, stopped in the run-off of turn nine.

The track went green one lap later, and Ugochukwu managed to lose his front wing before the restart by running wide at turn nine. He tried to bring his car back to the pits, but tangled with Pinnacle’s Giovanni Maschio at turn 14, which resulted in both drivers retiring and the race being neutralised again.

Boya attempted a move on David for third place around the outside of turn nine at the restart, but couldn’t make it. After that, David soon opened a gap to stay safe from the attacks of Boya, but also lost contact with Wharton ahead of him.

Further down the order, Evans GP’s Costa Toparis battled PHM’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak for eighth place. The Thai successfully fended him off.

MP Motorsport’s Bruno del Pino took the chequered flag in 10th place after a race-long fight with team-mate Nikhil Bohra and Sainteloc’s Theophile Nael. Bohra and Nael made contact at turn 12 on the last lap, with the latter spinning and dropping outside the top 20.

Race result (15 laps)