Home Formula RegionalFRegional Asian Championship Car damage rules Bolukbasi out out of FRAC at Dubai, David tops test

Car damage rules Bolukbasi out out of FRAC at Dubai, David tops test

by Ida Wood

Photo: FRAC

Damage from a crash in the Formula Regional Asian Championship opener has ruled Evans GP’s Cem Bolukbasi out of the second round of the season at Dubai Autodrome.

Bolukbasi failed to finish all three races in round one at Yas Marina Circuit last weekend due to clashes, with his race three retirement caused by stalling on the grid and then being hit from behind by two cars.

That race was red flagged, and there was a lengthy delay before it restarted due to the debris and the state of the cars involved. Bolukbasi’s tub was transported to Dubai, but will need further work to be race-ready.

“Hello everyone, unfortunately after the crash last weekend, the car was totalled and couldn’t get ready for this weekend’s races,” he posted on Twitter. “We tried our best until last minute but unfortunately I won’t be racing in FRAC this weekend. The preparation for Formula 2 season will continue.”

FRAC will be racing at Dubai for three consecutive weekends, meaning if the car is repairable then Bolukbasi should be back on track by February 4.

The championship held a pre-event test on Friday (January 28), and Mumbai Falcons’ Dino Beganovic was fastest in the morning by edging Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema’s Jak Crawford by 0.060 seconds.

The top 14 were spread by less than a second, and 2021 FRAC runner-up Pierre-Louis Chovet was 10th fastest on his single-seater return with BlackArts Racing. He was called up as the team’s reserve driver and tyre engineer Alister Yoong didn’t have the money to take up the seat.

Beganovic’s benchmark stood for much of the afternoon, with Hitech GP’s Isack Hadjar getting close with a 1m34.663s.

Almost the whole grid went out with 12 minutes to go of running, and 3Y Technology by R-ace GP’s Hadrien David set a 1m34.403s to head Pinnacle Motorsport’s Pepe Marti’s, who posted a last-minute flyer, and Hitech’s Gabriele Mini.

Test results
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Hadrien David 3Y by R-ace GP 1m34.403s 49
2 Pepe Marti Pinnacle Motorsport 1m34.605s +0.202s 50
3 Gabriele Mini Hitech GP 1m34.617s +0.214s 57
4 Isack Hadjar Hitech GP 1m34.619s +0.216s 55
5 Dino Beganovic Mumbai Falcons 1m34.630s +0.227s 58
6 Pierre-Louis Chovet BlackArts Racing 1m34.667s +0.264s 57
7 Jak Crawford Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 1m34.690s +0.287s 57
8 Gabriel Bortoleto 3Y by R-ace GP 1m34.693s +0.290s 48
9 Dilano van’t Hoff Pinnacle Motorsport 1m34.816s +0.413s 53
10 Lorenzo Fluxa 3Y by R-ace GP 1m34.881s +0.478s 46
11 Arthur Leclerc Mumbai Falcons 1m34.903s +0.500s 55
12 Sebastian Montoya Mumbai Falcons 1m34.924s +0.521s 55
13 Leonardo Fornaroli Hitech GP 1m35.007s +0.604s 54
14 Paul Aron Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 1m35.093s +0.690s 55
15 Nicola Marinangeli Evans GP 1m35.251s +0.848s 54
16 Oliver Goethe 3Y by R-ace GP 1m35.579s +1.176s 48
17 Joshua Dufek Hitech GP 1m35.617s +1.214s 52
18 Frederick Lubin Evans GP 1m35.658s +1.255s 57
19 Hamda Al Qubaisi Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 1m35.729s +1.326s 56
20 Levente Revesz Evans GP Academy 1m36.040s +1.637s 54
21 Amna Al Qubaisi Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 1m36.217s +1.814s 25
22 Ayato Iwasaki Pinnacle Motorsport 1m36.582s +2.179s 61
23 David Morales Evans GP Academy 1m36.595s +2.192s 57
24 Khaled Al Qubaisi Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 1m36.825s +2.422s 25
25 Salih Yoluc Pinnacle Motorsport 1m37.270s +2.867s 55
26 Thomas Luedi BlackArts Racing 1m37.611s +3.208s 53