Brazilian Felipe Drugovich won the first race of the 2017-18 MRF Challenge season in Bahrain after heartbreak for poleman Rinus VeeKay.
The pair shared the front row, and Drugovich took the lead partway through the first lap. On the second lap VeeKay got back past, and asserted himself in the lead with several fastest laps.
However all hopes of victory disappeared when his car broke down, handing victory to Euroformula Open race-winner Drugovich.
Presley Martono, who has endured a difficult season in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup after winning the 2016-17 Formula 4 South East Asia title, finished second, with Dylan Young taking third after a rapid start.
Alex Karkosik finished fourth, but spent the early part of the race in sixth after a slow start, a hallmark of his EF Open season.
Manuel Maldonado, cousin of former Formula 1 driver Pastor, finished fifth, ahead of Julien Falchero, Robert Megennis, Nazim Azman, Pavan Ravishankar and Michelangelo Amendola, who competed in the Walter Hayes Trophy as preparation.
Race results (10 laps)
1 Felipe Drugovich
2 Presley Martono +0.649s
3 Dylan Young +4.559s
4 Alex Karkosik +7.087s
5 Manuel Maldonado +9.199s
6 Julien Falchero +11.690s
7 Robert Megennis +14.411s
8 Nazim Azman +15.502s
9 Pavan Ravishankar +16.232s
10 Michelangelo Amendola +24.211s
11 Henning Enqvist +24.305s
12 Richard Wagner +29.499s
13?Perdana Putra Minang +30.168s
14 Danial Frost +45.970s
15 Christophe Mariot +1m52.948s
Ret Rinus VeeKay
Ret Kurt Hill
Ret Harri Jones
Pole: VeeKay, 2m00.754s
Fastest Lap: Martono, 2m02.213s
Championship Standings
1 Drugovich 25? ?2 Martono 20? ?3 Young 15? ?4 Karkosik 12? ?5 Maldonado 10? ?6 Falchero 8? ?7 Megennis 6? ?8 Azman 4? ?9 Ravishankar 2? ?10 VeeKay 2