Haverkort takes victory in incident-packed FREC race two at Imola

Photo: Dutch Photo Agency

Kas Haverkort took a deserved victory for Van Amersfoort Racing in a chaotic second Formula Regional European Championship race at Imola.

Four safety car periods meant there was very little actual racing, and Haverkort took the flag from R-ace GP’s points leader Martinius Stenshorne after a last lap sprint.

The race was a disaster for reigning champion team Prema. Rafael Camara was eliminated in a first lap crash with VAR’s Joshua Dufek, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Lorenzo Fluxa were both forced into retirement by mechanical issues.

Haverkort won the race at the start, making a great start to outdrag R-ace GP’s poleman Tim Tramnitz into Tamburello.

Behind them, Camara, Dufek and Trident’s Nikhil Bohra appeared to tangle, flicking Camara sideways and into Dufek. Both retired on the spot, bringing out the safety car, and Bohra was able to continue in third.

When racing resumed on lap four, Stenshorne got a run on Bohra into Tamburello but was unable to get through. However he would not be denied, executing a clean pass under braking for Rivazza.

As Bohra lost momentum the following Fluxa was able to close up, but it was Trident’s Owen Tangavelou and G4 Racing’s Michael Belov who were able to take advantage, drafting past Fluxa on the pit straight.

The safety car was soon back out as Alessandro Giusti made an ambitious dive inside Joshua Duerksen into Tosa, with both cars ending up in the gravel.

With seven laps remaining, green flags were waved again. Haverkort had repeated his previous strategy of backing up the field into Rivazza, weaving heavily to get heat into his tyres before accelerating just before the start-finish line.

Tramnitz in second, possibly wary of allowing Haverkort to make a break by weaving too much, appeared to lack grip and was challenged by Stenshorne on the outside into Tamburello.

The two tried and failed to negotiate the corner side-by-side, with Tramnitz spearing into the barriers and retirement, with replays inconclusive on any contact.

After the ensuing safety car, the field managed to get through Tamburello unscathed, although Race Performance Motorsport’s Santiago Ramos skated through the gravel, while further back team-mate Maceo Capietto did the same as he looked for a way past Marcus Amand.

It proved, however, too good to last. Belov tried to pass Tangavelou on the outside into Tamburello, with the two making contact as they disappeared off the track.

Tangavelou did extremely well to keep his car out of the barriers and was able to rejoin in 15th. Belov was another retiree, one of nine in total, pulling off at Villeneuve with damage sustained in the incident.

The safety car made its fourth and final intervention, pulling in with just one lap remaining. Laurens van Hoepen still had enough time to make an excursion through the gravel but could continue.

Haverkort was untroubled out front, with race one winner Stenshorne happy to collect the points for second. Bohra held off MP Motorsport’s Victor Bernier for third with R-ace’s Matias Zagazeta taking fifth ahead of Ramos.

Race results (14 laps)