Stenshorne wins under investigation in Abu Dhabi to grow FRME lead

Photo: FRME

Martinius Stenshorne has provisionally grown his Formula Regional Middle East points lead by winning race three on Yas Marina Circuit’s Corkscrew layout.

PHM Racing’s Taylor Barnard made a strong start from pole, while Mumbai Falcons’ Ugo Ugochukwu suffered wheelspin alongside him on the front row and the R-ace GP pair of Stenshorne and Tuukka Taponen streaked past.

But Taponen went off at the exit of the opening corner and dropped back behind Ugochukwu, leaving him then having to defend from Pinnacle Motorsport’s Mari Boya.

The race was then neutralised when PHM’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Mumbai Falcons’ Rafael Camara made contact at turn 15, with both retiring and needing their cars to be moved away. Joining them in retirement at the end of lap one was Sainteloc Racing’s Pedro Clerot.

Racing did not resume until lap four, and Barnard left it late to bring the back back up to racing speed. It worked well as he was without pressure into the opening corner, but by the end of the lap Stenshorne was applying pressure and starting lap five he tried to go around the outside of Barnard.

They ran side-by-side until Stenshorne ran off-track exiting the opening corner, and he tucked back in behind. Two laps later Stenshorne had another go as Barnard went slightly wide, and although he could not get alongside immediately he was able to in the ‘hotel’ section of the lap as he came from briefly being off-track to squeeze his way past at turn 13. The overtake was put under investigation a few laps later.

Stenshorne was 1.2 seconds clear by lap nine, with very little battling happening further down the top 10. Mumbai Falcons’ James Wharton tried attacking Sainteloc’s Theophile Nael into the first corner of lap eight after almost hitting him at the end of lap seven, but after making his attempt at an overtake then sat behind and did not pressure again.

On lap 10 there were some position changes as R-ace’s Zachary David tried diving down the inside of MP Motorsport’s Valerio Rinicella at turn 13. Rinicella ran off-track to avoid being hit, and that enabled PHM’s Brando Badoer and R-ace’s Jesse Carrasquedo to join their battle as they reached turn one.

Carrasquedo managed to get an overtake done, then Rinicella trie to gain a place and it led to several of them going off. The same occurred at the final chicane, and the lap ended with David in 10th ahead of Carrasquedo, Badoer, Rinicella and MP’s Bruno del Pino.

Rinicella and del Pino continued to do battle, while up front Stenshorne set fastest lap after fastest lap now he knew his move for the lead was being investigated. He finished the 16-lap race with a winning margin of 4.14s, with the top six within 10s of him.

Race result (16 laps)