Formula BMW Rounds 1 & 2

Autotecnica has a record-breaking weekend at Laguna Seca with Rookie and BMW Junior driver Gianmarco Raimondo

Gianmarco Raimondo at Laguna Seca
Photo: A.M. Raimondo

With his double race victory in the first two rounds of the 2008 Formula BMW Americas championship, BMW Junior driver and Rookie Gianmarco Raimondo (CAN, 17) has established a new worldwide record for Formula BMW in which a Rookie driver has captured back to back opening race wins.

This achievement adds to Team Autotecnica's list of winning results at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where in a total of six Formula BMW races conducted at the world-renowned circuit since 2004, Team Autotecnica drivers have collected four wins and three pole positions. The team now moves on to Rounds 3 and 4 to be held for the fifth year in a row in support of the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

Two young guest drivers from the Formula BMW Europe championship will join Autotecnica for this event filling its three car team to full potential. Keep up to date with race results and news at www.autotecnicagroup.com and www.formulabmwamericas.com.

Race – Round 1, Laguna Seca Raceway, May 17

BMW Junior and Rookie driver Gianmarco Raimondo (Autotecnica), 17, of St. Catherines, Quebec won the opening round of the 2008 Formula BMW Americas Championship, finishing 2.97 seconds ahead of fellow Junior driver Ricardo Favoretto (Eurointernational), 19, of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Gianmarco Raimondo
Photo: A.M. Raimondo

Raimondo led only the final five turns of the 17-lap race around the 2.38-mile Laguna Seca Raceway after a race-long battle with the more experienced Favoretto, but that was all he needed to secure the most important win of his young career. Quebecer and Rookie Mikeal Grenier (Apex-HBR Racing Team) finished third for an all BMW Junior top-three.

The race was only decided on the final lap with front row starter Favoretto inheriting the lead on lap 14 after polesitter and race leader Alexander Rossi (Eurointernational) dropped out with mechanical problems. Favoretto led the pair across the finish line on the penultimate lap as a hard charging Raimondo pushed too hard and went wide in turn four. Two turns later Favoretto slid off the track and Raimondo took the lead and the win. Apex-HBR Racing teammates Maxime Pelletier and Alexandre Ruiz finished fourth and fifth respectively. Seventh place finisher David Ostella (Eurointernational) was credited with the race’s fastest lap (1:28.790 minutes) on lap 14.

“I really didn’t know what to expect today, but I had a pretty good start and kept up with Rossi and Favoretto early,” said a very happy Raimondo. “As the race developed my tires began to come in and I began to get faster. I caught Ricardo (Favoretto), but I knew it would be very hard to get past him. The last lap was very intense and quite a surprise when he went off. Today I learned that passing is much harder than it looks so it takes a really good run or someone has to make a little mistake.”
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Race – Round 2, Laguna Seca Raceway, May 18

17-year old BMW Junior and Rookie driver Gianmarco Raimondo (Autotecnica), of St. Catherines, Ontario, won Round 2 of the 2008 Formula BMW Americas today at Laguna Seca Raceway. Raimondo finished 2.703 seconds ahead of American Alexander Rossi (Eurointernational), 16, in the 17-lap contest to become the first Rookie driver in series history to win the opening two Rounds of the series.

Gianmarco Raimondo
Photo: A.M. Raimondo

Rossi, bouncing back from the disappointment of a blown engine while leading yesterday’s Round 1 race, set a new race record of 1:27.668 minutes around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit on lap 16. Canadian Maxime Pelletier (Apex-HBR Racing Team), 17, drove a very strong race to finish on the third step of the podium after starting eighth. He made the move of the race with a daring inside pass of teammate Alexandre Ruiz to secure third on lap 11. Ruiz finished fourth and Giancarlo Vilarinho (Eurointernational) rounded out the top five. Polesitter Ricardo Favoretto (Eurointernational) was unable to back up his career-best second place finish in Round 1. He went off on the first lap of race and was unable to continue.

The key to Raimondo’s second victory was his ability to get away cleanly from his front row starting spot and lay down very quick times on cold tires on the race’s restarts following today’s two caution periods. The first yellow flag waved for Favoretto’s off on the first lap and the second caution period came on lap six following David Ostella’s (Eurointernational) off course in turn three. Ostella was able to continue following a stop in the pits, finishing ninth, three laps down to the field.

Overall and Rookie points leader Raimondo said, “I was a bit nervous during the caution periods, but I was able to get away from Alexander on the restarts and maintain the gap. My home race (the Canadian Grand Prix) is coming up next and I’m really looking forward to being a part of a Formula One weekend.”
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Source: Formula BMW Americas