Zeller and Benalli dominate an intense race weekend

Austria Formula Cup Imola

 Sprint Race: Early chaos and Benalli’s debut

The first race of the weekend got off to a turbulent start: a collision involving several drivers occurred as early as the Tamburello chicane. Marco Falci (ASD Autodromos – Nannini Racing) misjudged his braking and took out, amongst others, defending champion Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) and Stig Larsen (Franz Wöss Racing). For all three, the race was over before it had properly begun. During the subsequent yellow-flag period, there was another incident when Norbert Groer (Team Hoffman Racing) crashed into Umberto Vaglio (Giordano Motorsport), meaning Groer also had to end his race on the first lap.

After the safety car phase, an intense battle developed at the front. Riccardo Perego (Corbetta Racing) briefly took the lead, but was eventually beaten by a strong-performing Andrea Benalli (Puresport). Benalli seized his opportunity decisively and secured victory in the sprint ahead of Riccardo Perego, Michael Fischer (Red Rose Racing by LRT), Christof Ledermann (Franz Wöss Racing) and Andre Petropoulos (Hoffman Racing), who rounded out the top five.

Feature Race: Zeller in control, tough but fair battles

Sunday presented a different picture: Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) got off to a perfect start and, together with Michael Fischer (Red Rose Racing by LRT), pulled away from the field early on. Fischer later received a 5-second penalty for a false start. Umberto Vaglio (Giordano Motorsport) was forced to retire early on the very first lap. The midfield remained extremely tightly bunched, resulting in numerous hard-fought but always fair and clean battles – exactly the kind of racing that characterises the series.

Two safety car periods added to the excitement: first following a spin by Luca Iannacone (Giordano Motorsport) in the Acque Minerali sector, and later after another incident involving Walter Steding (Team Hoffman Racing), who came to a halt on the track. Behind the leaders, a consistently intense race unfolded with numerous battles for position. Andrea Benalli (Puresport) remained within striking distance of the front runners throughout, confirming his strong form. Across the entire field, the battle for positions was hard-fought but fair, ensuring a consistently active and exciting race.

Imola review: A race weekend with clear signals

Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) controlled the Feature Race with authority and secured victory, whilst Andrea Benalli (Puresport) was among the big winners thanks to his consistency and strong performances throughout the weekend. Michael Fischer (Red Rose Racing by LRT) also put in a strong performance; the 5-second time penalty for a jump start only cost him a position because race control mistakenly waved the chequered flag at the wrong moment, meaning the lap before was counted as the finish. The weekend at Imola once again highlighted the extremely close competition in the Austria Formula Cup field. Two very different races, plenty of close battles, several safety car periods and fair, high-level duels made for an all-round successful motorsport event.

The championship standings after the second round of the season present a highly exciting picture: Sandro Zeller (Jo Zeller Racing) takes a narrow lead with 75 points, ahead of Andrea Benalli (Puresport) on 74 points. Behind them, Michael Fischer (Red Rose Racing by LRT) follows with 42 points, already somewhat adrift but still clearly within striking distance. Marco Falci (ASD Autodromos – Nannini Racing) is in fourth place with 27 points, just ahead of Stig Larsen (Franz Wöss Racing) on 26 points and Riccardo Perego (Corbetta Racing) on 25 points, who lead the tightly packed midfield. Christof Ledermann (Franz Wöss Racing) on 24 points and Kurt Böhlen (Jo Zeller Racing), also on 24 points, are close together and are adding further excitement to the championship.

There is great anticipation for the third race of the season in just over two weeks (15–17 May) at the Automotodrom Grobnik in Rijeka (Croatia).

Ciao a tutti from Imola.

Media Austria Formula Cup