Formula Two news
Champion Soucek powers to victory
20 September 2009 / Results / PhotosAndy Soucek came off the back of his championship win yesterday to clinch the second Italian race victory of the weekend at Imola. The winner led home closest rival Robert Wickens by just under two and a half seconds as Milos Pavlovic came home third.
Spaniard Soucek, who clinched the championship yesterday, continued his impressive streak in Formula Two as he looks forward to a test with the AT&T Williams F1 team at the end of the season.
The race got off to a frenetic start - Soucek burst between the Red Bull duo of Wickens and Bortolotti, Mikhail Aleshin made his way up to fourth place. The Russian then passed Wickens on the outside at the Traguardo chicane, but Aleshin pushed too hard at the next corner and spun on the exit of Tamburello. His car was stranded on the circuit as the whole F2 field powered through - unfortunately, Jens Hoing was unsighted and the German ploughed into Aleshin at high speed.
The Safety Car was instantly deployed but Pietro Gandolfi somehow did not see the boards and he run into the slowing Natacha Gachnang ahead. The young Swiss female racer was furious with Gandolfi as she remonstrated with him after the accident. Both cars were out on the spot and this further prolonged the safety car period.
At the restart, Wickens got the jump on Bortolotti soon after the start/finish line, but the Italian had a problem. With smoke and oil coming from his car, Bortolotti pulled off but not before the slippery surface had caught out several drivers behind. Alex Brundle was having a great run but the young Englishman was the first to hit the oil and it fired him off into the barrier. Julien Jousse and Jack Clarke followed, although Clarke was able to rejoin.
Marshalls were able to put sand down on the oil while the race continued and race leader Soucek was the first to throw up plumes of white dust into the cars behind. Wickens car was covered, which seemed to startle the Canadian momentarily. The leading pair traded fastest laps towards the end of the race but they both maintained position as Soucek saw off Wickens until the finish.
Milos Pavlovic took a lonely yet well deserved third place. The Serbian has been struck by bad luck throughout much of 2009 so it was fitting that he made his first visit to the podium since Spa-Francorchamps in June.
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