By RaceScene Publisher on Monday, 27 September 2021
Category: The Checkered Flag

Belov Wins Race Two in Valencia as Saucy Edges Closer to FRECA Title

Michael Belov took his second victory of the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season in a processional race around the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, while Grégoire Saucy moved closer to securing the title with another podium finish.

G4 Racing’s Belov, who start from pole position, held onto the lead at the start having taken top spot in Qualifying on Sunday morning, and despite being shadowed for much of the race by race one winner Franco Colapinto, he went on to take the win.

Colapinto withstood a first lap attack from Saucy to maintain second, with the MP Motorsport driver able to stay with Belov up front whilst easily keeping the ART Grand Prix driver behind him.

Saucy’s third place, coupled with a sixth place for closest rival Hadrien David, puts the Swiss racer seventy-eight points clear at the top of the championship standings with only one hundred points left on the table.  He only requires twenty-two points across the final four races to clinch the title.

Isack Hadjar took fourth for R-ace GP, while a fast start from seventh gave Saturday podium finisher David Vidales fifth for Prema Powerteam, ahead of David and his R-ace GP team-mate Zane Maloney. 

Like on Saturday, Maloney made excellent gains from his grid spot to run eighth, and he was responsible for one of the few on-track moves inside the top ten after that as he passed FA Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto for seventh. 

Bortoleto lost momentum and ultimately also lost out to Van Amersfoort Racing’s Mari Boya and ultimately finished down in ninth, while the final point went the way of ART Grand Prix’s Gabriele Mini. After the race, stewards gave Maloney a one-place penalty for going off track and gaining an advantage, which dropped him behind Boya into eighth.

Prema’s Dino Beganovic failed to finish after a technical issue initially saw him slow and hit the pits, and although the team got him back on track again, he pulled out a few laps later to retire.

With under ten minutes to go, the safety car was needed after a collision between MP Motorsport’s Dilano van’t Hoff and Monolite Racing’s José Garfias, but even after the track was cleared and racing resumed, there was no further movements inside the top ten as overtaking proved difficult around the Valencia track.

Circuit Ricardo Tormo Race 2 Result

POS.NO.DRIVERNATTEAMTIME/GAP
130Michael BelovRUSG4 Racing32:03.538
243Franco ColapintoARGMP Motorsport+1.237
326Grégoire SaucyCHEART Grand Prix+2.257
46Isack HadjarFRAR-ace GP+3.379
512David VidalesESPPrema Powerteam+3.852
610Hadrien DavidFRAR-ace GP+4.563
764Mari BoyaESPVan Amersfoort Racing+6.172
822Zane MaloneyBARR-ace GP+5.459
985Gabriel BortoletoBRZFA Racing+6.663
1046Gabriele MiniITAART Grand Prix+7.088
1111Gianluca PetecofBRZKIC Motorsport+7.825
121Paul AronESTPrema Powerteam+8.083
138William AlataloFINArden Motorsport+9.013
1427Kas HaverkortNEDMP Motorsport+9.373
1521Alex QuinnGBRArden Motorsport+9.504
1651Francesco PizziITAVan Amersfoort Racing+10.130
1719Andrea RossoITAFA Racing+12.721
1814Nicola MarinangeliITAArden Motorsport+13.129
1935Pietro Delli GuantiITAMonolite Racing+13.926
207Axel GnosCHEG4 Racing+14.601
2116Tommy SmithAUSJD Motorsport+14.844
225Patrik PasmaFINART Grand Prix+15.001
2362Lorenzo FluxáESPVan Amersfoort Racing+15.570
242Nico GöhlerGERKIC Motorsport+16.092
2515Léna BühlerCHER-ace GP+17.952
2691Eduardo BarrichelloBRZJD Motorsport+18.133
2772Bélen GarciaESPG4 Racing+20.018
289Alexandre BardinonFRAFA Racing+24.202
2996Oliver GøtheDENMP Motorsport+27.451
3041Emidio PesceITADR Formula+30.691
3113Jasin FeratiCHEKIC Motorsport+44.293
RET99José Garfias MEXMonolite RacingRetired
RET77Dilano van’t HoffNEDMP MotorsportRetired
RET17Dino BeganovicSWEPrema PowerteamRetired
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