Fran Rueda and Victor Bouveng took their second win of the season, confirming their status of title bidders. The two 20-year-old and BMW Team Teo Martín put in place a perfect strategy: after dropping handicap in Race 1 and saving two sets of new tyres for Sunday, Rueda could conquer the pole, a very useful advantage on the Hungaroring. The Spaniard and the Swede then stayed ahead during the entire race, beating Miguel Ramos-Mikkel Mac (Spirit of Race Ferrari) and the Imperiale Racing Lambo of vito Postiglione-Andrea Fontana.
Côme Ledogar-Alexander West (Garage59 Ferrari) won the Pro-Am category, with Antonio Coimbra-Luis Silva clinching a much-awaited first success of the year in Am with their Sports&You Mercedes.
In the overall standings, a new and even closer situation is arising as the second half of the season commences: Ramos-Mac and Biagi-Venturini (today 5th) are on top with 60 points, with Bouveng-Rueda a very close third 2 points behind.
THE RACE – Poleman Rueda keeps a slight advantage at turn 1 and then pulls away in the first lap, ahead of Jäger, Ledogar, Hellmeister, Postiglione, Ramos, Biagi, Farnbacher and Beirão. There is a contact at turn one at the end of the field, with Benham and Malcharek forced to the pits. In lap 2, it’s Liberati who spins after a contact with Mowlem. Things stay relatively quiet until 11, when Frommwiler and Beirão collide, which ends the race of both, and Pierburg sends Balfe into a spin. Mowlem and Pierburg will later receive a 10-second penalty. Mastronardi passes Ramos for 5th in lap 13.
One lap later, the driver change window opens, with Rueda and Biagi being, very strategically, the first ones to stop. After all pit stops, Bouveng has a 6-second lead over Hahn, 8 on West and Plachutta, then Fontana, Mac, Siedler and Venturini.
Hahn holds well second until lap 27 when he spins (and also gets a 5-second penalty for not respecting the minimum pit stop time), which leaves Mac and Fontana in the podium, ahead of Siedler, Venturini, West and Plachutta, while Coimbra takes the win in Am, as Moiseev retires shotly after the pit stop with a mechanical problem.
PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 8 OF 14
Overall: 1. Biagi-Venturini, Ramos-Mac, 60 points; 3. Bouveng-Rueda, 58; 4. Costa-Frommenwiler, 51; 5. D. Farnbacher, 46; 6. M.Farnbacher, 38; etc…
Pro-Am: 1. Cioci-Perazzini, 42 points; 2. Bell-Balfe, 40 points; 3. West-Ledogar, 34; 4. Hahn, 33; 5. Pierburg, Tappy-Benham, 30; etc…
GT-Am: 1. Hrachowina-Konrad, 26 points; 2. Silva-Coimbra, 25; 3. Rizzo-Moiseev, 24 points; 4. Basso, 21; 5. Balbiani, 13; 6. Figueiredo, 8; etc
Teams: 1. Imperiale Racing, 51 points; 2. BMW Team Teo Martin, 40; 3. Spirit of Race, 33; 4. Farnbacher Racing, Emil Frey Racing, 28; 6. Garage59, 24; etc…
