FRENCH F4 CHAMPIONSHIP - ALBI - PRESENTATION

30/08 - Back to reality!

The leader Matthieu Vaxivière © DPPI

After the Belgian event that was competed on the mythic track of Spa-Francorchamps and after one month holidays, the French F4 Championship trainee drivers cannot wait to get together in Albi where they will be competing by the sides of the GT Tour. This is going to be the last event before the final sprint - so needless to say that this come-back will be captivating. The summer Champion Matthieu Vaxivière will do all his possible to confirm his superiority by pocketing yet more victories. But facing him, the competitors have no intention in releasing the pressure. The race for points is declared!

End of July, the academicians competed their antepenultimate meeting of the season at the opening of the Total 24 Hours of Spa. On the legendary but also very difficult track, the « juniors » of the promotion revealed themselves. At only just turned 15 years old, Patrick Kujala and Pierre Gasly made an excellent impression by pocketing each one victory and one 2nd place. These good results allowed them to make a serious shoot up into the general classification of the Championship. Three positions better for the Finn who is now 4th in the classification and four positions gained for the former member of the French Go-kart Team who is now pointing into 6th position of the general classification. No doubt that both drivers will want to claim victory throughout this next stage but many other drivers will be doing the same this weekend… especially the leader of the moment, Matthieu Vaxivière.

The latter has been able to maintain his hegemony throughout the last three meetings and he is placed at the head of the statistics with 4 pole positions, 4 best laps in race and 3 victories – he is going to have to strike hard if he wants to increase his advance (8 points today) on Andréa Pizzitola. Having left in 11th then in 12th position on the Belgian starting grid, he was able to save his weekend by pocketing 12 points, against 18 for the leader, but he is well aware of the fact that he needs to give a big blow in the next stage and he will not hesitate one second in bringing down his opponent. As far as Pierre Sancinéna is concerned, he is no longer allowed to make a mistake. Double pole man in Belgium, he had to abandon in the first race and finished at the doors of the podium during the second. He has 23 points delay on the leader but he intends to do all necessary in Albi in order to confirm his possibilities of being a candidate of the final victory.

Cyril Raymond closes the provisional Top Five after a disastrous weekend in Belgium, the worst meeting for him this year as he left the Belgian track with only three small points. But he is far from wanting to give in and remains the man to watch closely, just like Alexandre Mantovani and Tristan Papavoine who mathematically could be in reach of victory or at least disturb the current hierarchy. The Spaniard, Victor Colomé, who celebrated his first F4 podium in Spa, and Aurélien Panis, also author of a podium in Pau, are also eager to change the situation during the four next races to come. Only one unit away from Olivier Panis’ son, the Andorran Alex Loan Ventura must confirm his good Belgian results if he wants to stick out within the first part of the group.

The Spa event brought no chance to the Spaniard Francisco-Javier Suárez who will be increasing his efforts to pocket a few more points. This will also be the objective of Jordan Perroy and of the Belgian Kévin Balthazar, if not only to separate each other. The same goes for the equally placed Paul Petit and Parth Ghorpade, originated from India, who both totalise six points. The Polish driver Tomasz Krzeminski has half in points but has no intention in releasing the pressure. Lastly, Marie Baus-Coppens hopes to finish the season by opening her counter of points ! The German, Alexander Boquoi, the youngest of the group (15 since July 25th), would have liked to do the same but must withdraw from this race as he has injured himself.

After having supported the Julie Tonelli Foundation for childhood and the Cardiac Surgery Association, Auto Sport Academy has decided to associate itself with the GT Tour and honour the association « Un maillot pour la vie » whose aim is to bring its support to children whose lives have unfortunately been obliged to stay in hospital, to allow them a few free-caring moments away from treatment by the sides of high levelled sportsmen. Stickers will be put on the single-seaters in order to bring visibility to this action. The most important is that the children will be coming to live a once-in-a-life experience in motorsport in Albi. They will of course attend the races organised by the GT Tour but will also have the opportunity to visit the structures, attend autograph sessions and meet racing drivers and their mechanics – all this organised only for them! Of course Auto Sport Academy immediately proposed to welcome them.

Friday 2nd Sept.: collective free practice at 2.05pm >>> Saturday 3rd Sept.: qualifying session at 8.15am and race 1 at 2pm >>> Sunday 4th Sept.: race 2 at 10.45am >>> Races to follow on direct (live timing and videos) on www.gt-tour.fr; on replay 48 hours after on www.ffsa.tv