Winter Series Event at Paul Ricard Promises New Thrills

An impressive 23-car field will enter the Euroformula Open´s Winter Series event (test and two races) at Paul Ricard. Several novelties including new names added to the impressive list of drivers: Gulhuseyn Abdullayev (Campos Racing), Cazzaniga brothers (DAV Racing) and Nicholas Silva (Drivex). Team West-Tec F3 returns with China´s Liang. Fourteen different nationalities represented on the entry list.

The Euroformula Open approaches the second stop of the Winter Series, which takes place at Circuit Paul Ricard, the famous F.1 track near Marseille (France). The first event (only tests) at the Circuito de Jerez last week was a close-fought affair with the top-ten within one second of each other proving how exciting the season ahead is expected to be.

Besides, Paul Ricard will bring up heated emotions in drivers as two races have been scheduled on Saturday following a Friday devoted to testing. The 23-car entry list blends quality and quantity of the drivers and teams entering the event.

Gropparello-based RP Motorsport will field five Dallara F312 cars for the duo formed by Polish drivers Antoni Ptak and Igor Walilko, Thailand´s Kantadhee Kusiri and Italian racers Matteo Ferrer and Damiano Fioravanti. The RP Motorsport quintet combines experience and youth once again.
Diego Menchaca set the quickest time in the opening Winter Series round. Mexico´s driver will be joined at Campos Racing by Italian Leonardo Pulcini and Ecuadorean Julio Moreno, the three full-season drivers confirmed by Adrián Campos´ team. Campos Racing also announced that Gulhuseyn Abdullayev, from Azerbaijan, will make his Euroformula Open debut. Abdullayev was born in Baku and is 18 years old. Recently, he ranked 5th in the Formula Gulf 1000.

Spain´s Teo Martín Motorsport is another team with four cars on the entry list. Colombian Tatiana Calderón already proved to be extremely competitive last week, with rookie driver Petru Florescu also making an impressive debut in Southern Spain. Russia´s Nikita Zlobin, son of former Formula 1 tester Sergey Zlobin, and Mexico´s José Manuel Vilalta are two other drivers to follow closely.

Carlin Motorsport made its debut in Jerez but immediately the British outfit was in the mix from the very beginning with an extremely strong trio of drivers: American Colton Herta, son of IndyCar race winner Bryan Herta, German-born Keyvan Andres and Indian Ameya Vaidyanathan.

DAV Racing will field two cars for Kang Ling and Cazzaniga brothers. While China´s Ling will be on track both days, Daniele and Riccardo will share the #77 car. Daniele will make his first appearance on Friday and Riccardo on Saturday.

Ferdinand Habsburg shone in Formula 3 testing last week with one of the Drivex cars. Habsburg ranked 2nd in Jerez and will be back with Madrid-based team and one of its Dallara-built cars. Another young driver, American Nicholas Silva, will join Drivex at Paul Ricard. Silva has proven fast in America and now approaches his debut in Europe.

BVM Racing and Daniel Pronenko will travel to Paul Ricard targeting a repeat performance. Russia´s Pronenko will have another chance to gain experience at the wheel of the Formula 3 car.

Team West-Tec F3, absent from Jerez, makes its comeback with one car driven by Chinese Alex Jt Liang. Liang already contested the Winter Series event at Jerez, on that occasion with Drivex, but now joins the British outfit to put additional experience under his belt

 

Paul Ricard, March 4-5

Friday;

Test 1 10.00-10.52

Test 2 12.00-12.52

Test 3 15.00-15.52

Test 4 17.00-17.52

 

Saturday:

Test 5 09.00-09.45

Qualifying

Race 1 (14 laps – max. 35´)

Race 2 (14 laps – max. 35´)

 

Entry List

No. 1, Antoni Ptak, POL, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 2, Kantadhee Kusiri, THA, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 3, Matteo Ferrer*, ITA, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 5, Damiano Fioravanti, ITA, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 6, Julio Moreno, ECU, Campos Racing, Dallara F312

No. 7, Diego Menchaca, MEX, Campos Racing, Dallara F312

No. 8, Leonardo Pulcini, ITA, Campos Racing, Dallara F312

No. 9, Gulhuseyn Abdullayeu*, AZE, Campos Racing, Dallara F312

No. 10, Tatiana Calderon, COL, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 11, Petru Florescu*, ROU, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 12, Nikita Zlobin, RUS, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 14, Jose Manuel Vilalta, MEX, Teo Martin Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 15, Alex Jt Liang*, CHN, Team West-Tec F3, Dallara F312

No. 20, Daniel Pronenko, RUS, BVM Racing, Dallara F312

No. 21, Nicholas Loro Silva*, USA, BVM Racing, Dallara F312

No. 27, Kang Ling, CHN, DAV Racing, Dallara F312

No. 37, Igor Walilko, POL, RP Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 47, Keyvan Andres*, DEU, Carlin Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 51, Ameya Vaidyanathan*, IND, Carlin Motorsport, Dallara F312

No. 62, Ferdinand Habsburg*, AUT, Drivex School, Dallara F312

No. 77, Daniele Cazzaniga*, DAV Racing, ITA, Dallara F312

No. 77, Riccardo Cazzaniga*, ITA, DAV Racing, Dallara F312

No. 98, Colton Herta*, USA , Carlin Motorsport, Dallara F312