This weekend sees Tuukka Taponen and Rafael Camara racing in Abu Dhabi in the fourth of five rounds on the calendar. Tuukka is aiming to maintain his championship lead, while Rafael is looking for another strong showing off the back of a win in Dubai.
Formula Regional Middle East is back at the Yas Marina circuit which hosted the opening two rounds before the series moved to the Dubai Autodrome. Finland’s Taponen has won twice before at this 5.554 kilometre-long track and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy student lines up as the series leader, with two wins, three second places as well as a further four points finishes, giving him a total of 142 points, a 32 point lead over second place.
Tuukka. While Taponen will naturally be looking for wins, he will also be thinking of the championship, as was the case in Dubai. It’s still very open with six races to go and closely matched, as there have been six different winners in the nine races so far.
Rafael. The 18 year old SFDA student is also part of the exclusive race winners club, having been first past the flag in the final race in Dubai. He also had some bad luck along the way and is now fourth in the standings, looking to move further up the order in the closing stages of the series. “We made a step forward at the second Yas Marina weekend and that was clear to see in Dubai,” explained Rafael. “I hope to confirm that progress this weekend, right from qualifying. It’s important to start from the front given how competitive this championship is.”
Programme.
Friday
13.00 local (10.00 CET) Double qualifying session for Race 1 and Race 3
17.40 (14.40 CET) Race 1
Saturday
09.40 (06.40 CET) Race 2
13.30 (10.30 CET) Race 3