Two weeks on from the round in Spa-Francorchamps, the two Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy students now move on to the historic Dutch track. Tuukka Taponen will be aiming for the podium and Rafael Camara intends to extend his championship lead.
290 kilometres separate the Spa-Francorchamps circuit which hosted the previous round of the European FIA Formula Regional (FRECA) championship, from this weekend’s third round venue, Zandvoort. While relatively close in terms of distance, the two tracks are very different in character, requiring different driving styles and car set-up, although at both tracks, the rain can often play its part. The Dutch track is 4.259 kilometres long and features a variety of corner types, including the famous and steeply banked Hugenholtzbocht.
On the crest of a wave. Rafael Camara arrives in the Netherlands off the back of some strong performances, with three wins from the first four races, which puts him comfortably in the lead of the championship on 93 points, 60 more than the second placed driver. However, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy student is not paying attention to the championship, aware there is still a long way to go. “I can count on a great working group, as along with the Prema team engineers, we prepare for every round down to the very last detail,” he commented. “But the season is very long and only towards the end will it be worth seeing how the championship looks.”
Tuukka. This is Tuukka Taponen’s rookie season in this category and he is currently fifth in the standings thanks to a second, a fifth and a ninth place finish. This will be the Finn’s first encounter with Zandvoort. “I am always curious when I’m about to race on a track I don’t know,” he said. “My season has begun with some good results, but along with the team, we are aware there is still work to be done. Personally, I’m happy with how things have gone so far, the championship is demanding and I’m up against experienced drivers, but we are not yet where we want to be, so every race weekend is an opportunity to take some steps forward.”
Programme. Qualifying for Race 1 at Zandvoort takes place at 10.25 CEST on Saturday. The field will be split into A and B groups to decide the right and left hand sides of the starting grid. Pole position goes to the fastest of the two quickest drivers in each group. The first race is at 17.50. Then on Sunday, qualifying is at 09.35 prior to Race 2 at 15.05.