Tuukka Taponen goes into the fifth and final round of the Formula Regional Middle East championship at the Dubai Autodrome leading the classification, while Rafael Camara is aiming for a top three finish.
It’s time for the final round of the Formula Regional Middle East 2024 series and after four rounds and twelve races, 17 year old Finn Tuukka Taponen is in the lead with the French R-Ace GP team on his debut in this category.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy student made short work of getting used to the Formula Regional car, right from the first test session and after finishing second in his first race, he has picked up a further three wins and four second places, finishing every race so far in the points. Last weekend, he won Race 3 in Abu Dhabi to up his total to 195 points, a lead of 50 over second placed Englishman Taylor Barnard. “We did a good job last weekend,” commented Taponen. “We were competitive in qualifying and then in all three races. Everything went according to plan, we were able to extend our lead in the championship and now we are focusing on the final round in Dubai. We are in a strong position, but we must not lose concentration so as to round off the championship in the best way possible.”
Rafael. The other Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy student contesting this series, Rafael Camara, is also doing well. The 18 year old Brazilian experienced some bad luck in the early stages, with two retirements from the first three races, but he progressed since then, winning two of the last four races. This moved Camara rapidly up the standings and going into the Dubai weekend, he is third on 112 points, looking to have an equally strong final round.
Programme.
Saturday
12.45 local (09.45 CET) double qualifying session
16.30 (13.30 CET) Race 1
Sunday
10.50 (07.50 CET) Race 2
15.45 (12.45 CET) Race 3