Enge win blows title race wide open
Tomas Enge closed to within three points of FIA Formula 3000 Championship leader Justin Wilson by taking a dominant victory from pole position in the sixth round of the series at the Nurburgring today (Saturday)
The Czech made a textbook start from pole to lead Mark Webber's Super Nova machine, while Enge's Nordic team mate Wilson, who struggled in qualifying, suffered a bad start and dropped behind the fast starting Ricardo Mauricio to lie eighth on the opening lap. It went from bad to worse for Wilson, who spun into the gravel at the Dunlop chicane on lap five and rotated again on the next lap before calling it a day due to a sheared front-left wheel peg.
"It was a bit of shock, I simply had no control over the car," he said. "I couldn't work out what was wrong so, after changing the tyres, we decided to call it a day."
That left title rivals Enge and Webber in the top two positions, which they held to the end of the mind-numbingly dull race. Ricardo Sperafico was a distant third for Petrobras, well clear of European Minardi's David Saelens in fourth.
"It was a perfect race for me," said Enge. "I got through the first corner without a problem and didn't make a mistake from there. I was driving at 98 to 100 percent all the time, except for the last two laps. It must have been boring for the spectators, but I can tell you it was great in the lead! It was my best win."
Webber suffered a pre-race drama when his engine stalled on the grid: "I was pretty worried when it happened and was just about to put my hand up when I got it going again. It put me out of synch, so it wasn't one of my best starts. After that it was his [Enge's] race. There was no way I could challenge him."
The only entertainment amid the mediocrity was Mauricio's pass on Antonio Pizzonia for fifth at the Castrol-S on the second lap. Pizzonia just managed to fend off seventh placed Darren Manning, who did likewise to Wilson before the latter went off all on his own a few laps later.
Wilson continues to lead the championship with 31 points, ahead of Enge's 28 and Webber on 26.
For full race results click here.
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