Hockenheim: Sperafico wins, Wirdheim is champ
Ricardo Sperafico won the eighth round of the Formula 3000 International Championship at Hockenheim today (Saturday), but that was overshadowed by Bjorn Wirdheim sealing the title with an assured drive to second place
Sperafico won the race by leading from start to finish in his Coloni Motorsport machine, but all eyes were on Wirdheim (Arden) and whether he would be able to wrap up the title with two rounds remaining. He made a great start from third position, ironically the first time he hasn't qualified on the front row all season, and leapt ahead of Vitantonio Liuzzi (Red Bull Junior) going into the first corner.
Liuzzi tried to fight back, but his attempt didn't work and he dropped to fourth behind team-mate Patrick Friesacher. That was how it stayed until the finish.
Wirdheim's closest title rival, Giorgio Pantano, was restricted to a seventh placed finish after losing out in some rough and tumble on the opening lap. Wirdheim's team-mate Townsend Bell finished fifth, ahead of Tony Schmidt (Astromega).
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Mercedes joins Williams and RB with 'quick and cheap' F1 cockpit airflow upgrades
Alpine gets F1 spare car for first time in 2024 as lighter chassis appears in China
F1 Chinese GP: Stroll leads FP1 as small fire causes early red flag
Live: F1 Chinese GP updates – FP1 & Sprint qualifying
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Can F2's relaxed title favourite prove a point to Alpine?
Why F1's junior logjam isn't entirely a product of current issues
Inside the racing university moulding F1 drivers and engineers alike
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments