Silverstone: Wirdheim dominates

Championship rival Giorgio Pantano chased the Swede in vain for the entire race, but could only watch as Wirdheim cruised to victory by a margin of nearly nine seconds.

Vitantonio Liuzzi came home third, some 11s behind Pantano, although the Italian had a fraught race, leading a five-car train all the way. Despite the closeness of the competition (at the end, just 3.625s separated Liuzzi in third from Townsend Bell in seventh), none of the pack was able to make a pass for position, other than off the start line.

Ricardo Sperafico finished fourth, having dropped a position to Liuzzi off the line, ahead of Patrick Friesacher and Enrico Toccacelo, who slipped past Bell at the start.

Nicolas Kiesa put in a strong drive to claim the final points paying position in eighth, showing that it was possible to pass along the way. The Dane, driving for Super Nova this weekend after the Den Blas Avis squad was forced to withdraw, started in 11th, but slowly worked his way through the order and into the points.

F3000 debutant Michael Keohane finished 12th for Astromega, with series returnee Marc Hynes coming home last for the BCN F3000 team, after struggles with the mandatory HANS head and neck support device.