GP 2 Racing: Troubled Sunday race for the RDD boys
Jose Maria Lopez and Lucas DiGrassi both retired from the
Sunday race in the GP2 Series in Valencia.
Brazilian DiGrassi and his Durango car originally started
17th on the grid, but after two cars in front of him had to
start from the pit-lane, Lucas was 15th even before the race
started. He made a fantastic start and quickly ended up in
10th position. When Frenchman Alexandre Premat retired, Lucas
joined a group of three cars, including fellow RDD driver
Lopez. A bold attack from Carroll on Valles ended with the
two cars crashing in a spectacular way. All three cars in
front of Lucas retired and the Brazilian driver landed in
7th position. Unfortunately, a miscalculation of fuel had
Lucas retire in the last lap…
Things didn't go smoothly for Argentine Lopez either. Starting
4th on the grid, Jose got passed by five cars even before
the first corner. After that, from lap 3 to lap 14, he had
to fight in style against a much faster Hamilton who then
overtook two more cars. Jose then raced behind Valles and
Carroll. When the latter cars crashed in front of him, Jose's
car also got damaged. He retired on lap 23.
The next round of the GP2 series will take place in two weeks
in Imola.
Jose Maria Lopez (Super Nova): "I've had the strangest
start as I was on full throttle when the lights went out,
but the car almost stopped. That's why I got passed by so
many cars. After that, I spent the entire race trying to defend
my position, especially against Hamilton. I don't know how
I managed to block him for that long when you saw how easily
he overtook the other cars. When the crash happened, I was
right behind Valles and Carroll. When Adam's car flew up in
the air, some parts and pieces of his car went under mine
and it got irreparably damaged… It's a shame because
I don't like racing like that. I'm going to spend some days
with my team and together we're going to try and solve the
problems we have on the car. Hopefully, we will be ready for
Imola."
Lucas DiGrassi (Durango): "I overtook three cars in
the first lap and then two more up to 10th position. I found
myself behind Valles, Carroll and Jose. Fortunately, my car
wasn't damaged in the big crash and I was then 7th. I had
to retire in the final lap because I ran out of fuel…
I'm really looking forward to racing in Imola and finally
scoring some points."
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