Huge expectations were set on Prema for the home round at Mugello, for the Italian event of the 2008 F.3 Euro Series. The racetrack is the longest in the series (5.245Kms) and unanimously considered one of the toughest around. On the hills of the Scarperia racetrack, Prema Powerteam once again proved to have the right potential to stay at the top.
In qualifying, 21-year-old Renger Van Der Zande took a row two start, while Dani Clos had to content with row 14. Charlie Kimball, who was caught by traffic several times, ended up relegated on row 8. Van der Zande then closed Race 1 in 5th. Clos ended up in eight and took the pole spot for Sunday, while Charlie Kimball ended up in the mid pack.
The race itself was extremely linear, as the top position didn’t change too much. The Sunday heat was tough too for the Italian team. Spaniard Dani Clos had traction problems at the start and was passed by many rivals, while van der Zande was stopped by battery issues. The day was disappointing for Kimball too, as he was hit by another car soon. Prema is now looking forward for the next round starting at Pau, where van der Zande will have to improve his fourth place in standings.
Angelo Rosin - Team Principal
“At Mugello we expressed a good potential, that allowed us to retain our place at the top of the pack. From a pure performance standpoint, we kept it up at the same levels of Hockenheim. The misfortunes encountered in Italy came mainly from bad luck and were strengthened by the few passing opportunities that the track offers. Of course, we’re disappointed for not have been able to concretize that potential. We now have to prepare to the next round at Pau”.
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