Single-seater Challenge: V de V Paul Ricard definitively launches the 2013 championship

Ideal track conditions and mild weather, 25 drivers posted their names on the timesheet, with Florian Revaz in the lead. Three races on the program on Saturday, and a magnificent setting to see the single-seater peloton evolve in the long curves of the Paul Ricard circuit.

// Race 1 //
First race of this weekend and it is therefore the single-seaters which open the ball. After qualifying full of surprises, we naturally expected a very lively race, in particular with Guillaume Reynald in last position in his No. 44 Formula Master. As soon as the grid was entered, we lost a competitor with the No. 49 who did not take part in the race following a mechanical problem. After the warm-up lap, the cars stopped while waiting for the green light, but the yellow flags waved at the rear of the peloton. No. 21 by Jean-Michel Ogier stalled and was evacuated from the runway. The peloton leaves for a new warm-up lap, and the race management reduces the duration of the event to 16 minutes instead of the initial 20 minutes. It?s the turn of Formula Master n°6 to enter the pit lane! Already a lot of twists and turns, even though the race has not started. The green light finally comes on and the peloton sets off without incident on its first lap. Two drivers, however, received a penalty, including the young Filippi who will have to return to the pit lane; a difficult start to the weekend for the championship leader. Timothée Buret also received a penalty. In the lead, Florian Revaz, author of the pole on his Formula Master, took a more than comfortable lead. On the other hand, Reynald Guillaume (also in a Formula Master, cat. A) is starting his comeback after his problems in qualifying which brought him to the last row. In view of the times achieved, he hopes to be able to reach the podium, even if the race time has been reduced by 4 minutes. Sylvain Milesi confirms his good performances, at the head of category C, but also in the leading group overall. Reynald Guillaume continues his effort and enters the top 5 with 2 laps remaining. The battle with the n°7 of Vincent Iogna is splendid, and the latter will resist until the last meters. The power of Reynald Guillaume's Formula Master, however, made the difference in the penultimate corner, and the driver of the No. 44 obtained his podium after starting from the back of the grid. The second, and first B, is the successful Italian driver Federico Gibbin (Viola Formula). It is naturally Florian Revaz who takes the lead under the checkered flag with a comfortable lead of 19.514s. He also set the best lap in the race in 2.06.897.

// Race 2 //
The drivers get back into their cars a few hours after the first round and the debates will resume with the same enthusiasm. In the lead, Florian Revaz is once again having a festival and takes off from the first loop. Behind him, the presenters from categories B and C are fighting in a very lively top 5. Vincent Fraisse gets noticed with the Formula Renault n°30 of Lamo Racing, he is ahead of Sylvain Milesi in this same category C. The single-seaters in category B are just behind this duo with another great head-to-head between the n°51 of Federico Gibbin and the n°5 of Xavier Benecchi; However, they are already more than 5s behind after these first laps. This duel will be cut short since Xavier Bennechi will receive a penalty for an early departure. He logically plunges in the ranking and finds himself beyond 15th place. As for the first round, the No. 44 of Reynald Guillaume started at the back of the grid and the Formula Master driver had to slip through the middle of the peloton to regain the lead. Same approach for John Filippi (No. 27? Bossy Racing Team) who moves up the rankings very quickly; qualified in 15th position, he was already in 7th place after 3 laps of racing. He entered the top 3 at mid-race, but Florian Revaz had already taken a 16 second lead over the second, the Italian Federico Gibbin who had a magnificent race in his Formula Renault 2.0 from the Viola Formula team, registered in category B Still in the B category, behind him we find Marek Böckmann (n°34? Elbracht Motorsport) and Marc Cattaneo (n°24? Formula Motorsport). In category C, Milesi got the better of Fraisse and managed to increase his lead to more than 5 seconds.
There are 6 minutes of racing left, Guillaume and Filippi are now in the first two places, but the gap between the two men is 17s. Filippi is unleashed at the wheel of his No. 27 Formula Master, he sets the fastest lap in the race. Even though he was still well ahead, Reynald Guillaume responded a few laps later, taking over the best time. Reynald Guillaume continued his rise in the rankings, but now comes up against a very good Marek Böckmann who ardently defends his 6th place at the wheel of a Formula Renault 2.0 much less powerful than the Formula Master; it will finally give way a few minutes from the finish. Florian Revaz is once again the first to take the checkered flag, followed by John Filippi who ends up at 14.248s. For the third step of the podium, a very nice explanation between the C of Sylvain Milesi and the B of Federico Gibbin. It is the latter which obtains 3rd place, but the cars in the two categories are only separated by 2s. A magnificent race which kept the public gathered in the stands of the Paul Ricard circuit in suspense.

// Race 3 //
Importantly for this third round, the undisputed leader of this weekend, Florian Revaz, had to leave the circuit and therefore leaves the first place empty on the grid. The single-seaters set off without him and the trio Gibbin/Guillaume/Filippi leads the way. The yellow flags wave and the safety car enters this first lap. The young and promising Anthony Michiel, at the wheel of the No. 31 Lamo Racing Car, found himself stuck on the track after his car was damaged during an unfortunate collision with another competitor. The cars are evacuated and it's the restart. The battle resumes at the front between Reynald Guillaume and John Filippi, and the latter will end up finding the gap to take the lead of the race. He then increased his lead to 5s. In category B, it is once again the excellent Gibbin who leads ahead of Iogna and Cattaneo. In category C, Sylvain Milesi is, as is often the case, the leader, ahead of Hugo Blanchot and Timothée Buret. The latter, however, makes a mistake and loses the benefit of his good start to the race in the category. Blanchot managed to pass Cattaneo to enter the top 5. Rebound at the head of the race! John Filippi has a problem and has to return to his stand. The end of the race is near and the ranking can still evolve in view of the gaps between the cars. It's the end of the race and we witness an unprecedented podium on which the three categories of the V de V Single-seater challenge are represented: 1st: n°44 Reynald Guillaume (Formula Master? cat A); 2nd: n°51 Federico Gibbin (Formula Renault 2.0? cat B); 3rd: No. 39 Sylvain Milesi (Formula Renault 2.0? cat C).

This race weekend at Le Castellet really kept all its promises in this single-seater championship. From qualifying to the last race, we witnessed some great battles, punctuated by numerous twists and turns which enlivened this weekend and relaunched the championship in the different categories.

Next round of the Single-Seater Challenge in Dijon on June 28, 29 and 30.