Štolcermanis fastest in qualifying group at Imola but crashes out of race
Latvian racer Tomass Štolcermanis was the quickest in his qualifying group at the FREC round in Imola, but crashed out in the first race and finished 11th in the second.
Latvian motorsport driver Tomass Štolcermanis posted strong pace in qualifying on Saturday at the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) round in Imola, Italy, topping his qualifying group. However, the race weekend brought contrasting results.
In the first race, the Prema driver had to serve a penalty before the start — a three-grid-position drop for an incident at a previous round — meaning he lined up fifth rather than on pole. On the very first lap, Štolcermanis collided with R-ace driver Rashid Al Dahiri of the United Arab Emirates, forcing both drivers to retire from the race. The Latvian was also handed a five-second penalty for the incident, which, since he did not finish, was converted into a three-grid-position penalty for the next race. Italian driver Emanuele Olivieri of R-ace, who also leads the rookie standings, won the race.
Progress in the second race
In the second race, where the top 12 qualifiers started in reverse order, Štolcermanis had to start from 14th rather than 11th due to his penalty. Several drivers retired during the race, allowing the Latvian to fight his way up to 11th place. That race saw his Prema teammate, Colombian driver Salim Hanna, claim his first-ever FREC victory.
The third race of the weekend is scheduled for Sunday in Imola. After six rounds of the season, Štolcermanis sits 17th in the overall standings and fifth in the rookie classification. This season's FREC series runs eight rounds through September at circuits that host or have hosted Formula 1 races, and the Latvian is expected to compete in all of them. Over the previous three years, Štolcermanis raced in the Italian, Middle East and Southeast Asian F4 championships.
