The second qualifying session at Imola in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine was once again dominated by series leader Rafael Camara, who secured his fourth consecutive pole position with an impressive 1’39”171. This crucial achievement, combined with the three poles from earlier this season and the three from 2023, has allowed him to set a new record of ten pole positions in the series.
The session lived up to the tradition of the championship, organized and promoted by ACI Sport and Alpine Racing, delivering excitement and suspense until the final moments. This time, it was Group B that took to the track first, with Tuukka Taponen leading the charge. The R-ace GP driver once again displayed excellent form on the Santerno circuit, where he secured vital points yesterday with a second-place finish in Race 1. The Finn had to battle a determined Alessandro Giusti in his session. Giusti, driving for ART Grand Prix, has been one of the fastest drivers this weekend, and his strong pace will see him start from the second row this afternoon. Another standout performer was Noah Strømsted, who, driving for RPM, was among the frontrunners in the final stages of the session. He briefly held the lead before finishing with the third-fastest time. Just behind the Danish driver, two more rookies, Enzo Deligny (R-ace GP), who won the rookie trophy in yesterday’s first race, and Ivan Domingues (Van Amersfoort Racing), completed the top five, with Domingues looking for redemption after his Race 1 retirement. Also delivering solid performances were Ugo Ugochukwu (Prema Racing) and Doriane Pin (Iron Dames), who finished sixth and seventh respectively.
Group A played out differently, with the pole position battle coming down to Camara (Prema Racing) and Brando Badoer (Van Amersfoort Racing). The Italian driver pushed hard to challenge the Ferrari Driver Academy star but had to settle for the second-fastest time in his group, securing an important second-row start alongside Giusti. The session remained fiercely contested until the checkered flag, with Zachary David (R-ace GP) taking a third-row spot ahead of James Wharton (Prema Racing), who finished with the fourth-fastest time in his session, just ahead of rookie Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing). Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix) also impressed, securing the sixth-fastest time, and was awarded the Pirelli Racelience Award at Imola for his outstanding performance at Paul Ricard. Special mention goes to Roman Bilinski (Trident), who claimed seventh-row honors, showing great determination and speed after recovering from the injury that sidelined him for several months.
After an intense and hard-fought qualifying session, the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine drivers are ready to take on the final race of the weekend, scheduled for this afternoon at 13:40, with a race duration of 30 minutes plus one lap. Fans of the series can follow the race live via the championship’s official YouTube channel.
