13 August 2001

Fourth and fastest lap for Müller

Brake problems cost Alex Müller a certain podium finish at the fourth round of the European Formula 3000 Championship at Donington Park. The Brask Management / Ghinzani team driver shone with quick lap times throughout the event. "Today, I could even have won", Alex said at the finish. Nevertheless, he finished fourth, which promoted him to third in the championship standings. Next weekend, the fifth round of the season takes place in Zolder (Belgium).

After a relatively long summer break, the pace is gearing up for the competitors of the European Formula 3000 championship. In August, there are three races in as many weekends: "That really requires a good condition", says Alex Müller. There, he also sees a chance: "I am top fit and highly motivated!" In order to get to know the circuit at Donington, he took part as a guest driver in a round of the V-Sports V8-Series for silhouette touring cars the weekend before. At his first meetign with the 500 bhp strong machines, he finished a creditable third.

In all the practice sessions of the Formula 3000, he underlined his good form. In qualifying, he was the fastest almost until the end, but in the final minute, Italian Thomas Biagi claimed pole-position. "I had some traffic on my last lap, otherwise I could have gone faster", said Alex, who started second for the race. In the opening stages, he easily could follow fastest qualifier Biagi. "My team had chosen a set-up which would bring the best performance from the tenth lap onwards. Therefore I just waited for an opportunity", Müller explained after the race.

But as it sometimes happens in motorsport, the equipment didn't play along. Müller: "From lap seven, I had problems with the brakes. The brakes faded and on two occasions, they didn't work at all, so that I went through the gravel trap. This made me lose several positions, but I could still make up some places in the second half of the race. At least, I still managed to set the fastest lap time. Under these circumstances, any better result was just beyond reach." Next weekend, the European Formula 3000 Championship has a round in Zolder, Belgium, which is almost a home race for Alex Müller. After all, he won the Formula 3-race there last year...

German Formula Three - Lausitz

Allan Simonsen demonstrated that he is getting to grips with Formula Three this weekend. In qualifying he posted 26th for the first race but improved to 22nd place in the race. For Sunday's race Allan was an impressive 13th on the gird but slid to 19th at the flag.

Danish Touring Car Challenge - Ring Djursland

Casper Elgaard qualified 3rd for the latest round of the Danish Touring Car Challenge. Kent Bo Lauridsen was 11th with Gunnar Kristensen 12th and Carsten Leveau 15th. Dennis Holbaek-Pedersen qualified his Van Diemen 8th for the Formula Ford Zetec race. Mads Leveau was 8th for the first Saxo cup event then improved to 6th for the second.

In the races Casper battled hard to take the last podium position ahead of Jason Watt. Gunnar Kristensen was 10th directly ahead of Kent Bo Lauridsen with Carsten Leveau 13th. The feature race saw Casper repeat his third place with Kent Bo and Gunnar improving and swapping places. Kent Bo came home in 6th immediately ahead of Gunnar and Carsten.

In the Saxo Cup Mads Leveau was excluded from the first race for a misdemeanor under the caution flags but he made amends in the second heat by taking fifth place. Dennis Holbaek-Pederson did not get under way in the Formula Ford races but his father Vagn, at the wheel of a second Team Brask car, took 7th in the first race.