EU 2000: Oschersleben race two summary

Rising star Speed rides again!

Another perfect race from 2004 champion Scott Speed, the American once more giving us a lights-to-flag demonstration of how it's done. Joining him on the race podium came Meijer and Saarinen, with the all-important championship podium finally going to Pagenaud in second and Fleming in third.

"The car was perfect and I had no pressure on me," Speed told us later, "Which meant I could take it easy and control the race, keeping an eye on my mirrors. I'm really happy to have taken the title, and I'd like to thank my team who have done a fantastic job all season, and my sponsors who have given me great support." Out on the track Speed took care of the rest, taking his eighth race win of the season from his ninth pole position.

One of the most memorable moments of this last race of the year was the smiles from Fleming and Pagenaud as they confirmed their overall podium finishes. "No one really made a move in the race," explained Pagenaud, who spent the whole time with Fleming in his mirrors, "Given the positions there was no point taking any risks."

Fleming himself showed us his ability to control his racing, "Obviously I'm overjoyed to be third. I've been finishing consistently at the end of the season, and I was fifth overall coming here this weekend, so I knew there wouldn't be much in it. But I'm really happy. We've got two Americans on the podium, which is great."

An incredible end to the 2004 Eurocup season for Speed, who already has his sights set on his future. "I don't know exactly where I'll be racing yet, but my sponsors and I are looking at either GP2 or the World Series by Renault. It depends on how developed the cars are, but right now I want to enjoy the moment and celebrate winning this title. I'm aiming high for the future, so I want to carry on working hard. But after this evening, though... we've got some celebrating to do!"

<pre> Race 2 Classification

Clt Pilotes                          Equipe                      Temps
1   Scott Speed                      Motopark Oschersleben       30'24"312
2   Paul Meijer                      Ar Motorsport               +0'01"979
3   Pekka Saarinen                   Sl Formula Racing           +0'02"952
4   Simon Pagenaud                   Graff Racing                +0'04"804
5   Colin Fleming                    Jenzer Motorsport           +0'07"197
6   Matias Milla                     Motorpark Oschersleben      +0'15"653
7   Pascal Kochem                    Jenzer Motorsport           +0'16"103
8   Pastor Maldonado                 Cram Competition            +0'17"548
9   Reinhard Kofler                  JD Motorsport               +0'19"467
10  Patrick Pilet                    Graff Racing                +0'21"033

2004 Final Classification

1)  Speed       Motopark Oschersleben   370 points
2)  Pagenaud    Graff Racing            246 points
3)  Fleming     Jenzer Motorsport       222 points
4)  Kofler      JD Motorsport           202 points
5)  Kochem      Jenzer Motorsport       198 points
6)  Meijer      AR Motorsport           174 points
7)  Moreau      SG Formula              148 points
8)  Maldonado   Cram Competition        132 points
9)  Pilet       Graff Racing            102 points
10) Clairay     SG Formula               82 points

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