IFM: Pierre Ragues Oschersleben summary

RAGUES MASTERFUL IN OSCHERSLEBEN

Euronova driver Pierre Ragues has enjoyed a brilliant weekend of fantastic racing at Oschersleben in Germany for round six of the inaugural Formula Master Championship, claiming his first ever podium.

During the single qualifying session, the talented young Frenchman claimed a place on the fourth row of the grid, improving on his best lap during free practice by more than a second.

Pierre made a very good start to an action-packed race one, performing several impressive overtaking manoeuvres including what was almost certainly the move of the weekend -- when he passed two cars in one go. He eventually finished seventh, which under the reverse grid system operated at Formula Master race meetings would mean that he started second for race two.

At the start of race two he was forced onto the grass, but he kept his composure to run in a strong third position. As the race developed, Pierre became involved in a thrilling five-car battle for the lead -- with the protagonists covered by less than two seconds. With just a couple of laps remaining, the 22 year-old made another daring move to take third, sealing his first podium place of the year at a notoriously difficult circuit.

Pierre commented: "What a race! This is one that I am going to remember for a very long time. First of all, I would like to say a big thank you to the Euronova team, who delivered me an extremely competitive car all weekend. This is what gave me the confidence to pass as many people as I could and ensure my best-ever result so far. Both races were filled with non-stop action, so I am sure the people watching it enjoyed it just as much as I did. This has given our season some real momentum, and I hope to continue at this pace for the two races that remain this year."

Pierre's excellent results mean that he is now up to 12th place in the Formula Master championship standings in only his rookie year.

The Frenchman will be in action again at the next and penultimate round of the Formula Master series at Brands Hatch, England, from September 22-23.

-credit: www.pierreragues.com