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Formula Sprint 2
Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka International Racing Course
Tuesday 2nd of April 2024 19:00:00
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August 19, 2012
Published on tags: Supercup
Alex Cooper continued his relentless chase of Petter Kaasa with his fourth consecutive victory at Spa-Francorchamps. The CSG Racing ace shot into the lead from the start leaving his rivals to fight for the scraps. It would be point's leader Kaasa who would come home in second place after an intense few laps at the start which saw a large glut of drivers vying for the podium places. Ojay Clark completed the podium, the Superleague driver having to survive a collision with the ailing Mathew Chan and battles with both Torrent Motorsports drivers for the final podium spot.

CSG locked out the front row with Cooper leading Martin Schumacher. Kaasa bounced back from a difficult race at the Italian Grand Prix to start third with hometown favourite Bart de Vos in fourth and Clark in fifth. The next ten cars were tightly compacted, separated by only a few tenths which saw the likes of Parisis, Boyd Bryson and Philip Cullen miss out on the top ten.

A clean start by Cooper saw him lead into turn one and his only real threat all race was a half-hearted look by Schumacher on the opening lap along the Kemmel straight by his teammate. The English driver quickly opened up a sizable gap that was controlled throughout, the result of which chips another three points off the still sizable lead of Petter Kaasa. Cooper continues to defy expectations in a season where many were already writing eulogies of how Torrent were going to dominate the Supercup this season.

The points gap could have been closer had it not been for the supreme skill of the aforementioned Kaasa. After a quiet race at Monza by his impeccably high standards, Kaasa looked back to form, completing a lovely move around Schumacher which was quickly followed by holding an assisted power slide through Rivage. Kaasa along with Ojay Clark broke free of the chasing pack and battled it out up until lap 12 when the latter self spun on the run down to Stavelot. From that point onwards, found himself at one with the track for the rest of the afternoon ? not the worst scenario for a racing driver around the glorious Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Superleague ace Clark showed his recent upturn in form was not limited to just the premier class. His spin on lap 12 saw him fall back into the pack and he was quickly joined by Parisis. The Formula Challenge champion-elect returned to the series for the second time this season and showed just why he has dominated the inaugural Formula Challenge standings thus far. Starting in 14th position, the Greek driver avoided the skirmishes to quickly move up the order. A minor off on the exit of turn 11 saw him fall back into the pack with Clark but the two quickly shook off their pursuers to engage in battle for the final podium spot. The No Fear Racing driver made his move on lap 27 and despite his best intentions, Parisis was unable to find his way back around. The result still capped a great day for Torrent Motorsports as they halted the recent surge by CSG Racing in the constructor's title race.

Boyd Bryson finished a career best fifth position, despite being caught in a car sandwich on the first lap of the race. The South African, more known for his sports car racing exploits scored his sixth points finish of the season, passing a limping Cullen late in the race around the outside into Les Combes on lap 28. Monza's nearly-man Cullen endured a frustrating day after qualifying a lowly 11th. A steady drive up the field was undone with a collision with fellow Irishman Martin O'Connor that damaged his chassis. Strategy saw him jump Bryson and Terence Grech during the stops but he found himself falling into their clutches as the race wore on.

Cullen was the first of many midfield runners that saw incidents affect their day. Grech finished mere metres behind the Irishman, but the Maltese native will no doubt rue a spin at Stavelot on lap 6 which saw him lose touch with the leading pack. More time was lost as he duelled with O'Connor after his pit stop. The NRT Racing driver ended his own eventful day in eight place, ahead of Adam Rouse who lost time trying to negotiate the rear wingless Keith Camilleri on lap 14. The Maltese had harsh words in the post race for his rivals following the loss of his rear wing, recovered to score his first career points with tenth position.