Durksen Takes Sprint Glory
In Saturday’s sprint race, Thai driver Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak from ART started from pole position, despite having set only the 10th fastest time in qualifying the day before. However, the main contender for victory was widely considered to be experienced Invicta Racing driver Joshua Dürksen, who started from the front row.
Inthraphuvasak made a confident start, but the battle quickly intensified. Oliver Goethe initially moved into second place, overtaking Durksen, though the Paraguayan driver soon reclaimed the position. Later, Kush Maini also passed the German driver, before Goethe made a mistake and spun.
On the second lap, Durksen executed a bold overtaking manoeuvre under braking into Turn 9 to pass Inthraphuvasak and take the lead. The Thai driver then came under pressure from Maini, but Noel Leon, who had started seventh, soon overtook him after making rapid progress through the field.
Around the middle of the race, several drivers opted to pit for fresh tyres, although pit stops are not mandatory in the sprint race. Following an accident involving Mari Boya, the safety car was deployed, bunching up the field once again.
At the restart, Dürksen maintained his lead, while León soon managed to overtake Inthraphuvasak and move into second place. The Thai rookie later lost two more positions, but due to a penalty for Martinius Stenshorne, he ultimately finished fourth and was classified as the best rookie in the race.
Joshua Durksen claimed victory in the sprint race, with Noel Leon finishing second and Alex Dunne taking third place. Ritomo Miyata completed the top five.
In Sunday’s feature race, Dino Beganovic will start from pole position, although he was largely unnoticed during the sprint and finished only 20th.
