David Richert completed his first ever open-wheel race this weekend and finished things off in style with a thrilling last lap pass through the grass at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy.
Richert, one of 25 race car drivers from around the world, took part in the Formula Renault Italia championship races as Canada’s only representative in this weekend’s event. Things got off to a tough start as Richert’s car suffered mechanical failure in two of Friday’s three practice sessions. With just a fraction of the experience as other drivers in the field this setback really made things difficult as Richert spent the rest of the weekend trying to catch up.
Niverville native David Richert, competing in his first ever open-wheel race at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy.
Starting from 19th position Richert was able to work his way up to finish 16th by passing French driver Herve Clement on the final lap of the race. In a wheel to wheel battle approaching the tight Variante Alta corner, Richert was forced to overtake by sailing through the grass and after holding off Clement through the final corner, was greeted by cheering Team Torino Motorsport crew members as he streaked across the finish line just 0.377 seconds ahead of the French driver.
Although there were 24 other drivers, Richert was ultimately racing against himself this weekend in an effort to bring his car up to speed in unfamiliar conditions. “I’m happy that I was able to improve my lap times in every session…” stated Richert, “…and although it’s a struggle to compete with the higher experience levels and budgets that the other drivers have, I learnt a lot and managed to keep the car in one piece, so hopefully we’ll move towards the front soon.”
Richert will now head home to Winnipeg as he gears up to return to Italy for futures races this season including one at the world famous track at Monza.
