2016 Challenge Russian Grand Prix

**2016 Challenge Russian Grand Prix**
Race details
Round 3 of the 2016 Formula Challenge season

Date	22nd March, 2016
Event	2016 Challenge Russian Grand Prix
Location	Autodrom Sochi, Sochi
Course	Semi-Permanent racing facility 3.63 mi / 5.848 km
Distance	13 laps, 47.19 mi / 76.024 km (each race)
Weather	Cloudy
Pole position
Driver	James Johnson	MadCape Racing Team
Time	1:51.972
Race One Podium
First	Antonio Hreljanovic	Bastvik Grand Prix
Second	Michel de Jonge	Madcape Racing Team
Third	Jonathan Holmes	Arrow International Racing
Race One Fastest Lap
Driver	Michel de Jonge	MadCape Racing Team
Time	1:53.077
Race Two Podium
First	James Johnson	MadCape Racing Team
Second	Stephane Rouault	Deltec Racing Team
Third	Antonio Hreljanovic	Bastvik Grand Prix
Race Two Fastest Lap
Driver	James Johnson	MadCape Racing Team
Time	1:51.962

The 2016 Challenge Russian Grand Prix - the third round of the season - takes place on the Autodrom Sochi in Sochi, Russia on the 22nd of March.

Report

Background

Terence Grech took his and Zedderick Racing's first victory in the opening race of the second round held in Bahrain. He took advantage of a second place grid position inherited by being the second driver without a grid penalty, with Carlos Fernandez losing his pole position. The Spaniard made amends in race two however, taking victory for Tēafor Motorsport, his second of the season. Fernandez heads into Russia with a lead of 11 points over second placed Cameron Brewster with Geoffrey Fournier a further point off in third. Fanatec Draig lead the team's standings ahead of Tēafor with Epic Racing in third.

Qualifying

MadCape's English driver James Johnson claimed a dominant pole position, making good on the flashes of pace he had shown in the opening two rounds. His time of 1:51.972 was nearly half a second clear of second placed Antonio Hreljanovic (Bastvik), despite Formula Challenge running under a spec-series formula. Michel de Jong rounded off the top three, capping a fantastic performance for MadCape. Championship leader Carlos Fernandez (Tēafor) managed to qualify fourth with Geoffrey Fournier of Epic finishing the top five.

Cameron Brewster, who entered the round second in the driver's standings could only muster seventeenth on the grid whilst Kacper Kolodziejczyk qualified in thirteenth on his debut, driving in the GPVWC Academy seat for this round.

Race One

Antonio Hreljanovic emulated Terence Grech's performance in the first race at Bahrain and converted his second place grid slot into a race one victory, however it was a much closer fought victory with only 0.6s separating him from Michel de Jong in second after thirteen laps of racing. Jonathan Holmes was also in with a shout of victory, finishing only two seconds off Hreljanovic in third place. A small gap of five seconds separated the top three from the rest of the field with Geoffrey Fournier and Stephane Rouault completing the top five. Pole sitter James Johnson took home sixth. Championship leader Carlos Fernandez relinquished his lead after only finishing thirteenth.

Both MadCape drivers topped the fastest laps table, with de Jong edging out Johnson by one hundredth of a second with a time of 1:53.077.

Race Two

Thanks to the reverse grid lottery only reversing the top ten, Kacper Kolodziejczyk would start only his second Formula Challenge race on pole position, however it was James Johnson who would come away with the spoils, winning the race after starting in fifth position, becoming the fifth different winner in six races. The Englishman was able to pull out a much larger winning gap compared to race one with Stephane Rouault some twelve seconds behind. Antonio Hreljanovic rounded off a fantastic race meet in third place, kick starting his season after missing the opening round in Australia. Jonathan Holmes finished fourth, consolidating his championship challenge whilst Niranjan Kumar (SDEv) scored his second top five of the season in fifth.

Unsuprisingly, Johnson also had the fastest lap of the race, posting a 1:51.962 which was nearly a second faster than the next best effort.

Post-race

James Johnson's performances gave him the championship lead leaving Russia with 74 points, a single point ahead of Frenchman Geoffrey Fournier. Jonathan Holmes' third and fourth placed finished meant he was only a further four points behind on 69, whilst Carlos Fernandez's poor round meant he fell from the championship lead into fourth place on 65 points. Cameron Brewster managed to keep in touch with the leaders despite finishing outside the top ten for the first time in race two, on 63 points.

In the team's standings, Fanatec Draig Racing manage to hold off MadCape's excellent perofrmance to lead with 107 points to the South African team's 104. Twenty two points then seperates them from third placed Epic Racing (82) with Tēafor Motorsport falling to fourth after a quiet showing. Hreljanovic's performances more than doubled Bastvik Grand Prix's points tally, thrusting them to fifth on 72 points.