JUNE 29, 2003

Enrico Toccacelo wins Nurburgring Formula 3000

A month after a controversial incident at Monaco, Enrico Toccacelo (Super Nova Racing) and Vitantonio Liuzzi (Red Bull Junior Team) found themselves fighting it out in the Nurburgring round of the FIA International Formula 3000.

This was disrupted by a series of incidents which began at the first corner when pole man Bjorn Wirdheim (Arden International) and Ricardo Sperafico (Coloni) collided. This resulted in both men having to pit. The field was then thinned out when Townsend Bell in the second Arden car tried an overenthusiastic move on third-placed Patrick Friesacher (Red Bull Junior Team) at the start of lap 4 and the two cars collided and both retired.

Title contender Giorgio Pantano ruined his chances by hitting one of the bollards at the chicane and breaking his front wing, which forced him to pit. This left third place in the hands of Nicholas Kiesa with Yannick Schroeder (ISR Charouz) and Derek Hill (Super Nova Racing) fighting for fourth, although Hill never really looked like mounting much of a challenge.

Behind them Jeffrey Van Hooydonk (Astromega) and Jaroslav Janis (ISR Charouz) squabbled for sixth until the Czech driver got ahead on lap 17.