It was a perfect weekend for Akshay Bohra at Imola, where the R-ace GP driver secured his first-ever pole position and followed it up with a maiden win in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in Race 2.
His triumph was built on a consistent pace and a flawless performance, leading the race from lights to flag without ever relinquishing control. Bohra also managed to keep the championship leader Freddie Slater (Prema Racing) at bay, although the Briton was later disqualified due to a technical infringement, leaving him without points from the race.
Completing the podium was the ever-consistent Enzo Deligny, winner of Saturday’s opening race and again on strong form. He initially crossed the line in third, but inherited second place after Slater’s disqualification, scoring more valuable points for R-ace GP. Applause also goes to Nikita Bedrin (Sainteloc Racing), who secured an important third place finish ahead of Matteo De Palo. The Trident Motorsport driver wrapped up his Romagna weekend with a fifth and a fourth place, holding on to second in the standings, now 16 points behind Slater.
Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing) also delivered a solid drive to finish fifth, followed by Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix) and Michael Belov (CL Motorsport), who scored points in both races this weekend. Special mention to Taito Kato (ART Grand Prix), who climbed from 14th on the grid to finish eighth.
The final two places in the top 10 went to Ruiqi Liu (Trident Motorsport) and Ean Eyckmans (RPM). The Belgian rookie was awarded the Rookie Trophy after the race, following a 5-second penalty handed to Dion Gowda (Van Amersfoort Racing), who had been battling with Eyckmans for a spot in the points. The penalty dropped Gowda out of the top 10 and also cost him the rookie honours.
The race was twice neutralised: first due to an incident involving Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (Trident Motorsport) and Giovanni Maschio (RPM), with the latter forced to retire after hitting the barriers; and again shortly after the restart when Jack Beeton (Prema Racing) and Jin Nakamura (R-ace GP) made contact at Acque Minerali while fighting inside the top 10.
The international series, promoted and organised by ACI Sport and Alpine Racing, will return to the track after the summer break at the Red Bull Ring, home of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, on the weekend of 5–7 September.
Akshay Bohra - R-ace GP
“Starting from pole made the difference today. I focused on controlling the race from the front and bringing it home cleanly. Huge credit to the team, they gave me a great car all weekend. This is one of the victories I’m most proud of, not just because it’s my first in FRECA, but because it came in such a high-level and competitive field. It definitely feels special.”
Enzo Deligny - R-ace GP
“Not quite as strong as yesterday, but I’m still happy. I made a small mistake in Qualifying, and the car felt a bit more difficult to manage during the race. That said, it was another solid result for the team and for the championship. We’ve been fast all weekend and it’s great to finish the first half of the season on a high. I really like the tracks coming up after the break, so I’m confident heading into the final part of the year.”
Go to the result page.