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Zach David moves up Italian F4 standings with pair of 2nd places at Spa

Zachary ‘Zach’ David’ has scored his best result so far in this year’s Italian F4 Championship over the weekend at one of the most prestigious circuits in the world. The Filipino driver went on to stand on the podium twice during the series’ third event for his pair of 2nd place finishes achieved at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

The 7.004 km track is truly special. From the mind-numbing climb up Eau Rouge and Raidillon, the long drag race across the Kemmel Straight to Les Combes, to the bus stop chicane are just some of the most iconic features of Spa. But with event’s tight schedule, drivers were only given 2 Free Practice sessions to master all of its 20 corners, which was an added challenge for a first timer like Zach.

US Racing did a stellar job to give him a car capable of making it in the Top 8 and was only less than 8 tenths behind the fastest driver. He then jumped straight into Qualifying to put the #20 machine P3 on the grid in QTT1, P8 in QTT2, and P4 again with the combined results from both sessions.

Zach would get a clean start in Race 1 and immediately challenged Luca Badoer for P2 passing the Prema Racing driver on the Kemmel Straight. Unfortunately, the race was twice red-flagged and took away any chances for Zach to fight for the win. Still, finishing 2nd Overall and 1st in the Rookies was a good start to the race weekend.

Starting from the fourth row of the grid in Race 2 meant that a podium finish was out of reach. Zach made good progress in the opening laps to climb up to P6, but 2 lengthy Safety Car periods once again prevented him from advancing higher up the order. He later settled for 6th Overall and 3rd in the Rookie Class with plenty of championship points in the bag.

Saving the best for last, Zach made a quick getaway in Race 3 and was up to P3 on the run up through Raidillon. He then made a brave move to pass 2 cars after Les Combes to take the lead. Zach held position even after the Safety Car restart ’til a lunge from McLaren Junior driver Ugo Ugochukwu snatched away what should have been his maiden Italian F4 win. The young Filipino crossed the finish line in a hard-fought 2nd Overall, 1st in Rookies, with the Fastest Lap of the race.

With his series of strong results, Zach David moves up a spot to 3rd in the Drivers’ Standings with 4 more rounds in the 2023 Italian F4 Championship calendar. He now prepares for the next event taking place on the 23rd to 25th of June at Monza.

Zach David: “Overall a very strong weekend from our side, scoring points in all races, making the most of any situation, and maximizing the points scored this race. But leaving Spa without a win and being so close motivates me even more going into the next round in Monza in a couple weeks time.”

Zach David is sponsored by Ceramic Pro, Ceramic Pro Express, Kavaca PPF, Stilo Helmets, Eeetwell, Attard Baldacchino, and Exoshield, with support from Petron Corporation, Ravenol, JG Summit Olefins Corporation, AlbertSmith Signs, Time Attack Manila, Everpower, FB Hout, Pet One Petfood, 3CX, and Malta Motorsports Federation.

For more info and the latest updates, follow ZachdavidRacing on Facebook and @zachdavidracing on Instagram.

[Photos courtesy of ACI Sport]

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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
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Time Attack Manila

Time Attack Manila

Founded in late 2013, Time Attack Manila (TAM) is the only dedicated online magazine in the Philippines that focuses on local and international motorsports.
View All Posts