It was tough weekend for Zachary ‘Zach’ David when the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) visited the Red Bull Ring. Down on luck, the Malta-licensed Filipino driver was hit in both races. But through sheer determination, he was able to wrestle a 9th place finish on Sunday.
Unable to replicate their strong form from Imola, all 3 R-ace GP drivers struggled with pace throughout Testing and were all over the time sheets in the very wet conditions. Despite the team’s best efforts, their results failed to improve during Saturday Qualifying. Zach flat-spotted his front right tire early in the session, making it difficult for him to set a fast lap. His best effort could only yield 12th fastest in Group A, which put him P23 on the grid just a few places behind teammate Tuukka Taponen.
Zach had a lot of work to do in Race 1 as he was starting close to the back. A quick launch off the line saw the #20 R-ace GP entry shoot up to P20 after 1 corner then climbed several more places to P15 a few turns later. However, his stellar start ended just as fast when another driver made an error and collided with Zach. This sadly forced him into a DNF even before completing a single lap.
As with previous rounds, Zach sought payback on Sunday. He was able to set a fast time during Group A Qualifying just before the rain came down hard. While the others were caught out by the sudden downpour, his time earned him P6 on the grid ahead of his R-ace GP teammates and with a clear shot at the leaders.
Another clean getaway gave Zach the chance to gain 2 places at the start of Race 2 and was fighting for a podium position after only 2 laps. But then, some bad luck struck. Rafael Camara of Prema Racing locked up and crashed into David’s rear end. Although the Filipino was able to continue, the contact adversely affected his car as the race progressed and proved to be harder and harder to defend with an ailing car. It then became damage limitation mode for Zach who crossed the finish line in 9th with a couple of points in the bag.
The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) will now head to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain for the penultimate round of 2024. Meanwhile, Zach David maintains his position in 11th in the Drivers’ Standings.
Zach David: “A very tough weekend as a team. We were making good progress in the races, but unfortunately got hit from behind on Saturday and Sunday. This compromised our results, but still lucky to bring it home in 9th in the end. We just didn’t seem to be able to find the pace we had at Imola last week. A lot of work to do to turn things around for Barcelona in 2 week’s time.”
Zach David is sponsored by Ceramic Pro, Stilo Helmets, Attard Baldacchino, Puma, Green Amenities, JG Summit Olefins Corporation, AutoPlus Sports, Automobile Association Philippines, Time Attack Manila, ISR, and Malta Motorsports Federation.
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[Photos courtesy of Dutch Photo Agency]