2022 EuroFormula Open Championship

Christian Mansell has edged closer to the EuroFormula Open Championship lead after a large haul of points at the Hungaroring.
 
The Victorian was in good spirits heading into the round having had two podiums in each of the four rounds this year and he continued with the trend in Hungary. 
 
Starting with a P4 in Saturday’s opening race, Mansell found his groove in the second race to finish behind only his teammate and first time winner Josh Mason despite his best efforts to fight a loose car. 
 
It may have been a loose car, but it was still quick, with Mansell coming away with the race’s fastest lap. 
 
Mansell ended up going one better in the weekend’s final race as picked up his third race win for the year.

However, the victory proved to be extremely difficult for the teenager as he had the opposite problem to the second race –a slower car than his rivals forcing him to defend the lead for much of the race.
 
Mansell ultimately prevailed and went into the summer break with best overall pool of results for the weekend.
 
The championship will resume in almost two months’ time at Imola Circuit on 2-4 September.

FIA Formula 2 Championship

Jack Doohan had a mixed weekend behind the wheel during the FIA Formula 2 Championship’s eighth round of the 2022 season, ending with a podium and a last place finish.
 
It was a weekend that had a lot of promise for Doohan as he secured a third row start in qualifying, which resulted in him starting in fifth for the round’s sprint race. 
 
During the round’s shorter outing, Doohan managed to make up two spots to finish third place, but it wasn’t without its drama as the Queenslander first had to deal with Felipe Drugovich constantly at his heels, before producing an impressive late five-lap charge for second place.
 
Unfortunately, that podium was as good as it got for Doohan as he finished the feature race in P17 having gone started with the wrong tyre strategy in the early stages before incurring multiple time penalties throughout. 

His day hit its lowest when he dropped to last after being replaced by fellow Australian Calan Williams, who also had a weekend to forget.
 
Unlike Doohan, Williams’ weekend was over before it begun as he had a mechanical issue in practice, which prevented him from doing anything before qualifying.
 
The West Australian produced a decent effort though, which saw him qualify 16th, but the damage had already been done and he could only finish as a high as 14th in the sprint race and 15th in the feature. 
 
The next round of the Championship will be part of the French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard on 22-24 July.

Spanish F4 Championship

Hugh Barter has bounced back in the Spanish F4 Championship in style with three runner-up placings helping him back into second on the outright standings.
 
The Victorian had a forgettable weekend in the Championship at Circuit Ricardo Tormo last month where he missed out on points in two races, despite securing pole position. 
 
Having dropped down to third on the standings, Barter responded magnificently and showed plenty of pace on the famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps throughout the weekend’s three races.
 
In a season that has been dominated by Bulgarian Nikola Tsolov, Barter was the only driver to offer a challenge to the championship leader, with the highlight being the fastest lap in the second race of the round.
 
Outside of that, Barter could only focus on his own performance where he took out strong the three podiums, which helped him leapfrog Poland’s Tymoteusz Kucharczyk.
 
Barter wasn’t the only Aussie in the Spanish F4 Championship on the weekend, with Marcos Flack making his debut for GRS Team.
 
Flack had a mixed weekend but got better with each race as he overcame a DNF and P20 in the opening two outings to finish the weekend with sixth place.
 
While the Spanish Championship returns in early September, Barter will return to Spa at the end of the month for the French F4 Championship on 29-31 July. 
 
Flack will also return to the Belgian track later this month, however the Queenslander will be contesting the GB3 Championship one week earlier on 22-24 July. 

British Rally Championship

Max McRae’s four-week tour in the Northern Hemisphere has concluded with a podium in the British Rally Championship Junior Cup at the Nicky Grist Stages in Wales.
 
Despite never having been on the gravel roads of Wales before, McRae showed plenty of maturity throughout the event as he charged his way to the third in class and 12th overall.
 
Alongside regular RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC) co-driver Mac Kierans, McRae had strong pace in each stage with a highlight being a class win on the penultimate stage.
 
On track for top spot in class after the stage win, the 18-year-old unfortunately had a spin on the final stage, which saw him lose more than 20 seconds and the win in the process.
 
Despite that, McRae finished his whirlwind tour on a high and will be eager to return to the ARC full of confidence.