The Euroformula Open is entering the final and decisive stretch of the season, with only two rounds left, and it is doing so with a situation at the top of the standings that could not be more exciting, as the Red Bull Ring weekend further ‘compacted’ the leading quartet.
Again, Barcelona and Monza, two of the top F.1 tracks in Europe and two of the most traditional fixtures in the Euroformula calendar, will set the stage for the double final battle, the first with the new Tom’s-powered Dallara 324s as the championship’s protagonists.
Next stop, in the usually warm late summer weather, is the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the 4.657-km technical track near Montmeló that is both a challenge and a delight for any driver. For the occasion, two extra sessions of private tests will be available on Thursday.
Only 31 points cover the first four drivers in the standings, and all have a say in the title bid. Keeping the lead is Tymek Kucharczyk, the young Pole of BVM Racing, who has proven extremely fast throughout the season, as proven by his 4 wins and 5 poles out of six. The Pole now has a 10-point advantage over his closest rival.
This is Michael Shin, the Korean of Team Motopark, probably the most consistent driver throughout the season, who has 3 wins and six seconds to his credit, and has briefly taken the lead of the standings in a few instances.
Third, 31 points behind Kucharczyk, is another Motopark driver, Yevan David. The Sri Lankan dominated the initial part of the season and is now back in the fight after some frustrating outings. His 5 wins and 1 pole speak for themselves, and he will certainly be a tough title contender until the very end.
Motopark has a third ace in the game, Joss Garfias, 36 points from the lead. The Mexican has had a ‘in crescendo’ performance throughout the season, punctuated by three wins, and is certainly something more than an outsider.
There is also a big fight to take the final spot in the top five. Britain’s Ed Pearson, who won the opening race, giving Nielsen Motorsport a stunning success in its very first EFO appearance, is currently holding fifth. His most direct rival is Everett Stack, the young American of Motopark, who culminated his progression by taking a maiden win in Austria and is now also challenging Yevan David for the Rookies Trophy.
Not far is Fernando Barrichello, also with Motopark and also a race winner this year. The young Brazilian is back after missing the last round to make his FIA F.3 debut. Completing the ranks of the German squad is Mexico’s Diego de la Torre, who has shown undoubted speed on many occasions.
The novelty at Barcelona is that BVM Racing is fielding a third car. It will be entrusted to Rui-Heng ‘Enzo’ Yeh, the 16-year-old Taiwanese seen in various F.Regional and F.4 series around the world. Alongside him and Kucharczyk in the line-up of the Italian squad will be, for a second outing, Venezuela’s Alessandro Famularo, who scored points in all three races at his series debut in Austria.
Making his debut in the series in Barcelona, with Nielsen Motorsport, will be Theo Micouris. The 20-year-old British-Cypriot driver certainly has a diversified background, as he is currently racing LMP3 cars in the Michelin LM Cup, after being a Ligier European Series and a Radical SR1 Cup champion, but also has a past with single-seaters in the GB4.