A BOSS Weekend in Rio

The fourth race weekend of the 2023 BOSS GP Racing Series in Misano Adriatico felt like the carnival in Rio.  The Italian race promoter PNK Motorsport invited colourfully dressed samba dancers into the paddock that proved to be a lucky charm for two Brazilians that were right at the front of the grid after qualifying.

Antonio Pizzonia was the favourite for overall victory in the first of three BOSS GP appearances in Italy in the 2023 season and, in the absence of Formula 1 cars for which the Misano circuit is not approved, the former Formula 1 driver fulfilled expectations.  It was the first two overall wins for the driver in the World Series V8 car and a double in the Open category. 

Brazilian driver Antonio Pizzonia felt right at home as he lined up on pole for Saturday’s race Photo Angelo Poletto

The duel of the weekend was fought for second place and the Formula class by Harald Schlegelmilch and Brazilian Adriano Buzaid in the second race on Sunday afternoon.  After Schlegelmilch had taken his HS Engineering Dallara World Series to the class win on Saturday, Buzaid was able to convert his pole position into a victory on Sunday.  The two were together for the entire race distance, with barely more than a second separating them  in the course of Sunday’s longer race.  In the end, Buzaid crossed the finish line with a lead of only 0.8 seconds.  After racing at the front of the British Formula 3 Championship more than ten years ago, the now 35-year-old Buzaid took an extended break from racing, only returning to a single-seater car for the Italian team MM International this weekend in Misano and causing a sensation with two podiums and a class first and second in his debut in the series.