F3000 Italia 1999

For round three the growing field of Lola T96/50s made its way to the Enna-Pergusa circuit in Sicily, the venue made famous for its International F3000 races. The track winds its way around a snake infested lake, is very dusty and is well known for having some of the most inept track marshals in the world. In the past they have succeeded in turning two cars over while trying to clear up accidents, along with playing chicken with '94 F3000 champion Jean-Christophe Boullion's Reynard, forcing him off the road by loitering in the middle of the track! Nevertheless the visit to this hot area is enjoyed by most teams and drivers, perhaps more for the cheap local restaurants than anything else.

For F3000 Italia's debut at Enna there were some significant changes in the driver line-up. Alex Yoong, a promising driver from British F3, became the first Malaysian driver to compete in an F3000 event, entering in a second Monaco car as Marco Apicella's teammate. Oliver Martini, competing this year for Draco in International F3000, entered for Sighinolfi, while Monza winner Marcelo Battistuzzi switched from Redgrave Racing to Coloni. Making his debut in a third Durango entry was Open Fortuna by Nissan driver Nicolas Filiberti, and Polo Villaamil made his return for Coloni.

Sixteen cars made up the entry list at Enna, proof that the series was already growing. Qualifying on pole was the impressive Ananda Mikola, the former Italian F3 driver, with a time of 1m 32.269secs. Fastest time was in fact set by F3000 regular Oliver Martini, but his times were disallowed as his Sighinolfi Lola was found to be running an illegal gearbox and suspension. Marcelo Battistuzzi qualified second, with Mark Shaw and Giorgio Vinella third and fourth. Marco Apicella, robbed of the lead in round two, qualified in fifth position, 1.2 secs ahead of debutant teammate Alex Yoong who starts twelfth. The Malaysian suffered the loss of vital set-up time after hitting the kerb on the last chicane in free practice earlier in the day, breaking the steering arm.

Vinella takes victory after Mikola disqualified

The biggest loser in the field was polesitter Ananda Mikola. The Indonesian, in pain from his Monza accident, was disqualified from a dominant victory after scrutineers found his car to be illegal. He had dominated from the start, pulling out a five second lead. Front row starter Marcelo Battistuzzi couldn't match the Indonesian's pace, and pushing hard he crashed into the tyres at the start of the second lap, promoting Giorgio Vinella to second. After Mikola's disqualification Vinella thus won the race from fourth on the grid for Martello Racing. Redgrave Racing's Mark Shaw, who had also qualified on the second row, took second position, his first podium of the year. In third position was Sighinolfi's Gabriele Lancieri. Fourth went to Oliver Martini on his series debut, while the similarly experienced Werner Lupberger once again scored points with sixth place. The sensation of the race, apart from Mikola, was Alex Yoong. The Monaco Motorsport driver finished fifth on his F3000 debut, quite an achievement considering he started only twelfth. He passed two cars at the start and fought steadily up the order. Considering his lack of experience, this showing suggests the Malaysian could be a winner soon.

Vinella thus took the lead in the points standings with 19 points, ahead of joint second placed Apicella and Battistuzzi on 10 pts. Mark Shaw elevated himself to fourth in the standings with 9 pts.

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