Zachary ‘Zach’ David secured a point-scoring 8th place finish at Circuit Paul Ricard over the weekend. Although he was expecting better results given his performance over the last few rounds, it was still a strong showing from the Malta-licensed Filipino driver during a rain-hit Round 6 of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA).
The #20 R-ace GP entry was clearly down on pace during Testing. This hindered David in Saturday Qualifying and could only set the 7th fastest time amongst the Group A runners that earned him P13 on the grid for Race 1.
Aiming for a Top 10 finish and making up for his low grid position, David immediately got his head down at the start and gained a spot on the opening lap. However, with such a closely-packed grid, making a clean pass proved to be difficult and forced him to hold position in P12. Another driver then made contact with David mid-race that dropped him down to P20. Despite being far away from the points, David still chased after the pack in search for a strong result and recovered to 17th place when the chequered flag dropped.
In contrast to Saturday’s clear skies, Race 2 on Sunday got underway behind the Safety Car as a heavy downpour drenched the entire 5.842 km track. The entire 33-car grid was only given the green light on lap 3 where David again improved 1 spot up to P10. But the Safety Car had to be brought out on track once more, this time to clear the stranded cars that were caught out by the tricky conditions.
With only less than 9 minutes left on the clock, David would find himself in a tight battle for 10th as the field scrambled for position. An opportunity eventually opened up on the very last lap, which allowed David to take 8th place at the finish line to conclude a tough weekend in France on a high note.
The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) is taking a month’s break before resuming in September. Rounds 7 and 8 will be held on back-to-back weekends at Imola Circuit and the Red Bull Ring, respectively before visiting the Barcelona Circuit on the 28th to 29th of September. Finally, the 2024 season wraps up at Monza Circuit on the 26th to 27th of October.
Zach David: “Not bad finish to the weekend with some points, but we know there’s potential for more. The competition is also definitely a lot closer now in the front as we pass the season’s halfway point. We’ll be working over the summer break to make sure we get the results we deserve at Imola.”
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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