Anoche, la serie inaugural Superstars Open sim, organizada por GT Sport Organización , SIRIO eSports y MSD , fue televisada en Movistar F1 y transmitida en YouTube , y los espectadores de todo el mundo fueron testigos de cómo la ex estrella de la F1 española Roberto Merhi coronó al ganador después de tres emocionantes carreras con estrellas del mundialmente famoso Euroformula Open de los últimos 20 años.
The opening race took place at Silverstone GP Circuit and Merhi started from pole following the hot laps qualifying sessions. After an exciting battle for the lead, it was 2017 Euroformula Open winner Harrison Scott who took the race win, with 2018 series runner-up Bent Viscaal in second place and Ferdinand Habsburg, the 2016 rookie champion, in third.
Race two was at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona and Merhi was on pole yet again with 2018 Euroformula Open champion Felipe Drugovich (BRA) joining him on the front row. While the leaders crossed the line in the same order they started, it was 2010 championship-winner Andy Soucek who took the third spot on the podium.
The final race at Monza saw race one winner Scott on pole with Merhi alongside in P2. The race saw some exciting wheel-to-wheel action with real-world race-winner Yu Kanamaru (JPN) improving from eighth to fourth, his best result of the three Super Stars Open races. Meanwhile, Merhi became embroiled in battles with Drugovich and David Fuminelli (ITA), the 2011 series runner-up, but managed to cross the line in third place to take the title from race-winner Scott by just one point.
“It was a really close final race… I had a great battle with Felipe Drugovich who was racing really clean and we had a lot of fun. The main thing was to make some money for the Red Cross Charity and it was good to see so many good drivers here and friends from the old times”, commented Merhi who, in his final outing in Euroformula Open (then Spanish F3) in 2008, won both races in Barcelona before embarking on a career that saw him compete in DTM and Formula 1. “I raced with Escuderia TEC-Auto in that livery back in 2008 and won the final two races and I raced in that car again today and won again… it’s a fast car for sure!” he laughed, making reference to the fact that each driver competed in Super Stars Open in the livery they ran in Euroformula Open.
Jesús Pareja, CEO of GT Sport commented: “It was exciting to see GT Sport Organisation’s first step into esports and to welcome back so many familiar faces from Euroformula Open’s past. There is a real sense of pride when you go down the list of drivers who passed through our paddock and then went on to achieve great things. I’m delighted to see that Roberto Merhi is our Super Stars Open winner. It was extremely close with Harrison Scott who won the series almost a decade after Roberto won his last race with us. To see such big names all come back together to celebrate Euroformula Open and raise money for the Red Cross is fantastic and I’d like to thank all of the drivers plus SIRIO eSports and MSD for putting on such a fantastic show.”
GT Sport Organisation gifted a total of €6,000 to the three drivers who topped the standings to donate to the Red Cross COVID-19 Response Appeal.
Further donations can be made at https://www.cruzroja.es/webCre/donativos/donativos.php?llamada=2.19.252.15494.24/05/04.2.13860
The event was the first step into esports for GT Sport, which is the home of Euroformula Open, International GT Open and GT Cup Open Europe - three of the most highly respected single-seater and GT series in the world - and was the global launch of the new Dallara 320 - the safest, lightest and fastest F3 car of all time.
The Superstars Open presented by GT Sport, SIRIO eSports and MSD is available to view on the Euroformula YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/euroformulaopen.
