Imola, November 1st – The same track that had witnessed his brilliant debut in car-racing with a double win proved to be a bitter disappointment for MIM driver David Vidales this weekend. The 18-year old from Leon, Spain, came out of the Imola round with a double DNF, having failed to complete a single lap in either of the two events.
Vidales had qualified in 8th place for Race-1, but his getaway from fourth row of the grid was pretty good. As he tried to find a gap to pass the cars in the front, he moved to right side of the track. Unfortunately, Paul Aron totally missed the braking point at the Tamburello chicane and crashed into David’s car, both drivers having to retire immediately from the race.
The Sunday event looked more promising at the start as Vidales progressed in qualifying, clinching fifth place on the grid with a last-ditch attempt at the end of the session. The race was held immediately thereafter and Vidales managed to put his #32 car ahead of Hadrien David’s at the start. He then started to chase Franco Colapinto for third, but coming into Variante Alta he made perhaps too bold a move under braking and lost control of his car, which skidded sideways and ended up hitting Caio Collet’s single-seater.
As a result of a bad weekend, Vidales is now running fourth in the series, having disputed two races less than his competitors. Yet, he retains a record six podium finishes (including two wins) for a rookie driver… and a lot of confidence for the next two rounds ahead!