Chaves Scores Another Rookie Rookie Win At Varano

08/31/2010

American captured two top-10s in his continued development of the Mygale chassis in the Italian Formula 3 Championship

VARANO, ITALY – American junior formula car standout Gabby Chaves returned to the cockpit this past weekend (August 28-29), impressing in his first-ever visit to the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti for Rounds Nine and Ten of the Italian Formula 3 Championship. The Eurointernational driver was among the quickest rookie and Mygale racers throughout the doubleheader, eventually taking home ninth and 10th – first and second in the rookie contingent - in the two races. With the results, Chaves is currently second in the Rookie of the Year title chase.

After a lengthy break between races – having last raced in late July – Chaves was looking forward to getting back to racing and further developing the Eurointernational Mygale M10 chassis during the Varano doubleheader.

With passing opportunities at a premium on the twisty Italian road course, the goal during the opening two practice sessions was to work on car balance and overall speed ahead of the vital lone qualifying run. Unfortunately for Chaves he lost a good deal of track time in the final practice session, when a drive shaft broke.

Chaves, despite the setback in the final practice run, was confident going into qualifying he could post a top-eight time, potentially earning the pole position for race two, which features the top-eight from qualifying inverted. While the 2009 Formula BMW Americas showed good speed during qualifying – leading all the rookie racers and going second fastest among those with a Mygale chassis – he ultimately came up 0.05s short of his desired goal, turning the ninth best time.

Given the track layout at the Varano facility, it didn’t come as a real surprise that Round Nine featured little in the way of movement among the top-10. Chaves held station in ninth place from start-to-finish, easily holding off his nearest pursuer, unable to find away past the racer ahead.

Round 10 however proved to be a more lively affair for the highly-rated American teenager. Chaves was involved in a good dice for position from start-to-finish, battling not only for eighth through 10th, but also the rookie win. The Eurointernational driver in the end crossed the stripe in 10th, finishing second in the rookie fight, and third among the Mygale cars.

Chaves continues his inaugural European race campaign on September 25-26, with Rounds 11 and 12 of Italian Formula 3 Championship at the Autodromo di Vallenlunga. Prior to the next event, Chaves and his Eurointernational squad will take part in official series testing on September 15th at the same Italian road course. The upcoming test will feature Chaves trying out new suspension pieces and an updated aero package, as he continues development of the Mygale M10 chassis.

Additional information on Gabby Chaves can be obtained from his website @ www.GabbyChaves.com
For direct contact, please email gabbyracing@yahoo.com

Gabby Chaves continues to fight for the Rookie of the
Year award with a rookie win at Varano.
(Photo: Fotospeedy)

About Gabby Chaves:
Widely considered one the premier up-and-coming drivers in the junior formula car ranks, Chaves has made a name for himself by winning races and challenging for championship titles. The American first got behind the wheel of a race car at the age of 13, winning a Skip Barber Racing Shoot-out scholarship. In his first full-season of competition, the former Easy Kart, Stars of Karting and Florida Winter Tour champion captured the Colombian Grand Prix Formula Renault 2000 title and finished as the series runner-up in the Skip Barber Eastern Regional Series. Building on this success, Chaves went undefeated in the 2006-07 Skip Barber Regional Southern Series, winning all 10 races. The teenager continued his winning ways one year later, extending his Skip Barber Racing victory streak to 17 consecutive victories, leading the Skip Barber National Series before making the switch to Formula BMW Pacific competition. Last year, Chaves returned to the top of the championship charts, winning the final Formula BMW Americas title with five wins and podium finishes in every race. In 2010, Chaves will race full-time in Europe, competing in the Italian F3 Championship.

Contact: Gabriel Chaves
Prepared by: ProMedia Motorsports PR
Additional photos available upon request 

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