I decided to have another take at F1 Challenge career - but this time not the whole team, but only a single driver.
For now a short backstory.
Mirko Bosevic was born April 12, 1976 in Zadar, Croatia, but most of his childhood he spent in Mogyoród, Hungary - where the Hungaroring track is situated, and where his father was running a successful shoe store. He saw his first Grand Prix in 1986 and from this time he wanted to become a racing driver.
He began karting in 1987, and the following year he was runner-up for the Hungarian Karting Championship, winning the title in 1990.
Thanks to the backing from Croatian ice-cream and frozen food company Ledo he could easily progress to single-seaters in 1991. In his first season in British Formula Three Mirko finished 4th, but the following year he finished second to last as he took part in only one race - he had to struggle with a rare disease that left him deaf in his left ear and partially disabled his facial muscles. Fortunately enough Mirko got better and continued his starts in F3 for next two seasons (respectively 8th and 3rd overall) and had to take a year off because of his violent crash with Dino Morelli in Snetterton in which he broke both legs.
However Mirko did a fast recovery from the injuries and returned to racing in 1996, joining Pacific Racing in International Formula 3000. His first season was marred by mechanical failures, resulting in a highest finish of 5th on Estoril, but when he left Pacific Racing for RSM Marko, Mirko did a great job and won first four races, starting from pole position. Although the last two races of the season weren't fortunate (throttle linkage problems on the last lap in Mugello while battling with Ricardo Zonta and multiple spins during the biggest downpour Jerez has seen in decades) Mirko won the title, with his teammate Juan-Pablo Montoya as a runner-up.
He caught Frank Williams' attention and was signed as a test driver for 1998 - so was his F3000 teammate, JPM. In 1999 he was given his chance, when Diniz left Arrows for Sauber and Salo was filling in for other drivers in different teams. Mirko joined the team alongside the Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa, becoming the first Croat and first Balkan Formula One driver. Mirko's younger brother, Anton Bosevic, also makes his first steps in professional racing.
How Bosevic's career in Formula One will go? The first race is coming soon...
Mirko Bosevic's Rejectful Racing Career (1999-)
Mirko Bosevic's Rejectful Racing Career (1999-)
Last edited by Pointrox on 07 Aug 2011, 11:22, edited 5 times in total.
Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
Round One - 1999 Australian Grand Prix
Qualifying
Michael Schumacher took his first pole position of the season, followed by two McLarens of David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen. One of the biggest surprises was the high fourth place of Prost's Jarno Trulli. Villeneuve (BAR) and Ralf Schumacher (Williams) qualified 5th and 6th - last two points-awarded positions. The top 10 was closed by two Stewarts of Barrichello and Herbert, second Prost of Olivier Panis and Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen. One of the biggest disappointments of the session was Eddie Irvine qualifying a mere 11th, followed by Luca Badoer, who surprisingly qualified as high as 12th in his M01 powered by an outdated Fondmetal engine.
As for the rookies - Pedro de la Rosa qualified 18th, followed by his Croatian teammate Mirko Bosevic and other two rookies BAR's Ricardo Zonta and Minardi's Marc Gene. The last place was taken by Pedro Diniz.
Race
David Coulthard took the win in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix. The top five finished within one lap, whilst the rest of the pack was lapped. Apart from the battle in front, all the eyes were on Croatian rookie Mirko Bosevic, who impressed everyone with his good start, gaining 9 positions after T1. Although struggling with wrong weight balance and overheating tyres, he was batting with better teams for 9th before spinning in T1 on lap 3. He lost 2 positions and was stuck behind Alessandro Zanardi, but still was close enough to try to get in front of him (12th position) and try rejoin the battle for top 10. On lap 6 Mirko decided to take his chance in turn 6, but it didn't pay off as he locked his brakes and skidded in front of Zanardi as he was approaching the corner. Croat still tried to keep up with Zanardi going off-track but spun out when rejoining the race and lost two more positions. Although Bosevic refused to battle anymore and just wanted to finish the race, he was far off pace and spun a few more times, falling back to 21st, behind Luca Badoer. On lap 10 Bosevic tried to get in front of Minardi driver, but instead of a smooth manoeuvre he did an Ide-sque tackle and flipped him over. It affected both Badoer and Bosevic, who did just 2 more laps before he parked on the side of the track with broken rear suspension.
Other non-finishers were Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who spun out on the first lap, Jacques Villeneuve, whose engine overheated, and Jarno Trulli, who - after a great start from 4th to 2nd broke his gearbox when breaking to the first corner. Mirko's teammate, Pedro de la Rosa, finished 16th.
I'll soon post some screenshots from the race itself
Qualifying
Michael Schumacher took his first pole position of the season, followed by two McLarens of David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen. One of the biggest surprises was the high fourth place of Prost's Jarno Trulli. Villeneuve (BAR) and Ralf Schumacher (Williams) qualified 5th and 6th - last two points-awarded positions. The top 10 was closed by two Stewarts of Barrichello and Herbert, second Prost of Olivier Panis and Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen. One of the biggest disappointments of the session was Eddie Irvine qualifying a mere 11th, followed by Luca Badoer, who surprisingly qualified as high as 12th in his M01 powered by an outdated Fondmetal engine.
As for the rookies - Pedro de la Rosa qualified 18th, followed by his Croatian teammate Mirko Bosevic and other two rookies BAR's Ricardo Zonta and Minardi's Marc Gene. The last place was taken by Pedro Diniz.
Race
David Coulthard took the win in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix. The top five finished within one lap, whilst the rest of the pack was lapped. Apart from the battle in front, all the eyes were on Croatian rookie Mirko Bosevic, who impressed everyone with his good start, gaining 9 positions after T1. Although struggling with wrong weight balance and overheating tyres, he was batting with better teams for 9th before spinning in T1 on lap 3. He lost 2 positions and was stuck behind Alessandro Zanardi, but still was close enough to try to get in front of him (12th position) and try rejoin the battle for top 10. On lap 6 Mirko decided to take his chance in turn 6, but it didn't pay off as he locked his brakes and skidded in front of Zanardi as he was approaching the corner. Croat still tried to keep up with Zanardi going off-track but spun out when rejoining the race and lost two more positions. Although Bosevic refused to battle anymore and just wanted to finish the race, he was far off pace and spun a few more times, falling back to 21st, behind Luca Badoer. On lap 10 Bosevic tried to get in front of Minardi driver, but instead of a smooth manoeuvre he did an Ide-sque tackle and flipped him over. It affected both Badoer and Bosevic, who did just 2 more laps before he parked on the side of the track with broken rear suspension.
Other non-finishers were Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who spun out on the first lap, Jacques Villeneuve, whose engine overheated, and Jarno Trulli, who - after a great start from 4th to 2nd broke his gearbox when breaking to the first corner. Mirko's teammate, Pedro de la Rosa, finished 16th.
I'll soon post some screenshots from the race itself
Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
I feel I'm going to love this 
kevinbotz wrote:Cantonese is a completely nonsensical f*cking alien language masquerading as some grossly bastardised form of Chinese
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Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
Thanks! I would be glad to have some frequent followers
Round Two - 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix
Qualifying
Ralf Schumacher won the Saturday qualifying session. Williams driver set the fastest time of 1:16.152 and beat his brother Michael by 0.086s. Rubens Barrichello continues his Top 5 streak by setting 3rd fastest time of the session, followed by two McLarens of Hakkinen and Coulthard. Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen qualified 6th, in front of Olivier Panis, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli, whilst the other Jordan, driven by Damon Hill, closes the Top 10. Spectacular performance by the newcomer, Mirko Bosevic, who qualified 11th after completing only five laps. It's worth mentioning that he never drove a car around Interlagos and spent most of the practice sessions on getting to know the track. Croatian driver is also the highest rookie qualified - Ricardo Zonta qualified 16th, Gene 19th and Bosevic's teammate, Pedro de la Rosa, 21st - and will start from the last row with Minardi's Luca Badoer.
Race
Michael Schumacher continues his winning streak and took his second win of the season and third on Interlagos in his career. Outstanding performace by Stewart's Rubens Barrichello, who was battling the Red Baron for first position to the last corner and finished just a second behind him. Third came Hakkinen, followed by pole-sitter Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella. The last point was scored by Scot David Coulthard, who overtook Olivier Panis on lap 20 and increased his lead over Frenchman to nearly 3 seconds.
The highest finishing rookie was Pedro de la Rosa, who finished 15th. His teammate, Mirko Bosevic, who qualified 11th, once again did not finish the race when he retired on lap 6 with broken suspension. His race was a complete disaster - Arrows took the risk and Bosevic started the race on wet tyres as rain was expected after 3 laps. Unfortunately this gamble did not pay off due to the track being too dry for this set of tyres and after 3 laps the car was totally undrivable, and as it started to rain on lap 6, Mirko spun out on T1, lost his both wings and broke his suspension, forcing him to retire early in the race.
The other rookies - Marc Gene and Ricardo Zonta also didn't have much luck in Brazil - Minardi driver struggled with lack of 6th gear and eventually finished 2 laps behind the leader on 18th position, and Ricardo Zonta lost both wings on the first lap and pitted in shortly after. The last two drivers - the other BAR driven by Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who qualified a decent 6th, retired with - respectively - clutch and electronics failure, and parked their cars on the main straight.
Round Two - 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix
Qualifying
Ralf Schumacher won the Saturday qualifying session. Williams driver set the fastest time of 1:16.152 and beat his brother Michael by 0.086s. Rubens Barrichello continues his Top 5 streak by setting 3rd fastest time of the session, followed by two McLarens of Hakkinen and Coulthard. Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen qualified 6th, in front of Olivier Panis, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli, whilst the other Jordan, driven by Damon Hill, closes the Top 10. Spectacular performance by the newcomer, Mirko Bosevic, who qualified 11th after completing only five laps. It's worth mentioning that he never drove a car around Interlagos and spent most of the practice sessions on getting to know the track. Croatian driver is also the highest rookie qualified - Ricardo Zonta qualified 16th, Gene 19th and Bosevic's teammate, Pedro de la Rosa, 21st - and will start from the last row with Minardi's Luca Badoer.
Race
Michael Schumacher continues his winning streak and took his second win of the season and third on Interlagos in his career. Outstanding performace by Stewart's Rubens Barrichello, who was battling the Red Baron for first position to the last corner and finished just a second behind him. Third came Hakkinen, followed by pole-sitter Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella. The last point was scored by Scot David Coulthard, who overtook Olivier Panis on lap 20 and increased his lead over Frenchman to nearly 3 seconds.
The highest finishing rookie was Pedro de la Rosa, who finished 15th. His teammate, Mirko Bosevic, who qualified 11th, once again did not finish the race when he retired on lap 6 with broken suspension. His race was a complete disaster - Arrows took the risk and Bosevic started the race on wet tyres as rain was expected after 3 laps. Unfortunately this gamble did not pay off due to the track being too dry for this set of tyres and after 3 laps the car was totally undrivable, and as it started to rain on lap 6, Mirko spun out on T1, lost his both wings and broke his suspension, forcing him to retire early in the race.
The other rookies - Marc Gene and Ricardo Zonta also didn't have much luck in Brazil - Minardi driver struggled with lack of 6th gear and eventually finished 2 laps behind the leader on 18th position, and Ricardo Zonta lost both wings on the first lap and pitted in shortly after. The last two drivers - the other BAR driven by Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who qualified a decent 6th, retired with - respectively - clutch and electronics failure, and parked their cars on the main straight.
Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
Thanks! I would be glad to have some frequent followers
Round Three - 1999 San Marino Grand Prix
Qualifying
Michael Schumacher won the Saturday qualifying session on Imola. Ferrari driver clocked 1:27.138 and beat Hakkinen's time by more than half a second and took care of Finn's lack of pole positions on this track. Third came Ralf Schumacher, who - unlike his Italian teammate, Alex Zanardi - puts FW20's potential into use. Fourth came Rubens Barrichello, who also makes the most out of his SF3. Third row - that is 5th and 6th - qualifiers are David Coulthard from McLaren and Jarno Trulli from Prost. 7th position is an absolute sensation - Arrows' Mirko Bosevic pushed his A20 to the limit and not only outqualified his teammate, Pedro de la Rosa, but scored Arrows' best qualifying result of the season so far. Way to go!
Mirko will share the row with Frenchman Olivier Panis, who qualified 8th and clocked a very interesting looking time of 1:32.999. Less fancy times are these of Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert - respectively Jordan and Stewart. These two chaps are proven veterans and definitely will try their best - especially Damon Hill, 1996 World Champion, who wants to prove something to Eddie Jordan, who seems to be focused entirely on Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
This season's rookies, apart from Bosevic, weren't very impressive - Ricardo Zonta qualified 15th in his BAR 01, Pedro de la Rosa in the other Arrows qualified an abyssmal 18th (comparing to his teammate), and Marc Gene from Minardi will start from the very last, 22nd place.
Race
Ralf Schumacher wins the San Marino Grand Prix, ahead of his brother Michael and Mika Hakkinen. Great race from the young German who apparently decided to show his elder brother who is the champion. Fourth place was taken by Rubens Barrichello - he did a heroical effort to hold his position from the start to the finish, what a great drive! 5th and 6th - final point scorers - came Olivier Panis and David Coulthard. French driver from Prost's team had to battle for his 2 points but made it to the finish. In a great fashion, to say the least - on the last corner of the chicane Panis spun out, but crossed the finish line backwards, waving to David Coulthard and the crowd as he scored another valuable points for the French team.
Rookies' finishes weren't as spectacular, but their racing definitely was. Mirko Bosevic unfortunately didn't finish his third race in a row, but he proved himself to be a very competitive driver in a very UNcompetitive car. From the very start he reached for the point-awarded positions, overtaking Jarno Trulli in the process. Unfortunately he went a bit over the line on the chicane and lost his 6th position but kept his car on the track and gave Eddie Irvine a hard time, defending his 7th position. Mirko was on his way to finish his first race when the inevitable happened - Eddie Irvine desperately wanted to get in front of the Croat and using the little space he left, Ferrari driver forced him to spin off the track. However Bosevic made a quick return and found himself on 13th position - unlucky number, and Mirko was soon to realize it. Although he got past Fisichella in a brave manoeuvre (locking his front wheels and nearly pushing the Italian off the track), his look on Zanardi went wrong - Alex closed the gap he left and knocked Bosevic's front wing off, losing the rear wing himself. Mirko still was able to get to the pits and replace the bare nosecone with a new one, but Zanardi wasn't even aware of his loss and spun out halfway through the turn 13. Bosevic rejoined the race on 21st and last position - behind Marc Gene. Mirko was on his 6th lap when he went too wide on turn 6 and hit the armco, as he tried to get back on the track on full speed. The power of the impact was so hard that the car lost both front wheels, front wing and bumped into the barrier on the other side of the track, losing his rear wing and rear left wheel. Mirko - although the accident looked dangerous - got out of the car on his own and left the track. The other non-finisher of the race was Damon Hill, who also was eliminated by Eddie Irvine, whilst the attacker himself finished 11th.
Other rookies - Ricardo Zonta, Marc Gene and Pedro de la Rosa - finished 15th, 17th and 19th.
Round Four - 1999 Monaco Grand Prix
Mirko Bosevic decided not to take part in this Grand Prix to prepare himself better for the Spanish Grand Prix on Catalunya. Croatian driver complained of extensive pain in the neck that really gets in the way while racing. Bosevic is on a stepped-up training regime that will allow him to show his best in Spain. The driver himself, who usually avoids any interviews because of his poor English and partially paralyzed face, said that "he will be faster than ever". We'll hold him to that!
Standings after 4 rounds
Round Three - 1999 San Marino Grand Prix
Qualifying
Michael Schumacher won the Saturday qualifying session on Imola. Ferrari driver clocked 1:27.138 and beat Hakkinen's time by more than half a second and took care of Finn's lack of pole positions on this track. Third came Ralf Schumacher, who - unlike his Italian teammate, Alex Zanardi - puts FW20's potential into use. Fourth came Rubens Barrichello, who also makes the most out of his SF3. Third row - that is 5th and 6th - qualifiers are David Coulthard from McLaren and Jarno Trulli from Prost. 7th position is an absolute sensation - Arrows' Mirko Bosevic pushed his A20 to the limit and not only outqualified his teammate, Pedro de la Rosa, but scored Arrows' best qualifying result of the season so far. Way to go!
Mirko will share the row with Frenchman Olivier Panis, who qualified 8th and clocked a very interesting looking time of 1:32.999. Less fancy times are these of Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert - respectively Jordan and Stewart. These two chaps are proven veterans and definitely will try their best - especially Damon Hill, 1996 World Champion, who wants to prove something to Eddie Jordan, who seems to be focused entirely on Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
This season's rookies, apart from Bosevic, weren't very impressive - Ricardo Zonta qualified 15th in his BAR 01, Pedro de la Rosa in the other Arrows qualified an abyssmal 18th (comparing to his teammate), and Marc Gene from Minardi will start from the very last, 22nd place.
Race
Ralf Schumacher wins the San Marino Grand Prix, ahead of his brother Michael and Mika Hakkinen. Great race from the young German who apparently decided to show his elder brother who is the champion. Fourth place was taken by Rubens Barrichello - he did a heroical effort to hold his position from the start to the finish, what a great drive! 5th and 6th - final point scorers - came Olivier Panis and David Coulthard. French driver from Prost's team had to battle for his 2 points but made it to the finish. In a great fashion, to say the least - on the last corner of the chicane Panis spun out, but crossed the finish line backwards, waving to David Coulthard and the crowd as he scored another valuable points for the French team.
Rookies' finishes weren't as spectacular, but their racing definitely was. Mirko Bosevic unfortunately didn't finish his third race in a row, but he proved himself to be a very competitive driver in a very UNcompetitive car. From the very start he reached for the point-awarded positions, overtaking Jarno Trulli in the process. Unfortunately he went a bit over the line on the chicane and lost his 6th position but kept his car on the track and gave Eddie Irvine a hard time, defending his 7th position. Mirko was on his way to finish his first race when the inevitable happened - Eddie Irvine desperately wanted to get in front of the Croat and using the little space he left, Ferrari driver forced him to spin off the track. However Bosevic made a quick return and found himself on 13th position - unlucky number, and Mirko was soon to realize it. Although he got past Fisichella in a brave manoeuvre (locking his front wheels and nearly pushing the Italian off the track), his look on Zanardi went wrong - Alex closed the gap he left and knocked Bosevic's front wing off, losing the rear wing himself. Mirko still was able to get to the pits and replace the bare nosecone with a new one, but Zanardi wasn't even aware of his loss and spun out halfway through the turn 13. Bosevic rejoined the race on 21st and last position - behind Marc Gene. Mirko was on his 6th lap when he went too wide on turn 6 and hit the armco, as he tried to get back on the track on full speed. The power of the impact was so hard that the car lost both front wheels, front wing and bumped into the barrier on the other side of the track, losing his rear wing and rear left wheel. Mirko - although the accident looked dangerous - got out of the car on his own and left the track. The other non-finisher of the race was Damon Hill, who also was eliminated by Eddie Irvine, whilst the attacker himself finished 11th.
Other rookies - Ricardo Zonta, Marc Gene and Pedro de la Rosa - finished 15th, 17th and 19th.
Round Four - 1999 Monaco Grand Prix
Mirko Bosevic decided not to take part in this Grand Prix to prepare himself better for the Spanish Grand Prix on Catalunya. Croatian driver complained of extensive pain in the neck that really gets in the way while racing. Bosevic is on a stepped-up training regime that will allow him to show his best in Spain. The driver himself, who usually avoids any interviews because of his poor English and partially paralyzed face, said that "he will be faster than ever". We'll hold him to that!
Standings after 4 rounds
Code: Select all
-----------------------------------------------
Driver Season Points Poles Taken
-----------------------------------------------
Michael Schumacher 32 3
Ralf Schumacher 18 1
Mika Hakkinen 15 0
Rubens Barrichello 14 0
David Coulthard 12 0
Heinz-Harald Frentzen 6 0
Eddie Irvine 2 0
Giancarlo Fisichella 2 0
Olivier Panis 2 0
Jacques Villeneuve 1 0
Mirko Bosevic 0 0
Jarno Trulli 0 0
Damon Hill 0 0
Johnny Herbert 0 0
Alexander Wurz 0 0
Alessandro Zanardi 0 0
Jean Alesi 0 0
Ricardo Zonta 0 0
Pedro Diniz 0 0
Pedro De La Rosa 0 0
Marc Gene 0 0
Luca Badoer 0 0
Last edited by Pointrox on 25 Jun 2011, 22:43, edited 2 times in total.
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Mister Fungus
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Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
I shall root for him patriotically, seeing as I'm Croatian myself
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FullMetalJack
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Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
Mister Fungus wrote:I shall root for him patriotically, seeing as I'm Croatian myself
I didn't know we had any Croatians on this forum. I'll root for him as well, but I do for all of the virtual careers.
I like the way Snrub thinks!
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TomWazzleshaw
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Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
*Starts waving around Arrows flags and blowing Airhorns*
Biscione wrote:"Some Turkemenistani gulag repurposed for residential use" is the best way yet I've heard to describe North / East Glasgow.
Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
Round Five - 1999 Spanish Grand Prix
Qualifying
Schumacher took his fourth pole position of the season in the rainy qualifying session on Circuit de Catalunya. Ferrari driver will share the front row with younger brother Ralf. Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello will start from 3rd and 4th position, followed by third row qualifiers - David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli. Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert qualified 7th and 8th, and the top 10 is closed by Olivier Panis and Eddie Irvine.
As for the rookies - Zonta qualified as high as 11th, which is so far his best result of the season. Two Spaniards, Pedro de la Rosa and Marc Gene, qualified 18th and 21st in their home Grand Prix. Mirko Bosevic has a disappointing weekend so far - he was denied having a private test session to acknowledge the track and drove his first kilometers during the practice session. He qualified 22nd and last, with 18 seconds off pole position. However he said, that "more than anything, he wants to finish the race".
Race
Michael Schumacher won the rainy Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of two McLarens of Coulthard and Hakkinen - their tyre gamble paid off and when most of the pack pitted in, they . Ralf Schumacher finished 4th, followed by two other point finishers - Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella.
The highest finishing rookie was Ricardo Zonta, although he didn't make use of his high 11th position and fell back in to 15th. Pedro de la Rosa finished 18th, followed by Jarno Trulli, whose car broke down with just two laps to go. The last qualified finishers were Marc Gene and Mirko Bosevic - he really wanted to finish and even though he had to pit 4 times in the race to replace his broken wings and change tyres, he did it. Although being four laps down and clearly slower, his will of fight was widely appreciated by his teammate, by other drivers and the spectators, who cheered the Croatian driver everytime he went past the main straight. Given his huge potential, everyone's waiting for his performance in Canada.
Qualifying
Schumacher took his fourth pole position of the season in the rainy qualifying session on Circuit de Catalunya. Ferrari driver will share the front row with younger brother Ralf. Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello will start from 3rd and 4th position, followed by third row qualifiers - David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli. Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert qualified 7th and 8th, and the top 10 is closed by Olivier Panis and Eddie Irvine.
As for the rookies - Zonta qualified as high as 11th, which is so far his best result of the season. Two Spaniards, Pedro de la Rosa and Marc Gene, qualified 18th and 21st in their home Grand Prix. Mirko Bosevic has a disappointing weekend so far - he was denied having a private test session to acknowledge the track and drove his first kilometers during the practice session. He qualified 22nd and last, with 18 seconds off pole position. However he said, that "more than anything, he wants to finish the race".
Race
Michael Schumacher won the rainy Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of two McLarens of Coulthard and Hakkinen - their tyre gamble paid off and when most of the pack pitted in, they . Ralf Schumacher finished 4th, followed by two other point finishers - Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella.
The highest finishing rookie was Ricardo Zonta, although he didn't make use of his high 11th position and fell back in to 15th. Pedro de la Rosa finished 18th, followed by Jarno Trulli, whose car broke down with just two laps to go. The last qualified finishers were Marc Gene and Mirko Bosevic - he really wanted to finish and even though he had to pit 4 times in the race to replace his broken wings and change tyres, he did it. Although being four laps down and clearly slower, his will of fight was widely appreciated by his teammate, by other drivers and the spectators, who cheered the Croatian driver everytime he went past the main straight. Given his huge potential, everyone's waiting for his performance in Canada.
Re: Mirko Bosevic - first Croat in F1
Round Six - 1999 Canadian Grand Prix
Practice
Mirko Bosevic started this weekend with an impressive result of 8th place after the first practice session. Second practice session was even more sensational when Bosevic clocked the fastest lap and beat Ralf Schumacher's time. He made only a few laps each session - mostly because of the time he spent with engineers analysing his laps and setting the car up to his preferences. But this effort paid off quite easily and Arrows' driver is looking forward to the qualifying session.
Qualifying
Michael Schumacher once again qualified 1st, followed by Ralf Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. Olivier Panis qualified 4th, and this is his best result in this season. David Coulthard qualified 5th and will share the third row with Rubens Barrichello. Fourth row qualifiers are Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli. Brazilian rookie Ricardo Zonta qualified as high as 9th and is closing the top 10 with Eddie Irvine.
Mirko Bosevic qualified 13th, ahead of Alex Wurz. Wet track worsened the car's already poor performance, and still Mirko was able to be faster than his teammate, although by a little margin. Pedro de la Rosa set 15th fastest time and Marc Gene qualified 22nd.
Race
IT'S ALL COMPLETELY HOPELESS!
Practice
Mirko Bosevic started this weekend with an impressive result of 8th place after the first practice session. Second practice session was even more sensational when Bosevic clocked the fastest lap and beat Ralf Schumacher's time. He made only a few laps each session - mostly because of the time he spent with engineers analysing his laps and setting the car up to his preferences. But this effort paid off quite easily and Arrows' driver is looking forward to the qualifying session.
Qualifying
Michael Schumacher once again qualified 1st, followed by Ralf Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. Olivier Panis qualified 4th, and this is his best result in this season. David Coulthard qualified 5th and will share the third row with Rubens Barrichello. Fourth row qualifiers are Giancarlo Fisichella and Jarno Trulli. Brazilian rookie Ricardo Zonta qualified as high as 9th and is closing the top 10 with Eddie Irvine.
Mirko Bosevic qualified 13th, ahead of Alex Wurz. Wet track worsened the car's already poor performance, and still Mirko was able to be faster than his teammate, although by a little margin. Pedro de la Rosa set 15th fastest time and Marc Gene qualified 22nd.
Race
IT'S ALL COMPLETELY HOPELESS!
Re: Mirko Bosevic - racing career
Bosevic loses his seat
Arrows team principal has decided - quite unexpectedly - to fire their second driver, Croatian Mirko Bosevic. In their short statement they reasoned their decision with "poor results" and "dangerous driving". His seat will be taken by Arrows' test driver, Toranosuke Takagi.
Mirko Bosevic is this year's debutant and - although being fast on practice and qualifying sessions - his highest finish was 21st place in Spain.
We're waiting for Bosevic's statement about this situation as well as his plans for the rest of the season.
Re: Mirko Bosevic - racing career
Bosevic to make NASCAR debut at Michigan
Mirko Bosevic will make his Winston Cup Series debut - and some Michigan International Speedway history - as a guaranteed starter in the 1999 Pepsi 400, driving a No. 83 Toyota fielded by CroAm Racing. It is still unknown if it is a one-off entry or Bosevic will continue his starts this season.
Re: Mirko Bosevic - racing career
All righty, Mirko Bosevic had his debut in NASCAR.
If you want to read about it - go to: http://f1alternate.wikkii.com/wiki/Mirko_Bosevic
If you want to read about it - go to: http://f1alternate.wikkii.com/wiki/Mirko_Bosevic
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Salamander
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Re: Mirko Bosevic - racing career
Pointrox wrote:All righty, Mirko Bosevic had his debut in NASCAR.
If you want to read about it - go to: http://f1alternate.wikkii.com/wiki/Mirko_Bosevic
Out of curiosity, what game are you using for NASCAR?
Sebastian Vettel wrote:If I was good at losing, I wouldn't be in Formula 1
Re: Mirko Bosevic - racing career
BlindCaveSalamander wrote:Pointrox wrote:All righty, Mirko Bosevic had his debut in NASCAR.
If you want to read about it - go to: http://f1alternate.wikkii.com/wiki/Mirko_Bosevic
Out of curiosity, what game are you using for NASCAR?
I used NASCAR Racing 3. It has relatively good graphics for a late 1990s game, and - above all - has all the teams, drivers and tracks from 1999
Re: Mirko Bosevic - racing career
2000 STCC Season
Rd 1 - Karlskoga Motorstadion (Gelleråsen)
Mirko's debut in touring cars took place at Gelleråsen, also known as Karlskoga Motorstadion.
He drove his own #21 BMW 320i, and notched up his first kilometers during the free practice.
Qualifying
First qualifying session of the season saw Anders Svensson topping the timetable with a lap of 1:05.10, ahead of Magnus Krokström in Audi A4 and Hubert Bergh in Honda Accord. Mirko Bosevic qualified 18th, second-to-last, behind Tomas Engström and ahead of Jan Lindblom.
Shootout
In the shootout session Carl Rosenblad in Nissan Primera took pole position ahead of Peggen Andersson and Tommy Rustad. Mirko Bosevic qualified 19th. behind Anders Hammer in Honda Accord.
Heat 1
First heat was described by Swedish commentators from SVT as "touring car racing at its finest" - full of contact racing, brave overtaking and driving on the edge.
Mirko Bosevic started 19th, but easily found his way through the lower half of the field and - unnoticed by most of the spectators - popped out in 10th after the first lap. Things were only getting better, mostly thanks to heavy Audis, that were no competition to lightweight rear wheel drive BMW, as well as two Mondeos of Jens Edman and January "Jan" Lindblom. After just five laps out of 18-lap race, Mirko was as high as 5th, battling with Tommy Rustad. Nissan driver was - as Mirko described - giving his best to not let the debutant go past. Although Nissan was lacking power on the straights, it had a great handling in the corners - something that you had to enforce while driving a BMW.
Mirko, however, was very close to Tommy and on lap 9 on the main straight he managed to attack the Nissan. It didn't go well - although Mirko got past the Norwegian, Rustad hit Bosevic's back, forcing him to go a bit off track, onto the grass - far from gaining a place has lost one, as he got passed by Mattias Ekstrom in Volvo S40. Bosevic made a quick return, taking Ekstrom by surprise and being able to get back in to 5th. Rustad was getting slower as Nissans had a serious tyre-wearing issue caused by wheel arch, broken as a result of bump between him and Bosevic. Mirko made use of his rival's condition and got past him on lap 14, using little space Rustad left between his car and the curb. "No sane man would use that space for overtaking, but he did! This is madness!", Swedish commentators praised Bosevic as he moved up to 4th.
Mirko mantained his position to the end, leaving all the spectators in shock as he beat most of the all-Scandinavian grid on their track. And it was only the beginning.
Heat 2
After a great first race it became apparent that Bosevic will try to reach for the podium.
The start was promising - this time Mirko was starting from 19th, and after 3 laps went up to 8th. Two laps later - once again, completely unnoticed by spectators and commentators - Croatian driver was 4th. But the actual battle began when Mirko got past Hubert Bergh and found himself behind the leader - Anders Svensson in another BMW 320i. I can't start to describe how intense the battle was, so watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hcMJHxtGvE
Mirko Bosevic won the race - which means, he became the first driver to win in his first STCC weekend and one of the first non-Scandinavian drivers to have a real chance to win the championship!
Standings after Rd 1
Rd 1 - Karlskoga Motorstadion (Gelleråsen)
Mirko's debut in touring cars took place at Gelleråsen, also known as Karlskoga Motorstadion.
He drove his own #21 BMW 320i, and notched up his first kilometers during the free practice.
Qualifying
First qualifying session of the season saw Anders Svensson topping the timetable with a lap of 1:05.10, ahead of Magnus Krokström in Audi A4 and Hubert Bergh in Honda Accord. Mirko Bosevic qualified 18th, second-to-last, behind Tomas Engström and ahead of Jan Lindblom.
Shootout
In the shootout session Carl Rosenblad in Nissan Primera took pole position ahead of Peggen Andersson and Tommy Rustad. Mirko Bosevic qualified 19th. behind Anders Hammer in Honda Accord.
Heat 1
First heat was described by Swedish commentators from SVT as "touring car racing at its finest" - full of contact racing, brave overtaking and driving on the edge.
Mirko Bosevic started 19th, but easily found his way through the lower half of the field and - unnoticed by most of the spectators - popped out in 10th after the first lap. Things were only getting better, mostly thanks to heavy Audis, that were no competition to lightweight rear wheel drive BMW, as well as two Mondeos of Jens Edman and January "Jan" Lindblom. After just five laps out of 18-lap race, Mirko was as high as 5th, battling with Tommy Rustad. Nissan driver was - as Mirko described - giving his best to not let the debutant go past. Although Nissan was lacking power on the straights, it had a great handling in the corners - something that you had to enforce while driving a BMW.
Mirko, however, was very close to Tommy and on lap 9 on the main straight he managed to attack the Nissan. It didn't go well - although Mirko got past the Norwegian, Rustad hit Bosevic's back, forcing him to go a bit off track, onto the grass - far from gaining a place has lost one, as he got passed by Mattias Ekstrom in Volvo S40. Bosevic made a quick return, taking Ekstrom by surprise and being able to get back in to 5th. Rustad was getting slower as Nissans had a serious tyre-wearing issue caused by wheel arch, broken as a result of bump between him and Bosevic. Mirko made use of his rival's condition and got past him on lap 14, using little space Rustad left between his car and the curb. "No sane man would use that space for overtaking, but he did! This is madness!", Swedish commentators praised Bosevic as he moved up to 4th.
Mirko mantained his position to the end, leaving all the spectators in shock as he beat most of the all-Scandinavian grid on their track. And it was only the beginning.
Heat 2
After a great first race it became apparent that Bosevic will try to reach for the podium.
The start was promising - this time Mirko was starting from 19th, and after 3 laps went up to 8th. Two laps later - once again, completely unnoticed by spectators and commentators - Croatian driver was 4th. But the actual battle began when Mirko got past Hubert Bergh and found himself behind the leader - Anders Svensson in another BMW 320i. I can't start to describe how intense the battle was, so watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hcMJHxtGvE
Mirko Bosevic won the race - which means, he became the first driver to win in his first STCC weekend and one of the first non-Scandinavian drivers to have a real chance to win the championship!
Standings after Rd 1
Re: Mirko Bosevic's Rejectful Racing Career (1999-)
Rd 2 - Knutstorp Park
Second round of the season took place at Ring Knutstorp - the track that once held European Formula 3 races back in 1970s, when Alain Prost was climbing up the tiers of motorsport. For Mirko though, it was a complete disaster.
Qualifying
After a good run of 1:03.46 in free practice, everyone expected Bosevic to take his first pole position of the season. Disappointingly he couldn't even start his flying lap as the car was losing power on the main straight, forcing Mirko to pit in. Stewards were debating over Bosevic's start in Heat 1, and eventually allowed him thanks to his performance in free practice.
Heat 1
Mirko had to start from the last position (19th), but quickly got through most of the backmarkers and was 13th after the first lap, behind Tommy Kristoffersson. Shortly after crossing the start/finish line Mirko missed the braking point for Turn 1 and hit Kristoffersson's Audi, pushing Swedish driver on to the gravel and causing damage to his front, breaking his intercooler. With overheating engine Bosevic had to pit in for a stop-go penalty and after that he fought his way back to 13th. Bosevic's spirits were high, as he said to his racing engineer Leon Sundberg (who also is a co-owner of the car) that he finally got to grips with his car and - despite his broken cooling system - started to attempt more and more brave attacks on his rival, Jan Lindblom in Ford Mondeo. But then, on lap 6, Mirko made exactly the same mistake - missed the braking point and hit Lindblom hard. This time stewards were merciless and disqualified Bosevic from Heat 1. He could pit in and wait for the second round, but he decided to stop on the side of the track with smoke coming out of the car.
Heat 2
Damage sustained by Mirko's car were too serious and he did not start in Heat 2.
Standings after Rd 2
After a disastrous second round Mirko lost his lead in the championship and is 4th.
Third round of STCC will be held at Mantorp Park.
Meanwhile in Brackley...
Second round of the season took place at Ring Knutstorp - the track that once held European Formula 3 races back in 1970s, when Alain Prost was climbing up the tiers of motorsport. For Mirko though, it was a complete disaster.
Qualifying
After a good run of 1:03.46 in free practice, everyone expected Bosevic to take his first pole position of the season. Disappointingly he couldn't even start his flying lap as the car was losing power on the main straight, forcing Mirko to pit in. Stewards were debating over Bosevic's start in Heat 1, and eventually allowed him thanks to his performance in free practice.
Heat 1
Mirko had to start from the last position (19th), but quickly got through most of the backmarkers and was 13th after the first lap, behind Tommy Kristoffersson. Shortly after crossing the start/finish line Mirko missed the braking point for Turn 1 and hit Kristoffersson's Audi, pushing Swedish driver on to the gravel and causing damage to his front, breaking his intercooler. With overheating engine Bosevic had to pit in for a stop-go penalty and after that he fought his way back to 13th. Bosevic's spirits were high, as he said to his racing engineer Leon Sundberg (who also is a co-owner of the car) that he finally got to grips with his car and - despite his broken cooling system - started to attempt more and more brave attacks on his rival, Jan Lindblom in Ford Mondeo. But then, on lap 6, Mirko made exactly the same mistake - missed the braking point and hit Lindblom hard. This time stewards were merciless and disqualified Bosevic from Heat 1. He could pit in and wait for the second round, but he decided to stop on the side of the track with smoke coming out of the car.
Heat 2
Damage sustained by Mirko's car were too serious and he did not start in Heat 2.
Standings after Rd 2
After a disastrous second round Mirko lost his lead in the championship and is 4th.
Third round of STCC will be held at Mantorp Park.
Meanwhile in Brackley...
BAR to sign Bosevic?
Croatian Mirko Bosevic is considered to partner Jacques Villeneuve in 2001, racing with BAR. The 24-year-old from Zadar is said to secure the drive thanks to financial support from a consortium of Italian sponsors led by the Mediaset media company owned by Silvio Berlusconi.
Re: Mirko Bosevic's Rejectful Racing Career (1999-)
Croatian Times wrote:Bosevic speaks out: I'm bored with STCC
After taking the first two races of the season by storm, followed by complete failure in the other two, we haven't heard from Mirko Bosevic for a long time.
Today however, after missing most of the season, Croatian driver finally broke the silence and justified his disappearance:
- My condition, which was already poor for a racing driver, worsened even more through the week after the round at Karlskoga. I had to spend some time in a specialized medical center in Switzerland, where I had some life-saving surgeries. Then there was a long rehabilitation after which I started to regain full control of my facial muscles. Through all this time I was thinking about STCC, and I came to a conclusion that - although being quite succesful in my debut - touring car racing is boring as hell. Through all the time in STCC I was exasperated about the time I could drive in single-seaters, and therefore I couldn't enjoy my successes. That's why I didn't, and won't continue my career here in Sweden.
As for this year, I want to have at least one race or test session to reaccustom with single-seaters.
Bosevic also revealed his plans for 2001:
- I hope to return to Formula One. I already received offers from Minardi and Arrows. I also had negotiated with BAR, but both me and the team couldn't find an agreement.