Barbados’ Zane Maloney finishes 5th in Monza

31st August 2024

The 20-year-old and Hitech Pulse Eight’s Paul Aron clash during reverse grid battle

Zane Maloney finished 5th in the reverse grid sprint race at Monza, securing four vital championship points ahead of tomorrow’s feature race, where he will start from pole position, reports Damian Hall.

The 20-year-old, affectionately dubbed ‘The Boy From Barbados’ began the Sprint race in 9th, just behind eventual race winner Oliver Bearman. Bearman started in 8th after serving a grid penalty carried over from Spa just before the summer break.

On the opening lap, Maloney quickly moved up to 8th, but a safety car deployment, triggered by a crash involving ART Grand Prix’s Zak O’Sullivan and MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe, neutralised the race and halted Maloney’s progress.

Upon the race restart, the Rodin Motorsport driver initially lost ground, dropping to 10th, but by lap 5, he had regained his position. Two laps later, with pace comparable to the frontrunners, he advanced to 7th.

On lap 9, Maloney demonstrated his bravery and skill under braking at Turn 1, executing a clean overtake on his immediate championship rival, Paul Aron, from a considerable distance to claim 6th.

The battle between Maloney and Aron peaked on lap 19 when Aron attempted a move into Turn 1 that failed to stick, resulting in contact that caused visible damage to Aron’s car.

In a thrilling final lap, Maloney caught and passed Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Fittipaldi with an impressive move into Turn 4 at the end of Sector 1, where Maloney had consistently been one of the fastest drivers on track.

Currently 4th in the championship, Maloney’s efforts today [August 31] were crucial. With no drivers ahead of him in the championship scoring any points, the points he earned now place him at 117, just 7 behind Aron in 3rd as they head into the feature race.

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