Zach David concludes FRECA season with 8th place at thrilling Monza finale

Zachary ‘Zach’ David recently concluded his 10-round journey in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). And it was a fitting end to a very memorable season with the finale taking place at the historic Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy.

Held mostly in wet conditions, the Malta-licensed Filipino driver had good pace throughout testing and was looking confident ahead of the race weekend. The 31-car grid then had a brief window to run in the dry during the final practice session before the rainclouds made a comeback. David in the #20 R-ace GP entry was one of the few who got caught out by the changing weather and had to go around the 5.793 km circuit on slicks. He would end up P14 in the timesheets, which later mattered more than expected.

Little did he know that Saturday Qualifying the next morning would get cancelled due to poor weather. This forced the organizers to use results from Practice as the starting positions for Race 1.

© Dutch Photo Agency

With the track still soaked from earlier rain showers, Race 1 got underway behind the Safety Car and was only given the green light after lap 2. David immediately got to work and fought for position, successfully moving himself up into the Top 10 in the closing stages of the race. But the Safety Car was called out once more, this time due to an accident, with the race going green with only 1 lap to go. It then became a chaotic sprint to the finish line with David losing ground at the restart due to an engine problem. Down on power on Monza’s long straights left him unable to defend and took the chequered flag in 14th where he started.

David wanted to end the season on a high note and delivered a solid lap in Sunday Qualifying. He was 5th amongst the Group B runners, earning him P10 on the grid.

The final race of the 2024 season got off in dry conditions and with every driver aiming for a strong finish, chaos ensued at almost every lap. A lengthy Safety Car period was needed to remove several stricken cars and had to be called back out on track immediately after the restart after another first-corner pile up. Although he lost a position, David was still lucky to avoid contact and rejoined in P11. With the laps ticking away, David forced his way up into 8th place just in time before the race was red-flagged on lap 10.

2024 was successful debut season for Zach David in Formula Regionals. After making his mark in Formula Regional Middle East at the start of the year, he then competed in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) scoring a best 3rd place finish at Spa-Francorchamps. His efforts also allowed R-ace GP to conclude the year as Team Vice-Champions with teammates Tuukka Taponen and Enzo Deligny.

© Dutch Photo Agency

Zach David: “A decent way to end the season in FRECA. The weather was tricky on Friday and Saturday, which was compiled with a technical issue resulting in a 14th place finish in Race 1. But we were able to fight to 8th in Race 2 and scored just enough points to move up to 2nd in the constructors championship. A good end to a difficult overall season.”

Zach David is sponsored by Ceramic Pro, Stilo Helmets, Attard Baldacchino, Puma, Green Amenities, JG Summit Olefins Corporation, AutoPlus Sports, Automobile Association Philippines, Time Attack Manila, ISR, and Malta Motorsports Federation.

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