Fred Sabino SPECIAL ENVOY TO DONINGTON PARK

Lancepress

In the pouring rain, driver Tuka Rocha put in a stellar performance, taking Flamengo to the podium in the second race of the Formula Superleague this Sunday at Donington Park, finishing second in a victory for Borja Garcia (Sevilla). Corinthians was also having a strong race with Andy Soucek, but the Spaniard spun off with three laps remaining while running fourth. Liverpool completed the podium with Spaniard Adrian Valles. With heavy rain falling at Donington between the first and second races and a reverse grid, the second race was a thrilling one. Pole-sitter Tuka Rocha, who had retired from the first race, held the lead after the start and faced pressure from Galatasaray's Italian Alessandro Pier Guidi. However, Guidi pushed too hard and crashed, allowing the Flamengo driver to gain a ten-second lead. However, the Italian's crash forced the safety car to intervene, and Tuka's advantage was lost. On the restart, with more space in the car, Borja Garcia pounced on the Brazilian, took the lead, and quickly opened up a gap. Tuka was left to hold onto second place, as Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, and Corinthians were battling for third place. In the end, Tuka celebrated, having faced many problems in practice and the first race and ended up emerging from the second race with a podium finish. The Flamengo representative was welcomed in the pits by president Márcio Braga and driver Nelsinho Piquet, one of his great friends in motorsports. After the double-header at Donington, Beijing Gu'oan, which won the first race, leads the overall standings with 79 points, compared to 72 for Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. Flamengo is seventh in the standings with 52 points.