Tuukka Taponen is the champion!

Tuukka Taponen is this year’s Formula Regional Middle East champion. He took the title with yet more wins in the final round in Dubai. His fellow Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy student, Rafael Camara, finished third in the series. 

Tuukka Taponen made sure of the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East championship, putting the title out of reach of his opponents with a win from pole in the first of three races in the final round at the Dubai Autodrome. The Finn got a perfect start and led all the way to the chequered flag. He later went on to do the same in Race 3. Taponen therefore also takes the rookie title. “It was another incredible weekend with two wins, two pole positions and a fight back to fifth,” he said. “It confirms the great job we have done in this championship. I made a step forward in the third round at Yas Marina, where we managed to improve the car set-up a lot and from then on the results could be seen on track. Of course, I want to thank the R-Ace GP team for all their hard work, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy for the pre-championship preparation programme and everyone who has supported me, from the sponsors to my family. Now we head back to Maranello, but there won’t be much time to celebrate as the aim is to keep going in this positive way to be as well prepared as possible for the European championship.” 

Strong performance from Rafael. Taponen ended the series with five wins and four second places, scoring points in all 18 races for a total of 255 points, 79 more than second placed Taylor Barnard from England. A fourth and an eighth place on this final weekend in Dubai were enough to ensure Rafael Camara finished third in the championship, the 18 year old Brazilian scoring a total of 128 points. He had some problems at the start the start of the season, but the second half went better, as he managed to work his way into the top three. Both Taponen and Camara now move on to the European series which begins at the Hockenheimring on 10 May. Before that, there are three official test sessions, starting on 2 April at the Barcelona circuit.