Karun Chandhok has taken a stunning maiden GP2 Series win after prevailing in a thrilling tussle with Andy Soucek during the sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Capping off a superb run of form that only saw him finish in the points for the first time in Turkey, Chandhok made the most of his front row starting position to also return Durango Corse to the top spot for the first time in two seasons.
Indeed, if there were any expectations that the top three of Ho-Pin Tung, Chandhok and Soucek off the grid would not be able to sustain the pace of those behind them then Chandhok's win, Soucek's second place and Tung's fourth was a definite reminder that no driver should be underestimated.
From the off, Tung ruined his hopes of a surprise victory when he bogged down on the line and then locked up into La Source, allowing Chandhok and a fast starting Soucek through, the latter diving into the lead from third.
di Grassi also sneaked past into third place, with Javier Villa, Tung, Vitaly Petrov, Luca Filippi and Bruno Senna, up from the back of the field already, following closely. However, as there was in the first race, several drivers failed to get off the line well, most notably race one winner Nicolas Lapierre, who stalled, while Mike Conway also suffered a tardy getaway.
Even before that though there was drama after championship leader
Timo Glock didn't even make the startline when he was collected by Ricardo Risatti on the warm-up lap, the Argentine losing control of his Trident Racing car on the grass and spearing into Glock, sending him into the barriers and causing terminal damage.
di Grassi's hopes of taking the ultimate advantage though were looking scuppered early on when he wasn't able to maintain the furious pace going on ahead, Soucek powering forward but being chased closely by Chandhok.
However, while he managed to get the gap up to a high of 1.5secs, Chandhok was beginning to reel his rival in as the race progressed and it was clear the fight was most certainly on for victory.
