SEAT and BMW shared victories in Zolder, on the first ever visit of the FIA WTCC to Belgium that was blessed by a crowd of 23,000 despite a cold wind from the North.
Jordi Gené came home first in Race 1, but it was his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini who inherited victory after the Spaniard’s car failed to pass the technical checks because the air restrictor did not conform.
Chevrolet’s duo of Yvan Muller and Alain Menu completed the podium.
The second race saw one of Andy Priaulx’s famous solo escapes from the pole position on the reverse grid. The Briton rejected the assaults from Rob Huff and Tiago Monteiro and claimed a much-longed home victory for Bart Mampaey and his BMW Team RBM.
Thanks to the solid performances posted by their three top drivers, Chevrolet collected a great deal of points that enabled Muller to maintain his leadership in the Drivers‘ Championship (but Tarquini and Priaulx closed the gap) and the American brand to stay on top of the Manufacturers.
Norbert Michelisz achieved two wins in the Rookie Challenge – and also 12 further points in the overall championship. These results meant that the Hungarian youngster is now one point ahead of Fredy Barth in the Challenge.
Kristian Poulsen claimed his first victory in the Independents‘ Trophy, while point-leader Sergio Hernández won the second race.
The championship will resume for rounds 9 and 10 at Portimão, Portugal, on July 4th.
Max Wissel klettert in der Meisterschaft wieder auf Platz drei
Das Qualifying am Samstag beendete Max Wissel, der für den FC Basel startet, auf Platz vier und schaffte sich somit eine gute Ausgangsposition für das erste Rennen. Die beiden Rennen beendete Wissel auf den Plätzen vier und sieben. Im Super Finale sicherte er sich mit dem vierten Platz 30.000 Euro.
Rennen 1:
Der Pole Setter John Martin, der für den FC Beijing startet, stand nach dem ersten Rennen der Superleague Formula by Sonangol in Jarama, ganz oben auf dem Treppchen. Schon nach dem Start konnte sich der Australier problemlos von AC Mailands Yelmer Buurman absetzen und baute nach wenigen Runden seinen Vorsprung zum Zweitplatzierten aus. Dritter wurde Chris van der Drift, der für Olympiacos startet. Max Wissel fuhr mit dem FC Basel auf den vierten Platz.
Es sah nach einem sicheren Sieg für Martin aus. Überlegen führte der Australier das Rennen an. Gegen Ende musste Martin nochmals zittern. Yelmer Buurman jagte ihn mit einer Bestzeit nach der anderen und konnte schließlich die Lücke schließen. Nach der Start- und Zielgeraden machte Martin die Tür zu, worauf es zu einer leichten Berührung zwischen den beiden kam.
Nach dem Startcrash zwischen Chris van der Drift und Max Wissel in Magny-Cours kam es diesmal, wie erhofft, zu keinem Zwischenfall. Van der Drift bog als Dritter und Wissel als Vierter in die erste Kurve ein. In dieser Reihenfolge beendeten die beiden Teamkollegen auch das Rennen.
Bei den Verfolgern stellte wieder einmal Craig Dolby sein Können unter Beweis. Nach wenigen Runden kämpfte sich der Brite, der gemeinsam mit den Totenham Hotspur startet, von Platz acht auf die vierte Position nach vorne. Nach dem Boxenstopp musste er sich allerdings hinter Max Wissel auf der fünften Position einreihen und brachte diese auch ins Ziel.
Franck Pererra und Sebastien Bourdais reihten sich, nach einem eher unauffälligen Rennen, dahinter auf den Plätzen sechs und sieben ein.
Rennen 2:
Den zweiten Lauf der Superleague Formula by Sonangol in Jarama entschied Franck Montagny für sich, der für Girondins de Bordeaux startet. Dahinter kam sein Landsmann Julien Jousse als Zweiter ins Ziel, gemeinsam mit dem AS Rom. Craig Dolby komplettierte mit einer Spitzenleistung die Top 3.
Wie gewohnt startete das Feld beim zweiten Rennen in umgekehrter Reihenfolge. Der Spanier Borja Garcia, der in den Farben des Sporting Club Portugal unterwegs ist, schied im ersten Rennen frühzeitig aus und startete seinen Heim Grand Prix von der Pole Position. Den Start entschied Borja für sich. Direkte Verfolger waren Franck Montagny und Julien Jousse, dessen AS Rom Bolide zu Beginn drei Plätze gutmachen konnte.
Die ersten Drei lieferten sich bis zu den Boxenstopps einen erbitterten Kampf. Währenddessen drehte sich Atletico Madrids Maria De Villota. Beim Versuch das Rennen wieder aufzunehmen, knallte die Spanierin in den Boliden von Sebastien Bourdais. Das Aus für den Franzosen und die einzige Dame im Feld.
Bis zum Boxenstopp führte Garcia das Rennen vor seinen heimischen Fans an. Als der Spanier zum Pitstop an die Box fuhr, lief einiges schief, woraufhin er viel zu lange an der Box stand. Er verlor nicht nur die Führung, sondern wurde weit nach hinten durchgereicht. Zur Freude von Julien Jousse, der nach dem Boxenstopp die Führung übernahm. Montagny fuhr auf den zweiten Platz.
Und wieder schaffte es Craig Dolby, sich seinen Weg nach vorne zu bahnen. Auf Platz drei liegend musste er sich allerdings gehörig gegen die Verfolger wehren. James Walker, der für den FC Liverpool startet, saß ihm im Nacken. Die Verfolger dahinter gaben es sich ordentlich. Das Mittelfeld war unglaublich eng beisammen und lieferte den Fans spannende Rennaction.
Dolby rettete den dritten Platz ins Ziel, vor James Walker und Robert Doornbos. Max Wissel kämpfte sich auf Platz sieben nach vorne.
Das Super Finale:
Chris van der Drift hatte nach dem Super Finale das breiteste Grinsen im Fahrerlager. Mit seinem Sieg nimmt er 100.000 Euro mit nach Hause.
Craig Dolby hatte mit der Pole Position die besten Chancen auf den Sieg. Mit einem Verbremser und dem Weg geradeaus ins Kiesbett, verbaute er sich jedoch alles. Auch Max Wissel bremste zu spät und folgte Dolby ins Kiesbett. Für Dolby war das Rennen beendet, Wissel schaffte es wieder zurück auf die Strecke.
Chris van der Drift profitierte von dem Tumult und fuhr seinem ersten Sieg im Super Finale entgegen. Zweiter wurde John Martin, gefolgt von Yelmer Buurman in dritter Position. Max Wissel konnte immerhin noch den vierten Platz einfahren.
Max Wissel zum Wochenende:
"Das erste Rennen war super. Auf gebrauchten Reifen konnte ich zu Beginn des Rennens mit dem Tempo von Craig (Dolby) nicht mithalten und musste ihn ziehen lassen. Später war ich schneller als Chris (van der Drift) und konnte den Rückstand noch auf eine Sekunde reduzieren. Das hat gepasst.
Das zweite Rennen war nicht ganz perfekt. Ich war zwar schneller als meine Vordermänner, fand allerdings keinen Weg an ihnen vorbei. Den Vorfall mit Maria (De Villota) und Sebastien (Bourdais) sah ich aus nächster Nähe. Ich war direkt hinter Sebastien und musste über den Schotter fahren. Ich hatte wirklich Glück, dass sie mich nicht abgeräumt hat. Beim Super Finale haben Craig und ich uns verbremst und es ging für uns beide geradeaus ins Kiesbett. Mit Platz vier und 30.000 Euro kann ich daher gut leben.
Alles in allem bin ich zufrieden mit dem Wochenende. In der Meisterschaft konnte ich einen Platz gut machen und bin nun wieder auf dem dritten Platz."
SAMMY CHECA MANTIENE EL PRIMER PUESTO
El piloto mallorquín que ha participado este fin de semana en la segunda prueba del Campeonato de Cataluña de Formula, ha sufrido algunos problemas en los entrenamientos.
El equipo Sammy & Zoi Sport se desplazaba hasta el circuito de Calafat para defender su liderato tras dos victorias en la primera prueba del Campeonato.
En los entrenamientos algo no funcionaba bien, los tiempos no salían y el fórmula no tenía la estabilidad que Sammy necesitaba. Al llegar a los cronometrados, tercer puesto para el piloto mallorquín y la preocupación de no saber cual era el problema de su montura.
La primera manga ha sido todo un suplicio, Sammy luchaba para poder frenar bien en cada curva pero el coche no respondía correctamente, y aunque Checa lograba la segunda plaza no se mostraba satisfecho con el resultado.
El equipo se empleaba a fondo antes de la segunda manga y localizaban el problema de los frenos, sangrando todo el circuito de frenado y poniendo a punto el Fórmula antes del segundo asalto en Calafat.
Ahora sí, con el coche a punto, Sammy marcaba su ritmo y se anotaba una cómoda victoria con más de 28 segundos de diferencia con el segundo clasificado. Con un total de 45 puntos cosechados en esta prueba, Samuel Checa se mantiene líder el Campeonato y se distancia aún más en la general.
Sammy Checa "Lo he pasado mal con el problema de los frenos, no podía apurar bien al entrar en la curva y no he podido marcar mi ritmo en la primera manga pero una vez solucionado el problema me he sentido cómodo y he disfrutado en la pista."
SAMMY CHECA
Piloto de Fórmula Departamento de Prensa
C/Jeroni Pou esquina con Reina Constanza 07006 Palma de Mallorca
Tel. 971 291 321 M. 616 99 26 87 prensa@sammycheca.com
Bailly triumphs in home race thriller
Belgian takes maiden win ahead of Palmer and Stoneman
Benjamin Bailly scored a triumphant victory on home soil in the second race at Zolder, the Belgian leading from the start to eventually take the chequered flag by just over three seconds from Jolyon Palmer.
While Bailly’s victory gave the home fans plenty to cheer, the action behind him proved equally consuming as Jolyon Palmer, Jack Clarke, Dean Stoneman and Will Bratt enjoyed a four-way tussle for second place for almost the entire duration of the race.
Palmer had taken second spot from Clarke away from the start, only for Clarke to reign him in as the race progressed. Stoneman meanwhile had worked his way up from seventh and after passing Bratt he exerted extreme pressure on Clarke ahead. The latter defended brilliantly until Stoneman worked an opportunity on lap 20, eventually passing his rival several corners after his first attempt as Clarke again defended stoically.
With only two laps to go, Stoneman didn’t have enough time to attack Palmer ahead, while Bailly was calmly marching on to his first victory in international motorsport. The action up front left Clarke with fourth, although again he had to defend – this time from Will Bratt, who was unable to find a way through and had to settle for fifth.
Romanian racer Mihai Marinescu eventually got the better of Kazim Vasiliauskas and Nicola De Marco in the fight for sixth. Vasiliauskas bounced across the kerbs in the early stages while trying to pass Marinescu, which seemingly gave De Marco the advantage. Vasiliauskas dropped further back and was left to tussle with Ivan Samarin while De Marco retired with a mechanical problem, leaving Marinescu to claim his second top six finish of the season.
Behind Vasiliauskas, Russian racer Samarin eventually claimed a lonely eighth ahead of the consistent Benjamin Lariche and Kelvin Snoeks.
Silverstone and Marrakech race winner Philipp Eng endured a torrid weekend for the second event in a row. Starting from eighth, the Austrian tried to go side-by-side with Dean Stoneman through turn one. The Briton took the inside line and slightly squeezed Eng out, the Austrian running through the gravel and down the order as a consequence. He was able to continue but never looked likely to challenge for the points paying positions.
Sergey Afanasiev was another front-runner to experience a challenging race. After a storming drive to fourth from the back of the grid in the opening race of the weekend, the Lukoil-backed driver suffered a change of fortune in today’s contest. Starting in fifth, he bogged down off the line and immediately dropped to the back of the pack.
The Russian began to make the same sort of spirited fight back that served him so well yesterday, including one particularly impressive pass on Benjamin Lariche. His charge ended on the final lap however, as he made a last ditch attempt to pass fellow countryman Ivan Samarin at the final chicane. The move was never really on however, and Afanasiev outbraked himself, spinning into the gravel trap and out of the race.
The result at the head of the field means Palmer extends his lead over Stoneman to eight points in the overall championship standings, but there was no denying who the hero of the day was. Bailly brought his car to a halt in parc ferme in front of a very vocal home crowd, before sparking wild celebration scenes on the podium.
"This is a really good feeling, fantastic in front of all my family and everybody who did a really good job," said a delighted Benjamin. "I just tried to keep the gap and finish first – that’s what I did. I pushed as hard as I could in the first laps and kept my boosts until the end of the race in case there was a safety car.
"This makes me really happy and gives me more confidence for the rest of the season. I hope it’s not the last one – I will do everything I can to remain at the front and why not more victories."
Brilliant Bailly scores maiden pole on home soil
Clarke and Palmer complete top three in tightest session of season
Benjamin Bailly captured his maiden Formula Two pole position in Zolder, Belgium, in what was the closest qualifying session of the season so far – the top six drivers being separated by just over two tenths of a second.
Times dropped as the session approached its climax and there were five changes at the top in a frantic sixty second period, with Bailly eventually emerging on pole – just 0.041s ahead of Jack Clarke in second.
Bailly joins Jolyon Palmer as one of only two drivers to score a pole position on home soil this season, and the young Belgian was clearly delighted: "I feel really, really great," he enthused. "Yesterday I was fast and I wished I could have got the pole position then! I worked a lot with my engineer however, and also the guy from the RACB who was with me for the set-up of the car, and we found something. Now I have a really great feeling at home, thanks to everybody and I’m very happy!"
Jack Clarke held top spot for much of the session, but the Briton was required to make a final flying lap attempt after dropping down the order in the last five minutes. He responded in magnificent style, recording his best performance of the season to clinch second.
Championship leader Jolyon Palmer completed the top three after what he simply called a ‚clean lap‘ towards the end of the running. The 19-year-old admitted that he was slightly disappointed not to be on the front row, but was equally pleased to see his main championship rivals behind him.
Will Bratt made it an all-British second row as the 22-year-old bounced back well after a challenging day yesterday. Bratt has been a consistent front-runner throughout the 2010 season so far, but his opening race at Zolder was ruined when he was cruelly taken out by both Philipp Eng and Mihai Marinescu in two separate incidents.
Sergey Afanasiev continues to show good speed at the Belgian venue, and the Russian briefly held the top spot before the late flurry of laps demoted him to fifth overall, fractions ahead of Nicola De Marco in sixth.
Championship challengers Dean Stoneman and Philipp Eng both endured challenging sessions and will line-up together on row four for this afternoon’s race. Eng briefly held pole position before firing his car off into the gravel at the tricky turn two and three complex with just four minutes of the session remaining. In a twist of irony, Eng’s incident had a major effect on his rival Stoneman’s session. The Briton had just set his fastest lap of the session, but Eng’s off immediately put paid to his push for pole as yellow flags prevented him from setting a quicker time on his next tour of the 2.4 mile circuit.
A number of drivers had in fact saved their three shots of overboost for a last minute dash, but were also unable to make use of them due to the yellow flag conditions in the final minutes. Mihai Marinescu and Kazim Vasiliauskas were among those left disappointed, as the duo could only manage ninth and tenth respectively at the finish.
Max Wissel startet aus der zweiten Reihe
Der Australier John Martin holte für den FC Beijing die erste Pole Position in seiner bisherigen Superleague Formula Karriere. Martin hatte die Konkurrenz im Griff und sicherte sich die erste Pole Position überhaupt. Yelmer Buurman, der beim freien Training Schnellster war, musste sich dem Australier geschlagen geben und startet von Platz 2 ins Rennen. Chris van der Drift bestätigte mit dem dritten Platz seine bisherige Form und sicherte Olympiacos die zweite Startreihe. Sein Teamkollege Max Wissel, der für den FC Basel startet, wurde Vierter.
Zunächst sah es danach aus, als würde Yelmer Buurman die Pole-Position einfahren. Denn sowohl im Viertel- als auch im Halbfinale setzte er sich konsequent gegen die Konkurrenz durch. Aber auch John Martin legte einen beachtlichen Durchmarsch. Im entscheidenden Finale hatte Buurman das Nachsehen und konnte mit Martin nicht mithalten. Umso größer war die Freude bei Martin: "Es war ein fantastisches Qualifying. Das Auto ist perfekt und ich freue mich auf das Rennen morgen", so Martin. Buurman ist ebenso zufrieden mit dem Ergebnis. "Ich habe einen Fehler gemacht. Dennoch ist es eine gute Ausgangsposition für morgen", sagte Buurman.
Bei GU Racing entschied Chris van der Drift dieses Mal das teaminterne Duell für sich. Der gebürtige Neuseeländer startet vor Wissel aus der dritten Position. "Ich bin das erste Mal hier und mit dem Ergebnis zufrieden. Im zweiten freien Training hatten wir Probleme mit der Kupplung, die wir aber zum Glück beheben konnten", meinte van der Drift.
Max Wissel hat sein Ziel, die Top 4, mit der zweiten Startreihe erreicht. Im Halbfinale war die Runde nicht ganz perfekt. "Ich bin recht zufrieden. Ich hatte mit Untersteuern zu kämpfen und verlor die meiste Zeit im letzten Sektor", so Wissel. Dass die beiden in der Startaufstellung nebeneinander stehen, erinnert an Magny-Cours. In der Startphase des ersten Rennens krachte es zwischen den beiden. "Ich hoffe, dass ich dieses Mal die erste Runde überlebe", so Wissel. Der Deutsche will morgen ordentlich punkten und sieht die Top 5 im ersten Rennen als realistisches Ziel.
Für den Führenden in der Meisterschaft, Craig Dolby, war das Qualifying schon nach dem Achtelfinale vorbei. Verantwortlich für das frühe Ausscheiden war der australische Gegner John Martin. "Es ist okay, John ist sehr gut gefahren. Außerdem muss ich mir auch ein paar kleine Fehler zuschreiben", sagte Dolby ein wenig enttäuscht. Im Rennen ist der fliegende Brite jedoch bekannt dafür, durchs Feld zu pflügen.
Auch Sebastien Bourdais hatte keine Chance auf einen der vorderen Plätze. Die Reifentemperatur war zu hoch, womit er kaum Grip aufbauen konnte. Der Franzose startet von Platz 6 ins Rennen.
Die Lokalmatadoren hatten keinen Grund zur Freude. Schon nach der ersten Session mussten sich die einzige Dame im Feld, Maria De Villota, Marcos Martinez und Borja Garcia aus dem Qualifying verabschieden. De Villota, die die Farben des Atletico Madrid vertritt, wurde im freien Training Zwölfte, konnte jedoch bei der ersten Quali-Session mit der Spitze nicht mithalten. Auch der Spanier Marcos Martinez, der für den FC Sevilla unterwegs ist, qualifizierte sich nicht für die nächste Runde. Ähnlich erging es Borja Garcia, dessen Arbeitstag nach der ersten Runde beendet war.
Die Sonntagsrennen werden im Live-Stream übertragen:http://www.superleagueformula.com/superleague/SF-Live/Online-broadcasting
WTCC: ROUNDS 7 & 8 – ZOLDER QUALIFYING REPORT
TARQUINI FLIES TO SECURE POLE POSITION
Gabriele Tarquini (1:38.265) claimed his second pole of the season for SR-Sport in Zolder today after rain brought an early end to proceedings. Teammate Jordi Gené (1:38.430) will line up alongside him on the grid for Race 1 while Chevrolet’s Alain Menu (1:38.494) will start third.
Norbert Michelisz (1:39.072) finished top rookie in sixth for the Zengö-Dension Team while local racer Pierre-Yves Corthals (1:39.610) was top Independent in 13th on his season debut for Exagon Engineering.
After a closely fought Q1 with the top ten covered by less than 0.4-seconds, the drivers only had chance for one flying lap in Q2 before the heavens opened making it impossible for anyone to improve.
Q1 – On a dry track Andy Priaulx was quickest out the box with his first time of 1:39.349 already much faster than any time this weekend so far. As the times continued to drop, the final minutes saw a jostle for positions with Michelisz improving on his final run to knock SR-Sport’s Tom Coronel out of the top ten.
Darryl O’Young was in the top ten for the majority of Q1 following his promising start to the weekend. However, as the top drivers improved further he ended 14th with a time of 1:39.824. Belgium’s Vincent Radermecker (1:40.003) will start 16th for Chevrolet.
The top ten going forward into Q2 were Menu, Monteiro, Tarquini, Priaulx, Muller, Gené, Michelisz, Farfus, Barth and Huff.
Corthals clocked the 13th fastest lap, emerging as the best of the Independents ahead of O’Young and Kristian Poulsen.
Q2 – The 10-minute Q2 session was over quickly as after eight of the top ten had only recorded their first flying laps the rain began to fall. All but the BMW Team RBM cars had set a fast time before the rain fell with Farfus and Priaulx’s decision to wait costing them dearly.
The final order after one flying lap was therefore Tarquini from Gené, Menu, Muller, Michelisz, Barth, Monteiro, Priualx and Farfus. With the track now wet Tarquini’s second pole position of the season, following his first at Marrakech last month, was secured.
Stoneman claims commanding Zolder victory
Briton closes in on championship lead after second win of season
Dean Stoneman took a polished victory in the opening race at Zolder, converting his second pole position of the year into his second win – closing the gap to championship leader Jolyon Palmer in the process.
The Briton looked assured throughout, leading from the start and negotiating a safety car period in the middle of the race to eventually win by more than seven seconds – even setting the fastest lap of the race on his final tour to underline his dominance.
"The car felt really good," Stoneman said. "I knew I was consistent in the race and I was able to keep my last six boosts for the final two laps, and I was able to set my fastest time on the very last lap. Hopefully I can carry on getting to the top of the podium but you never know what will happen in the next race."
Jolyon Palmer ensured he maintained the championship lead courtesy of a strong drive to second, having started the race from fifth. The 19-year-old made a stellar start, grabbing fourth off the line from Armaan Ebrahim before taking a further two positions in quick succession on the opening lap – claiming third from Kazim Vasiliauskas on the exit of the Kleine Chicane and then second with a pass on Benjamin Bailly on the run down to Butte.
"I got Armaan away from the start," Jolyon revealed. "Then I got a good exit from the first chicane, hit the boost straight away and got round the outside of Kazim and then managed to dive down the inside of Bailly. Dean pulled quite a big gap and it was pretty hard to make it up – the safety car gave me a chance, but Dean was a bit too quick in this one."
Vasiliauskas repassed Bailly on the opening lap before setting about closing down Palmer for second. He reeled in his rival in the early stages of the race until a safety car period scuppered his attack. He clattered the kerbs shortly after the restart and eventually settled for third, the Lithuanian taking his second podium in as many races.
The safety car period was caused by one of several incidents during the race. Natalia Kowalska’s spin into the barrier at turn three was the ultimate cause as her car lay stranded on the circuit, but she wasn’t the only racer in the wars. Championship contenders Philipp Eng and Will Bratt were both eliminated from the fight for points, when Eng made a desperate late lunge at turn eight. The Austrian carried too much speed into the corner before outbraking himself and running into Bratt. Jack Clarke was an innocent bystander, but he was left with nowhere to go and he too made contact with Eng. All three drivers were able to continue but were left way down the order.
The fight for fourth was an exciting contest, with Bailly holding the position in the early stages before fading with a damaged bargeboard – potentially losing up to half a second a lap. The position eventually went to a charging Sergey Afanasiev, whose drive through the field from 11th on the grid included an impressive pass on Armaan Ebrahim on the run to Kleine. Ebrahim had also got by Bailly and equalled his best ever position with fifth, while Bailly rounded out the top six at his home circuit – the same position that the RACB-backed driver has finished in the last three races.
Ivan Samarin drove to a spirited seventh, whilst Mihai Marinescu finished in an impressive eighth after starting in the pitlane. The Romanian’s charge was slightly tarnished by a clash with Will Bratt on the final lap, which sent the Briton spinning out of the race. Ricardo Teixeira and Nicola De Marco rounded out the top ten in what was a fascinating fight for the lower points-paying positions. De Marco himself had to recover from an off-road trip late on, whilst Benjamin Lariche and Kelvin Snoeks also fired themselves into the gravel when four cars tried to make it through turn one side-by-side.
FARFUS QUICKEST IN ZOLDER TEST
Augusto Farfus (1:40.096) topped the timesheets in testing for his BMW Team RBM’s local event this afternoon in Zolder, finishing ahead of Yvan Muller (1:40.259) and teammate Andy Priaulx (1:40.311).
Testing got underway at Circuit Zolder today as the World Touring Car Championship makes its first ever visit to the Belgian racetrack this weekend. Brazil’s Farfus was consistently at the sharp end but it was his final lap of the session that jumped him from fifth to first as the chequered flag came out. It was a good start to the weekend for BMW Team RBM, who is based less than a 150 km up the road in Mechelen, with Priaulx also in the top three. Bamboo-engineering’s Darryl O’Young leapt up the order in the second half of the session, recording a time of 1:40.507 to end fourth, topping the Independents‘ and Rookie categories in his Chevrolet Lacetti. SR-Sport’s Tom Coronel (1:40.647) rounded out the top five.
After spending the middle portion of the session in the pits, Chevrolet’s Rob Huff (1:40.883) posted the sixth quickest time ahead of teammate Alain Menu (1:40.961). After being quickest at the halfway point, Jordi Gené (1:41.123) ended the afternoon eighth in his SEAT León TDI with reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini posting exactly the same time down to a thousandth of a second around the 4-km circuit.
Local hero Vincent Radermecker (1:41.244) rounded out the top ten on his season debut for Chevrolet, while his fellow countryman Pierre-Yves Corthals set the 21st fastest lap (1:43.279).
The 30-minute session was free of any major incidents with Sergio Hernández spinning his BMW 320si at Turn 1 in the closing minutes.
Augusto Farfus commented: "It’s a great start to the weekend. Obviously it is just the beginning so there is a long way to go and we were lucky to get a good clear lap this afternoon but everything is looking fine."
Farfus‘ BMW was the fastest car in today’s testing at Zolder
O’YOUNG CREATES THE FIRST SURPRISE AT ZOLDER
Bamboo-engineering’s Darryl O’Young clocked a suprising fourth fastest lap in today’s test session that marked the team’s first appearance at the Belgian racetrack.
"The team did a fantastic job. It’s the first time they and the Chevrolet Lacetti have been to the circuit and they did a great job to give me a good set up right from the beginning. I have been to the circuit before, last year in FIA GT, so I know the track but we do have a few things we need to fine tune still. Overall the car felt good and we were on the pace so I’m really happy with Chevrolet. The grip was pretty low as the track was dirty so everyone will go quicker this for sure. We are going to have to keep working hard to keep up there but there is definitely still time to be found," commented the Chinese driver.
Darryl O’Young set the 4th fastest lap in the bamboo-engineering Chavrolet
2010 WTCC SETTLES ON 11 RACE MEETINGS
The current FIA WTCC season will remain with the eleven already confirmed events.
The possibility to replace the Mexican meeting – that was originally scheduled at Puebla on April 21st – has finally been dropped after the negotiations with interested event promoters did not meet with the championship’s logistic and promotional requirements.
Marcello Lotti, CEO of KSO explained: "We did not find the conditions to seal a satisfactory agreement, and taking into account that this is a season affected by the global crisis, we thought it was better to settle on eleven events."
iOPENER HELPS ONLINE GAMERS TO RACE AT ZOLDER
The WTCC rounds in Zolder will be the first FIA races in which gamers worldwide, sitting behind their own PC, will be able to race live against the real drivers using iOpener enabled technology.
After months of preparation and testing of the systems in practice and regional races, the iOpener enabled technology will be used for the first time live in an official FIA event.
"We are extremely proud that we can offer gamers from all over the globe the option to virtually participate live in a world championship race. And all that in real-time!" said Andy Lürling, Group President of iOpener.
With highly accurate satellite navigation and high-performance software algorithms the real and the virtual are merged. The iOpener enabled racing game plots the real drivers‘ real times in the game and allows gamers to join the race.
Tom Coronel is one of the drivers chosen to be challenged by online gamers: "It is a huge kick to experience the new competitors. You not only need to keep an eye on the guys on the track, but you continuously wonder whether someone online is quicker than you! They will have the same car as me, so everything will be down to the driving skill."
Join the WTCC races at Zolder visiting www.realtime-racing.com!
Stoneman storms to Zolder pole
Briton takes second pole of season ahead of Vasiliauskas and Bailly
Dean Stoneman stormed to his second pole of the season in the first qualifying session at Zolder, the Briton topping the timesheets for almost the entire session as he forced home his dominance on the rest of the field.
Several drivers came close to Stoneman’s benchmark in the final minutes of a frantic first session, with Kazim Vasiliauskas eventually finishing second fastest, little over two tenths behind. Benjamin Bailly will start third on the grid for tomorrow’s opening race, as the Belgian driver continues to impress at his home circuit.
Stoneman dominated throughout the 30 minutes of running and held an advantage of more than seven tenths in the early stages. Bailly bridged the gap in the final ten minutes, jumping ahead of Vasiliauskas by just 0.001s. The Lithuanian responded on his last lap to retake second position, although he fell short of Stoneman’s benchmark by nearly quarter of a second.
Armaan Ebrahim took an impressive fourth – his best qualifying position in his Formula Two career so far. Championship leader Jolyon Palmer claimed fifth ahead of a charging Nicola De Marco, who set his fastest lap time as the chequered flag waved.
Ivan Samarin was another driver who enjoyed his best session of the season – the Russian will line up seventh ahead of championship challenger Philipp Eng. The Austrian driver eventually gave up on trying to improve as he pitted with around five minutes of the session remaining.
British duo Will Bratt and Jack Clarke rounded out the top ten, whilst there was drama for a number of racers further down the order. Sergey Afanasiev could only manage 11th after a huge spin at the exit of turn eight. Mihai Marinescu, Natalia Kowalska and Parthiva Sureshwaren were amongst those who also endured spins.
Dean Stoneman said: "I am really pleased with that. I was pushing really hard in the early part of the session, but the track just seemed to keep improving. The grip just got better and better and I was able to go even faster later on – it is good news for the championship."
Benjamin Bailly takes home advantage
Belgian racer goes quickest in final practice at Zolder
20-year-old Benjamin Bailly has set the pace in a Formula Two session for the first time in his career after the Belgian driver went quickest in final practice at Zolder.
Racing on home soil, Bailly was a consistent top ten runner during Tuesday’s test and this morning’s opening practice session, but it was his late lap in free practice two that pushed him to the summit of the timesheets.
Armaan Ebrahim completed a rather unexpected look to the top two positions after the Indian racer set a hot lap in the closing seconds. Ebrahim has improved during practice and qualifying conditions throughout the 2010 campaign, and with his race pace never in doubt he could be one to watch as the weekend progresses.
The session was slower overall than the early morning running but championship leader Jolyon Palmer still found enough grip in his worn rubber to claim third. Russian racer Ivan Samarin enjoyed one of his best runs of the season so far, after the Luding-backed driver jumped into fourth ahead of Will Bratt.
Philipp Eng improved during the session and made his first visit to the top six in the final stages. The Austrian’s lap demoted Dean Stoneman to seventh, with the Englishman clearly taking the most aggressive line across the kerbs through turn one.
Kelvin Snoeks, Kazim Vasiliauskas and Jack Clarke rounded out the top ten, although Clarke had a torrid time at turn two. He had already returned to the circuit after running wide at turn one in the early stages, before he fired his car into the gravel at turn two late on and was unable to continue.
Ricardo Teixeira, Ivan Samarin and pace-setter Bailly were also caught out by the tricky turn two and three complex – all three returned to the tarmac after separate trips through the gravel.
The opening qualifying session of the weekend will take place at 4:45pm today and the official Formula Two website will provide live text commentary, results and reports following the conclusion of the session.
FIA Formula Two Championship – Zolder, Belgium – Free Practice Two Classification:
1. Benjamin Bailly, 1:24.390s
2. Armaan Ebrahim, +0.311s
3. Jolyon Palmer, +0.521s
4. Ivan Samarin, +0.638s
5. Will Bratt, +0.651s
6. Philipp Eng, 0.833s
7. Dean Stoneman, +0.956s
8. Kelvin Snoeks, +0.993s
9. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +1.184s
10. Jack Clarke, +1.200s
Mario Hekke competirá en la XVI Subida al castell de Son Mas este fin de semana, prueba puntuable para el Campeonato de Baleares de Montaña
Este sábado se disputa la segunda prueba del Campeonato de Baleares de Montaña en Andratx
HEKKE BUSCARÁ SU SEGUNDA VICTORIA DE LA TEMPORADA
Porto Cristo (Illes Balears) jueves 17 de junio de 2010.
Este fin de semana se celebrará la segunda carrera del regional de montaña con motivo de las fiestas patronales de San Pere en Andratx. La ya tradicional Subida al Castell de Son Mas cumple este año su décimo sexta edición y como novedad este año la prueba andritxola se disputará íntegramente en la jornada del sábado.
Con un recorrido de 4.200 metros sobre la carretera que va de Andratx a Estellencs la Subida al Castell de Son Mas se perfila como una de las más rápidas del campeonato. En ella participará Mario Hekke que llega muy crecido tras su triunfo en la cita inaugural del certamen en Valldemossa. Su Bango BRC 05 Evo se adapta muy bien a este tipo de superficie por lo que será sin duda uno de los candidatos a la victoria.
Con un trazado muy rápido y exigente donde el año pasado las CM no pudieron disputar la ascensión de carrera debido a un accidente de un participante, en esta ocasión las espadas siguen en alto por ver quien corona la cima en el menor espacio de tiempo. Gabi Arrabal, actual Campeón de Baleares de Montaña será sin duda el gran rival a tener en cuenta, pero para esta ocasión el piloto de Jaume Vermell Náutica cuenta con las prestaciones de un motor totalmente revisado además de la experiencia del pasado año.
El viernes por la tarde se realizarán las pertinentes verificaciones técnicas y administrativas, mientras que no será hasta el sábado cuando dé comienzo en sí la competición. A las 10:00 horas el director de carrera reunirá a los participantes en el tradicional "briefing". La carretera se cerrará al tráfico rodado a las 9:00 horas y está previsto que la primera subida de entrenos se efectué a las 10:15 horas. A continuación se procederá a la segunda ascensión de entrenos libres. Después los equipos participantes harán un pequeño descanso para comer y será a las 16:30 cuando se reanude la competición con la tercera manga de entrenamientos. Posteriormente los equipos tendrán su última oportunidad para terminar de afinar sus máquinas ya que se disputará la cuarta y última subida de entrenos. Tras esta subida los competidores pondrán toda la carne en el asador y disputarán la definitiva manga de carrera.
Los trofeos a los vencedores se entregarán en el salón de actos del Ajuntament d’Andratx tras la publicación de resultados.
Mario Hekke nos comentaba esta mañana:
"La subida de Andratx es una de las más rápidas y técnicas de nuestro campeonato y un error pasa factura, para esta ocasión quiero hacer un buen papel e intentar bajar mi anterior registro, y por supuesto batir a nuestros rivales, actualmente dominamos la provisional y esperemos que tras la prueba andritxola podamos seguir así. El Bango va bien y de nuevo contaré con la experiencia del Campeón de España de Montaña en CM que me asesorará en mi objetivo de alcanzar la victoria."
Miguel Ferrer Tel. + 34 619.674.644 mferrer@ferbispress.com
Weltweite TV-Übertragung der Superleague Formula für Motorsport- und Fußballfans
Kurz vor der vierten Runde der Superleague Formula in Jarama am kommenden Wochenende, gibt die Meisterschaft bekannt, dass sich das weltweite Interesse, dank neuer Broadcaster, verstärkt hat.
Kurz vor der vierten Runde der Superleague Formula in Jarama am kommenden Wochenende, gibt die Meisterschaft bekannt, dass sich das weltweite Interesse, dank neuer Broadcaster, verstärkt hat.
In der dritten Saison hat die Superleague Formula nun die Unterstützung von mehr Promotern, Teams und etablierten Fahrern erhalten. Anstelle der bisherigen sechs Veranstaltungen ist die Anzahl im Jahr 2010 auf 12 gestiegen, welche über ein sehr wettbewerbsfähiges und einmaliges Drei-Rennformat verfügen.
Die vierte Runde der Superleague Formula in Jarama wird demnach in mehr als 120 Ländern und auf fünf Kontinenten ausgestrahlt. Des Weiteren kann man die Renn-Action live und online auf www.superleagueformula.com verfolgen.
Kontinente:
Europe
South America
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Broadcaster:
ESPN UK
ESPN Star Sports
Neo Sport India
Setanta Africa (South Africa and Sub-Sahara)
Esporte Interativo Brazil
Fox Sport and SBS Australia
CNBC Europe
Bloomberg TV EMEA (Europe + Middle East + North Africa)
RTL Holland
Sport TV Portugal
Telemadrid Spain
Nova Greece
MyVision Cyprus
OLTV France
Galatasaray TV Turkey
Miguel Socías competirá en la quinta cita del catalán de karting en el Circuito Multipistes de Sils (Girona)
El Campeonato de Cataluña de Karting visita la comarca de Girona
Socías plantará cara en Sils
Campanet, (Illes Balears) Jueves 17 de junio de 2010.
El Circuito Multipistes de Sils acogerá este fin de semana la quinta cita del Campeonato de Cataluña de Karting, donde participará el piloto balear Miguel Socías lo hará en la competida categoría Alevín donde un total de treinta equipos han formalizado la inscripción de lo que se presenta como uno de los "meetings" más duros de 2010.
El piloto patrocinado por Excavaciones 2+ estuvo la semana pasada rodando por primera vez en el trazado gironés y su objetivo no fue otro que aclimatarse a la pista que en su opinión se presenta como una de las más complicadas debido a los constantes baches y pequeños saltos que hacen que el piloto no pueda bajar la guardia en ningún momento. En las últimas tandas del pasado domingo el equipo AVKS se fue con buen sabor de boca ya que el campaneter marcó buenos registros al volante de su kart AVK que le hacen tener un buen "feeling" de cara a este fin de semana.
El sábado por la mañana habrá varias tandas libres para terminar de poner a punto el kart. Al mismo tiempo se producirán las verificaciones administrativas y técnicas, así como la entrega de neumáticos. A las 14:10 horas tendrá lugar el habitual "briefing" de pilotos. Mientras que por la tarde habrá una sesión de entrenamientos libres, posteriormente se efectuarán los cronometrados y por último tendrá lugar la manga de clasificación o semifinal, únicamente en Alevín.
La jornada del domingo se iniciará con el tradicional "warm up" donde los alevines se dividirán en dos grupos: repesca y clasificados. A las 10:30 horas los no clasificados competirán en la tanda de repesca, mientras que será a las 12:15 horas cuando se inicie la primera carrera de la categoría en la cual se deberá de completar un total de doce vueltas a la pista. La segunda y definitiva carrera se desarrollará a partir de las 14:20 horas. Mientras que la ceremonia de podio está prevista a las 15:45 para todas las categorías.
Las impresiones de Miguel Socias previas a la carrera son:
"Los tiempos que marcamos el pasado fin de semana nos sitúan en una buena posición de salida, por lo que creo que plantaremos cara a nuestros rivales. El trazado es muy complicado y en mi opinión necesita un reasfaltado urgente, hay demasiados baches y pequeños saltos que dificultarán nuestro pilotaje, habrá que esmerarse y ser lo más fino posible, de la misma manera tendré que evitar las montoneras que se producen en los primeros giros, será vital para alcanzar un buen resultado para nuestro casillero."
Miguel Ferrer Tel.+34 619.674.644 www.ferbispress.com
Toni Alarcón competirá este fin de semana en la segunda cita del Campeonato de Cataluña de Velocidad
El Circuito de Calafat acogerá la segunda cita del campeonato catalán de velocidad
A la conquista de un buen resultado
Palma de Mallorca, (Illes Balears, España), jueves 17 de junio de 2010
Después de competir en la primera carrera de la Copa Renn Arena, donde Toni Alarcón logró un inmejorable resultado, ahora el piloto balear regresa al Campeonato de Cataluña de Velocidad en Circuito que celebrará su segunda prueba del año este fin de semana en el modernizado Circuito de Calafat en la localidad marinera de L’Ametlla de Mar, Tarragona.
Esta semana el mallorquín está doblemente satisfecho, ya que por un lado, el martes cumplió diecisiete primaveras. Y por otro, gracias a su buen hacer dentro y fuera de la pista cuenta en su haber con un nuevo patrocinador, Futura Petrolium, que se incorpora al equipo a partir de esta carrera. Esta moderna empresa tiene su base de operaciones en Palma de Mallorca, aunque su ámbito de trabajo no tiene límites, su principal misión es la del servicio de combustible marino y lubricantes a todo tipo de embarcaciones tanto en el puerto como en altamar.
Regresando al plano deportivo, Toni Alarcón se desplazará mañana viernes hasta Tarragona y no será hasta el sábado cuando visite las instalaciones. Por la tarde realizará los entrenamientos libres que están compuestos por tres mangas las cuales deberán servir al equipo Master Júnior Fórmula para poner a punto y buscar el "set up" adecuado para este tipo de pista. Al estar casi al mismo nivel del mar, la puesta a punto de los propulsores será primordial para que el monoplaza rinda al 100%. De la misma manera la implicación del piloto será vital para llevar a buen puerto el Fórmula 1.600. El domingo se realizarán las verificaciones administrativas y técnicas, posteriormente se celebrará el "briefing" y los entrenamientos cronometrados. A continuación se disputarán las dos mangas de carrera. La primera de ellas será a las 12:45 horas y la segunda se correrá a las 16:00 horas.
El trazado de Calafat cuenta con una cuerda de 3.250 metros, de los cuales 600 pertenecen a su recta principal. El ancho de pista de 10 metros y cuenta con nueve curvas a izquierdas y siete a derechas. Es uno de los circuitos más veteranos de nuestra geografía. Eso no significa que no sea de los más técnicos y que más necesidad de protagonismo exige al piloto.
Los comentarios del mallorquín antes de tomar rumbo al Aeropuerto de Reus eran los siguientes:
"Lo mejor que me podría pasar este fin de semana sería anotarme la victoria en las dos carreras, primero para brindárselas a mis patrocinadores y es especial a Futura Petrolium que acaba de incorporarse a nuestro proyecto y en segundo lugar porque sería el mejor regalo de cumpleaños. Para ello debo aplicarme de valiente en los entrenamientos libres, conocer la pista y vigilar de cerca a mis rivales, que están muy fuertes últimamente. Sé que el equipo dará todo y más para que el domingo lo que ahora es un sueño y una ilusión se transforme en realidad, habrá que ver como van las cosas, trabajar mucho y esperar acontecimientos."
Miguel Ferrer Tel. + 34 619.674.644 mferrer@ferbispress.com
Pep Cifre Tel. + 34 678 637 231 pcifre@ferbispress.com