 |
 |
|
|
||
|
|
FIA WTCC Zolder |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Two weeks after the spectacular FIA GT1 races, Zolder hosted the 3rd and 4th round of the |
||
|
ever spectacular FIA WTCC championship. Over the Easter weekend 25.000 spectators visited |
||
|
the races along with bright sunny weather and temperatures well above 25° C. |
||
|
|
||
|
WTCC |
||
|
During the first race on Sunday just after noon Chevrolet proved to be the brand to beat. Rob Huff, |
||
|
Alain Menu and the 2010 world champion Yvan Muller dominated the race. However Rob Huff proved to |
||
|
be the quickest of the threesome. Alain Menu finished second, Yvan Muller claimed the final spot on the |
||
|
podium. Just three laps were completed as the safety car had to be deployed due to multiple crashes that |
||
|
occured almost simultaneously. Yukinori Taniguchi was hit by Aleksei Dudukalo but it was Marchy Lee who |
||
|
couldn’t avoid the Chevrolet of the unfortunate Japanese driver. Tom Coronel’s home race only lasted for |
||
|
|
|
three laps as the Dutchman tried to avoid a spinning Fredy Barth but was hit by Franz Engstler. Coronels |
|
right front wheel was ripped what meant his weekend was definitely over. Besides Coronel both Barth and |
||
|
Engstler’s race were finished. Barth’s Seat was severely damaged and just as Tom Coronel the weekend |
||
|
was over for the Swiss driver. The safety car lead the field for six laps. After the lights went on green once |
||
|
again Rob Huff lead the field and crossed the finish line first. |
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
Gabriele Tarquini ended Chevrolet’s dominance by winning the second race in an impressive way. The |
|
former world champion lead the race from pole position and kept the Chevy-armada from claiming the lead. |
||
|
Alain Menu finally finished second in front of Tiago Monteiro (Seat). Tarquini started from pole due to the |
||
|
heavy crash of Fredy Barth who originally had to start from the best position on the grid. Tarquini made |
||
|
the best of the standing start and took the lead in front of the Chevrolet of Rob Huff and Alain Menu. |
||
|
Yvan Muller had to defend strongly preventing Tiago Monteiro to take fourth place. Everybody expected |
||
|
|
 |
Rob Huff to attack Tarquini for the lead but in an attempt from the Briton to overtake the Italian in the |
|
hairpin, Huff had to cross the kitty litter. Finally Huff dropped back to sixth place. Yvan Muller didn’t had |
||
|
a great weekend and suffered from technical problems. Finally the 2010 world champion had to retire. In |
||
|
the meantime at the front Tarquini battled it out with Alain Menu. Menu didn’t manage to pass Tarquini, |
||
|
but on the other hand the Italian couldn’t create a gap. “Spiderman” crossed the finish line first followed by |
||
|
less than halve a second by Alain Menu. Tiago Monteiro secured a third place on the podium. |
||
|
|
||
|
Belcar Endurance Championship |
||
|
Zolder hosted the second round of the popular Belcar Endurance Championship, just two weeks after |
||
|
the opening round on the same track. Instead of the three hour race from two weeks earlier, this |
||
|
weekend a two hour race was scheduled. Marc Goossens and Maxime Soulet claimed the second pole in |
||
|
their Round Up Porsche 997 and immediately took the lead, followed by the Ford GT of Pertti Kuismanen |
||
|
and Markus Paltalla as well as the Mercedes SLS of Anthony Kumpen and Clouseau singer Koen Wauters. |
||
|
An interesting but fair fight developed between the Round Up Porsche and the Kuismanen Ford. After |
||
|
the pitstops however it was the KRK Mercedes SLS of Kumpen and Wauters in front of the pack. The |
||
|
KRK-duo claimed their first deserved victory in front of Marc Goossens and Maxime Soulet. Bert Longin and |
||
|
Xavier Maassen scored their second consecutive podium with a third place. In GT Open father and son |
||
|
Derdaele scored their second consecutive victory. Wim Lumbeeck finished second in the Dodge Viper GTSR. |
||
|
|
||
|
Reports in Dutch can be found here: |
||
|
|
||
|
Sportdome.nl : WTCC: Chevrolet kleurt eerste rij in Zolder, Huff op pole |
||
|
Sportdome.nl : WTCC: Chevrolet onverslaanbaar tijdens race 1 in Zolder |
||
|
Sportdome.nl : WTCC: Tarquini roept Chevrolet halt toe in Zolder |
||
|
Sportdome.nl : Belcar: 1e overwinning voor Kumpen en Wauters in Zolder |
||
|
|
||
|
More photographs of this event can be found here : |
||
|
|
||
|
|
