22.02.2016

Report by J-P.Huhtala (VRC race reporter)

2016 Season 1 and round 3, Luxembourg

Wellcome to Luxembourg, this event is third race of 2016 SEASON 1 1:10 ISTC 13.5 SPEC series.
This raceserie continue`s here at Luxembourg, earlier race at Atsugi, where Bailes and Rensburg were setting the pace, was very exiting. It was so close call, that the winner was resolved at last corner where Rensburg got better outcoming line and drived to win. Gap between Rensburg and Bailes was only 0.13seconds at finishline. Third podium place went to Germany`s Benjamin Lehmann, with 2.5seconds distance to winner. So, expectations are high in here, as those three fastest from Atsugi, are also here at Luxembourg. WELLCOME!

QUALIFYING
At qualifying round, for our joy, we could see that few new guys were on fire. In early stage of qualy, Finlands Jukka-Pekka Huhtala was setting the pace to other drivers and pace was good.
When German Stefan Rheinwald beated Huhtala`s time with very furios driving, French Steve Favrelle had also woked. This 15 years old French talent hitted very consistent and fast result to table and it was about one seconds faster than Rheinwald`s and Huhtala`s result. At this point Benjamin Lehmann from Germany, who had wonned that modified race with his amazing driving, made his result and it was only one 10th slower than Favrelle`s result. Finally these four drivers solved the top order and TQ went to Finland`s Jukka-Pekka Huhtala. Amazingly tight qualifying, these top four guys were inside one second. Second grid went to Favrelle and third to Lehmann. German Stefan Rheinwald got fourth grid and South African talent Willem Janse van Rensburg drived to fifth grid.
OK, what was tremendous, at qualifying all top10 drivers were inside 4.15 seconds. So, nothing wasn’t clear for the final and all drivers got the chance to podium. Mistakes, cuttings and widelines, these are the things what nobody doesn’t want. But its was pretty sure, that these things will be seen at the final. Everybody knewed, that from this point, driving has to continue with “all or nothing”.
And it was well known, that those top guys from earlier races, would be favourites to take this one in final. So, there was some excitement for to wait as these ten gladiators will be guided to the grid.

Heres those results from qualifying, as it were so tough battle!!

QUALIFYING RESULT PRO

1|Jukka-Pekka Huhtala|FI|15|5.02.604
2|Steve Favrelle|FR|15|+0.656
3|Benjamin Lehmann|DE|15|+0.720
4|Stefan Rheinwald|DE|15|+0.982
5|Willem Janse van Rensburg|15|+2.884
6|Nuno Correia|PT|15|+3.148
7|Christian Holmström|SE|15|+3.514
8|Heikki Huhtala|FI|+3.65
9|Hijrah Saputra|ID|+3.698
10|Massimiliano Tanturri|IT|+4.15

RACE
Now it was the time, this spectacular final to start. Everybody knewed that start had to be perfect, and anything wasnt suppose to give free to anybody. And this also happend. As soon the race started, everybody was awake very clearly. These three at front were Huhtala, Favrelle and Lehmann. As these came to turn 6 at zero lap, Huhtala went totally wide and Favrelle got the lead. But coming to turn 8, it was noticed that in to this corner, Huhtalas line was guite ideal and also he gained Favrelle immediatly at this corner. Going to the mainstaright first time, Huhtala, Favrelle and Lehmann were all side by side, and this was going to be tough battle, of course without mistakes.


Huhtala, Favrelle and Lehmann at mainstraight, gaps were really tight all time.

All ready from first lap it was noticed, how tight the line should be that you get maximum result from this final. At turn three, Favrelle showed his tight line and it was so tight that it looked that he was cutting grass, luckily he saved this corner and was just behind Huhtala. Coming to turn eight, Lehmann at third place, cutted corner behind Favrelle and dropped to chasing group. Now Lehmann`s gap to leader was about one second. At lap two, Huhtala was sleeping once again with corner four, Favrelle was pleased and went by. At very same lap at corner nine, Favrelle went wide and Huhtala gained Favrelle. Differences were so tiny, that every little ”sleep” was costing a lot. At this point when Favrelle and Huhtala had doned those tiny mistakes, Lehmann was hungry at back and had tightened his gap to these two, in to half second. Now Portugues Nuno Correia had also joined with Lehmann, and was pressuring Benjamin really hard. Correia had doned fantastic start to this final, as his starting grid was 6. But few hungry cuttings, at turn 6 and 8, costed Nuno little and he cave Lehmann time to breathe. And no time when Nuno had doned his hungry cuttings, German Stefan Rheinwald start to push Nuno, and also passed him in next lap. At front, Favrelle had runned perfectly and lefted Huhtala 0.5 seconds. Now Huhtala was struggling with Lehmann, and this man was furios. At lap 7 it looked that these three at front, would stable they race and gaps were guite steady. But no, in this 8th lap, our French leader Favrelle done his mistake. Coming to that tough corner, corner 8th, he cutted and Huhtala and Lehmann gained him. Now Huhtala was at lead and Lehmann was competing with Favrelle. Racing was so nice, as these gladiators came to turn 4, Favrelle showed his skills with driving with two wheels.


Lehmann and Favrelle at turn four. This was pretty close from Steve. Luckily maybe with talent, he managed to survive from this.

He survived also from this one, even disaster was so close. Starting lap ten, these drivers were inside 0.3 seconds, of course Favrelles few mistakes had dropped him to third place but this wasnt over yet. As the final minute of the Final was started, it looked that Huhtala was shaking a little. Was it lack of rhytm or what, but this Fin made hungry cuttings, few wide corners and Lehmann behind noticed this. Those tiny ”sleepings” allowed Lehmann and Favrelle to push even harder against Huhtala. And no time when these two were at Huhtala`s tale. Starting lap 13, what was enormous, these three were driving at mainstraight, all inside 0.1 second! With fast, precise and accured driving, French superman had turned him to lead, Lehmann was second and Huhtala third. Huhtala`s hungry cutting at turn 10 costed him a little and now he was 0.2 seconds from the leader as the last lap started. Lehmann was only 0.1s behind Favrelle, and it looked that Huhtala had loosed this and only who could challenge our Frenchman, would be Lehmann. And this last lap showed that anything is solved until the time is expired and cars go over the line. Huhtala gained these two at last laps corners, but cutted too much at corner 8 and couldnt challenge two at front. Favrelle and Lehmann battled really good last lap, but finally Favrelle was victorius and drove well deserved win, but only 0.2second gap to Lehmann.
Fourth place went Germany to Stefan Rheinwald. He competed really good race, mostly he was battle with Nuno Correia and he wonned this battle at the end. As we saw in qualifying how fast Rheinwald was, we could expect him to come with really furios style, to this final. Practice session went fantastic, as he was driving allmost all the time under 20s laps. But something weird happend. In final it looked that it was lack rhytm, there was cuttings and seemed that any corner didnt go as Stefan would wanted. But in the end, winning Correia, we could say that it was ”victory of work”, because we knewed how tough this Portugues ”nitroman” was also in electric.


Rheinwald and Correia on battle, Rheinwald`s tight line made good at this point.

Guite magnificent final we got, just like expectations were after qualifying. But in the end, tiny mistakes solved also this one. Theres no room for these, if you wont beat these fastests at front, everything have to go perfect. I would say, Steve Favrelle was the man in this final, he offered the win with his mistake at lap 8, to Huhtala and Lehmann. But his pace was so consistent and great, that he saved that mistake, what took 1.5seconds from his result.

In SPORT level Lee Passehl from Usa showed others his skills, as he was setting the pace to everyone. He was at the lead from the start to finishline and he runned very consistent and fast final. Of course he had also good battle against Hans Guenther Heitsch from Germany. These two drivers pace`s were guite similar, but Hans Guenther`s mistake`s at first and last lap, solved this victory to Lee.
Man who got third place, was VRC Korea Master. He was at second place all the way up to 9th lap, but Hans Guenther pace was little faster and he dropped to third place.

In CLUB level race victory went to Heiko Möller from Germany, he wonned the race before Portugues Nuno Lourenco, with 5second gap. Third place went to John Dash from USA, his gao toi leader was over 7second.

Thank you very much to all, this was fun and magnificent event!!

A main FINAL PRO

1|Steve Favrelle|FR|14|05:00.108 2|Benjamin Lehmann|DE|14|05:00.312 3|Jukka-Pekka Huhtala|FI|14|05:00.732 4|Stefan Rheinwald|DE|14|05:02.582 5|Nuno Correia|PT|14|05:02.902 6|Christian Holmström|SE|14|05:04.712 7|Hijrah Saputra|ID|14|05:04.850 8|Willem Janse van Rensburg|ZA|14|05:05.172 9|Heikki Huhtala|FI|14|05:08.408 10|Massimiliano Tanturri|IT|14|05:08.470
A main FINAL SPORT
1|Lee Passehl|US|14|05:10.804 2|Hans Guenther Heitsch|DE|14|05:13.550 3|VRC Korea Master|KR|14|05:14.234 4|Wolfgang Roth|AT|14|05:18.554 5|Romain LACROIX|FR|14|05:20.484 6|Sean Krause|DE|14|05:21.726 7|Jean-philippe Csernak|FR|14|05:28.236 8|Anakin Xiu|CN|13|05:02.528 9|Yuriy Meshkov|RU|13|05:04.090 10|Nick Weinrauch|CA|DNS
A main FINAL CLUB
1|Heiko Möller|DE|14|05:11.214 2|Nuno Lourenco|PT|14|05:16.074 3|John Dasch|US|14|05:18.512 4|Dag Vidar Haslund|NO|14|05:18.882 5|Gustavo Lagos|BR|13|05:04.264 6|Seth Lowery|US|13|05:08.056 7|Yasuhiro Morta|JP|13|05:11.376 8|Alexander Dunkl|AT|13|05:13.878 9|Carl Huxford|GB|13|05:20.484 10|Matt Kabeiseman|US|12|05:07.314

SEASON STANDING AFTER 3 ROUNDS

PRO CLASS
1|Benjamin Lehmann|228 2|Nuno Correia|214 3|Dana Bailes|207 4|Graham Raistrick|201 5|Hijrah Saputra|200 6|Christoph Löb|190 7|Milan Peka|180 8|Heikki Huhtala|174 9|Marcelo Borges|170 10|Antti Silvennoinen|163
SPORT CLASS
1|Lee Passehl|240 2|Thomas Klingen|208 3|Hans Guenther Heitsch|204 4|Wolfgang Roth|202 5|Yuriy Meshkov|200 6|Romain LACROIX|195 7|Jonathan Csernak|189 8|Jean-philippe Csernak|185 9|Santo Grasso|166 10|Mike Bridges|164
CLUB CLASS
1|Dag Vidar Haslund|226 2|Yasuhiro Morta|182 3|Kenny McConnell|172 4|Gary Climie|167 5|Jodie Grein|163 6|Victor Rodriguez|157 7|Nuno Lourenco|156 8|Carl Huxford|136 9|Ron Verhagen|124 10|Matt Kabeiseman|121

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