Qualifying for tomorrow’s FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Race of Germany on the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife concluded with Nick Catsburg leading the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT charge from within the top five (Friday 27 May).
The Dutch driver pushed his LADA Vesta TC1 to the sixth fastest time on the 25.3km circuit, which is nestled in Germany’s wild and picturesque Eifel Mountains, therefore he will start Saturday’s (28 May) Opening Race from P5 under the reversed grid rules and the Main Race from P6.
However, the strongest session for LADA SPORT ROSNEFT was undoubtedly FP2 on Friday morning, as all three LADA Vestas could be found in the top five positions, with Italian touring car star Gabriele Tarquini holding second, France’s Hugo Valente third and Catsburg fifth.
Unfortunately, the all-important qualifying session didn’t quite go to plan. The typical three-part qualifying format has been replaced with a single hour-long session for the WTCC’s Race of Germany on what is easily the world’s longest race circuit, but the track was also shared with competitors from the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC).
Crashes involving runners from both the ETCC and WTCC limited drivers to only a few flying laps, and Valente was one unfortunate casualty, when a tyre failure sent him spearing into the barriers at high speed close to the end of qualifying.
The Frenchman will subsequently start both races from 13th, one place behind LADA SPORT teammate Tarquini.
Сatsburg said: “I pulled it out of the bag at the end of qualifying! I feel good, the car feels good and the result is good, if not a little disappointing. I think I might have been able to find one second or so, but I know I’m not five seconds off Jose Maria Lopez’s pace as a driver and I feel I got the most out of the car. It was nice to have some wet running with the LADA Vesta and I’m happy in those conditions, so I’m happy!”
Tarquini added: “Perhaps we didn’t find the best possible setup for qualifying. In FP2, we had some wet running and the car was totally different – it felt great, but the problem was there when we came back to the dry setup today. I was sure we could make the top ten at the start of qualifying and then I made mistakes while trying to deal with some understeer. We have nothing to lose by experimenting with setup changes from 12th on the grid.”
Valente said: “The LADA Vesta is behaving very well here at the Nurburgring in both wet and dry conditions and that’s why I’m so frustrated to have had two tyres blow out. I was going quite slowly when the first one let go in free practice, but the second one happened while I was pushing on at 260kph on one of the fastest parts of the track. I was a passenger on both occasions and I just feel sorry for the guys in the team, who worked so hard to repair my car overnight. Confidence counts for a lot around here and these two offs won’t help when I go into tomorrow’s races!”
LADA SPORT ROSNEFT’s Nick Catsburg to start WTCC Race of Germany in TOP-5
Qualifying for tomorrow’s FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Race of Germany on the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife concluded with Nick Catsburg leading the LADA SPORT ROSNEFT charge from within the top five (Friday 27 May).
The Dutch driver pushed his LADA Vesta TC1 to the sixth fastest time on the 25.3km circuit, which is nestled in Germany’s wild and picturesque Eifel Mountains, therefore he will start Saturday’s (28 May) Opening Race from P5 under the reversed grid rules and the Main Race from P6.
However, the strongest session for LADA SPORT ROSNEFT was undoubtedly FP2 on Friday morning, as all three LADA Vestas could be found in the top five positions, with Italian touring car star Gabriele Tarquini holding second, France’s Hugo Valente third and Catsburg fifth.
Unfortunately, the all-important qualifying session didn’t quite go to plan. The typical three-part qualifying format has been replaced with a single hour-long session for the WTCC’s Race of Germany on what is easily the world’s longest race circuit, but the track was also shared with competitors from the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC).
Crashes involving runners from both the ETCC and WTCC limited drivers to only a few flying laps, and Valente was one unfortunate casualty, when a tyre failure sent him spearing into the barriers at high speed close to the end of qualifying.
The Frenchman will subsequently start both races from 13th, one place behind LADA SPORT teammate Tarquini.
Сatsburg said: “I pulled it out of the bag at the end of qualifying! I feel good, the car feels good and the result is good, if not a little disappointing. I think I might have been able to find one second or so, but I know I’m not five seconds off Jose Maria Lopez’s pace as a driver and I feel I got the most out of the car. It was nice to have some wet running with the LADA Vesta and I’m happy in those conditions, so I’m happy!”
Tarquini added: “Perhaps we didn’t find the best possible setup for qualifying. In FP2, we had some wet running and the car was totally different – it felt great, but the problem was there when we came back to the dry setup today. I was sure we could make the top ten at the start of qualifying and then I made mistakes while trying to deal with some understeer. We have nothing to lose by experimenting with setup changes from 12th on the grid.”
Valente said: “The LADA Vesta is behaving very well here at the Nurburgring in both wet and dry conditions and that’s why I’m so frustrated to have had two tyres blow out. I was going quite slowly when the first one let go in free practice, but the second one happened while I was pushing on at 260kph on one of the fastest parts of the track. I was a passenger on both occasions and I just feel sorry for the guys in the team, who worked so hard to repair my car overnight. Confidence counts for a lot around here and these two offs won’t help when I go into tomorrow’s races!”
P10 on qualy means pole for the opening race ✌🏻️ #nordschleife #honda#thepowerofdreams #tiagosworld18
10º na qualificação o que significa que vou sair da pole para a primeira corrida!
No mais difícil e exigente circuito do mundo, Tiago Monteiro garantiu esta tarde o primeiro lugar da grelha para a primeira corrida do WTCC em Nurburgring Nordscheleife, o conhecido “Green Hell”.
MAC3 victory and pole position for Tiago Monteiro for the opening race. After a challenging weekend, that's a pretty good result in qualifying. Michelisz Norbert starts P4 for the main race and P6 for the opener. Rob Huff P8 for main race and P17 due to engine-change penalty in opener.
Quando ia em primeiro.. e na ultima volta, um pneu sai e o acidente acontece...
"Foi um grande susto mas felizmente não passou disso. Tanto eu como o Yvan estamos bem, vim apenas ao hospital fazer alguns exames por precaução. Volto em Moscovo mais forte que nunca 💪🏻👊🏻
That was a big moment but thankfully I am ok and Yvan as well. I'm in the hospital doing some exams just for precaution. I'll be back stronger than ever in Moscow"
WINNER! 🎉 2nd victory Jose Maria "Pechito" Lopez today.
P2. Michelisz Norbert
P3. Tom Chilton
A dramatic day with a puncture-induced high-speed crash for Tiago Monteirowhile leading - from which he emerged unscathed - plus two podiums forMichelisz Norbert and a terrific recovery drive for Rob Huff.
Jose Maria "Pechito" Lopez ruled the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife by winning both encounters at FIA WTCC Race of Germany.
The Citroën Racing driver charged through from ninth on the grid to claim the Opening Race laurels before converting his DHL pole position into victory number five of 2016 by taking the Main Race triumph.
Strong results for LADA SPORT ROSNEEFT in incident-packed races on the Nordschleife
LADA SPORT ROSNEFT came away from the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Race of Germany on the world-renowned Nurburgring Nordschleife with a pair of top six finishes (Saturday 28 May).
French racer Hugo Valente led the LADA charge in sixth in the Opening Race and Nick Catsburg from the Netherlands finished sixth in the day’s Main Race on the 25.3km racetrack, nestled deep in Germany’s Eifel Mountains.
The Opening Race started without haste, but turned into an incident-packed affair, as a final-lap tyre failure for leader Tiago Monteiro initiated a dramatic collision that took him and Yvan Muller out of the race.
All three LADA SPORT ROSNEFT drivers finished inside the top ten and Valente was satisfied to lead the Russian team’s charge in sixth, with Tarquini and Catsburg shadowing him in seventh and ninth respectively.
However, attention was squarely on the durability of the WTCC’s control tyres, as the failure that claimed Monteiro was the last of many at ‘The Ring’, with Valente himself a victim of two blow outs in free practice and qualifying.
A field of concerned and frustrated drivers lacked confidence after being advised not to push and to avoid the kerbing while flying through the forest on the Nordschleife, and the instructions only served to dilute the on-track action in the Main Race.
Tarquini and Valente sat in seventh and eighth after a typically physical start, sticking their elbows out and muscling their way through the first corner complex to commence a race-long battle with the Volvos of Fredrik Ekblom and Thed Bjork.
Italian touring car veteran, Tarquini, drove the widest LADA Vesta on the track in defence of seventh place and, although he and his young French teammate, Valente, soaked up immense pressure, they were ultimately out-dragged in the Nordschleife’s protracted acceleration zones and crossed the line in eighth and tenth, with Catsburg coming home in a solid sixth.
Reflecting on generally positive, if not slightly frustrating outing at the Nurburgring, Catsburg said: “I didn’t feel comfortable in the car because we were all a bit afraid about the tyres, so I took it easy and just brought it home. Had we been able to push, I think a podium might have been possible in the Main Race”.
Valente added: “The car wasn’t performing as well as in free practice and qualifying, because there were concerns over the tyres and we had to make changes that we’ve never done before, but my progress was good and I don’t think we could have asked for more than a sixth place in the Opening Race. We struggled in a straight line and we were advised to be cautious on the Nordschleife to save the tyres. We’ve had a lot of punctures, not just at the Nurburgring, but at normal circuits too, and it’s a shame that no action has been taken with the tyres before this weekend.”
Tarquini said: “I can’t be satisfied with the results, as I wasn’t able to push in the races. Tyres have been a big problem this weekend and it’s not the place to have this issue, as we’re in a forest, you reach very high speeds and there’s very little room for error. Cars are faster and heavier than last year and the problem must be analysed. You can’t race at a track like this, fearing that the tyres might let go and I was more of a taxi driver on the Nordschleife today.”
The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) moves on to LADA SPORT ROSNEFT’s homeland, Russia, and the Moscow Raceway for Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2016 season (10-12 June).
John Filippi sobrevive en el “Infierno verde” para lograr un cuarto puesto
http://camposracing.com/john-filippi-sobrevive-en-el-infie…/
John Filippi survives “Green Hell” to take fourth place
http://camposracing.com/john-filippi-survives-green-hell-…/…
Main Race flash: López rules the Nordschleife in WTCC
Acordei muito dorido mas aliviado e contente por já estar em casa com a minha família. Obrigado a todos pelas milhares de mensagens de apoio que para mim significam muito!! Agora é recuperar para voltar mais forte que nunca em Moscovo daqui a duas semanas 💪🏻👊🏻💪🏻
Very sore and bruised but so grateful and happy to be back home with my family!! Thank you all so much for your kind messages!! It means so much to me!! I will be back stronger than ever in Moscow 💪🏻👊🏻💪🏻 #raceway in 2 weeks!! #workhardplayhard #tiagosworld18 #honda #thepowerofdreams#lovemyfamily
Rob Huff reflects: a double dose of 'The Green Hell'
There was collisions, controversy and a whole lot of drama during the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Race of Germany and the ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of the Nurburgring (27-29 May).
To be honest, it was shaping up to be a nightmare weekend for me. In the WTCC, some sort of failure on my Honda caused a massive shunt at 220kph in free practice, necessitating an engine-change that resulted in a ten-place grid penalty and resigned me to 17th on the Opening Race grid.
The Castrol Honda Racing boys did a phenomenal job to repair the car, I had a little trip to the Medical Centre and all was fine by the time we reached qualifying.
We looked pretty quick in practice, but my Civic Type-R wasn’t the same and didn’t fill me with confidence after its brush with the barriers. I qualified seventh and successfully raced to fourth place in both the Opening and Main Races, which, considering how the week began, is pretty good going.
The main story of the Opening Race was the incident involving my teammate Tiago Monteiro and Citroen’s Yvan Muller; a tyre failure sent Tiago into a terrifying high-speed spin that saw him go airborne. Yvan simply had no way of avoiding the wayward Honda, contact was made and they were both out on the spot.
Thankfully, Tiago was unhurt, but the crash initiated a big debate over the durability and safety of the WTCC’s Yokohama tyres.
There was a lot of fuss and, although I believe this should be analysed and we do need a special ‘Nurburgring tyre’, I know my car is built to the highest level by a very professional set of people. I hit the wall hard in sixth gear and I didn’t even have a bruise or a stiff neck to show for it!
The fact is, we’re racing drivers and, if you’re concerned about your own safety, don’t race! It’s as simple as that.
However, the spotlight was also on Honda after WTCC stewards and the FIA Technical Delegate deemed the Civic Type-R TC1’s flat floors to be in breach of the championship’s technical regulations.
The team was disqualified from the Hungarian and Moroccan results and many were seeking my reaction to the exclusions, but I don’t feel it’s my place to comment; I just drive the car and the WTCC regulations and how Honda interprets them is effectively nothing to do with me.
Naturally, I’m very disappointed, but Castrol Honda Racing is adamant that its floors comply with the regulations and it will appeal in the coming weeks, although the decision is shameful for the fact that the WTCC revolves around its fans and yet, after a fantastic start to the season, there’s now a feeling that the ruling has denied us a good title fight.
I just wanted to get my head down and move on, and that’s pretty easy when you’ve got a Black Falcon Mercedes-Benz AMG GTS waiting to be driven in the Nurburgring 24 Hours!
I was due to test the car earlier in the week, but these plans were cancelled because – and you won’t believe me when I tell you – my plane’s cockpit windows smashed on take-off!
We turned around and made an emergency landing – a new experience for me – but I was unable to get a seat on another flight to Germany and my first taste of the car would be in qualifying on Friday (27 May).
Free practice was curtailed by a gearbox failure and an off for one of my co-drivers and my experience of the AMG GTS consisted of three qualifying laps – one more than my teammates, who know the car well.
The first session was primarily about making it into the top 30 in order to get a blue light, which is basically a permanent blue flag, but Indy Dontje did a great job to put us third.
However, the heavens opened at ‘The Green Hell’ just prior to the top-30 shootout on Friday night, so the idea was to simply complete two sensible laps and bring the car home, which we did in 28th.
It was always going to be an interesting 24 hours, but the start was unbelievable. The race had barely begun when, out of nowhere, massive amounts of ice fell from the sky; several cars crashed and countless others became stranded, their slick tyres unable to grip on what became an ice rink.
A long delay meant my first real run in the AMG GTS would be during the evening shift
