Maxime Martin reigns supreme in home ETCR round at Zolder

Romeo Ferraris’ Maxime Martin was undefeated in his home round of the FIA eTouring Car World Cup at Circuit Zolder, ranking ahead of CUPRA’s Adrien Tambay as the fourth round of the series was held in Belgium at the weekend.

Qualifying

Hyundai’s Jean-Karl Vernay was the man who emerged fastest in the Pool Fast qualifying rankings, the Frenchman having put in his fastest lap in the first session before he missed his chance to go quicker in the second session when he cut a chicane.

CUPRA’s Tom Blomqvist was second, three tenths of a second behind on aggregate, ahead of team-mate Adrien Tambay in third.

The best of the Romeo Feraris drivers was Bruno Spengler in fourth, ahead of Hyundai’s Norbert Michelisz in fifth, although like team-mate Vernay he lost his lap in the second session for cutting the final chicane.

Giovanni Venturini was ranked in sixth, although the Italian was almost two seconds off the pace in his Giulia, comfortably last in both sessions.

Pool FAST Qualifying 1

POS	NO	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	69		Jean-Karl VERNAY	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	2	1:36.428	–
2	27		Adrien TAMBAY	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	2	1:37.022	0.594
3	10		Tom BLOMQVIST	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	2	1:37.100	0.672
4	7		Bruno SPENGLER	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	2	1:37.695	1.267
5	5		Norbert MICHELISZ	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	2	1:37.732	1.304
6	21		Giovanni VENTURINI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	2	1:46.112	9.684

Pool FAST Qualifying 2

POS	NO	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	10		Tom BLOMQVIST	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	1:36.754	–
2	27		Adrien TAMBAY	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	1:36.987	0.233
3	7		Bruno SPENGLER	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	1:37.470	0.716
4	21		Giovanni VENTURINI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	1:38.169	1.415
5	5		Norbert MICHELISZ	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	No time	N/A
6	69		Jean-Karl VERNAY	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	No time	N/A

In Pool Furious, the best overall lap in qualifying went to home favourite Maxime Martin, the Romeo Ferraris man lapping in 1 minute 35.858 seconds to edge out CUPRA’s Mattias Ekström by three tenths of a second, despite not taking part in practice on Friday due to a battery issue.

Luca Filippi made it a strong single-lap morning for the Romeo Ferraris squad in third, ahead of Hyundai duo Nicky Catsburg and Mikel Azcona, with CUPRA’s Jordi Gené completing the times in sixth, along with Azcona having his time disallowed. Azcona lost his times in both sessions for exceeding track limits, whilst Gené never took to the track due to colling issues on his car.

Pool FURIOUS Qualifying 1

POS	NO	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	1		Mattias EKSTRÖM	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	1:36.383	–
2	36		Maxime MARTIN	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	1:36.388	0.005
3	25		Luca FILIPPI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	1:36.869	0.486
4	88		Nicky CATSBURG	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	1:37.838	1.455
5	96		Mikel AZCONA	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	No time	N/A
6	28		Jordi GENÉ	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	0	No time	N/A

Pool FURIOUS Qualifying 2

POS	NO	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	GAP
1	36		Maxime MARTIN	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	2	1:35.858	–
2	1		Mattias EKSTRÖM	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	2	1:36.146	0.288
3	88		Nicky CATSBURG	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	2	1:36.897	1.039
4	25		Luca FILIPPI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	2	1:37.354	1.496
5	96		Mikel AZCONA	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	No time	N/A
6	28		Jordi GENÉ	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	0	No time	N/A

Quarter Finals

The first Quarter Final in Pool Fast pitted Hyundai’s Vernay up against the two CUPRAs of Blomqvist and Tambay.

Blomqvist emerged from the first corner in front, after Tambay missed his braking point at the first corner and went very wide, losing several seconds.

The Brit led the first lap, before Blomqvist then repeated the same mistake as Tambay on the next lap, going too deep into the first corner and leaving the door open to Vernay to take the lead.

Tambay and Blomqvist then swapped places, unleashing Tambay onto the tail of Vernay, with the former DTM racer breezing into the lead on the last lap as Vernay had run out of powerup.

Approaching the final chicane, Blomqvist was able to ease into second, leaving Vernay to cross the line in a close third as Tambay claimed the heat win.

Spengler and Michelisz went toe-to-toe at the start of the second Quarter Final, but it was Venturini who took advantage to lead after the first corner.

Spengler and Michelisz then battled hard for much of the rest of the heat, allowing Venturini to break free, with the Canadian finally boosting past Michelisz on the run to the line to edge out the Hyundai driver by a mere 0.148 seconds for second place.

Pool FAST – Quarter Final 1

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	10			Tom BLOMQVIST	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	5:12.353	1:42.368	2
2	27			Adrien TAMBAY	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	0.075	1:41.932	3
3	69			Jean-Karl VERNAY	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	0.513	1:42.017	1

Pool FAST – Quarter Final 2

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	21			Giovanni VENTURINI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	5:13.057	1:41.168	3
2	7			Bruno SPENGLER	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	1.785	1:42.275	1
3	5			Norbert MICHELISZ	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	1.933	1:42.668	2

On the other side of the draw in Pool Furious, Martin took on Ekström and Filippi in their first heat. Martin beat Ekström out of the start gates, and the order didn’t change thereafter, with the reigning PURE ETCR champion claiming second ahead of Filippi in a more distant third after running through the gravel on the penultimate lap.

Team play came into effect in the second heat, as Catsburg, who had started from pole, slotted into second at the first corner, allowing team-mate Azcona to lead.

Catsburg – not contesting the full season and thus not in the title mix – effectively baulked the CUPRA of Gené at the first corner, giving Hyundai team-mate and title contender Azcona breathing space in the lead.

That set the tone for the heat, with Gené unable to pull off a pass on Catsburg, as Azcona won the three-car heat.

Pool FURIOUS – Quarter Final 1

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	36			Maxime MARTIN	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	5:10.557	1:40.761	1
2	1			Mattias EKSTRÖM	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	0.655	1:41.087	2
3	25			Luca FILIPPI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	1.815	1:40.986	3

Pool FURIOUS – Quarter Final 2

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	96			Mikel AZCONA	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	5:09.780	1:40.554	2
2	88			Nicky CATSBURG	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	1.817	1:40.950	1
3	28			Jordi GENÉ	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	3.154	1:41.692	3

Semi Finals

The Semi Finals took place on Sunday, with the first in Pool Fast consisting of CUPRA’s Blomqvist and Tambay against Romeo Ferraris’ Venturini.

Tambay took the lead at the start and whilst Venturini claimed second exiting the first corner, Blomqvist was quick to use his powerup to re-take the place on the run out of Turn 2.

And that was that, as far as the heat was concerned, as the trio spread out over the next two laps, Tambay taking the heat win ahead of his team-mate Blomqvist.

Pool Fast’s second Semi Final was between Hyundai’s Vernay, Romeo Ferraris’ Spengler and Hyundai’s Michelisz.

Spengler moved into the lead, as Vernay suffered a huge lockup into the first corner, although the Frenchman was able to hold on to second.

The order was thus fixed, with Spengler winning the heat ahead of Vernay and Michelisz, with the latter once again last in his heat.

Pool FAST – Semi Final 1

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	27			Adrien TAMBAY	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	5:08.821	1:40.809	2
2	10			Tom BLOMQVIST	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	0.341	1:40.187	1
3	21			Giovanni VENTURINI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	1.623	1:40.791	3

Pool FAST – Semi Final 2

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	7			Bruno SPENGLER	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	5:07.606	1:40.621	2
2	69			Jean-Karl VERNAY	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	0.240	1:40.463	1
3	5			Norbert MICHELISZ	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	0.697	1:40.384	3

Over in Pool Furious, Martin continued his winning ways, leading into the first corner as Ekström initially tried to challenge for the lead around the outside of Turn 2, although that ended up allowing Hyundai’s Azcona to sneak past.

Ekström kept close to Azcona and nearing the end of lap two the CUPRA driver made his move into the final chicane, although contact on entry meant that Azcona ended up cutting the corner through the gravel and ceding track position.

“He pushed me from behind just before braking and drove me into the gravel,” said Azcona of the incident. “It is not always fair, but it is what it is.”

Unable to recover the lost ground, Azcona finished in third, as Martin took a comfortable heat win – his second of the weekend – ahead of Ekström.

However, the stewards sided with Azcona, and Ekström was given a one-second time penalty for the contact, promoting the Spaniard into second.

In Semi Final two, the order was set at the start. A poor start from Filippi dropped the man on the inside to third, as Catsburg moved into the lead ahead of Gené at the first corner.

Catsburg clearly had much more pace than his rivals, the Dutchman scampering off into the biggest win of the weekend, as the CUPRA in second had to defend hard all race from Filippi’s Alfa Romeo.

Pool FURIOUS – Semi Final 1

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	36			Maxime MARTIN	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	5:07.752	1:40.557	1
2	96			Mikel AZCONA	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	2.196	1:40.817	3
3	1			Mattias EKSTRÖM	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	6.992	1:40.933	2

Pool FURIOUS – Semi Final 2

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	88			Nicky CATSBURG	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	3	5:06.318	1:39.949	2
2	28			Jordi GENÉ	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	3	4.479	1:41.316	3
3	25			Luca FILIPPI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	3	5.227	1:41.158	1

SuperFinals

So, to the ‘SuperFinals’. In Pool Fast the grid comprised the manufacturers lining up in formation, with CUPRA’s Tambay and Blomqvist on the front row. Romeo Ferraris’ Venturini and Spengler occupied the second row, whilst the Hyundai’s were in fifth and sixth, Vernay ahead of Michelisz respectively.

When the lights went out Tambay and Blomqvist went through the first corners in order, as Michelisz gained a place on Venturini to take fourth exiting Turn 2.

Spengler ran in third early on, but Michelisz took third from the Canadian into the final chicane at the end of lap one.

Spengler tried to re-pass into Turn 1 on the next lap but locked up, almost also dropping him behind team-mate Venturini.

Vernay then passed Venturini for fifth, before muscling past Spengler for fourth with contact and going on the grass into the final chicane.

Michelisz put up no defence for third when Vernay breezed past on lap three, although the Frenchman had to cut the chicane, without loss of position, due to braking too late into the first chicane.

The CUPRAs though were in dominant form, the duo over four second ahead of the rest as Tambay claimed the win from Blomqvist.

Hyundai duo Vernay and Michelisz were third and fourth respectively, whilst Spengler repeated his first corner mistake, caused by a brake issue, on the final lap, dropping him to last behind team-mate Venturini.

Pool FAST – Super Final

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	27			Adrien TAMBAY	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	4	6:48.532	1:40.596	1
2	10			Tom BLOMQVIST	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	4	0.249	1:40.718	2
3	69			Jean-Karl VERNAY	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	4	4.697	1:41.252	5
4	5			Norbert MICHELISZ	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	4	5.384	1:41.950	6
5	21			Giovanni VENTURINI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	4	6.649	1:42.476	3
6	7			Bruno SPENGLER	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	4	27.444	1:42.469	4

Blomqvist and Tambay lead their SuperFinal away. Photo: FIA ETCRIn Pool Furious, undefeated so far in the weekend, Martin had pole with Azcona alongside, whilst Ekström and Catsburg occupied row two.

At the start, Martin launched into the leads as behind him the order remained unchanged, despite several drivers having a look at their rivals.

Catsburg pushed Ekström into a slide at the second chicane, but the CUPRA driver held on to third place after cutting the chicane.

Catsburg continued to try to get by Ekström on the next lap, although using much more of his powerup than his rival. That meant that as the heat went on he dropped back.

The heat calmed down thereafter, with Martin winning ahead of Azcona, whilst Ekström was half a second clear of fourth-placed Catsburg at the finish.

Romeo Ferraris’ Filippi got by Gené for fifth on the second lap, but couldn’t close in on the rest of the pack to take fifth, with CUPRA’s Gené completing the finishers in sixth.

Pool FURIOUS – Super Final

POS	NO	CL	NAT	DRIVER	ENTRANT	CAR	LAPS	TIME	BEST	GD
1	36			Maxime MARTIN	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	4	6:49.074	1:40.500	1
2	96			Mikel AZCONA	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	4	1.805	1:40.583	2
3	1			Mattias EKSTRÖM	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	4	3.839	1:40.781	3
4	88			Nicky CATSBURG	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai Veloster N ETCR	4	4.378	1:41.402	4
5	25			Luca FILIPPI	Romeo Ferraris	Alfa Romeo Giulia ETCR	4	4.790	1:40.791	6
6	28			Jordi GENÉ	CUPRA EKS	CUPRA e-Racer	4	6.366	1:41.332	5

An undefeated run at the weekend for Martin saw him end the weekend as the undisputed event winner, picking up a score of 100 points, with Tambay second bagging 89 points and Blomqvist in third scoring 82 points.

The overall championship standings have seen Tambay jump past Ekström to lead the way with 363 points, ahead of Ekström (342), Martin (300), Azcona (268) and Blomqvist (262).

The next ETCR event is at Vallelunga in Italy in two weeks’ time (23 – 24 July).