EU 2.0: Series Spa race 1 report

Victory number 1 for Pic and Tech 1 Racing

After a dispapointing weekend at Motorland Aragon, Tech 1 Racing's Arthur Pic found his feet at Spa-Francorchamps, collecting his first Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 win. The Frenchman finished in front of Korainen Bros Racing's Kevin Korjus, who strengthened his lead in the overall points, and Epsilon Euskadi's Genis Olive.

In qualifying, Arthur Pic claimed both pole positions, in particular thanks to his mastery of the second half of the circuit. The Frenchman started in front of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 championship leader Kevin Korjus, and Genis Olive. The three drivers lined up facing the Eau Rouge bend, as the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 race started in the direction of the Endurance pits, in the descent leading to the famous corner.

Pic made a perfect start, while Olive overtook Korjus. Olive was keen to get the better of Pic under braking at Combes, but the Spaniard ran wide, as did teammates Alex Riberas and Giovanni Venturini, Cram Competition's Andre Negrao, and Korainen Bros Motorsport's Bart Hykelma and Miki Weckstrom. Only Olive recovered, rejoining the race in 4th place, while the other drivers were forced to retire. The safety car was brought out ahead of Pic, Korjus and One Racing's Daniel Mancinelli.

At the restart, Pic managed to hold on to first place as Mancinelli got stuck into Korjus. The Italian tried to take advantage of Korjus' slipstream in the entry to Combes, but Korjus held him off effortlessly, leaving Mancinelli to contend with the advances of Olive. Meanwhile, the positions remained unchanged. Behind the tightly spaced leading foursome, One Racing's Jordan Oakes overtook Korainen Bros Motorsport's Jukka Honkavuori to gain 5th place. However, the British driver span off on lap 6, handing his position to the Finn. Meanwhile, Epsilon Euskadi's Miguel Otegui, who started 13th on the grid, took advantage of the confusion to jump up the field and snatch fifth place.

After biding his time for a few laps, Pic had managed to build a narrow lead over Korjus while Mancinelli fought hard to hold off Olive, who seemed more determined than ever following his spin at the start of the race. The Spaniard finally saw his chance, snatching third place.

Up in front, the positions would remain the same. Having claimed both pole positions, Pic now claims his first Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 win, leading Kevin Korjus who once again appeared very solid today. The Estonian holds onto his lead, while Olive finished third after a chaotic start.

Quote, unquote:

Arthur Pic: "I needed this win after a difficult weekend at Motorland. I took both poles, which was the first step. Then I had to make sure I got a good start. I made some mistakes after the restart, but I came good. It's a major victory."

Kevin Korjus: "We've got a good car, but I wasn't 100% confident on the circuit. I've still not quite got to grips with it, so it's great to finish second and score more points.

Genis Olive : "I made a very good start and I managed to draw level with Arthur. He braked late, I tried to follow suit, but it didn't work. After that I came back fighting, we were fast and I managed to beat Daniel Mancinelli. I'm very happy with this podium finish."

-source: wsr