EU Megane: Aragon: Series preview

Verschuur closes in on title

With just twenty-four points between the top three drivers, the outcome of the Eurocup Megane Trophy remains undecided. After collecting two podium finishes at the Nurburgring, McGregor by Equipe Verschuur's Mike Verschuur returned to the top of the overall standings and is now fourteen points ahead of nearest rival, TDS Racing's Jonathan Hirschi, which means the title is his to lose. Third-placed Dimitri Enjalbert is ready to pounce on any mistakes from the top two and still believes he has a chance of winning.

As the curtain is raised on the final act of the 2009 Eurocup Megane Trophy season, we still do not know who will succeed Michael Rossi as champion. Championship leader again after the Nurburgring round, Mike Verschuur seems to be leading the charge for the title. After adding another two runner-up spots at the German circuit, the Dutchman has now racked up an impressive ten podium finishes since the start of the year. A consistently good performer, Verschuur is ideally placed and should be able to make his lead count at Motorland Aragon, a track that will be new to all the Eurocup Megane Trophy drivers. His rivals do not intend to make it easy for him, however. Second-place Jonathan Hirschi, fourteen points adrift, comes to Spain looking for revenge after being involved in an incident at the Nurburgring. The collision, which occurred in the early stages of race 1, also saw the Swiss driver lose his lead in the championship. Although he recovered in race 2 to take third place, he now has a fight on his hands to make up the lost ground on Mike Verschuur in the overall standings. Forget the maths, he simply has to win!

A little further back, a third man has not lost all hope of pipping his rivals at the post. Boutsen Energy Racing's Dimitri Enjalbert, who has put together an amazing series of seven wins in eight races, believes he can win the title. Third in the 2008 championship, the Parisian now lies twenty-four points behind the leader. To pull off a surprise victory, however, he needs his two rivals to make mistakes to be in with a chance of claiming top spot on the final podium. Whatever the final outcome, the Boutsen Energy Racing driver has already made a name for himself in beating the record for the number of race wins in a Eurocup Megane Trophy season.

There are several other drivers who could disrupt the three-way battle between the leaders. For example, Team Lompech Sport's Fabrice Walfisch, and TDS Racing's Pierre Thiriet and Jean-Philippe Madonia, who occupy places four to six in the overall standings, have all been on the podium twice this year. They would also dearly love to finish off the year in style with another top-three finish. Tech 1 Racing drivers Antony Tardieu, Nick Catsburg and Matthieu Cheruy will equally be looking to finish near the front, just like Verschuur Autosport's Hoevert Vos or Equipe Verschuur's Wim Beelen, who picked up points at the Nurburgring.

In the Gentlemen Drivers category, the top two remain unchanged after the German round. With a win and a runner-up spot apiece, Jean-Philippe Madonia and Hoevert Vos moved clear at the top of the standings, but with sixteen points still between them. Behind the leaders, Team Lompech Sport's Bernard Delhez heads the chasing pack, followed by McGregor by Equipe Verschuur's Jeroen Schothorst and Team Lompech Sport's Jean-Charles Miginiac.

Finally, in the Teams standings, TDS Racing still holds a clear lead over its nearest rival, Boutsen Energy Racing. Dimitri Enjalbert's team will, however, have to fight to the very end to hold onto second position: McGregor by Equipe Verschuur is just seven points adrift of Boutsen Energy Racing, and is determined to pull out all the stops to close the gap--

-credit: wsr