EU Megane: Series Catalunya race 2 report

TDS Racing cleans up!

After taking the Teams title at Silverstone, and following Nick Catsburg's success in the Drivers championship yesterday, TDS Racing celebrated again today as Jean-Philippe Madonia claimed victory in the Gentlemen Drivers category. To pay back his team further, Nick Catsburg won one last race this season, leading Boutsen Energy Racing's Dimitri Enjalbert and Renaud Derlot from start to finish.

The track conditions were wet for the last qualifying session of the 2010 season, but there was clearly no trepidation on the part of Nick Catsburg. Having been crowned champion yesterday, the Netherlander claimed his sixth pole position of the season, starting the race ahead of teammates Pierre Thiriet and Jean-Philippe Madonia.

The track was still wet at the start of the race, but it had at least stopped raining so the drivers decided to start the race on slicks. It was an exciting start, which saw Boutsen Energy Racing's Fabien Thuner lose control of his car in the first turn and TDS Racing's David Dermont and Team Lompech Sport's Sebastien Dhouailly embroiled in a collision. However, none of this seemed to bother Nick Catsburg who had put himself safely out of harm's way at the front of the pack ahead of Pierre Thiriet, Dimitri Enjalbert, McGregor by Equipe Verschuur's Bas Schothorst, and Renaud Derlot.

Nick Catsburg was beginning to get clear, leaving his teammates to fight it out for second place. Dimitri Enjalbert was quick to gain the upper hand over Pierre Thiriet, while further back Bas Schothorst did all he could to hold off Renaud Derlot. The Frenchman attacked and, one by one, picked off Schothorst and Thiriet too. Before the mandatory refueling, Nick Catsburg had built up a solid lead over Dimitri Enjalbert, Pierre Thiriet, Renaud Derlot and Bas Schothorst.

The two leaders, Nick Catsburg and Dimitri Enjalbert, stopped simultaneously, shortly before the safety car came out to allow the car of Oregon Team's Navajo, which had come to rest in a sticky position, to be moved. Pierre Thiriet inherited the race leadership for one lap, but logically was back in the lead after the pit-stops. Behind the Safety Car the order was Catsburg, Enjalbert, Derlot, Thiriet and Schothorst.

Once the green flag flew, Nick Catsburg had the final word, driving without the slightest slip to celebrate being crowned champion the previous day with a seventh win this season. Behind him, Dimitri Enjalbert finished the season with a second place despite relentless attacks from teammate, Renaud Derlot. Jean-Philippe Madonia was victor in the Gentlemen Drivers, to claim the title in the category for the third consecutive season. Thus, TDS Racing celebrate a clean sweep this season as Xavier Combet's team finish the year with all three Eurocup Megane Trophy 2010 titles: Drivers, Teams and Gentlemen Drivers.

Quote, unquote :

Nick Catsburg : "I couldn't have hoped for better. Finishing the season with a win is perfect. The race certainly wasn't easy, especially after the Safety Car. This season was perfect. I'm looking at new horizons now, but I really want to say a great big thank you to TDS for all their hard work."

Dimitri Enjalbert : "First of all, I really want to congratulate Nick Catsburg and TDS Racing. I'd love to have competed with them, but I've had a tough season. Renaud Derlot helped us a lot at the end of the season and thanks to him the last three meetings have been a blast. That was the aim, to put this difficult season behind me. I'd like to dedicate this result to Vito Rodrigues and Caroline Grifnee who couldn't race this weekend."

Renaud Derlot : "I made a mistake in qualifying. And starting from tenth, a win was out of the question. But it's one more podium finish and that's great news for Boutsen Energy Racing. For me the big challenge is next week, when I have to compete for the French GT title at Magny-Cours."

-source: reanult sport