EU: Series Hockenheimring Saturday test notes

Hockenheim - Collective Testing
Ricciarini outstrips Swiss rivals

The Clio Cup Interseries kicked off this morning at Hockenheim. Thirty-four drivers coming in from the European Clio Cup championships took part in the single collective testing session of thirty-five minutes. Christian Ricciarini (Composit Motorsport) set the pace and in the end outperformed the rest of the pack today by a country mile, but the Swiss drivers, led by Frédéric Yerly (Gruyère Racing Team) and Manuel Zumstein (Jenzer Motorsport) will be determined paint a different picture as of tomorrow.

The Clio Cup Interseries, which foreshadows the launch of the 2011 Clio Eurocup next season, kicked off this morning at the Hockenheim circuit, with the single collective testing session programmed for the Clio Cups. Drivers from all over were able to measure up during this first observation round.

Early on in the session, the Swiss drivers, accustomed to this track, went on the attack. Frédéric Yerly, leader of the Clio Cup Swiss championship, set the tone, producing an initial reference time of 2'00''970, followed by countrymen Mileno Vukovic (Vukovic Motorsport) and Manuel Zumstein (Jenzer Motorsport). Meanwhile, Christian Ricciarini, currently leading the Clio Cup Italian championship, led the charge for the non-Swiss contingent.

The drivers took advantage of the session to work on their set-ups and the pecking order changed as the drivers improved on their times. Christian Ricciarini waited for the second half of the session to set the fastest lap in 2'00''894. Meanwhile, Philippe Maurin (Duprey Competition) moved his Clio up to 7th position.

But Christian Ricciarini didn't stop there and in fact managed to go under the two minute mark. He was to remain the only driver to achieve that, despite all the efforts of Frédéric Yerly, six-tenths of a second behind the Italian. A chasing group, including Manuel Zumstein and JJ Magalhaes (Madeno Racing), pushed hard and in total a dozen drivers were within one second by the end of the session. This morning certainly points to a weekend when podium places will be paid dearly.

Christian Ricciarini : "I know this track pretty well because I raced here in 2006 and we did tests here last month as well. So I still had the circuit in my head. I especially like Hockenheim for its speed. I can only be happy to have pulled out the quickest time today."

Frédéric Yerly : "We have hardly touched the car, it's working very well. But it was difficult to adapt to the Michelins because we use other tyres in Switzerland. This track is interesting, it's quick and demands clean driving, a little like Magny-Cours. I'm satisfied with my times, but I know I'm in for some strong competition this weekend."

Philippe Maurin : "I'm just getting to grips with this track for the first time, unlike many colleagues here today! At the end of this testing session, I am satisfied with the ninth quickest time. The car was perfect, I just need to practice as much as possible on this track to improve my lines."

-source: renault sport