Warm temperatures and a very hard pack track that would not dig up would see both qualifying A and B sessions take to the circuit, with the championship hopefuls full of optimism that, as we approach the halfway point in this 2024 season, this could well be the weekend that will set the course for the remainder of their championship.
Qualifying A
A slightly depleted field of twelve outfits took to the gate to contend Group A qualifying session, and no one knew better than the Lielbardis twins that a good start and, more importantly, a good result would put them in good stead for tomorrow’s racing action.
As the gate dropped, it was a fantastic launch for the British crew of Hodges / Henderson who took the initial launch from the Latvian twins, however, despite this great launch, the championship leaders would soon find themselves in the lead of the race. The Gdansk circuit not renowned for its ease of overtaking to say the least, and Hodges/Henderson absolutely used this to their advantage as much as they could do, however, the intense pressure of the Dutch siblings, Leferink / Leferink and the current British national championship leaders Wilkinson / Millard would soon see them drop a couple of positions as the clock counted down.
The British crews were showing good form and this, as mentioned in commentary, would suggest that this circuit would lend itself favourably to the left-hand sidecars. The Lielbardis twins extended their lead at the head of the pack, ahead of the Leferink’s and Wilkinson / Millard throughout the mid-point of the racing, but it would soon become a family battle inside the top-three positions as the Prunier brothers joined the party on the podium. This change of position would not come easy for the French national champions but, importantly, the position was gained and this would be a position they would not surrender throughout the remainder of the session. Inside the top five in this qualifying session was Wijers / van Hal, who would relegate early race leaders Hodges / Henderson one more position, as the event entered its closing stages.
A fourteen second advantage as the two-laps remaining board was shown to the Lielbardis twins would see them slightly ease off of the throttle, but this would be purely to avoid spending unnecessary energy with a healthy margin over the nearest rivals. The heat was starting to increase for the second position, but there just was not enough time left in the event for the Prunier’s to overcome the defecit between themselves and the Leferink’s – in the end, only two seconds would separate the Dutch and French brothers.
Results
- Lielbardis / Lielbardis
- Leferink / Leferink
- Prunier / Prunier
- Wilkinson / Millard
- Wijers / van Hal
Qualifying B
The short-lived red-plate holders of Hermans / van den Bogaart would storm off the gate to take the holeshot ahead of the mightily impressive Prummer / Lebreton, but the hard-charging number 1 plate holders of Vanluchene / Janssens would soon promote themselves into second position in the opening couple of laps and set about clawing back the Dutch crew leading the way.
With only ten outfits making the starting gate, it was initially thought that this race would spread as time wore on, however, this could not be farther from the truth as Van Daele / van der Putten would have Sanders / Steegmans clambering at their heels throughout the entirety of the race. The battle of the Belgians would rage on throughout the 20-minute 2 lap event and, in the meantime, it was becoming more evident that Vanluchene just could not, despite all efforts, reduce the advantage that Hermans had opened in his hopes of having a good gate pick, to reclaim the red-plate he had lost as we left the previous round.
With every passing lap, and as the clock ticked by, the various gaps that had opened throughout the race would expand – of course, the exception being that one for the final rostrum spot as nothing could separate Prummer, from Van Daele.
The chequered flag heralded the arrival of the #3 crew, who would claim the qualifying victory by an astonishing 22 seconds, over the reigning world champion Vanluchene, however, all eyes were on the fight for bronze, with Prummer coming out on top by the slimmest of margins over Van Daele.
Despite the relatively small field, the qualifying action has undoubtedly proved that the racing action tomorrow shall be, not only interesting for the battles on circuit, but also psychologically as the title favourites will all be locked together on circuit.
Results
- Hermans / van den Bogaart
- Vanluchene / Janssens
- Prummer / Lebreton
- Van Daele / van der Putten
- Sanders / Steegmans
