The weather was forecast to be good over the two days, but it was very grey, cold and misty as we pulled in on qualifying day. The sun began to break through mid-morning just as free practice got underway. The two groups were drawn, with series lead Marvin Vanluchene heading up group “A”.
The track was spectacular and in perfect condition as the teams rolled out for their first laps.
Marvin Vanluchene/Glenn Janssens looked good, as indeed did Koen Hermans/Ben van den Bogaart. Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard also seemed happy with things, as did the Leferink brothers. Group “B” saw the Pruniers a clear four seconds faster than Tim Prummer, with the Lielbardis twins keeping their powder dry until the closing stages, when they got close to Killian and Evan Prunier. Timed practice for the gate positions would, as always, be the ultimate test of who might shine.
Pre-Qualifying practice – A large crowd had already turned up by mid-morning, and they were witness to some very quick laps by the front runners. Group “A” delivered no surprises but was a close call at the top. Vanluchene and Janssens started strongly and then rested to watch. Most laps were completed by Hamard/Hupon, making sure they got the best out of the track, completing twelve tours of the circuit in the allotted thirty minutes. They were rewarded with seventh position for their efforts.
Fastest though, by three tenths were Koen Hermans and Ben van den Bogaart, underlining once again their series standings position does not reflect their speed on track. Vanluchene found more, and finished three tenths down in second place, from the Leferinks and Brett Wilkinson. Gordejev and Niitsoo were again fast, ending up sixth quickest behind Wijers/van Hal.
Group “B” would show us who would challenge those top four teams for the holeshot. From the get-go, Killian and Evan Prunier showed their intent. As winners in Plomion, they know the feeling of victory on home soil, and this was going to be another opportunity for them.
Daniel and Bruno Lielbardis were fast, but trailed the French Champions by almost two seconds, with Tim Prummer/Rodolphe Lebreton very much in touch with twenty minutes gone. Lielbardis later improved to get within one second, whilst Prunier’s time was three tenths faster than the Group “A” time of Hermans. So, the French Champions were very much on the pace.
Sadly, a big crash by Thom van de Lagemaat, possibly ended the weekend for passenger Robin Konst with damage to his right knee. Fourth fastest were the Austrians Weiss and Schneider.
Group “A” qualifying race – The sun was out, and it was all systems go when the gate dropped. As we saw in Plomion, the Carcreff brothers know how to get the thing off the line, and today they did it again.
Gwendal and Damien Carcreff hit the front with Marvin Vanluchene and Glenn Janssens in tow. This is not an easy track to pass on but within three bends, Vanluchene was through, never to be headed again. Brett Wilkinson and Joe Millard slotted into third and began a charge on Carcreff, who they nailed after two laps. Meanwhile, Koen Hermans and Ben van den Bogaart had struggled make the front six at the start and began a mammoth fight back. Their speed was such, they made up places hand over fist on their way to an eventual second place, along with Tim and Sem Leferink who were also recovering from a slow start.
Gordejev/Niitsoo were brilliant, as they resisted every attack coming at them from behind. Gert van Werven/Aivar van de Wiel also looked hungry, and at one point we had six outfits all on the same piece of track, with each driver looking to either find a way past or defend.
This battle was fascinating and went all the way to the end. Leferink stopped on a hill at half-way and had to begin again. This they did, recovering in style to fourth place. Stephan Wijers/Han van Hal also had a great ride through the traffic, claiming the final qualification point for fifth.
Result – 1/ Vanluchene/Janssens, 2/ Hermans/van den Bogaart,
3/ Wilkinson/Millard, 4/ Leferink/Leferink, 5/ Wijers/van Hal,
6/ Hamard/Hupon, 7/ van Werven/van de Wiel, 8/ Carcreff/Carcreff,
9/ Wisselink/Debruyne, 10/ Bendaoud/Pasqier.
Group “B” qualifying race – If you thought the Prunier brothers might have “home round nerves”, you can think again. They shot into the lead with Tim Prummer/Rodolphe Lebreton going round the outside looking for the hole shot. They missed out, not only to Prunier, but fellow Germans Joshua and Noah Weinmann. Daniel and Bruno Lielbardis did not get the best start, finding themselves in or around sixth place at the end of lap one.
The young Weinmann brothers were sensational, having one of the best rides we have seen from them. Jason van Daele/Loet van der Putten were also in the thick of this battle as was Davy Sanders. Between those two crews, the Lielbardis boys had a tough time making headway.
Out front, Prunier was on an absolute mission, stretching the gap every lap from Prummer who got the better of the Weinmann brothers on lap four.
Van Daele too was hungry, and fought his way to third, with Lielbardis by now on the back of the German brothers. It was not easy though, and the Weinmanns fought tooth and nail for every inch of track.
Eventually, in the closing stages, Lielbardis claimed fourth, and was closing on van Daele when the flag came out. Prunier’s lead was thirty seconds from Tim Prummer, who said in his post-race interview how technically hard the track was, whilst being one of the best he had ridden on.
Result – 1/ Prunier/Prunier, 2/ Prummer/Lebreton, 3/ Van Daele/Van der Putten, 4/ Lielbardis/Lielbardis, 5/ Weinmann/Weinmann,
6/ Sanders/Vincent, 7/ Chanteloup/Villaines, 8/ Raymond/Boucher,
9/ Verhees/Vanhamel, 10/ Weiss/Schneider.
Last Chance – Despite low numbers, there were enough to justify this final throw of the dice, to make up the order for the remainder of the grid.
Once again, the teams had to find one fast lap, and that would carry them through. We were looking for six, which six would they be plus the two reserves?
Result – 1/Gouin/Gouin, 2/ Gordejev/Niitsoo, 3/ Hoorman/Schlinnertz,
4/ Gommeren/Poirier, 5/ Leproust/Leproust, 6/ Dubosq/Marquis,
7/ Delmotte/Valcke, 8/ Mudie/Booth
The TV Highlights show will feature the qualifying races, so be sure to catch that and all the other news and events as they happen will be here on www.fimsidecarcross.com and all our social media platforms.
From Barry Nutley
