A lap of Zolder with Anthony Kumpen

Anthony Kumpen will have a busy weekend in Zolder - not only is he competing in the FIA GT race with Bert Longin and the PK Carsport Saleen S7, but he will also be racing in the two rounds of the Belgian GT Championship Media Groep Van Dyck.

Like all the Belgian drivers, he has plenty of experience around the Zolder circuit. So here's a lap with Anthony :

"Although Zolder is maybe not the most challenging tracks we have visited this season in the FIA GT championship it is maybe the most difficult one.

After the start finish line we have the 1st lefthander. Here the most difficult thing is to find the right braking point as well as the ideal turning-in point. The corner is a bit off-camber and has a bump which you need to avoid in order to be quick, which gives you a bit of a strange line. If you go off here you get stuck in the gravel trap, which are not so usual these days.

Now we head to the "Sterrewacht" it’s fairly tight at the entrance but the exit opens up. Due to the sandy surroundings in this corner the grip level can vary a lot when the wind changes.

The next corner is the "kanaalbocht", this one is easy flat.

Now we come to the Bianchi, a very fast corner, but also a very important one. After this corner there is a long straight, so if you get this one wrong you can lose a lot of time. The walls are very close so you have to be careful but fast.

The next one is the chicane. This one used to be very fast, but has been changed about 2 years ago in a slow 2nd gear corner. The curbs are very high, so it’s very easy to damage your splitter if you brake too late or turn in too early.

We now go over the bridge flat out turning left towards the Villeneuve. Because you are still turning in the braking towards the Villeneuve, the cars are really unstable. The Villeneuve is a very tight right-left chicane immediately followed by a right-hander. Here it is also very difficult to find the right line as the grip level of the curbs and the asphalt are very different.

After the Villeneuve there is an uphill right-hand corner and at the top the track goes down to the left. Sometimes you feel the cars coming loose at the top.

Now we come at the 90° Rea corner. This is the slowest corner on the track.

The last corner is the Jacky Ickx. This is a chicane in which the speed can vary a lot during the weekend as it has the tendency to become faster as long as everybody stays within the lines. There is always a lot of dirt in this corner just outside the ideal line.

Belgium is obviously known for its good weather, so there is just a very slim chance of rain. If this would happen it’s good to try some alternative lines and have a good look at the structure of the asphalt around the track, there might be something to gain there. "

- Jacquie Groom, FIA -

photos from Zolder will be on automobilsport.com under PHOTOS - FIAGT