Le Mans Collective testing
The drivers in the Eurocup Mégane Trophy began the Le Mans meeting with two hours of collective testing. In wet conditions, Dimitri Enjalbert (Tech 1 Racing) showed his superiority by setting the fastest times in both sessions. But Michaël Rossi (TDS), leader in the general standings, was not top be outdone.
The track was drenched at 12:30pm as the Mégane Trophy drivers went out for the first hour of collective testing. Despite conditions this season the like of which have never been seen, Michaël Rossi and Maxime Martin (Boutsen Energy Racing) wasted no time in taking the top positions. By halfway through the session, it was Jonathan Hirschi (Tech 1 Racing) who had taken the lead. With a lap time of 2'04»792, the Swiss driver had improved the time of the two favourites by 3/10ths.
Fifteen minutes from the end, Rossi reclaimed his advantage over Hirschi. Benefitting from a slightly drier racing line, Enjalbert attacked and set the fastest lap of the session in 2'03''751. Jean-Philippe Madonia (TDS) was the biggest surprise of the session, setting the third fastest lap ahead of Martin and Hirschi.
The rain had stopped by 4:15pm, as the drivers let loose for the second session. The track was still damp and the entire line-up opted for wet tyres. After 10 minutes, Harrie Kolen (Equipe Verschuur) crash out into the sand trap causing a short interruption to the session.
When it restarted, Dimitri Enjalbert easily beat the fastest lap from the first session. With a time of 2'01''505, the Frenchman was two seconds faster than his closest rival! As time passed, the other drivers improved and shortened the gap. But at the chequered flag, the Tech 1 Racing driver hammered the message home and set the time of the day in 2'00»580.
Continuing his steady progress, Bernhard Ten Brinke (Equipe Verschuur) set the third fastest time of the session to come within 1/10th of Rossi.
«We're missing a little something on a dry track, even if we have cut down the lead over the last few races. I knew that I was going to get a second chance in the wet. I had a great time behind the wheel and I hope that it's going to keep on raining this weekend!» explained Enjalbert. «If the wet weather is still there for qualifying, then the two poles are in reach. The performance is certainly there for the races, but a lot of unexpected things can happen.»
In second place, more than a second behind Enjalbert, Michaël Rossi clearly wasn't happy with his opening sessions. »I still haven't seen the weather reports for tomorrow, but if it rains, I think I'm going to struggle to take pole. In the dry, it's usually much tighter between Dimitri, Maxime and me. It's not a circuit that I know perfectly, least of all in the rain with different landmarks. Today's result is mixed, but I'm not too worried for the weekend ahead. It's just getting started.»
-Blanca de Foronda -
More reports from this category all copyright automobilsport.com.
