23 octobre 2016
Fabian Schiller and Steijn Schothorst win the final races of the Renault Sport Trophy
Fabian Schiller (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) and Steijn Schothorst (Equipe Verschuur) win the final two races in the history of the Renault Sport Trophy. Winner of the AM Sprint race, despite making contact with the tyre wall, Fabian Schiller concluded the season in style ahead of Fran Rueda (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) and Jelle Beelen (V8 Racing). After prevailing in the first ever PRO Sprint race of the Renault Sport Trophy, Steijn Schothorst has come full circle in winning the final race ahead of devant Kevin Korjus (R-ace GP) and David Fumanelli (Oregon Team).
Sprint AM : Schiller wins despite the wall
After taking his fourth pole on Saturday, Fabian Schiller started in the lead. The 2016 Renault Sport Trophy Endurance and AM champion soon built a lead from Fran Rueda before making an unforced error and hitting the tyre wall with the left rear of the car on lap eight.
Fending off the return of his team mate, the German driver went on for his fourth Sprint race win of the season ahead of Fran Rueda and Fredrik Blomstedt (R-ace GP). Overtaken at the start by Miguel Ramos (Equipe Verschuur), before recuperating third place, the Swedish native was disqualified after the race for insufficient compensation weight.
Jelle Beelen was promoted to third place ahead of Miguel Ramos and Davide Roda (Oregon Team). Christophe Hamon (Duqueine Engineering) was sixth, followed by Oliver Freymuth (V8 Racing), Philippe Haezebrouck (R-ace GP), Dennis Andersen (High Class Racing) and Jeroen Schothorst (Equipe Verschuur).
Sprint PRO : Steijn Schothorst comes full circle
Steijn Schothorst held on to the lead at the start against his rivals, where the running order was turned on its head following contact between Kevin Korjus and Markus Palttala (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0). The Dutchman was soon all alone in the lead, as was second place Kevin Korjus.
Never threatened, Steijn Schothorst took the win with a 15-second margin of victory from Kevin Korjus and 28 seconds better than David Fumanelli, who held on all the way to the finish from a group led by par Pieter Schothorst (Equipe Verschuur) and Markus Palttala.
Nelson Panciatici (Duqueine Engineering) won his duel with Josh Webster (V8 Racing) for sixth place, while Lonni Martins (Duqueine Engineering) finished eighth ahead of Raoul Owens (R-ace GP) and Tanart Sathienthirakul (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0)
Quotes
Fabian Schiller (AM) : “I got a good start. I was comfortable enough to pull away before settling into my pace. Unfortunately, I drove on a wet patch. I under-steered and hit the curb, which sent the car into the gravel then into the tyre wall. I was lucky to come back out ahead of Fran ! This mistake made my race harder, but I am thrilled with this success. After my difficult year in F3, I was able to join the best team in the Renault Sport Trophy, learn how everything works and improve both in qualifying and in the races. It’s good to be back winning and I learned a lot this season at the wheel of the Renault Sport R.S 01, which is a fantastic car. Nothing is fixed for the future, but I will probably head toward LM P2. My experience in the Renault Sport Trophy will be very useful given the carbon brakes, aerodynamic, driving style and closed cockpit similarities. It was the perfect step to make the transition from open-wheel cars to prototypes !”
Steijn Schothorst (PRO) : “In the first race last year, the track was also wet. I was on pole position and was able to pull away. It was even better today, although I had to think about management and cooling the tyres. We did very well as the car was great thanks to the work done by the team. I am very grateful for this opportunity to the end the season and thrilled my brother won the title.”
General Classification Endurance*
1. M. Palttala - F. Schiller (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) 87
2. Fredrik Blomstedt (R-ace GP) 82
3. Miguel Ramos (Equipe Verschuur) 78
4. Kevin Korjus (R-ace GP) 67
5. T. Sathienthirakul - F. Rueda (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) 63
…
General Classification PRO*
1. Pieter Schothorst (Equipe Verschuur) 156
2. Kevin Korjus (R-ace GP) 111
3. Markus Palttala (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) 105
4. David Fumanelli (Oregon Team) 95
5. Tanart Sathienthirakul (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) 52
…
General Classification AM*
1. Fabian Schiller (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) 178
2. Fran Rueda (Team Marc VDS EG 0,0) 141 (147)
3. Fredrik Blomstedt (R-ace GP) 115
4. Miguel Ramos (Equipe Verschuur) 103
5. Andres Mendez (Oregon Team) 64
…
* Results subject to confirmation following technical and sporting verifications
Sprint PRO starting grid - pdf
