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2009: Spa-Francorchamps - Qualifying

Cancelled due to torrential rain, the track was entirely flooded. It was a day of mixed feelings; although very disappointing that I was unable to drive I also felt pleased that there was no risk of being knocked out before Superpole. Due to the weather conditions all cars would automatically go into Superpole.

Superpole:
The track was dry on the next morning, with only a few damp patches remaining. I knew that finding a gap would be crucial with a full grid of cars attempting to qualify. I managed to find a space on the circuit, with another car about 4 seconds behind me and another 4 seconds ahead, I knew I couldn't drop back any further before my first flying lap. As I feared, the car in front made a series of mistakes, I was right behind him by the end of my first flyer, I made sure I immediately overtook him. I pushed hard throughout the next lap and managed 15th. My best place so far in the weekend. My second fastest lap would put me 18th for race 2.

Official Report
Last night a storm came down on the Spa-Francorchamps track just before the scheduled Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. qualifying session. So for safety reasons, Friday’s qualifying sessions were cancelled. As a result, all drivers were entered for Saturday morning’s SuperPole session. The intense twenty-minute session saw all thirty two cars qualify. The fastest lap driven by each competitor decides the race 1 grid and the second best time for each driver determines the grid order for race 2.

The track was dry on Saturday morning and most of the competitors were on the track from the very start. Jean-Eric Vergne (SG Formula) was the first to take provisional pole position with a 2’21’’319 lap, ahead of Kevin Magnussen (Motopark Academy), Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (Motopark Academy), Antonio Felix da Costa (Motopark Academy) and Albert Costa (Epsilon Euskadi).

Jean-Éric Vergne underlined his lead by going faster on his next lap (2’20’’290). Meanwhile Albert Costa moved up to third position ahead of the three Motopark Academy cars, with Magnussen ahead of Quaife-Hobbs and then Da Costa. The session was held up when Fredrik Blonsted (Fortec Motorsport) span out.

When the green flag was shown, the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 drivers resumed for a little over eight minutes. The provisional pole-sitter changed with each passing lap. Kevin Magnussen knocked Vergne off the top spot, then Antonio Felix da Costa and Albert Costa upped the stakes again. The Spaniard managed to pull off a very quick lap in 2’18’’827 and finished the session on pole for both this weekend’s races - which makes him unbeaten in qualifying since the beginning of the season! Behind the Epsilon Euskadi driver came Kevin Magnussen, Antonio Felix da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Posted: 02.05.2009