 'Wevers dominates race from start til finish' Persbericht: ERC
Foto: Willem Wittenberg | RSSP.eu
11 fastest times out of 12 special stages. Erik Wevers was untouchable Saterday, in his Ford Focus RS WRC06, on the wet and slippery gravel of the Sezoens rally in Bocholt, Belgium.
The top Belgian drivers were at the start line, in the small town just over the Dutch border, but they were never in the running for the top contenders of the Euro Rally Challenge. Seven-time Belgian champion, Snijers, was forced to retire on the 2nd stage due to engine problems and was joined shortly afterwards by countrymen Princen, who also suffered engine failure. However, their tempo was also no match for the Dutch Tenors who gladly demonstrated the quality of their WRC’S for the large turnout of spectators.
Erik Wevers got off to a great start with the four fastest stage times in a row, but Mark van Eldik was hot on his heels. The Subaru driver however, was unpleasantly surprised close to the finish of the 6th stage when he slid off the track. This ensured Weavers of victory. Harry Kleinjan was able to steal one stage-win when Wevers succumb to a flat tyre. Kleinjan then went on to take second place despite also having a flat tyre as well as spinning off the track.
René Kuipers missed a crucial braking point on the 1st stage and crashed straight into a tree with his Ford Focus. John Temmink’s first taste of the especially slippery, treretcherous and fast race led him to take a cautious approach in his Skoda, giving the Hungarian Hondula the room to score a well earned 3rg place in Group A.
Dennis Kuipers made a strong start in his Peugeot 207 S2000 but suffered the same fate as Stebani with a broken front suspension. The Peugeot had zero ground clearance and was forced to retire. Michael Pedersen crawled over the finish of the morning stages with a battered Lancer, after two incidents on the gravel. In the afternoon a better set up allowed Michael to find his rhythm back and he clocked up some fantastic times, positioning himself in the fight for first place in Group N. Janina Depping’s choice to give up a German Championship race for the foreign event paid off when she scored 2nd place, earning her valuable Challenge points. Edwin Schilt despite driving the rarely-seen new Prodrive weapon, the Subaru Impreza WRX STi N14, was unable to outrun the German driver and finished in 3rd place.
Jan de Winkel presented his new Renault Clio R3 in Bocholt. He gave a flawless debut, never the less his limited top speed of 165km/h was a serious handicap. De Winkel scored maximum points in Group R
In Group H, Tim Stebani’s Skoda Octavia was no match for the raw gravel which demolished the front suspension early on in the race. Father and son team Funch, in their Historic Opel Kadett GT/E enjoyed their victory in Group H almost as much as drifting on the gravel roads. The Deans are already making plans to compete in next years challenge with a faster set of wheels.
The Euro Rally Challenge will continue, after a long summer break, on the 19th & 20th September 2008 with the Hellendoorn Rally in the Dutch town of Nijverdal, a home race for Challenge leader Erik Wevers. |
