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| June 30, 2012 |
| Renault 2.0 Euro: Vandoorne Takes Maiden Victory |
 | Stoffel Vandoorne captured his first Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in race one of the Nurburgring doubleheader
(Photo: Renault) |
Stoffel Vandoorne (Josef Kaufmann Racing) added to his season tally of two third places and one second-place finish by claiming his very first victory on Saturday (June 30) in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. Vandoorne drove the perfect race at the Nürburgring, having earlier secured his maiden pole position in the discipline. The RACB National Team driver was joined on the podium by Norman Nato (RC Formula),and Paul-Loup Chatin (Tech 1 Racing), and the victory sees him gain ground on overall championship leader Daniil Kvyat (Koiranen Motorsport), who could only manage fifth.
Vandoorne put in a strong performance in qualifying to claim the first pole position of his Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 career. The Belgian lined up on the front-row of the grid alongside Nato, with Chatin and Nyck de Vries (R-Ace GP) behind them on the second row. The drivers got away cleanly at the start, and the front four held their order as they approached the first turn.
Oliver Rowland (Fortec Motorsport) and Oscar Tunjo (Tech 1 Racing), seventh and eighth respectively at the end of the first lap, lit up the early stages of the race, while out in front, Vandoorne, Nato, Chatin, and de Vries began to pull away. In the chasing pack, Matthieu Vaxivière (Tech 1 Racing) was forced to retire after colliding with William Vermont (Arta Engineering). Stefan Wackerbauer (Koiranen Motorsport) and Pieter Schothorst (Josef Kaufmann Racing) were the other drivers to capitulate in the early part of the race.
Behind the inseparable leading quartet, Guilherme Silva (Interwetten.com Racing) sat at the front of the chasing pack, with Kvyat (Koiranen Motorsport), Rowland, Tunjo, Mikko Pakari (Fortec Motorsports), and Alex Riberas (Josef Kaufmann Racing) following close behind.
At the midpoint of the race, Vandoorne and Nato picked up the pace and began to stretch their lead. Behind them, the situation was altogether more animated, with Tunjo and Riberas doing well to move up into seventh and eighth respectively. Rowland, meanwhile, slipped down into ninth place and was left to fend off the challenge of Fortec Motorsports teammate and fellow Racing Steps Foundation driver Jake Dennis.
With the order at the front seemingly set in stone, Kvyat threw caution to the wind in the closing laps as he pushed for fifth place. In the penultimate lap, the Russian found the opening and successfully passed Guilherme Silva. Tunjo also tried his luck, but Silva held firm to stay in sixth. In the final lap, however, the Brazilian went off the track and fell towards the back of the field.
It was Vandoorne who eventually took the chequered flag, having led from start to finish. The victory, his first in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, takes him to within 12 points of overall championship leader Kvyat, who finished fifth. Nato and Chatin completed the podium.
“I had a very good weekend last week in the FR 2.0 NEC on this very same track, with two poles and two victories,” stated Vandoorne. “So I came here full of confidence. It’s important to have finally taken this maiden victory and pulled back some points on Daniil Kvyat. It’s the perfect outcome for me today.”
The Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 action at the Nurburgring resumes on Sunday (July 1)
Full Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Race results available HERE |
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