Nick Catsburg, master of collective testing
Nick Catsburg (TDS Racing) was once again quickest man on track today in collective testing in the Eurocup Mégane Trophy. On the new model Silverstone track, which could have been purpose-built for Mégane Trophy, the leader of the Drivers' championship turned on the pace to leave his closest rivals some way behind. Stefano Comini (Oregon Team) and Bas Schothorst (McGregor by Equipe Verschuur) finished second and third, but there was a good time gap between them and the Dutch master.
The drivers competing in Eurocup Mégane Trophy took to the new Silverstone track for the first time today, so all the drivers opted for long lap sequences, in order to gather as much data as possible.
In characteristic mode, the TDS Racing driver shot to the front of the pack right from the start. Catsburg set the pace and gradually improved on his fastest time. He set the time to beat with a 2’10’’098 lap. It was Dimitri Enjalbert (Boutsen Energy Racing), twenty minutes into the session, who reminded us just how much he likes Silverstone, by topping the timing screens in 2’10’’037.
At mid-session, after some adjustments, Nick Catsburg was back behind the wheel and getting ahead again, with a time of 2'09''661. Behind him things started moving at the end of the session, when Hoevert Vos (McGregor by Equipe Verschuur) went second. In third place, Dimitri Enjalbert was followed by Renaud Derlot (Boutsen Energy Racing) and Stefano Comini. These five drivers were all within five tenths of a second, and that bodes well for the weekend’s entertainment!
In the afternoon, it only took a few minutes for Nick Catsburg to improve his best time of the morning. The Eurocup Mégane Trophy leader dominated the session throughout. Near the end of the session, he raised his game once again, pulling out a huge 2'07''422 lap. Catsburg was to be the only driver to go below 2'08 on the day.
Behind him, the outcome of the battle for second was looking more uncertain. Stefano Comini won out in the end, ahead of Bas Schothorst, Renaud Derlot and Niccolo Nalio (Oregon Team).
Official Renault Sport Press Release
Quote:
Nick Catsburg: "Again we very well worked during free practice. I adored Silverstone in the old configuration and now, with the modifications, I love this circuit even more! The new curves are very quick, and even if it's a bit bumpy it's just fantastic in Mégane Trophy. I'm ready for this title battle with Pierre Thiriet - all in a spirit of good friendship of course. Ideally I’d like to be in front to avoid any problems!”.