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Young guns go for it!

The younger drivers have been the dominant force in Eurocup Mégane Trophy this year, the championship leader changing with each round.

The younger drivers have been the dominant force in Eurocup Mégane Trophy this year, the championship leader changing with each round. TDS Racing’s 21-year old Pierre Thiriet arrives in Budapest at the top of the leaderboard. He leads teammate, 22-year old Nick Catsburg, by just one point. Third is Oregon Team's Stefano Comini, 20, just eight points adrift from the leader. McGregor by Equipe Verschuur’s Bas Schothorst and Boutsen Energy Racing’s Dimitri Enjalbert may still have a trick up their sleeve.

Enjalbert at Spa, Comini at Brno and Thiriet at Magny-Cours, the championship leader has changed with each meeting of the World Series by Renault. This trend could well continue at Budapest, as Nick Catsburg trails his teammate by just one point. But Pierre Thiriet looks to be enjoying his lead and may well think otherwise.

Having claimed his second Eurocup Mégane Trophy victory on home turf at Magny-Cours, Pierre Thiriet has proved that he is firing on all cylinders this season. In only his second year in Eurocup Mégane Trophy, he is getting results, with two second places and win already. He is reliable, fast and daring in his choice of strategy, as he demonstrated at Magny-Cours. As the only driver to start on slicks on a still wet track, he really took the competition by surprise. His adversaries, and in particular his teammate Nick Catsburg were warned, Thiriet means business.

The points-differences are meagre, and following the two races in Budapest, the leaderboard will doubtless have changed once more. Nick Catsburg, second, would also like his turn to lead the dance. Before the summer break, it is the perfect opportunity to take control of the championship. Catsburg has claimed two wins from his four poles so far this season. The Dutchman is undoubtedly one of the fastest drivers, but success has eluded him on a number of occasions.

The fight between TDS Racing’s boys, Stefano Comini, Bas Schothorst and Dimitri Enjalbert is as intense as ever. After a near perfect weekend at Brno, Comini didn’t find it such easy going at Magny-Cours. But even when he is not at his best, the Swiss driver manages to finish on the Podium. He will be counting on finding his footing on the twisting Budapest circuit, to which Mégane Trophy is so well suited. Ever closer to the leaders, but still on the hunt for his first win, Bas Schothorst would like to have his moment of glory before the summer break.

But as we have seen, Dimitri Enjalbert won’t let his brothers fight for the title without him. The Frenchman didn’t enjoy a great start to the season, but last year it was Budapest which saw his impressive return to form when he won both races. When he has nothing left to lose, the Boutsen Energy Racing driver seems to come alive. On a circuit which he knows inside out and which he is most fond of driving on, Enjalbert wants to prove he’s a force to be reckoned with.

In the Gentlemen Drivers category, the situation is equally tight. A newcomer to the class, McG Fashion by Verschuur’s Raymond Coronel has taken the bull by the horns. The Netherlander has a 12-point lead over TDS Racing’s Jean-Philippe Madonia. Championship winner on two occasions in 2008 and 2009, the quest for a third title is not looking quite as easy for the Frenchman, pincered by Oregon Team’s Navajo and McGregor by Equipe Verschuur’s Steven Gijsen.

Official Renault Sport Press Release

Posted: 25 June 2010
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