Eurocup Mégane Trophy
Mike Verschuur (McGregor by Equipe Verschuur) and Mirko Bortolotti (Oregon Team) were the two standout performers in collective testing at Paul Ricard on Friday. Championship leader Bortolotti went fastest in the morning session, with his Dutch rival setting the best time in the afternoon. Kevin Gilardoni (Oregon Team) and Steven Palette (Team Lompech Sport) also impressed.
The Eurocup Megane Trophy field took the track in overcast conditions for their first collective testing session on Friday morning. Steven Palette started strongly, before Mirko Bortolotti took charge at the session’s mid-point.
Mike Verschuur went fastest with 15 minutes left, only for championship leader Bortolotti to leapfrog him two minutes from the chequered flag. The Italian improved with a final effort of 2:13.122 to finish ahead of title rival Verschuur, Kevin Gilardoni, Kelvin Snoeks (Oregon Team) and Steven Palette.
Erik Janis (Gravity Charouz) dominated the opening minutes of the afternoon session, before losing his lead to Mirko Bortolotti. After 20 minutes, however, Mike Verschuur found his rhythm and set the fastest time, before posting two further improvements.
The Dutchman’s benchmark of 2:12.235, set 19 minutes from the chequered flag, would remain unbeaten. It was Mike Verschuur, then, who finished the session on top, followed by Kevin Gilardoni, Steven Palette, Vladimir Lunkin (Oregon Team) and Kelvin Snoeks.
What they said
Mike Verschuur: "The last meeting wasn’t long ago, so I’m still in the groove. I finished second in the morning, then first in the afternoon after adjusting the set-up and switching to fresh tyres. That’s given me confidence. We’ll see tomorrow if I can translate this form in testing into good results."
Kevin Gilardoni: "The day turned out well. We were up with the frontrunners throughout, and that means we can go into the weekend feeling confident. The weather could change, but it’ll be the same for everyone. It’s up to me to push all the way."
Mirko Bortolotti: "You should never read too much into your performance in testing. It’s been a good start to the weekend, and we’ll continue to work as we are so that we’re strong for qualifying and the race. The championship is our main objective, so we’ll need to score big points. But if we’re also able to win this weekend, we’ll go for it. Because winning the title with a victory really would be perfect!"
Official Renault Sport Press Release.