Eurocup Clio
Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) survived an incident-packed race to complete his third victory of the season, finishing ahead of Éric Trémoulet (Vic’Team) and Thomas Fjordbach (Polar Seafood Racing). Josh Files (Team Pyro) and Massimiliano Pedalà (Composit Motorsport) both retired after an incident on lap one, allowing 2011 Eurocup Clio winner Milan to creep closer to the top of the championship.
Oscar Nogues (Rangoni Corse) claimed pole on Saturday with his fastest second lap. The Spaniard qualified ahead of Josh Files (Team Pyro), Gonzalo Martin de Andres (SMC Junior Motorsport) and Massimiliano Pedalà (Composit Motorsport).
At the start, Oscar Nogues held off the challenge of Josh Files. Gonzalo Martin de Andres then cut the chicane on the Mistral straight, and returned to the track between the two leaders. The manoeuvre caused contact with Oscar Nogues and Josh Files, and forced the pair to retire. Gonzalo Martin de Andres was subsequently disqualified from the race. The incident left Massimiliano Pedalà and Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) at the head of a lively field, with the first ten drivers separated by less than three seconds. Championship leader Pedalà went off at the end of lap three, allowing Milan to take the lead. Éric Trémoulet (Vic’Team) followed in third.
Nicolas Milan maintained his lead all the way to the finish line, and sealed his third victory of the season. Éric Trémoulet finished second after battling with Thomas Fjordbach (Polar Seafood Racing) and Simone Di Luca (Rangoni Corse). Jean-Philippe Lamic (Vic’Team) came fifth, followed by Massimiliano Pedalà, who recovered to retain his championship lead. Ivan Pulic (LEMA Racing Team) was seventh, ahead of Facundo Della Motta (Milan Compétition), who did brilliantly to work his way up from the 36th – and last – place on the grid. Ronnie Marchetti (Composit Motorsport) and Julien Neveu (Autosport GP) completed the top ten.
What they said
Nicolas Milan: "I absolutely had to win to keep my title hopes alive. There’s still a lot to do, but it’s going to be a tight end to the season. I remain hopeful about our chances."
Éric Trémoulet: "It was very tight between me, Thomas and Simone. I managed to build a gap, but a small mistake made me slip down into fourth. I came back, though, and in the end it’s a good result. The performance wasn’t there yesterday, but it was better today."
Thomas Fjordbach: "It was one of those races where there was always something to do. Lots of drivers either span or lacked pace. That made the race very difficult, but it also makes the result all the more rewarding."
Eurocup Clio – provisional championship standings: 1. M. Pedalà 131; 2. N. Milan 121; 3. J. Files 108; 4. E. Trémoulet 78; 5. T. Fjordbach 71 [...]
Official Renault Sport Press Release.