Motorland Aragaon
The 55,000 race fans who flocked to Motorland Aragon this weekend had plenty to keep them entertained as the new Formula Renault 3.5 made its competitive debut, Daniil Kvyat landed a one-two in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Bas Schothorst secured a race double of his own in Eurocup Megane Trophy. One of the high points of the gathering was Jean-Eric Vergne’s Formula One demo drive for Red Bull Racing, the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series runner-up and Toro Rosso driver thrilling the crowd with his display, while the restructured World Series by Renault tented village proved another star attraction. The next stop for the all-Renault racing series is Spa-Francorchamps, though prior to that the FR 3.5 Series drivers will be making a detour to Monaco to provide the support act for the Formula One Grand Prix.
“A reunion always makes for a special weekend, even more so this year with the arrival of the new Formula Renault 3.5,” said Patrice Ratti, Managing Director Renault Sport Technologies. “As we saw for ourselves, the single-seater laps between three and four seconds faster than its predecessor and it provides drivers with even better preparation for Formula One. It treated us to two superb races with two different winners. All in all the Formula Renault 3.5 Series field looks to be very evenly matched, as does Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, while the Eurocup Megane Trophy season promises to be an exciting one and the Clio Cup Spain served up some great entertainment too.
“We have restructured the tented village around a time tunnel that offers a journey deep into the history of Renault and the links between the brand and motorsport. We were delighted to see 55,000 fans come through the gates, this at a time when we’ve just signed up for three more seasons with Motorland Aragon. The Moto GP and World Series by Renault meetings are the two biggest events staged at the Motorland track and we have the regional government of Aragon right behind us.”
Formula Renault 3.5 Series: Yelloly and Frijns open their accounts
On the weekend that the new Formula Renault 3.5 made its race debut, Arthur Pic shone in both qualifying sessions to claim two poles, while Nick Yelloly became the first driver to win in the revamped single-seater on Saturday afternoon. “It’s a relief to start the season with a win. It takes a lot of pressure off,” said the British driver. Taking the honours in Sunday’s race was 2011 Eurocup Formula Renault champion Robin Frijns, who edged out Sam Bird and Pic to take to the top of the standings ahead of the next race, the Formula One curtain raiser at Monaco. “I’m not thinking about the championship,” commented the victorious Dutchman. “It’s great to win but I’m still learning the ropes here.”
Race 1*: 1. Nick Yelloly, GBR (Comtec Racing); 2. Kevin Magnussen, DEN (Carlin); 3. Robin Frijns, NED (Fortec Motorsports)
Race 2: 1. Robin Frijns, NED (Fortec Motorsports); 2. Sam Bird, GBR (ISR); 3. Arthur Pic, FRA (Dams)
Overall standings*: 1. Robin Frijns, 40 pts; 2. Nick Yelloly, 25 pts; 3. Sam Bird, 20 pts
Race 1: 1. Daniil Kvyat, RUS (Koiranen Motorsport), 2. Nyck de Vries, NED (R-Ace GP); 3. Stoffel Vandoorne, BEL (Josef Kaufmann Racing)
Race 2: 1. Daniil Kvyat; 2. Oscar Tunjo, COL (Tech 1 Racing); 3. Norman Nato, FRA (RC Formula)
Overall standings: 1. Daniil Kvyat 50 pts; 2. Stoffel Vandoorne and Norman Nato 27 pts
Eurocup Megane Trophy: Schothorst off to a flyer
The Eurocup Megane Trophy season could not have started in better fashion for Bas Schothorst, who won both races to establish an early lead in the championship. Mastering tricky conditions in Saturday’s race, he nursed his slicks round a damp track to kick off with a win and repeated the feat the following day, taking advantage of the battles raging behind him to open up an unassailable lead. “It’s been a perfect weekend and it puts me in an ideal position ahead of Spa-Francorchamps,” said Schothorst after Sunday’s win. “These are valuable points because my rivals will have to work hard to close the gap.” Judging by their performances in claiming a second and third place each, however, Albert Costa and Niccolo Nalio seem well equipped to challenge Schothorst as the season unfolds.
Race 1: 1. Bas Schothorst, NED (TDS Racing); 2. Albert Costa, ESP (Oregon Team); 3. Niccolo Nalio, ITA (Oregon Team)
Race 2: 1. Bas Schothorst; 2. Niccolo Nalio; 3. Albert Costa
Overall standings: 1. Bas Schothorst, 50 pts; 2. Albert Costa and Niccolo Nalio, 33 pts
Clio Cup Spain: Guillot takes command
The ongoing battle for the Clio Cup Spain title between Oscar Nogues and Marc Guillot continued as the championship reached the halfway stage. A mere three points separated the two drivers going into the weekend, and it was the Frenchman who took control in the standings after winning Race 1 and taking second place in Race 2.
Race 1: 1. Marc Guillot, FRA (Milan Competition); 2. Salvatore Arcarese, ESP (RMS Engineering); 3. Jordi Palomeras, ESP (Milan Competition)
Race 2: 1. Oscar Nogues, ESP (RMS Engineering); 2. Marc Guillot; 3. Jordi Palomeras
Official Renault Sport Press Release.