Schothorst shows determination at Hungaroring
At just midway through his first season and after such a strong result in Nurburgring two weeks ago, Pieter went into the latest round of the Formula Renault 2.0 series at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest full of optimism and high expectations. The race was well attended with over 130,000 fans making their way to the circuit to watch these future motor racing stars compete under pressure.
It's acknowledged that set-up and balance are key at this circuit and Pieter struggled to dial the car in during qualifying starting toward the back of the field, achieving P23 for race one and P27 for race two. On reflection, the Dutchman recognised the issues with his performance:
“Unfortunately we were struggling with the right set-up for this track so I couldn't get the good pace in qualifying.”
The layout of the Hungaroring circuit, famous for its twisting track with one corner leading into the next, never bodes well for overtaking. Great credit should therefore be afforded to the McGregor driver, as he showed a much-improved race pace and managed to battle his way to P16 and P17 respectively with some fearless battles for position along his journey. No doubt exciting his watching fans.
It was clear after the race that Pieter felt the collective will of the spectators:
“I had a great time at the Hungaroring because of all the visitors and motorsport fans! They were very supportive and made sure there was a great atmosphere on the track. I love this!
Pieter will next take part in the North European Cup at his home race at Zandvoort where he has plenty of experience, before continuing on to the Eurocup series, Round 5 at Silverstone in August.