Milan chalks up yet another win

As race leader from start to finish, there was no time for Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) to sit back and admire the magnificent battle for second place that was raging behind him. It was 2009 Eurocup Mégane Trophy 2009 champion Mike Vershuur who eventually forced his way onto the second step of the podium, with Giancarlo Lenzotti (Composit Motorsport) rounding off the top three.

Just before the rain arrived, Giancarlo Lenzotti managed to score his first Eurocup Clio pole ahead of Nicolas Milan and Mike Verschuur. As has been the case in all other categories so far, the biggest concern going into the race was the weather. And as the field of drivers lined up on the grid – all on slick tyres – they will no doubt have had made more than a few concerned glances up towards the sky.

As the lights went out, it was Milan who burst out of the blocks quickest. However, the safety car was called out almost immediately after the start following a multiple collision. Jordi Palomeras (Pujolaracing), Stefano Zanini (Composit Motorsport), Thibault Bossy (Milan Compétition), Marc Guillot (Milan Compétition), Max Braams (Equipe Verschuur), Philippe Maurin (Duprey Compétition) and Manuel Zumstein (Duprey Compétition) were the drivers who came out worst in the chaotic early stages.

After several laps behind the safety car, Milan immediately picked up from where he left off and restarted in first place. Behind him, the field remained very compact and Lentozzi found himself fending off challenges from Verschuur, Simone di Luca (Rangoni Motorsport), Frédéric Yerly (Fred Yerly Team), Massimiliano Pedala (Rangoni Motorsport), Robert Van den Berg (Harders Plaza Racing), Christiano Ricciarini (Composit Motorsport), Alessandro Sebasti (Monolite Motorsport) and Sheila Verschuur (Equipe Verschuur). Competition was intense, and the front ten drivers were determined not to give anything away.

Massimiliano Pedala was the first driver to make a move, overtaking Yerly to climb up into fifth place. Clearly stunned by the manoeuvre, Yerly was then passed by several other drivers and plummeted down into 10th. The battle for positions at the front of the pack was equally intense, with Vershuur managing to find a way past Lenzotti, and di Luca and Pedala also pushing to find an advantage. As it stood, second-placed Verschuur led the chasing pack, closely followed by Lenzotti, Pedala and di Luca.

The latter stages of the race were much less frantic, and it was Milan – Clio Cup France winner in 2009 and 2010 – who cruised to victory for the third time in three outings. Verschuur and Lenzotti finished second and third respectively to join him on the podium. The win sees Milan extend his lead at the top of the championship table, while Verschuur now sits in second spot.

What they said:

Nicolas Milan: “I was lucky enough to escape the chaos at the start of the race. Giancarlo Lenzotti was very quick in the early stages. Luckily, I passed him at the start and he then lost time trying to keep Mike Verschuur under control. I had a bit of success today. You need some of that from time to time.”

Mike Verschuur: “Things didn’t go to plan at Spa-Francorchamps, but we’ve put things right here. I would have liked it to rain today, but that didn’t happen. It was a very hard-fought race. I didn’t really see what happened at the start, and my main concern was to find out whether or not my sister [team-mate Sheila Verschuur] was still in the race.”

Giancarlo Lenzotti: “We’ve worked really hard since Spa-Francorchamps. Most of our focus has been on qualifying, so it was a good performance to qualify on pole today. I lost a bit of concentration in my battle with Mike Verschuur, but in the end I’m happy to have finished third.”