Brilliant Verschuur ends Milan’s winning run

In a result that is sure to surprise many, Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition) failed to win in the Eurocup Clio for the first time this season. With the rain coming down at the Nürburgring, the second race of the weekend proved a stormy affair and the race leadership changed hands at a breathless rate. A splendid display from Mike Verschuur saw the Equipe Verschuur man emerge victorious, and he finished ahead of Milan and Cristian Ricciarini (Composit Motorsport). The Eurocup Clio has built a reputation as an exciting competition, and this spectacular race certainly did not disappoint.  

Shortly before the rain arrived in qualifying, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (Team Bleekemolen) recorded his first ever pole position in the Eurocup Clio to line up on the front row alongside Nicolas Milan. The rain had stopped by the time the drivers took to the track, but the entire field opted for wet tyres nonetheless. 

True to form, it was Milan who took control of the race to lead in the early stages. Bleekemolen followed in second, with Giancarlo Lenzotti (Composit Motorsport), Mike Verschuur and Cristian Ricciarini hot on his heels. The rain returned on lap two, and it clearly caught Milan off guard.  A braking error on the pit straight saw him go straight on, and he rejoined the race down in third place. Lenzotti was quick to pounce on the mistake and went on to take the lead ahead of Bleekemolen. 

Bleekemolen was not prepared to lie down, and he overtook Lenzotti almost immediately after to regain the lead. Milan and Verschuur also attempted to pass Lenzotti, but the Italian managed to keep them at bay. With the field by this stage extremely compact, conditions were perfect for overtaking. Milan passed Lenzotti on the inside on lap three to snatch second, while Verschuur survived a shunt to follow Milan’s lead and move up into third. By this stage the rain was really pouring down, and the safety car was called into action while the stationary Clios of Ruud Steenmetz (Team Bleekemolen) and Salvatore Arcarese (Rangoni Motorsport) were cleared from the track.

Bleekmolen retained the lead at the restart under pressure from Milan. However, a braking error from Lenzotti on the first corner disrupted Bleekmolen’s progress, and he lost the lead to Milan. Close behind Milan at this stage were Ricciarini, Verschuur, Bleekemolen and Sheila Verschuur (Equipe Verschuur).

The second restart proved to be somewhat less frantic than the first. Milan seemed to be on course for another victory, but it was yet another braking error on the pit straight in the penultimate turn that proved to be his undoing. Verschuur seized on the mistake and took the lead, followed by Ricciarini in second and Milan in third. It was not over yet, however, and in an action-packed final lap Milan managed to overtake Ricciarini, while Bleekemolen ended up ploughing into the gravel trap. At the end of a topsy-turvy race, it was Verschuur who finally emerged victorious ahead of Milan, Ricciarini, Simone di Luca (Rangoni Motorsport) and sister Sheila.

What they said:

Mike Verschuur: “Yesterday I predicted that I had the right car to win in the rain. The race really wasn’t easy, because we couldn’t see things well. It was lucky the safety car came out. You had to be patient, because the atmosphere out there was really intense. I’m very happy and now I can’t wait to move on to Paul Ricard.”

Nicolas Milan: “It was the first time I’d driven on the circuit and it was pretty clear that I didn’t know how to take the first bend in the rain. It’s a shame, because I did well in all other areas. I made two big mistakes and they cost me the win. I don’t like losing when I know it’s my fault.”

Cristian Ricciarini: “I made the most of the other drivers’ mistakes to improve my position. But I think I damaged my rear wheel when Lenzotti touched me. After that, my car became difficult to drive. Mike and Nicolas were very quick, and the rest of the drivers were pushing hard behind us. So, all in all, I’m very happy to finish third.”