Di Luca takes a shine to the Nürburgring

After a podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps, Simone di Luca (Rangoni Motorsport) will be hoping that he can be the man to dent the dominant form of Milan Compétition’s drivers. The Italian was quickest in collective testing, but with 13 Clios finishing in the same second today, he knows that qualifying will be crucial. Giancarlo Lenzotti (Composit Motorsport) and Marc Guillot (Milan Compétition) are close behind di Luca and will be looking to pounce on any slip-ups. 

The first collective testing session for the Eurocup Clio was eventful right from the word go, with Rangoni Motorsport’s Salvatore Arcarese exiting the track early on and forcing a red flag. With four cars out on the track, the drivers were having a tough time finding a clear path. Just a short time later, the session was interrupted once again after Frédéric Yerly (Fred Yerly Team) went into the gravel trap.

Amid the flurry of red flags and restarts, Mike Verschuur (Equipe Verschuur) managed to clock the fastest time of the morning session with his final attempt, finishing ahead of Cristian Ricciarini (Composit Motorsport) and Manuel Zumstein (Jenzer Motorsport).

The second session was much more straightforward for all involved, and the drivers were able to go about improving their times without too much incident. The name at the top of the leaderboard was changing by the minute, with Verschuur, Marc Guillot, Giancarlo Lenzotti and di Luca all holding the fastest time at some stage during the session.

The final standings started to take shape towards the end of the session, with some drivers opting for fresh tyres. It was di Luca who eventually finished top of the pile with a fastest lap of 2:21.948. The Italian finished ahead of Lenzotti, Guillot, Massimiliano Pedala (Rangoni Motorsport) and Nicolas Milan (Milan Compétition).

What they said

Simone di Luca: “I really like this circuit, but I hadn’t driven here since 2001. It took a few laps for me to get used to it again. Fortunately, I’d spent a bit of time in the simulator to reacquaint myself with the track. As always, it was very tight out there today. To succeed in the Clio Cup, you have to qualify well. There are a good dozen drivers capable of winning it. It’s a boost for morale to be first tonight, but I know the hardest part is still to come.”

Mike Verschuur: “I moved from the Mégane to the Clio because of my funding and timetable. I feel good in the car and it really is a tough field. It’s a great challenge to race in the Eurocup Clio and my goal is to win the title. I know the Nürburgring well. It’s quite a technical track that changes a huge amount when it rains – and I think it will rain this weekend.”

Marc Guillot: “It was impossible to drive well with all the red flags this morning. None of our drivers know this circuit, which is a clear disadvantage for the team. We exchanged notes with each other and we set off on new tyres in the afternoon. It was nice to have a session without the red flag coming out! We’re in the mix, but the Italians seem to be very quick here. I like this circuit. It’s technical and fast in equal measures, which suits the Clio well. You have to play with the brake distribution a bit, as some of the braking on this circuit is really unusual.”