DRX: Estering double feature

Category: April, Miscellaneous, News Posted 22.04.12 23:26 by Eddi Laumanns

While the Estering saw the first round of the German Rallycross Championship the contenders of the Belgian Rallycross Championship came to Buxtehude for their second 2012 event.

This weekend’s opening event of the German Rallycross Championship featured also the second round counting for the Belgian series. While the competitors of both championships drove together in the three mixed qualifying runs for the all decisive finals they were separated.

With reigning German champion René Münnich concentrating on the ERC this year his make colleague Bernd Schomaker made good use of his older Škoda Fabia version. After driving the fastest time in practice and setting the best times of both the first and second qualifying heats Schomaker put his Mk1 Fabia on pole for the A final. The last race of the SuperCars saw just four competitors, Schomaker kept his slate clean and won from DRX returnee Jörg Jockel who faced some teething troubles with his new Ford Focus Mk2 over the weekend.

Clemens Meyer (Škoda Fabia Mk1) dominated the qualification of the Super1600 campaigners and claimed the pole position for the A final, but here it was Sven Seeliger (Ford Fiesta Mk6) who took the start, soon dog-hounded by Dane Ulrik Linnemann (Peugeot 207). However, the 2000 and 2001 European 1400 Cup winner was not able to take enough advantage from the Danish DRX guest. When the Ford driver came out of the Joker Lap section Linnemann had just passed by to take the lead and one lap later took the chequered flag, winning from Seeliger and ACN chairman Andreas Steffen in the ex-Volland Škoda Fabia Mk2.

German veteran Rallycrosser Hans Kirchhof claimed the victory of the SuperNationals with his Porsche 911 GT3. Runner-up became the Finn Janne Sinkkonen (Volvo S40 Mk1), third place went to Dane Ole Bech (Peugeot 306 S16). However, “Queen of the Hearts” with the spectators was Rallycross girl Silva Winterhoff who drove her “new” Volvo PV 544 very courageous and efficiently over the Estering. The 18-year-old grabbed the second place of the B final, thereby qualifying for the last place of the A final grid to eventually finishing eighth overall in the category with the most starters.