Eschdorf: Bratschi ahead, Steiner behind
MOUNTAIN RACING ESCHDORF Marcel Steiner missed out on the podium at the biggest mountain race in Luxembourg. Ronnie Bratschi won the touring car classification despite an accident with the new Mitsubishi. At the Rechberg race in Austria two weeks ago, Marcel Steiner only had to give way to the Italians Christian Merli and Simone Faggioli, who were fighting for the European championship. Despite their absence, the [...]
At the Rechberg race in Austria two weeks ago, Marcel Steiner only had to give way to the Italians Christian Merli and Simone Faggioli, who were fighting for the European championship. Despite their absence, the Bernese only managed fourth place overall with his LobArt-Mugen at the 30th European Hill Race in Eschdorf on Sunday.
With a one-second gap to third-placed Belgian Jelle de Coninck, who had surprisingly won the previous year in the Norma sports car with the self-designed Honda turbo engine, Steiner clearly missed the podium on the 1850-meter sprint track. Since only the best time from three runs counted, de Coninck was still able to displace him in the final run.
Disappointed about the backlog
The day's winner in a new record time of 48.260 s was French mountain champion Sébastien Petit, 577 thousandths ahead of Patrik Zajelsnik, both on a Norma with a Mugen Honda V8 engine. Steiner was able to leave both of them behind him at the EM round. His emotional state was correspondingly high afterwards.
Marcel Steiner: "After Rechberg, I actually thought that more was possible. Not necessarily the result, but the time gap was sobering. The car didn't feel that good, even though we had tried a lot of things."
Resinous race debut of Robin Faustini in the Reynard K01
Robin Faustini was never able to get involved in the fight for top positions. Technical problems on the newly acquired Reynard K01 F-Nippon, primarily with the starter, allowed only two test runs on Saturday. Not much, after he had already renounced the planned test runs for professional reasons.
On race day, the 20-year-old from Aargau achieved three 53 times. These were enough for second place in the over two-liter race car class, but only twelfth overall.
Robin Faustini: "Without any previous test drives, the main thing was to get to know the car. From the handling and power delivery of the Mugen Honda engine, the difference between the K01 and the old Reynard 92D is really big. I haven't yet dared to brake late or get on the gas early. But I can feel the great potential of this race car."
Instead of competing in the Wolsfeld hill climb (D) at Whitsun as planned, Faustini now prefers a test day on a circuit with previous owner Geoffrey Schatz and his brother Nicolas, the multiple French champion.
Unfortunately, during Faustini's performance in Eschdorf, his father Simon Hugentobler was injured in a fall while pushing. We wish him a speedy recovery!
Not at the start was Eric Berguerand. The Valais native still needs a lot of time to install an AC Cosworths engine, which he was able to obtain as a second-hand purchase in France, in the Lola chassis. His season debut will now only take place in Hemberg.
First best time, then accident for Ronnie Bratschi
One week after the successful test run in Abreschviller (F), Ronnie Bratschi also took the overall victory in the touring cars in Eschdorf. Strong French drivers were joined this time by all the top drivers from the Berg-DM - the man from Uri had them all under control from the first race run.
Bratschi's second attempt of 56.667 s was 1.3 s better than the times set by the two Porsche Turbo drivers Nicolas Werver (F) and Herbert Stolz (A). Because he was nevertheless not sure of victory, the Swiss also really stepped on the gas in the final run, spinning into the embankment in the second-last corner.
Unfortunately, the front spoiler and the radiator of the newly built Mitsubishi broke. Bratschi is now trying to repair the damage so quickly that he can start next weekend at the first round of the FIA Hill Climb Cup in Poland and a week later in Slovakia.
On a positive note for Swiss fans: If everything goes well afterwards in Verzegnis (I), he will compete in the first Swiss hillclimb races in Hemberg and Reitnau.
With technical problems Thomas Kessler (Mitsubishi Evo VIII) and Romeo Nüssli (Ford Escort Cosworth) could not intervene in the fight for the top positions. They finished 5th and 6th in the E1/H class over 3000 cc, 2.3 and 3.3 s behind winner Bratschi respectively. René Ruch (Ferrari 355 GT) and Michel Zemp (Seat Leon TCR) finished immediately behind.
Swiss champion Frédéric Neff started for the first time with his Porsche à la type GT3-R, which had been widened over the winter (to fit wider tires for more grip), and took GT class victory.
