Suzuki: The unexpected third victory
HATTRICK FOR EGGENBERGER At the slalom in Bière, Fabian Eggenberger celebrated his third victory in a row in the Suzuki Grand Prix. However, this came as a surprise for the man from Zurich. Sandro Fehr was only beaten by a fraction of a second. Actually, everything looked like the first season victory of Sandro Fehr in the Suzuki Grand Prix 2018. The Rorschach [...]
Actually, everything looked like Sandro Fehr's first win of the season in the Suzuki Grand Prix 2018. The Rorschach native covered the 4100 m course in the best time in practice, with Fabian Eggenberger experiencing two problems at once.
On the one hand the winner of Frauenfeld and Interlaken drove with old tires, on the other hand he had to drive with glasses after having contact lenses for 20 years.
Fabian Eggenberger: "I have a corneal injury with infection in my right eye. But the glasses were so unfamiliar that I had real problems perceiving the spaces and distances. So I put the lenses back on for the race runs, and that made things go tip-top."
Everything speaks for Sandro Fehr
In the first run, however, the garage owner from Dübendorf hit a pylon shortly before the finish because his Suzuki Swift 1600 could not be kept on track for inexplicable reasons. So Sandro Fehr took the clear lead with a clean run ahead of Gilbert Denzer and Igor Rodella.
Shortly after the second start, Eggenberger almost lost his car in the first left-hand bend and felt that the race was lost as a result. In order to save what could be saved, he attacked as the race continued. The second time was slightly slower than the first without penalty. But since Fehr was only able to improve by half a second, this was enough for his third win of the season.
Fabian Eggenberger: "I wouldn't have expected that. In addition to the problem with my eyes, there was also the problem with my tires. I had to start with the tires damaged in the spin in Interlaken, because there were no new ones to be had in a hurry. And the same thing happened to Sandro as in 2017, when he also failed to achieve his best time in training and is now puzzling over it."
Six thousandths are worth 100 francs
So Fehr finished second, six hundredths behind. Gilbert Denzer followed three seconds behind in third place, his second podium after Frauenfeld.
Only six thousandths separated Daniel Schneider in fourth place from Igor Rodella - it couldn't be tighter. For Rodella this means 100 francs less prize money...
Partytime for Heiko Leiber
Not at the start was Heiko Leiber, the runner-up in the first two races with Eggenberger's Suzuki. Leiber celebrated his 50th birthday on May 9 - funnily enough, the same day as his racing partner - and therefore invited everyone to a party on Saturday evening.
Since double starts are not allowed in Bière, this fitted the schedule. And because Eggenberger left before the award ceremony, he still arrived in time for the final phase. After all, one should celebrate the celebrations as they fall...
