Suzuki Racing Cup: Start of the hot phase
With his third victory of the season, Fabian Eggenberger extended his lead in the standings in Ambri. But now come the two longest slaloms, where the title fight will be decided.
After five rounds of the Suzuki Swiss Racing Cup 2022, it is as good as certain that the champion will be Fabian Eggenberger or Marcel Muzzarelli. Their performances so far at the wheel of the new Swift Sport 48V Hybrid have been too convincing for there to be a laughing third.
Two challenging routes
However, the two longest and most difficult slaloms in the calendar still follow. Next Saturday on the extensive army grounds in Bure, more than 100 gates spread over 5255 meters of track await the participants. The early conclusion will then be on June 25 with the equally challenging slalom on the armory site in Chamblon above Yverdon-les-Bains.
Eggenberger and Muzzarelli know both courses inside out. At the last race so far in 2019 in the Jura, "Muzz" won despite a goal error in the second race run, while the current Cup leader "only" finished fifth after a töggel in the first run and a safety run in the second.
In Chamblon, where despite the shorter course the run times are almost half a minute longer, the garage owner from Dübendorf took revenge. Muzzarelli finished 2nd and took the title at the end of the season with the points of Drognens (2nd) and Ambri (1st).
No more head problem with Eggenberger
As good as both are at the moment, nothing will change in this hierarchy. Especially since Eggenberger, in contrast to last year, is also in the best mental shape.
Fabian Eggenberger: "Yes, I feel freer in my mind this year. I don't study so much anymore, I can get in the car and perform."
Eggenberger even copes with the handicap of sharing the Suzuki with Heiko Leiber (which affects the car and concentration).
Fabian Eggenberger: "Obviously my aggressiveness is right. Fortunately, the car allows this driving style. Now I'm trying to keep driving like this. The important thing is simply to stay ahead of Muzz."
Unusual result of the multichampion
The defending champion, who won in Bière at the start of the season, finished second in Saturday's race in Ambri for the third time in a row before the ten-time winner of various one-make cups finished fourth on Sunday, his worst result (which some others would be happy about) in years. In his Suzuki time, which began in 2019, this has never happened before...
The otherwise so cool elective Thurgauer did not complain about the defeat itself, but how they came about in the last races.
Marcel Muzzarelli: "It bothers me to be three times so close behind Fabian. In Frauenfeld it was 55 and four hundredths, here 16 and 14 hundredths. But I would never have run such a 1'49 time here on Sunday."
Sandro Fehr shows nerves of steel
With the aforementioned dream time, Sandro Fehr won his first race in more than three years on Sunday in Ambri, when he was the first winner with the new Swift Sport at the season opener in Interlaken.
His realistic goal for the season is the third medal position in the championship, which Patrick Flammer and Michäel Béring will still challenge him for.
Sandro Fehr: "In the first race run I was still trying something out, in the second I was more aggressive. It was perfect, although I was more nervous than I've been in a long time after setting the best time in practice."
First podium motivates the Jura native
While last year's winner Patrick Flammer felt satisfaction after the disappointing sixth place in Saturday's race the other day as second, Michaël Béring (gallery left) was enormously happy about his first Suzuki podium.
Michaël Béring: "I knew I had the potential, but I wasn't ready in my head. Now I'm looking forward to my home race in the Jura, where I had already won in the touring cars."
Debrunner up, Steiner down
Jean-Claude Debrunner (center gallery) finally made progress. Most recently in Frauenfeld, the driving instructor from the Limmat Valley doubted himself. As double sixth in Ambri, he was closer in time to the podium he so longs for.
The Flammer Speed Team, whose car was shared this time by Alexander Ullrich and Reto Steiner, did not really get going. As a set points driver for the Glarus team, Steiner fell short of his expectations after scoring errors in both races on Saturday and 8th place on Sunday. Last year he did much better in Ticino.
Respect for Tremp's achievements
Gautier Henchoz made a clear improvement in the standings. Last year's newcomer from Gollion achieved his best results to date with two seventh-place finishes.
Rolf Tremp (gallery on the right) was also satisfied with his Ambri rankings (P8 and P12), although he had caused the surprise par excellence with sixth place in Frauenfeld on the previous Saturday. The AHV senior is struggling with his health, which makes his fighting spirit and perseverance all the more remarkable. In the Toggenburg duel with vehicle partner Roli Graf, the score is 4:1 in his favor.
Cheer up, Giulio!
Giuliano Piccinato, on the other hand, is only a shadow of his former self and can't get to grips with the Swift Hybrid at all. He could do whatever he wanted, he was always the same speed, complained the former production car Swiss champion and multiple Northwest Swiss champion.
On Sunday, the Bättwil garage owner experienced his lowest point as 16th and penultimate, whereupon he spoke of quitting. Cheer up, Giulio, you can't go out like that...
Interim ranking Suzuki SRC 2022
auto.suzuki.ch/suzuki-swiss-racing-cup
