Following Le Castellet and Motorland Aragon, the drivers set to compete in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 met up near Barcelona, at the Catalunya circuit, for two more days of collective testing.
If initial wet track conditions hampered the start of these tests, the drivers were subsequently able to take advantage of good weather to complete their preparation.
By the end of the two days and despite a debilitating virus, Robin Frijns (Josef Kauffman Racing) finished with the fastest time, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr (Koiranen Motorsport).
All eyes were on Carlos Sainz Jr., the fastest driver at Le Castellet and at Motorland Aragon, who had high hopes for this week on the Catalunya circuit. But the Spaniard was not alone in chasing down the clock, with nearly 40 drivers in attendance for this third practice session.
With Thursday starting wet, the drivers brought the times down as the circuit progressively dried out. Alex Riberas (Epsilon Euskadi), newly signed up for the Catalunya Circuit's "young drivers" program, headed the timesheets by late morning in 1'46''286. John Bryant-Meisner (Koiranen Motorsport), who had been in the running throughout the morning session, fell victim to an accident a few minutes later.
After a check-up at the medical centre, the Swedish driver was taken to hospital in Granollers for further examinations, which fortunately didn't reveal any problems.
The meeting resumed and Carlos Sainz Jr, son of double World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz and member of the Red Bull Junior Team, claimed the quickest lap time of the morning in 1'45''935. In the afternoon, Javier Tarancon (Tech 1 Racing) and Miki Weckstrom (Tech 1 Racing) went on the attack and it was the Finn who finally came out on top in 1'44''453.
On the second day, the spring weather was a welcome change from the conditions of the previous days in Catalonia. Carlos Sainz Jr took the opportunity to go top, bringing down the reference time, lap after lap. He finished up with 1'44''107, before seeing his time bettered by Robin Frijns in 1'43''965.
The Dutchman, despite feeling ill and having to take regular rests to get through the day, confirmed the turn of pace he'd shown in the previous sessions. Javier Tarancon and Miki Weckstrom upped the pace again in the afternoon. The Tech 1 Racing drivers hogged the top spots, accompanied by team-mate Paul-Loup Chatin. By late afternoon, Robin Frijns had once more taken command of the session in 1'44''753. In his final attempt, Alex Riberas lost control in the Seat turn. Stunned, the young Spaniard took a few minutes to regain his senses.
After an interruption that lasted a few minutes, Carlos Sainz Jr. improved his time again in 1'44''824, getting close to Robin Frijns' best lap time. At his next attempt, the Spaniard took half a second off, in 1'44''255, grabbing the first place in this last session. Nevertheless Carlos Sainz Jr. remained behind Robin Frijns in the combined standings over these two days.
Less than a month from the start of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, the battle to be among the leaders promises to be very exciting.
Quotes:
Robin Frijns : "This morning, everything went perfectly! But I'm sick and I am now very tired. After five laps I was exhausted. Despite these conditions, this result is very promising. Now I'm looking forward to championship getting underway at Motorland Aragon. I can't wait."
Carlos Sainz Jr : "I didn't expect to be a leader so early on because I'm mostly here to learn at this stage. The line-up is also very tough. I'm more motivated than ever for the first race coming up soon now at Motorland. But I'll need to be very concentrated, because there are so many things to manage in the race itself."
Alex Riberas : "I lost control of the car on a corner. I felt a bit sore after the impact and I still feel pain in my hand. I'm going for another examination in Barcelona. It's a shame because I'm on home soil here and I wanted to do well. But I've got the benefit of the support of the Young Drivers program and I have no intention of stopping here. This year I want to win."
