Oregon Teams Stefano Comini has made a dazzling start to this seasons Eurocup Megane Trophy.
Seven weeks have passed since the last round, however, and Cominis rivals will no doubt be feeling refreshed and ready to try and halt the Swiss drivers dominant run. Bas Schothorst (TDS Racing), Niccolo Nalio (Oregon Team), Fabien Thuner (Boutsen Energy Racing) and Dimitri Enjalbert (Team Lompech Sport) are just some of the drivers hoping to beat Comini to the top step of the podium at the Nrburgring.
A maximum haul of 100 points from four races means that Stefano Comini could not have a better record going into the next round of the World Series by Renault at the Nrburgring.
The Swiss driver has dominated proceedings from the start of the 2011 season, displaying the full range of his talents at Motorland Aragn and Spa-Francorchamps. Comini will be looking for more of the same in Germany and will be keen to stretch his championship lead even further. Second-placed Dimitri Enjalbert has also made a promising start to the campaign with a tally of 51 points, but he is already 49 points adrift of Comini.
The French drivers participation in the series was only confirmed just before the first round of the season, but he quickly found his rhythm with three back-to-back podium finishes. Enjalbert did the double at the Nrburgring last time the Eurocup Mgane Trophy visited in 2009, but he has not won a race since the 2010 season opener at Spa. The Team Lompech Sport driver will be hoping to end that winless run in Germany. Oregon Teams Niccolo Nalio currently occupies third spot in the race for the title.
The Italian finished second in both races at Motorland Aragn, but he had a tough time at Spa and will continue his quest for a first Eurocup Mgane Trophy victory at the Nrburgring. Berlin-based AFK Motorsport have the home advantage, and their German gentleman-driver Oliver Freymouth will be out to raise his game in front of the home crowd and add to the four points he won at Spa.
TDS Racing, current holders of the Drivers, Teams and Gentlemen Drivers titles, will be determined to put a frustrating start to the season behind them. The French team were outperformed by Oregon Team at Motorland Aragn, and Spa also proved to be a weekend to forget as a string of unfortunate race incidents saw them lose out on valuable points. Bas Schothorst, who was widely tipped for the title at the start of the season, will be particularly keen to make up the lost ground.
The Dutch driver needs to pull out all the stops and will be aiming for nothing less than a first Eurocup Mgane Trophy victory. As for Belgiums David Dermont, he will be looking to preserve his lead in the gentlemen drivers category, and any kind of podium finish would be a welcome bonus. Equipe Verschuur is set to field two extra faces in addition to regular driver Steven Gijsen.
Dutch rally champion and former Eurocup Mgane Trophy regular Bernhard Ten Brinke joins the fold, as does Wilko Becker, a former Clio Cup Germany champion who appeared in two Eurocup Mgane Trophy races in 2010.
Against the backdrop of one of the most legendary circuits in Europe and with a field of drivers raring to go after several weeks without competition, the stage is perfectly set for a pulsating weekend of racing.
