World Series by Nissan team KTR started its 2004 campaign with both drivers finishing in the points in both races. A last-lap incident cost Bruce Jouanny a certain podium finish in this season's first double-header in which Enrique Bernoldi twice set the pace.
In Friday's free practice sessions both cars ran inside the top eight, but for Saturday's qualifying sessions the weather was the same it had been for the previous WSN races held at Jarama: wet. "It's each year the same when we come to Jarama at the end of March," team principal, Kurt Mollekens, said. "You'd think the organizers would maybe schedule a race in sunnier places like Estoril or Jerez to begin the season, but alas. But both Bruce and André did well in Saturday's first wet qualifying session, finishing fourth and sixth on the grid for the first race. Just before the second qualifying session started, the weather sort of dried out, so we decided to put both cars on slicks as and park them as early as possible at the pitlane exit to allow them to go for a time from the moment the light went green. Unfortunately, just before the green it started to drizzle. We told both our drivers to try and set a time and then come in for rain tires or intermediates, but they wasted too many laps heating up their slicks. By the time they thought of going for a time, the red flag came out because someone had spun off and after that the slick advantage was gone as the track was now really wet." That left the KTR drivers in 14th and 17th on the grid for the second, longer, race.
Bruce Jouanny had an excellent start to the first race, quickly going from sixth to third. "A podium would definitely have been his, if it wasn't for the guy behind him who arrived too fast at one of the last corners and decided to use Bruce as a brake. He nevertheless salvaged a fine fourth despite that mishap," Mollekens said. Didier André also made the most of his starting position, but had some off-track excursions and finished tenth.
At the start on the second race, Jouanny was hit again by another driver and dropped back to last but one. A gritty drive and a very fast pitstop earned him seventh place in the end, as well as two points for fastest race lap. André, meanwhile, seemed to have lost some confidence in the rain, but nevertheless recovered from 17th to eighth at the finish.
"All in all I can be satisfied," Mollekens said. "Both divers have shown potential in difficult situations and both took points on both races. With the new points system, which has reduced the number of points for winners and runners-up, it pays to be consistent. With Bruce in fifth and Didier in ninth, and the team in third in standings, we might have a very interesting season ahead of us."
The next race for the World Series by Nissan is at the former Grand Prix track in Zolder, Belgium on April 24th and 25th
