Michael De Keersmaecker gave Albatec Racing its second win of the weekend in round two of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship at Montalegre today. Lining up his JDK-backed Albatec Peugeot 208 on the inside spot, the Belgian took the immediate lead in his final heat, and was never headed, stretching the gap consistently over the course of the race.
In his earlier heat the former Super 1600 and Touring Car European Champion finished third after a race-long battle for second place with Jean-Luc Pailler, after a determined effort to pass on the final two laps. Lining up on the outside of the grid, De Keersmaecker immediately took his compulsory joker lap to slot in behind Pailler, with Timmy Hansen staying out front. For almost two laps, the Londerzeel racer pushed hard to stay with Pailler, and for the remaining two, tried every way possible to pass him, finishing right on the bumper of the second-placed car.
For Team Principal Andy Scott, the opening heat proved somewhat difficult, with a brake issue effectively ruling him out. Lining up on the pre-grid, the Dumfries Scotsman found his handbrake wasnt working, and as a result was unable to get off the line quickly. Entering turn one it soon become evident that he had no brakes at all, but under the new RallycrossRX regulations it is critical to try and finish every heat. Despite the handicap, the 2011 MSA British Rallycross Vice-Champion brought his car home in a solid third place.
In the interval between the heats, the team worked quickly to replace the brake pipe, allowing Scott to take up his place on the second position for the final heat. At the lights, he didnt get the best start, to place fifth into the first corner. Closing down the gap to Ronny Scheveneels on the penultimate lap, Scott took fourth, but at the next corner, he was pushed sideways as the Belgian forced his way through. Scheveneels was subsequently given a penalty, promoting Scott to fourth.
Despite a win apiece, the combined results from the four heats were not enough to allow them to progress through to the semi-finals, however the team remains positive ahead of the next round of RallycrossRX in Hungary in four weeks time, where Scott will join De Keersmaecker in the teams second Peugeot 208.
Andy Scott, Albatec Racing Driver car No 26:
Im a bit disappointed with the overall results, for me and for the team. We had such extremes of weather this weekend, some dry races some wet, but we werent able to convert the good feeling I had with the 207 into better results.
Michael showed great potential in his approach and his speed, and so its disappointing that he didnt get to the semi finals as Im sure if we hadnt had the contact in the second heat, hed have had a fast enough time to make it through. So now its onwards and upwards for Hungary, where we will have both Albatec Racing 208s, with a planned test for both of us in the next couple of weeks.
Michael De Keersmaecker, Albatec Racing Driver car No9:
My first weekend with the car was OK, in the first heat the speed was there but on the second lap I made a mistake. In the second heat I made a perfect start but Andy hit me off the track. The third heat was good and the fourth was better than all the others, although it only put me number seven, which is not perfect. We need to be fourth or fifth and I think without the accident in heat two, we could have easily made the semi finals.
But overall Im happy with the car, of course we need to do some more testing before Hungary, but with that I think it will be OK.
Marc Laboulle, Albatec Racing Team Manager:
The global result is not OK for me, as we definitely have the potential to have better results. But in the races you need to have some lucky positions and unfortunately this weekend luck was not on our side. But we need to focus on the positives because we have a lot of them. If I take the general ambience and atmosphere in the team, I am really happy. All the people within the team have a really professional attitude and that is absolutely necessary if we are to progress and go into the top level.
For Michael, it was the first race for him and he drove the car this weekend after only 10 or 12 laps in testing. So I know for him its not really easy to understand all of the car but he proved when he hadnt any problem he can be in the top five. I am excited to see him in Hungary with the 208 because I know he enjoys the race there and now he enjoys the car too. He needs to spend a little more time in the car so that is the plan between here in Portugal and the next race.
Andy impressed everybody at the start of the weekend because it was a big challenge for him to learn a new car here and he immediately had a good rhythm but unfortunately he couldnt reproduce the good feeling he has with the car, into the times. Andy and Michal were waiting at the door before the semi finals, it was that close, but as I said before, luck was not with us this weekend.
