The KTR team finally had a better weekend at rounds 11 and 12 of the 2004 World Series by Nissan. Driver Didier André finished both races in the points, and team principal Kurt Mollekens was understandably happy after a trouble and accident-free weekend.
“After a long series of accidents and mishaps, I’m pleased with the positive race results of Didier,” Mollekens said. “We had tested a lot lately, some 1,000 kilometers to be exact, and that paid off. Unfortunately Didier didn’t get a clear lap in the first qualifying session, resulting in a less than representative 12th place on the grid. But in the second qualifying session, he managed a seventh quickest time, which was where he should be. On top of that the grid is now back to 19 cars, so he really did well.”
In the first race André drove a consistent rather than aggressive race, which netted him a fine ninth place finish, clocking the sixth fastest race lap in the process. In race two he opted for a wait-and-see strategy. “We decided to bring the car right at the beginning of the pitstop window, but while we gained a place over one driver, we also lost one to another. An eight place finish was the result, but after having a few too many accidents in the past events I was happy have the car home in one piece. I’d say things look quite good for this season’s end,” Mollekens concluded.
The next races are at Barcelona on October 2nd and 3rd.
Results Race 11 – Estoril
1. Pla (Carlin) 25m38s913; 2. Monteiro (Carlin) + 0s537; 3. Valles (Pons) + 24s730; 4. Gommendy (Saulnier) + 25s015; 5. Hernandez (Saulnier) + 25s649;... 9. Andre (KTR) + 36s151;…
Results Race 12 – Estoril
1. Monteiro (Carlin) 38m26s176; 2. Ravier (Epsilon) + 2s959; 3. Kovalainen (Pons) + 7s381; 4. Alvarez (Gabord) + 23s300; 5. Gommendy (Saulnier) + 26s083;… 8. Didier Andre + 32s770;…
Drivers’ Championship Standings (after 12 races)
1. Kovalainen 140 points; 2. Monteiro 105; 3. Bernoldi 94; 4. Ravier 81; 5. Gommendy 75;… 14. André 14.
Teams’ Championship Standings (after 12 races)
1. Pons Racing 165 points; 2. Carlin Motorsport 141; 3. Epsilon Euskadi 112; 4. GD Racing 97; 5. Saulnier Racing 87;… 8. KTR 39;…
