Tread carefully

De Keersmaecker, Bakkerud and Enerberg fastest as many fall victim to conditions.

Even on a dry day there is not much chance of escaping the Eurocircuit’s effective and capacious sandtraps. When that sand is soaked and heavy with rain, it’s like driving into glue – and there were several who found that out to their great cost in the second heat.

Avoiding the trouble and shining like a beacon on this overcast Sunday morning, Belgian Michael De Keersmaecker was perfectly measured and produced the fastest time among the Supercar racers, the former champion shadig out Mats Lysen who again trod cautiously to set second fastest and book his place in the A final. Ludvig Hunsbedt, on his favourite track, also drove beautifully for third fastest while René Münnich pulled something from the bag with a determined drive to fourth, ahead of Morten Bermingrud.

Timur Timerzyanov was delayed by a misfire and by Sverre Isachsen who, having been off in a clash with Davy Jeanney in the first lap, then drove slowly round the track and blocked Timerzyanov in the last lap. The Russian at least managed to post a time. His team mate Liam Doran was one of those to go off, the Englishman sent skidding into the sand on the exit of the chicane when a rear suspension link broke – probably as the result of a brush with the barrier in the Joker Lap – and caused the C4 to spin. Toomas Heikkinen dropped his Saab into the first corner in the same race, the previous counter having seen Frode Holte and Tanner Foust off in the first corner and out of the race on the spot. With Jeanney getting a black flag the bottom of the order has some big names: Jeanney, Foust, Holte, Isachsen, Heikkinen, Doran and Kuypers as well as non-starter Koutny.

The Super1600 heat was marginally less frenetic, Daniel Holten the notable visitor to the first corner sand. Andreas Bakkerud continued his good form here and put his name on the A final pole, Krzysztof Skorupski again second from Julian Godfrey, Jussi-Petteri Leppihalme and Christian Petrakovits.

Lars Øivind Enerberg recovered his usual place in TouringCar and set fastest time ahead of Roman Castoral and Derek Tohill. The gap at the top is again significant, Enerberg three-seconds up on Castoral and ten faster than Tohill…

The third heat has already started. The number of recoveries the circuit crew are having to carry out causing the event to run a little behind schedule and meaning that the break between the second and third heats was abandoned.

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