Belgian championship at Maasmechelen

The sixth race for the Belgian Rallycross Championship in the Supercar class was won by Dutchman Jos Kuijpers in the Ford Fiesta. The Super1600 victory went to Davy Van Den Branden (Citroën C2). Koen Pauwels (Ford Fiesta) won the TouringCar class, while in the Supernational category the first place was for Kristof Bex (Volvo S40). It was Jochen Coox in the Škoda Fabia who set the pace in the timed practice. In the first heat Coox drove his Fabia into the paddock with engine problems. The Fabia remained for the rest of the day in the paddock.

After three heats on pole in the  A final was the Subaru Impreza of Patrick Van Mechelen. Rain made the track extra slippery just before the A final. Van Mechelen took the lead followed by the Dutch duo Ron Snoeck and Jos Kuijpers. The latter drove his Ford Fiesta straight into the Joker Lap section. The Subaru of Van Mechelen meanwhile suffered problems with understeer on the slippery track. Kuijpers was one lap later already back on the tail of the second man in the race, Ron Snoeck (Seat Leon). Van Mechelen and Snoeck went together into their Joker, at that point it was game, set and match for Dutchman Jos Kuijpers. With this win Kuijpers is also the new Dutch Supercar Rallycross Champion 2011.

In Super1600 was, in a sensational final, the victory for championship leader Davy Van Den Branden. Ford Fiesta driver Dennis Remans had secured after three heats the pole position, and had for a long time the lead in the Super1600 class. With two laps to go the engine of Remans broke. “For one reason or another, I may not win here,” said a very disappointed Remans after the race. Andy Martin (VW Polo) took the lead in the race. In the last lap Davy Van Den Branden saw a gap and was on the inside of Martin while both where side by side where it goes up the Devils Hill. The advantage was for Van Den Branden. Racewinner and with one race to go in the Belgian Championship, Van Den Branden is 12 points ahead of Snoeijers now. Dutch Mini Cooper driver Leo van der Eijk was the winner of the B final in the Super1600. Van der Eijk took third place. Marcel Snoeijers (Renault Clio) did not see himself back into the A final. Snoeijers scored after two heats enough points to secure the Dutch championships title. His main contender in the Dutch championship, Peter van de Wege drove only one heat (gearbox failure) and was out of the competition.

In the Supernationals pole setter Kristof Bex (Volvo S40) had to give way in the first laps to regaining champion Luc Maris (Volvo S40). Bex took an early ‘Joker’ and when Michaël ‘Duval’ De Keersmaecker and Luc Maris, in the race for the lead, touched each other at the outcome of the Joker Lap section, they both spun there cars. It was Bex who took his first victory of the year at Maasmechelen.

In the TouringCars nobody could reach Koen Pauwels in the Ford Fiesta. Three times fastest in the heats, racewinner, and Belgian Champion. Pauwels is ready for the confrontation in the Czech Republic with Irishman Derek Tohill. On stake is the third place in the European TouringCar Championship. Pauwels after heat 1: “If at the end of the day the car it running like this. The only thing I’m going to do is change the oil and wash the car. The engine is performing superb at the moment”. Christ Moelands (BMW 120) became second and Mandy Kasse (Opel Astra) third. Patrick Mertens blew up the engine of his VW Polo. Pedro Bonnet was confronted with a black flag in heat 1 and drove the G&A BMW 120 in heat 2 into the sandtrap.

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