Belgian championship at Maasmechelen

With an early start to the season in Belgium, the Supercar line-up was a four car grid holding Belgians Patrick Van Mechelen (Subaru Impreza), Jos Jansen (Ford Focus) and Ronny Scheveneels (VW Scirocco) and, under the Italian flag, Dutchman Jos Kuypers (Ford Fiesta). Kuypers started, but on a wet Duivelsberg it was Van Mechelen who took the lead in the first corner. The Subaru slipped sideways, brushed  the concrete wall on the inside of the corner and partly blocked the track. Kuypers hit the Subaru and waited until Van Mechelen got going again. Jansen saw a small gap on the inside and took the lead. Scheveneels was forced to stay in the paddock with broken steering on his Scirocco, a problem that was caused by one of the big potholes on the top of the Duivelsberg, Scheveneels claimed.  On the track the chase of Jansen was on. Jansen who tested the Focus last week in Dreux saw, lap-by-lap, the blue Subaru coming closer and closer in his rear view mirror. The Joker Lap did the rest. The battle was on between leader Van Mechelen and Kuypers. In the last lap it went wrong for Van Mechelen. As he stated later he was touched by the Fiesta of Kuypers going up the hill. “By that I was going off the racing line, leaving a gap.” Kuypers passed the finish line first, ahead of Van Mechelen who went immediately to the stewards to make a complaint against the driving style of Kuypers. The verdict of the stewards was in favour of Kuypers leaving a frustrated Van Mechelen in second place.

Royal Flush for Koen Pauwels

In TouringCar there was nobody who could stop Koen Pauwels in his Ford Fiesta.  Fastest in all three heats and the winner of the A final,  Pauwels laid a Royal Flush on the Duivelsberg track. Patrick Mertens (VW Polo) and newcomer in this class Nick Snoeys (Ford Fiesta) made it difficult at the start by taking the lead several times but, a few laps later it was the Fiesta of Pauwels, that crossed the line first.

In Super1600 Russian driver Vadim Makarov came to test some new items on his Volland Racing Škoda Fabia. Engineer Rolf Volland would not say what the improvements were. “It’s not working as well as we thought. So we have to change and develop that a bit more before the first round of the European championship in Lydden Hill,” Volland said. Makarov had a good fight with the 2011 Belgian Super1600 champion Davy Van Den Branden who eventually won the final.

The Supernational class is now split at two-litres. The winner of the up to two-litre section was Steven Stessens in his Opel Corsa while Kristof Bex was with his Volvo S40 the fastest driver among the over two-litre competitors.

• Supercars
• 1. Jos Kuypers (NL) Ford Fiesta VII
• 2. Patrick Van Mechelen (B) Subaru Impreza
• 3. Jos Jansen (B) Ford Focus III
• 4. Ronny Scheveneels (B) VW Scirocco III
• Super1600
• 1. Vadim Makarov (RUS) Škoda Fabia II
• 2. Davy Van Den Branden (B) Citroën C2
• 3. Dennis Remans (B) Ford Fiesta VI
• 4. Bart Stouten (B) Toyota Yaris I
• 5. Marcel Snoeijers (NL) Renault Clio II
• 6. Andy Martin (B) VW Polo IV
• 7. Pedro Cokelaere (B) Honda Civic EK4
• 8. Peter van de Wege (NL) Toyota Yaris I
• TouringCars
• 1. Koen Pauwels (B) Ford Fiesta VII
• 2. Patrick Mertens (B) VW Polo IV
• 3. Nick Snoeys (B) Ford Fiesta VI
• – Ivo Van den Brandt (B) Mistubishi Colt CZT
• Supernational -2000
• 1. Steven Stessens (B) Opel Corsa B
• 2. Marc Vandenbergh (B) Seat Ibiza II
• 3. Tom Meeusen (B) Mitsubishi Lancer
• 4. Christophe Chalmet (B) Rover MG ZR
• 5. Andréas Geebelen (B) Peugeot 206
• 6. Patrick De Decker (B) Rover MG ZR
• 7. Peter Gielen (B) Opel Corsa
• 8. Roger Lippens (B) Ford Escort III
• Supernational +2000
• 1. Kristof Bex (B) Volvo S40 I
• 2. Filip Baelus (B) Volvo C30
• 3. Marco Van Ratingen (B) Toyota MR2 I
• 4. David Vannijlen (B) Volvo 240
• 5. Luc Maris (B) Volvo S40 II
• 6. Ludo Triekels (B) BMW E30
• 7. Davy Leysen (B) BMW E36
• 8. Michaël De Keersmaecker (B) Volvo 240

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