Dutch Championship at Eurocircuit

by Henk de Winter |

Belgian Supercar driver Jos Jansen (Ford Focus) wins his first race ever in a Rallycross event. Jansen was the fastest Supercar driver in the openings-round in the Dutch Championship at the Eurocircuit. Wil Teurlings (Volvo S40) took second place.

 

After the race, we find in the Supercar class two drivers not classified, namely Jos Kuijpers and Ron Snoeck. An engine problem (no compression in the second cylinder), made that  from the first heat on the Ford Fiesta of Kuijpers has to stay in the paddock for the rest of the day. “These things can happen”, said the Dutchman who said the team will be ready to race in the French round of the European Championship. While several times Belgian and Dutch Champion Kuijpers is a more regular competitor in Dutch, Belgian and European race-events. This is not the case for former European Rallycross Champion in Division 1A (Super1600) 2004 and 2005, Ron Snoeck.

Snoeck made in 2006, after winning the European Championship two times in a row, the switch from the Super1600 (Seat Ibiza) to the Supercars with a VW Golf IV Kitcar. “It is and was for me and the team a logical step to go racing in the Supercars”, says Snoeck when he looks back to his Rallycross career. The VW Golf brought not the success Snoeck and his team had hoped for. 2008 was, despite a lot of effort and work by the team, a troubled season with a lot of technical failures at the VW Golf. The VW Golf was sold an in 2009/2010 the team started to build a brand new Supercar, a Seat Leon. Eight months later in july of 2011 the car was revealed at the Duivelsberg in Maasmechelen. The day for Snoeck ends with a broken toe, when after the race they load the car on the trailer. After almost two years of absence in the ERC Snoeck shows up in 2011 at the ERC -events in Belgium, Holland and the Czech Republic with the Seat Leon. In all three of those events no points were scored. The past months the team worked hard to improve the Seat Leon. “It’s not at all easy for a small team like us, racing and building a competitive Supercar with the very tight budget we have to work with.” The Leon has now a Selholm gearbox, “The one that is everybody using”, and a new center differential. “That makes a lot of difference”, says Snoeck. “The steering is now much more direct and better. The car drives better.” The Seat Leon under came a last test at Raceway Venray one day before the Dutch race. A turbo failure in the first heat brought a third time. The second heat was used for repairing the turbo. In the third heat Snoeck (on the outside) and Jos Jansen (inside) had according Snoeck a small touch. The Seat Leon disappears into the sandbank in the first corner of the Eurocircuit. For the second time no result and no final for Snoeck. The team will only race in the Dutch Championship and has, at this moment, no plans to compete in the European Championship or do a single ERC event like belgium or Holland. “It’s simple. It’s a budget thing”, says Snoeck. “We had the choice. Improve the car and do less races or do the work half and more racing. We have chosen for the first option. Improving the car.”

In the Touringcar we had a four car final. Chris Moelands was the fastest driver in his BMW 120 and passed as the only one the finishline. In second place ended Mandy Kasse. Mandy, did, like Koen Pauwels (Volvo C30) and Louis de Haas (Opel Astra) not make the he finishline. Pauwels had during the final a problem with the clutch at the Sterkens-Volvo. Louis de Haas suffered a problem with his steering and the Ford Fiesta of Mandy Kasse was towed into the paddock with a big hole in the engine block.

The Super1600 was a from start to finish for Marcel Snoeijers in his Renault Clio. Hanging on the rear bumper of the Renault Clio was Peter van de Wege in his Toyota Yaris, who  passed the finishline in second place. Davy van den Branden (Citroën C2) became third.

The Supernationals is won by Kristof Bex in the Volvo S40. The second place was for Multiple Belgian Champion Luc Maris (Volvo S40). Steve Volders (Ford Escort) third.  In the Supernationals -2000cc the victory was there for Marc van den Bergh in the Seat Ibiza.

 

Supercar

  1.  Jos Jansen (B) Ford Focus
  2. Wil Teurlings (NL) Volvo S40
  3. Jan van Loon (NL) Ford Fiesta
  • Not classified
  • Ron Snoeck (NL) Seat Leon
  • Jos Kuijpers (I) Ford Fiesta MK7

TouringCar

  1. Christ Moelands (NL) BMW 120
  2. Mandy Kasse (NL) Ford Fiesta
  3. Louis de Haas (NL) Opel Astra RWD
  4. Koen Pauwels (B) Volvo C30

Super1600

  1. Marcel Snoeijers (N) Renault Clio RS
  2. Peter van de Wege (NL) Toyota Yaris
  3. Davy Van Den Branden (B) Citroën C2
  4. Andy Martin (B) Volkswagen Polo
  5. Dave Van Beers (B) Renault Clio
  6. Dennis van Rijn (NL) Skoda Fabia
  7. Willem Veltman (NL) Citroën C2

Supernational -2000cc

  1.  Marc Vandenbergh (B) Seat Ibiza
  2. Pedro Cokelaere (B) Honda Civic
  3. Tom Meeusen (B) Mitsubishi Lancer
  4. Christoph Chalmet (B) MG ZR
  5. Patrick De Decker (B) MG ZR
  6. Cor Kroon (NL) Opel Kadett

Supernational + 2000cc

  1. Kristof Bex (B) Volvo S40
  2. Luc Maris (B) Volvo S40
  3. Steve Volders (B) Ford Escort
  4. Filip Baelus (B) Volvo C30
  5. Davy Leysen (B) BMW M3
  6. Danny De Beuckelaer (B) Opel Corsa
  7. Patrick Buschgens (B) BMW E46 M3
  8. Ludo Triekels (B) BMW E30
  9. Roland Myny (B) Volvo S40
  10. Peter Thijs (B) BMW M3

 

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