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The European Super Trofeo Championship continued this weekend with a double header round at the Nurburgring. VSR ran a car in Pro for Kangas and a Pro-Am entry for winners last time out, Basz and Lewandowski.
A free practice off curtailed Kangas’s running time on Friday but he made it back out for qualifying and completed the race weekend despite nursing a foot injury. The Polish duo of Basz and Lewandowski had been consistently in the top three throughout the practice sessions and Basz confirmed his speed by setting the pole time for race one. As the lights went out he kept ahead of the pack only to be hit from behind by Stoneman as the field braked for the first corner. Stoneman took the lead with Basz and Cecotto in hot pursuit for the entire first stint of the race. Kangas made a good start, gaining two places and running just behind Bontempelli and Eskelinen until the pit window opened on lap ten and he made his obligatory stop. On his out-lap a crash for Wagner bought out the Safety Car and Basz dived straight into the pits to hand-over the Pro-Am lead to Lewandowski.
Racing resumed with thirteen minutes left on the clock. Kangas was running in sixteenth and Lewandowski in second, surrounded by Pro cars. Pavlovic passed him on lap sixteen but Lewandowski kept Paveraud and Di Folco behind him for four laps before Spinelli, barging his way through the field, arrived and upset the order. He passed Lewandowski with two laps to go, taking away the Pro-Am lead from the VSR car only to be awarded a post-race penalty for his move on Di Folco. The final standings saw Basz and Lewandowski take the Pro-Am win and finish fourth overall with Kangas in thirteenth having passed Mantovani and Schwartz in the closing stages of the race.
Lewandowski and Kangas lined up on rows five and eight for Saturday evening’s race and the field all held station at the start. Lewandowski spent his stint running in the wheel tracks of Fioraventi and Schwartz whilst out front and unchallenged Spinelli pulled out a huge lead. Kangas passed the first half of the race in the middle of the second group of Pro cars, running with Weering and Galbiati. On lap ten the pit window opened and Lewandowski came in from fifth in Pro-Am to give the VSR Lambo to Basz. Kangas pitted a lap later and by lap thirteen Basz was already lapping as fast as Spinelli. The Italian stopped just before the pit window closed and the leading car was taken over by Van Der Horst who had a half a minute advantage over Basz. The Pole was on the charge however and the quickest man on track. By lap nineteen he had Van Der Horst in plain sight and a lap later he passed him easily to take the Pro-Am lead. He took the flag in sixth overall with Kangas in thirteenth having passed Konrad with minutes to go.
Basz and Lewandowski now have a healthy lead in the Pro-Am Championship having claimed two pole-positions and won all four races so far.
Photos by Fotospeedy
