NEWS
OVERALL PODIUM AND PRO-AM SUCCESS FOR VSR AT PAUL RICARD
May 30, 2021
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European Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Round 2
The second round of the European Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship was held at Paul Ricard this weekend. VSR presented an unchanged line-up led by the number 6 car which was entered in Pro and driven by Michael Dörrbecker and Mattia Michelotto. The Pro-Am number 16 car was raced by the 2020 Champions Karol Basz and Andrzej Lewandowski whilst Kumar Prabakaran was behind the wheel of the number 23 Huracán entered in LB Cup.
Basz took the overall and Pro-Am pole for Saturday’s race in a qualifying session complicated by a lengthy Full Course Yellow that left him with less than five minutes to set a time. Michelotto qualified ninth and Prabakaran was the fourth fastest driver in LB Cup. Basz held the lead at the first corner despite a strong challenge from Pijl and then streaked ahead of the field extending his gap by a second a lap as he drove with mesmeric consistency. Michelotto made a great start, hustling his way into fifth place and Prabakaran made up two places on the opening lap. When the pit window opened on lap ten he was the first of the VSR cars to stop and was followed in two laps later by Michelotto who handed over the number 6 car to Doorbecker. One lap later Basz pitted and Lewandowski took over the race leading car. He exited the pits straight into a gaggle of backmarkers which allowed the battling Pro drivers behind him to catch up. Cecotto and Pulcini soon caught and overtook the VSR car and on the penultimate lap Lewandowski swapped places several times with Watt before the Danish driver made his move stick. Lewandowski took the flag in fourth overall, just four tenths behind Watt and won the Pro-Am battle by twenty-eight seconds. Dorrbecker slipped down to eighth on the final lap and Prabakaran finished fourth in LB Cup.
Sunday’s race saw the VSR cars line up on row five with Dorrbecker, row seven with Lewandowski and row fourteen with Prabakaran. A chaotic opening lap saw Dorrbecker and Lewandowski cross the line for the first time nose-to-tail in eleventh and twelfth. On lap two Dorrbecker passed Cola but his progress was then halted by a three lap safety car period. When racing went green he overtook Lee who a lap later was passed also by Lewandowski. The pit window opened on lap nine and both VSR cars dived in for their driver change. Michelotto took over from Dorrbecker and Basz jumped into the Pro-Am car but was slow away after an issue closing the door. A lap later Prabakaran pitted for his obligatory stop. When the pit window closed Michelotto was running in eighth and Basz, the fastest man track, was twelfth having already passed Giannoni and Wells as he pushed hard to gain back the time lost in the pits. Michelotto gained a placed on lap fifteen, passing Formanek, and then benefited from Oosten’s spin to move up to fifth as Basz overtook Matic and Pujeu for third in Pro-Am. As the race drew to a close Basz caught and passed Pijl and Guazava and by the penultimate lap had closed to within three seconds of Formanek who was leading the Pro-Am class. At the same time Michelotto was in the thick of the battle for third overall and gained a place when Van Berlo and Watt tangled. The Italian youngster took the flag in fourth, right on Rossel’s tail which allowed him to benefit from a pit stop penalty for Rossel to take third place. Basz caught and passed Formanek in an exciting battle through the final corners of the last lap only to be penalised by one second after the race for a yellow flag infringement. Second in Pro-Am was still enough to move him and team-mate Lewandowski to the top of the Pro-Am standings. Prabakaran took the chequered flag fourth in LB Cup having narrowly missed out on a podium finish.
The Championship continues next month with a double header round at Zandvoort followed by two races at Spa-Francorchamps.
ENDS
