Who will be King of Pau?
The World Touring Car Championship will share the streets of Pau with the
Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup. The young chargers in the
championship will be faced with the specific challenges of a city circuit
for the only time this year. Like the other drivers from the Auto Sport
Academy, overall leader Jean-Eric Vergne (SG Formula) has already raced
in Pau, which could give him a decisive edge.
A win on a city circuit is always good for a driver to have in his
results. In Pau, where the slightest error can prove fatal, the young
guns in the Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup will have their first
taste of this layout in their Formula Renault 2.0s.
Seven drivers already know the track: Jean-Eric Vergne (SG Formula), Hugo
Valente (SG Formula), Arthur Pic (SG Formula), Ramez Azzam (SG Driver's
Project), Kevin Breysse (SG Driver's Project), Benjamin Lariche (Pole
Services) and Arno Santamato (Epsilon Sport). They have all been trained
by the Auto Sport Academy and the 2.760 km Pau layout holds no secrets
for them. Last year, Arno Santamato won a race here in Formul'Academy.
After the opening rounds at Nogaro and in Barcelona, Vergne leads with
three victories out of four races. He is followed by Miki Monras (SG
Formula) and Julien Abelli (SG Driver's Project). By winning the second
race in Barcelona the latter showed that all the drivers running under
the SG banner are in with a chance of victory. So Vergne knows what he is
up against, and that to win he can only count on himself.
Albert Costa (Epsilon Euskadi), leader of the Eurocup Formula Renault
2.0, had a perfect weekend at Spa, and is ready to take up the Pau
challenge. The Spaniard doesn't know this circuit and neither does
Epsilon Euskadi, but they need to shine on the city layout at the foot of
the Pyrenees. Costa is thirty-one points behind Vergne and he has no
choice but to take the maximum amount of risks. Watch out for the
guardrail! Another setback could seriously compromise his title chances.
His team-mates, Carlos Munoz and Nanhanael Berthon, are also facing the
unknown. They can count on the arrival of Miguel Otegui for the rest of
the season. He is an additional reinforcement for Joan Villadelprat's
squad that is out to take the fight to the front-runners.
Iquick Valencia rejoins the ranks of the Formula Renault 2.0 WEC for this
exceptional event. Dane Johan Jokinen and German Patrick Kronenberger
have already proved their speed in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. These
two coming men integrated into a Spanish team that is pushing to the
front, will be tough rivals for the WEC regulars, for whom Arno Santamato
and Luciano Bacheta, entered by French outfit Epsilon Sport, will also
provide additional competition.
After a forty-five-minute collective practice, the Formula Renault 2.0
West European Cup runners will have a single 30-minute qualifying
session. A good grid position is always the best way of avoiding the
pitfalls of a city circuit. So the ability to learn the layout quickly as
well as choosing the right set-up is more crucial than ever in Pau.
-credit: pau
