KISS AND RECUENCO REPEAT RACE ONE VICTORIES
Norbert Kiss and Luis Recuenco took victory in Race Two, repeating their performances from Race One.
After an action-packed day at Circuit Jarama, Race Two offered a somewhat calmer race, even though the wheel-to-wheel battles were never too hard to find. Norbert Kiss and Luis Recuenco took overall and Promoter’s Cup wins respectively, but the Spaniard pushed hard to try and hold onto what would have been his second overall victory.
He led the grid away perfectly, getting some distance between him and chasing André Kursim, who was in second to build a little bit of a buffer. Kursim, however, was looking to take his first overall win of the season, and didn’t let the home favourite disappear too far down the track.
As the duo at the front fought, Kiss was making fast progress through the field, and by the second lap of the race he was right on Kursim’s rear bumper. The German managed to hold on for a lap, defending very well, but Kiss caught him with a switch back down the main straight, taking second at the start of Lap 3.
It was an incredible display from Recuenco, who held his nerve with Kiss breathing down his neck to make his truck as wide as possible, blocking off all attempts Kiss tried on him. Even trying the switch back that had worked on Kursim, Recuenco just seemed to have an answer for the Hungarian, two hands firmly on the race win.
It was a mistake at the end of Lap 6 that allowed Kiss to pass, and sadly for Recuenco, he dropped down to sixth ending his podium hopes. Steffi Halm who benefitted most, taking the bottom step of the overall podium. Sascha Lenz ended the day with another fourth-place finish, gaining enough points on championship rival Antonio Albacete to move to third in the overall standings. The gap is now one point, so there is plenty for the pair to race for tomorrow.
José Rodrigues Snr was fifth, completing the top five just ahead of Promoter’s Cup winner Recuenco.
Jochen Hahn had a tough fight with Recuenco once the Spaniard had fallen down the order, struggling to find a way around the Le Mans race winner. By the chequered flag, there was nothing he could do and he settled for seventh knowing it gave him enough points to confirm second in the overall championship standings.
Antonio Albacete, Jamie Anderson and José Eduardo Rodrigues completed the top ten, the latter of the trio also taking second on the Promoter’s Cup podium over Clemens Hecker. John Newell and Jonathan André rounded off the classified racers, with Steffen Faas and Mark Taylor not starting Race Two.
Faas did not start due to a steering issue and Taylor, who retired halfway through Race One, had another steering spring snap, making it his third steering-related failure of the day.
The battle for third in Promoter’s Cup has now shifted, with Taylor still mathematically in with a chance, but 25 points back with only 30 remaining, it is a tall order for the Brit who failed to score any points today. He has also been jumped by Luis Recuenco, who is now fourth, with the Spaniard 16 points behind Newell in third. Recuenco has won the last four Promoter’s Cup races, and if he keeps up this form he could find himself third in the Chrome class come the chequered flag of Race Four.
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