14 July 2014
51,000 spectators celebrate Renault’s return to the Nürburgring
For its return to the World Series by Renault calendar, the Nürburgring welcomed 51,000 spectators for round four of the 2014 Fast, Free & Fun event proposed by Renault Sport Technologies. The German public was immersed into the Renault universe all weekend long thanks to action-packed races and numerous attractions and activity centres put in place. The fans had the chance to celebrate the victories of the standout drivers in the championships organized by the French carmaker with the triumphs of Carlos Sainz and Roberto Merhi in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Nyck de Vries and Dennis Olsen in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, as well as Massimiliano Pedalà and Oscar Nogues in the Eurocup Clio… and of course the always entertaining demonstration runs by Jean Ragnotti, the Renault Sport range and of course Sébastien Buemi and Carlos Sainz at the wheel of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing F1 Show!
Reinhard Zirpel, Sales Manager, Renault Germany: “We are very happy that the World Series by Renault returned to the Nürburgring and we enjoyed a weekend of very fine sporting success. The large number of spectators that attended confirms the attractiveness of this event that allows our guests that have come with different interests to discover the Renault world. We will now capitalize on this event to contribute to the success of Renault sales In Germany. Numerous dealers came out and the Renault Germany employees were greatly involved in contributing to its success. Once again, the village attracted the public thanks to the attractions and the exhibits from the different Renault activity sectors. The spectators got the chance to see the new Mégane R.S. Trophy that recently broke the record at the Nürburgring. Renault Germany is proud that the brand chose this circuit to display the proficiency of the Mégane R.S. Trophy.”
Formula Renault 3.5 Series: Spanish drivers reign at the ‘Ring’
After a mixed meeting in Moscow, Carlos Sainz (DAMS) made amends on Saturday. The member of the Red Bull Junior Team snatched the pole in the waning seconds of qualifying before going on for the race win. Making the most of the misadventures of his closest rivals, Pierre Gasly (Arden Motorsport) and Oliver Rowland (Fortec Motorsports), the Spaniard has pulled away in the general classification. The following day, Roberto Merhi (Zeta Corse) took the pole and avoided the chaos at the first corner to take his second win this season. For their part, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Rowland retired on the opening lap to the benefit of the Lotus drivers, Matthieu Vaxiviere; back from injury and Marlon Stockinger. In the championship, Carlos Sainz increased his lead to 39 points from new number two in the general classification, Roberto Merhi.
Race 1: 1- C. Sainz, ESP (DAMS), 2- R. Merhi, ESP (Zeta Corse), 3- S. Sirotkin, RUS (Fortec Motorsports)…
Race 2: 1- R. Merhi, ESP (Zeta Corse), 2- M. Vaxiviere, FRA (Lotus), 3- M. Stockinger, PHI (Lotus)…
General classification: 1- C. Sainz 157 pts, 2- R. Merhi 118 pts, 3- P. Gasly 103 pts…
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0: Nyck de Vries and Dennis Olsen escape
After six different winners in six races, the battle for the title of mid-season champion was a wide-open affair. While Alexander Albon (KTR) scored his first pole position of the year, Nyck de Vries (Koiranen GP) showed to be uncompromising as he took the lead in the opening metres of race one. The Dutchman also became the first driver to win for the second time this season. On Sunday, Dennis Olsen (Prema Powerteam) not only won the pole, but also set fastest lap in the race and the win ahead of wild-card entry Charles Leclerc (Fortec Motorsports) and the three Koiranen GP cars. While Nyck de Vries preserves the championship lead, the member of the McLaren Young Driver Development Programme is now just 30-points ahead of Dennis Olsen, while Bruno Bonifacio (Prema Powerteam) experienced another weekend to forget.
Race 1: 1- N. de Vries, NED (Koiranen GP), 2- A. Albon, THA (KTR), 3- J. Aitken, GBR (Fortec Motorsports)…
Race 2: 1- D. Olsen, NOR (Prema Powerteam), 2- C. Leclerc, MON (Fortec Motorsports), 3- I. D’Agosto, ITA (Koiranen GP)…
General classification: 1- N. de Vries 128 pts, 2- D. Olsen 98 pts, 3- B. Bonifacio 70 pts…
Eurocup Clio: Oscar Nogues in the lead at mid-season
On the return of the Eurocup Clio, the leader in the general classification, Oscar Nogues (Rangoni Corse), claimed his first pole position of the year. However, the weather would turn everything upside down. On a drying track surface, Massimiliano Pedalà (Composit Motorsport) gambled with slick tyres from 17th place on the grid. And with success, because the Italian won the race ahead of Tomas Pekar (Lema Racing Team) and Facundo Della Motta (Pujolaracing), while the pole winner finished seventh. On Sunday, Josh Files (Team Pyro) returned to the sharp end of the order in taking his second pole position of the season. However, the Englishman dropped several places on the opening lap, before finishing on his roof on the final lap of the race. Meanwhile, Oscar Nogues took control of the race to go on for the win ahead of team mate Alex Morgan and Eric Trémoulet (Vic’Team). The Catalan driver’s success allowed him to increase his championship lead to 27 points over Massimiliano Pedalà.
Race 1: 1- M. Pedalà, ITA (Composit Motorsport), 2- T. Pekar, CZE (Lema Racing Team), 3- F. Della Motta, ARG (Pujolaracing)…
Race 2: 1- O. Nogues, ESP (Rangoni Corse), 2- A. Morgan, GBR (Rangoni Corse), 3- E. Trémoulet, FRA (Vic’Team)…
General classification: 1- O. Nogues 83 pts, 2- M. Pedalà 56 pts, 3- E. Trémoulet 46 pts…
The next round of the World Series by Renault will be held at the Hungaroring. The Formula Renault 3.5 Series and Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 will be in action in Budapest on 13 and 14 September.
