31 May 2014
Maiden triumph for Dennis Olsen at Spa
Dennis Olsen (Prema Powerteam) has taken his first win in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. On the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Norwegian took the lead from pole winner and championship leader, Nyck de Vries (Koiranen GP) on the opening lap and never looked back. The Dutchman still managed to increase his points lead from third place finisher Bruno Bonifacio (Prema Powerteam).
Earlier in the day, Nyck de Vries claimed his second pole position of the season in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in setting a new record lap time of 2:17.058. The native of Holland shared row one with Kevin Jörg (Josef Kaufmann Racing) while Dennis Olsen and Callan O’Keeffe (ART Junior Team) lined up on row two.
While Nyck de Vries initially held on to the lead, Dennis Olsen and Levin Amweg (ART Junior Team) got past on the Combes straight. Kevin Jörg and Alexander Albon (KTR) followed the pole man at the end of a fatal first lap for Louis Delétraz (AVF), Steijn Schothorst (Manor MP Motorsport) and Jake Hughes (Mark Burdett Motorsport).
While Dennis Olsen pulled away, Nyck de Vries repassed Levin Amweg for second place, while Alexander Albon and Bruno Bonifacio (Prema Powerteam) got by Kevin Jörg. The Norwegian driver’s advantage evaporated when the safety car was called in order for the car of Denis Korneev (JD Motorsport) to be collected.
At the re-start, Dennis Olsen pulled away just until the chequered flag to score his maiden victory in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 ahead of Nyck de Vries. Bruno Bonifacio stepped onto the third step of the podium for the third time this season, thanks to a passing move on Alexander Albon on lap eight, one lap after having gotten past Levin Amweg. Egor Orudzhev (Tech 1 Racing) finished sixth ahead of Kevin Jörg, Aurélien Panis (ART Junior Team), Anthoine Hubert (Tech 1 Racing) and Ignazio D’Agosto (Koiranen GP).
Quotes
Dennis Olsen: ”It is an incredible feeling as it is my maiden victory in single-seaters! The start was a little tricky because you have to use the hand brake for the slight downhill run, but I was able to use the tow before pulling away. The re-start was the most difficult, but the car was amazing thanks to the work of everyone in the team.”
Nyck de Vries: ”To be honest, my start was rather good, but I was expecting for the guys behind me to benefit from the tow. I dropped to third place before coming back in what was a difficult race. I am rather pleased with this second place finish.”
Bruno Bonifacio: ”Qualifying didn’t go as we had hoped and we started far behind what we expected. It will have to be better tomorrow. Meanwhile, today’s race was exciting with a lot of overtaking. I have been very consistent until now, but we have to work to reach the summit.”
Provisional General Classification * : 1. N. de Vries – 55 points, 2. B. Bonifacio – 45, 3. D. Olsen – 29, 4. E. Orudzhev – 26, 5. A. Albon – 26, …
*Subject to confirmation of the results following the technical and sporting verifications.
