| Race Report by Jerome Sartel |
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| The first round of the French Nationals was held recently on the Boullay Mivoye track, just near Paris. |
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The weather was not very cooperative for Saturdayâ™s practice time and qualifying sessions. Yannick made the best time on the first round, with his brother a few seconds behind . I was sitting in 3rd position after the first round of qualifying.
In the second heat, the rain arrived and we had to run on the mud! The conditions were still not too bad, and it was still possible to achieve some fast times on the track.
In the final round of qualifying the track started to become bumpy and rutted, and it was more difficult to turn fast laps without making a mistake. I make a bad tyre choice, as it was impossible for me to make a good result I finally took the 3th position of qualification, after the Aigoin brothers. Savoya took the 4th position. |
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On Sunday, weather was a little better, with lots of sun, but cooler temperatures due to the wind.
In the A one semi-final, Yannick and I had a exciting battle. We were evenly matched, and the battle was entertaining, for us as well as for the spectators. Unfortunately for Yannick, his engine flamed out while he was being marshaled and I was able to seize the win in the semi.
The second semi was bit slower, Jerome Aigoin won it but, due to the winning time being a few seconds slower, I would start the main in first position. |
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In the main, I took the lead with Renaud and Yannick following close behind. After a few laps, Renaud begin to make few mistakes allowing Yannick and I to pull away. After the first fuel stop, Yannick took the lead. I made a few mistakes while trying to regain my lost position, allowing Yannick to pull ahead.
After 45 minutes of racing, I had a bad fuel stop caused by a fuel gun problem. The extra time lost trying to fix the fuel gun caused the engine to flame out. After the engine was re-started I had lost 1.5 laps and my 2nd place position.
I found myself in 4th position with time running short in the race. I was able to work my way through the crowd to regain 2nd place, saving a podium finish and securing some important points toward the French National Championships. |
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Final results:
1. Yannick Aigoin
2. Jerome Sartel XRAY XB808
3. Guillaume Vray |
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