The 3rd round of the Norwegian National Cup was held on Sunday, June 17th at a track some 900m above sea level, in the beautiful mountainside in Valdres.
The layout of the track was fast with sharp turns and a height difference of 3.8m. Unfortunately the track was very bumpy after the cold winter. I tried the car with a one-way, but because of the bumps the car was terrible to go hard into turns with. I put in a differential with 100000 oil and the car was close to perfect.
After practice, two drivers were setting the pace… Georg Ellingsen and myself, with Frank Andersen and Anders Theodorsen close behind. Georg was giving me a hard fight, and after qualifying I took the TQ spot, and a new track record, with Georg only 0.2sec behind. Frank Andersen Qualified third. All three were driving the NT1.
Results after qualifying:
1. Helge Johannessen − XRAY NT1
2. Georg Ellingsen − XRAY NT1
3. Frank Andersen − XRAY NT1
4. Anders Theodorsen
5. Knut “Mr.Old man’ť Enger 6. Stig O. Alstad − XRAY NT1
7. Espen Myhre − XRAY NT1
8. Kai Erik Rosland
9. Rolf Dahl
10. Johnny Magnussen
(click to enlarge)
For the final I made no adjustments to my car since the car was easy and stable to drive, with minimal tire wear.
In the start, all three XRAYS went of in a line, and when Frank challenged Georg I used the opportunity to make a gap in the lead. I was leading the final for 15 minutes when I made a full-throttle hit on a car that was stopped on the straight. My steering block broke and my chances of winning disappeared.
Frank and Georg battled for the win, with Frank winning by only 4sec. Great racing!
Result after the Final:
1. Frank Andersen − XRAY NT1
2. Georg Ellingsen − XRAY NT1
3. Anders Theodorsen
4. Knut “Old Man’ť Enger
5. Rolf Dahl 6. Stig O. Alstad − XRAY NT1
7. Helge Johannessen − XRAY NT1
8. Espen Myhre − XRAY NT1
9. Kai Erik Rosland
10. Johnny Magnussen