Round 2 of the 1/8 French nats was held at the track of Mulhouse, east part of France. This track have two distinct sections, one open with high speed corner and inside a very technical corner. This combination of corner will be very difficult for the setup and also drivers.
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In our French championship we still have the additive allowed and have the qualification with the point system. In the first two qualifications we had some intermittent rain. Unfortunately I was in the first heat and had the slower track. In the last qualification I made a 2nd place behind Adrien Bertin and front of my team mate Thomas Eytard.
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In the 20 minutes semifinal I started 3rd, but had some trouble in the opening lap, so I restart from the last position. After 15 minutes, I took the lead despite one more fuel stop due to a more aggressive strategy. But 3 laps before the end I had a contact with a back markers which cost me 10 seconds. With that result I started 7th for the final.
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In the 45 minutes final, after the first fuel stop I took the 2nd place behind Arnaud Matthieu. After each lap I went up on him by tenth and was able to pass him just few laps before the tire change. During this one I lost 10 seconds and I couldnâ™t get the lead back.
Regardless of the result, I'm happy with the performance of the car, I was able to make the fastest lap of the final, 2 tenths faster than the second one, in my 2nd race ever in 1/8 category and my first race with the new RX8. It is very promising and I expect some great things happening in the next races of the championship.
