Drivers in yellow overalls did not fall behind in Division 4 of the Championship |
- 11. 6. 2006, Most-The cars of the INTERNET EXPRES Prima Team contesting the International Racing Circuit Championship of the Czech Republic took part in another round of this series, this time at the Autodrom Most racing circuit; this racing event was held there within the framework of the 2006 Česká pojišťovna - Škoda Octavia Cup Weekend. The course of the attractive three-hour touring car race on Saturday was influenced by numerous collisions. Even the safety car was brought out three times. The Sunday sprint race, too, involved several crashes, but the drivers in yellow overalls finished on the podium again in the category up to 2000 cc. On Saturday, in the three-hour endurance race, Mirek Forman and Juraj Šedivý were taking turns in the AUDI A4 ST. Jan Urban and Michal Matějovský drove the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA Cup, taking turns with the crew of the above-mentioned car. And, Stanislav Lepka and Jiří Nikodým contested the race with the second Alfa Romeo 147 GTA Cup car. These cars claimed top positions not only in the qualifying sessions of the category up to 2000 cc, but also in the actual endurance race. Unfortunately, the Alfa car of the crew Lepka - Nikodým had to retire from the race right on lap four, due to a crash. The second Alfa car, to the contrary, was running in an excellent way, and claimed the tenth place of the overall standings in the end, that is, it was third in the category up to 2000 cc. Šedivý and Forman acquitted themselves even better: they came ninth overall, that is, they were second in their category. By the way, the course of the race got complicated due to technical problems caused by tyre overheating. And, in addition to that, the AUDI car's exhaust manifold ruptured, causing a considerable loss of engine power. But the drivers kept their position, scoring valuable points for the team. On Sunday, the thirteen-lap sprint race took place, which was contested by Forman with the AUDI, by Šedivý with the Alfa Romeo 156 S 2000, and by Urban with the Alfa 147, the smaller of the two Alfa cars. And, it was Urban who encountered an unpleasant crash right at the beginning of the sprint race, on lap two, when his car left the track after a collision with another contestant; Urban's car got damaged in a crash into the guide rail. Forman and Šedivý, too, could not avoid collisions, which occurred frequently in the course of the race. But they managed to win back their respective positions. Mirek claimed tenth place of the overall standings, Juraj was twelfth, that is, they were second and third respectively in their category. And, we should add that Mirek Forman left behind two powerful BMW M3 GTR cars, and Juraj, one. On the one hand, the Sunday early-evening atmosphere in the team was agreeable because the team's collection of cups and wreaths increased and, in particular, valuable points were added to the team's tally. The technical manager Roman Seidl said: "On the other hand, this was attained at the expense of considerably damaged cars. This time, the races were very hard, and the mechanics must get ready for a really hard job. Repairs of the Octavia cars can be postponed till the middle of August, when we come back to the Autodrom Most circuit." He went on, and promised: "In two weeks' time, however, we take part in another event of the German series Divinol Tourenwagen Cup at Lausitzring, and the Alfa cars must be ready by that time." |
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