The VEKRA-CSMS Team's gold medal weekend at the Most circuit
Last weekend, the Autodrom Most circuit saw the opening event of the Česká pojišťovna - Škoda Octavia Cup series. The VEKRA - CSMS Racing Team's six drivers contested the event in a good mood, with self-confidence boosted by the intense spring preparation.
Throughout the Friday practice sessions, all the participating drivers were setting lap times within a very tight range. Saturday's qualifying was held in wet weather conditions and the times achieved were hard to believe: the lap times of the first three drivers - one of them was Petr Fulín - were within an interval of one tenth of a second. Mateusz Lisowski and Dan Skalický finished the qualifying in fifth and eighth places respectively.
The series' opening race was held on a wet track. Petr Fulín, right after the start, managed to squeeze into a gap between the drivers in the first row and took the lead, ahead of his traditional rival, I. Vršínský. Mateusz Lisowski, in a fully competent manner, was running third. Dan Skalický started the race as the last driver of the field, after getting stuck behind Václav Brejla, whose car stopped in a rotational skid. And, Laura Hájková, too, was bedevilled by bad luck. Petr Fulín was increasing his lead over the rest of the field. In the middle of the seventeen-lap race, however, Vršínský closed the gap on him. It looked like a battle was inevitable, but Petr did not make any mistake and kept his excellent, fast pace. I. Vršínský paid dearly for his attempt, as the tyres of his car overheated. Petr Fulín won in the end, with Mateusz Lisowski in third. Tadeáš Martínek finished his debut race of the ČPŠOC series in the eleventh place, while Dan Skalický and Tiki Ivoševič were fourteenth and sixteenth respectively.
The second race was held on Sunday, 18 May, once again on a wet track, and spectators could see another round of thrilling battles. Among the team's drivers, the best placing was achieved by Mateusz Lisowski, of Poland, who came second. Petr Fulín, after a collision with Vršínský, finished in fifth place. When the race was over, Petr said: 'After the collision with Vršínský, my rival, I had to summon all my strength to take the fine fifth place. It is a pity. My car, up to the moment of the collision, was running very well, and I clocked the fastest lap time of the race with it. If the collision had not occurred, I think that I could have taken a podium spot. However, that's the way things are in motor sport.'
The VEKRA-RACING Team's drivers really enjoyed the podium ceremony. After the opening event at the Most circuit, the team leads the teams' standings, and two of its drivers, Mateusz Lisowski and Petr Fulín, each of them with 51 points, share the first place in the drivers' standings of the 2008 Česká pojišťovna - Škoda Octavia Cup after the series' opening event. In the teams' standings (kind of analogy of the Constructors' Championship), the Vekra-ČSMS Racing Team, with 102 points, has a solid lead of 15 points.
'We have coped with the entire weekend racing event without any trouble whatsoever, although we did expect some initial complication, because we had to care for six cars and a canteen for 50 persons. But everything was running without any faults. I would like to express my thanks to all members of the team, in particular, to the mechanics for the perfectly prepared cars and to the staff of the canteen for the delicious dishes and fine service. And, I must thank the manager Petr Lausecker, my right-hand man,' Petr Fulín, the team's driver and manager, said full of praise for the team.
Those who did not have time to attend the event can find the details in a comprehensive report by Mirek Budík (www.vekraracingteam.cz). The team's success has also been highlighted by the media (for example journals such as 'Právo', 'Aha', 'Deníky Bohemia', 'Sport', etc.), which also attracts attention to the team's partners. Moreover, the weekend racing event will be discussed in numerous TV news programmes this week, and TV recordings will be broadcast as well. You will find attached a list of the particular TV programmes with the respective broadcasting times.
