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June 16, 2004
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Running order (based in reversed order from 2004 Monaco Grand Prix Race)
Group 1 (5 cars) - Harding, Wilkinson, Tortella, Aparicio, Ponissi
Group 2 (5 cars) - Forausberger, Cummings, Maple, Mihailovic, Whiteman
Group 3 (6 cars) - Loram, Regan, McConkey, Brown, Lock, Koski
Group 4 (6 cars) - Wagner, Sleight, Elencevski, Irisarri, Goodley, Jakonen
Intro:
Hello and welcome to follow the European Grand Prix qualifying session live. European Grand Prix will be held on legendary Nürburgring track and it's 7th race of the F1VWC 2004 season.
Lap around the track:
?Powering along the start-finish straight at the Nürburgring you reach 181mph / 290km/h in sixth gear, before braking hard for the entrance to the Castrol-S chicane taken in 3rd gear, fast left - right chicane which swings you back round onto the straight.
?Powering up through the gears on the approach to the fast left, you brake from speeds of 165mph / 265km/h in fifth gear to 110mph / 177km/h in third gear to negotiate the sweeping bend. A short burst on the throttle takes you to the second gear Ford Kurve, this bumpy right hander is taken at 65mph / 104km/h. On the exit you accelerate downhill up to 185mph / 297km/h in sixth gear as you approach the hairpin, which is taken at 60mph / 96km/h in second.
?It is crucial to take a good line through the hairpin so that you can push hard and early on the throttle on the exit. Up the hill towards the Michelin Kurve you reach speeds of 175mph / 281km/h, lifting slightly for the left-right flick of the chicane, before braking hard for Michelin, dropping down to 85mph / 136km/h in third for the 90-degree left-hander. A similar right-hander, which is one of the most crucial corners on the circuit, follows and takes you onto the back straight.
?Taken flat-out, the fast, sweeping straight, with a slight right kink, sees you reach 190mph / 300km/h in seventh gear as you approach the chicane, the main overtaking opportunity at the circuit. This is another tough braking point as you drop from the highest speed at the Nurburgring to 60mph / 96km/h in second to negotiate the chicane where you have to drive aggressively over the curbs in order to carry the speed through the corner.
?Accelerating out, a short burst on the throttle sees you reach 140mph / 225km/h in fourth before dabbing the brakes for the final corner. Taken at 75mph / 120km/h and using the whole curb as you exit, the right-hander flicks you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap.?
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Group 1:
(Harding, Wilkinson, Tortella, Aparicio, Ponissi)
Harding
SCUM
Peter Harding is bout to start his qualifying lap and open our European GP qualifying session. Over the line he goes and clock start running. First sector of the track takes about 24 to 25 seconds. Also 2nd sector is almost as long as 1st sector and 2nd split time will be about 48 to 51 seconds. Also final sector takes about 25 seconds and laptimes will be about low 1:14 for the fastest ones or we may even go under that, but we will wait and see what happens. Meanwhile Harding has completed the Castrol-S section and exits now from Ford-Kurve without problems and stops the clock to show 24.582, that's right between the 24 to 25 seconds barrier I was just talking about. Very tricky Dunlop-Kehre as Germans says the Dunlop hairpin corner. Good entry is important but even more important is good exit from there into uphill section to Audi-S bends. Harding runs smooth there and enters turn-10, Michelin-Kurve and from there into Bit-Kurve and completes the 2nd sector. Time is 49.352 seconds so he his right on the time slot there too. Now flat out to the Veedol-Schikane, actually it has changes its name to NGK chicane. This is the most best overtaking place on the track, it's also very tricky to get it right as driver approach the braking area over 300kmh and this chicane is very tight. Harding gets it clean as he goes over the curbs and into final corner now, Coca-Cola-Kurve and into start finish straight to complete his lap. Lap time is 1:15.214, that's quite good start for this session.
Harding Finish Line 1
1:15.214
Wilkinson
Phoenix
Next driver to make his qual run is Phoenix F1 driver Daniel Wilkinson who is back behind the wheel after missing the Monaco GP. Actually the first 4 drivers didn't participate at Monaco, but Juan Tortella driving JTM is the only one new as race drivers. Tortella's turn is next after Wilkinson. So lets see what Daniel can do now. Aggressively through Castrol-S, next into sweeping left hander and then into Ford Kurve and downhill towards the hairpin. 1st sector time for Wilkinson show he is 0.118 seconds faster than Harding was. From Dunlop hairpin through Audi-S bends and to Michelin corner without mistakes, car looks to be going smoothly and he doesn't need to fight with it on every corner. Now accelerating from Bit-corner into long back straight and Wilkinson has kept his speed up, split time is 49.169 and that's 0.183 seconds faster than Harding did. Looks like Peter hard the P1 only for a short while. But next is the trickiest corner of the track where you really can win or loose the lap. Through NGK chicane and Wilkinson hits hard the curbs, but that's the way it have to be done to be quick there. Now only the last corner and over the line he goes and yes? he takes P1 by time of 1:15.002 and he goes first by 0.212 seconds.
Wilkinson Finish Line 1
1:15.002 -0.212
Tortella
JTM
Next we have totally new driver for the driving seat, Argentinian Juan Tortella driving on his own team. Tortella has been teams test driver and he is the team owner of Juan Tortella Motorsports, that's where the name comes from if someone has been wondering the JTM name. Team 2nd driver Matt Maple has been loaned from the team to Mapes-VO where Maple replaces Petri Loukasmäki. Tortella has been quite quick over the test sessions, so it will be interesting to see what he can do on his first qualifying session on the season. No problems at the Castrol-S chicane nor the next left-right hand combination either as Tortella sets new sector record to 1st sector and he is 0.157 seconds faster than Wilkinson was who is holding the p1 at the moment. Down into Dunlop-hairpin and from there accelerating hard trough Audi-S-Bends to Michelin corner and from there to the Bit-corner. No mistakes and he is running very smoothly and using the track very wisely. 2nd sector time is 48.721 and Juan has picked up the speed as he extends his lead to Wilkinson to now over 4 tenths of a second. Now he just needs to keep it nice and tidy through the NGK chicane and Coca-Cola corner to take P1. And he does it 1:14.329 is new poleposition time by 0.673 seconds. Wilkinson is now 2nd and Harding drops to 3rd.
Tortella Finish Line 1
1:14.329 -0.673
Aparicio
Simsoa
Javier Aparicio has been on and off from the Simsoa racing driver role, he is now back on with David Brown. Javiers best qualifying positions is 12th. Trough Castrol-S without problems and now into Ford Corner, small lock-up there but he gets the car in into corner, but that might cost some time. 1st sector time is 24.825 and he is just over half of a second down on Tortella, maybe that lock-up did cost some of that. Now he just needs to keep his head cool for the rest of the lap. Dunlop hairpin goes nicely and so does Michelin corner and Bit-corner also. 2nd sector time is 49.388 and lost only just over tenth more to Tortella, very good 2nd sector for Aparicio. He almost equals Harding sector time, so if he can gain a bit of time on last corners he might go to 3rd, also Wilkinson is only few tenths in front , so with super last sector he might go to 2nd. No no no? lock-up again into NGK chicane and car bounces all over the place over the curbs, that's no good! He keeps it under control and now enters the final corner, but that line through chicane cost him more time, I'm sure. Over the line he goes and he goes 4th 1:15.358 and just over 1 second slower than Tortella. Wilkinson keeps his 2nd place and Harding hold on to 3rd.
Aparicio Finish Line 4
1:15.358 +1.029
Ponissi
Woods Racing
Next man on track is Willy Ponissi and he will be the last driver on the 1st group. Willy didn't take part to Monaco GP, where Vincent Keersmaekers took his place and Vincent was 5th at the qualifying but didn't make it trough the 1st corner at the race. On the next group we have several drivers from that 1st lap accident who was forced to retire from the race. Ponissi is working hard behind the wheel as usual and after the first sector he is already over 1.6 seconds down on fastest sector time there set by Juan Tortella. Now he heads down into Dunlop-hairpin and small lock-up there to Willy. As you can he really tries and pushes really hard, but maybe he is trying too hard? Hard to say, but clock is ticking and it doesn't look like Willy could challenge the drivers in front on his lap. 2nd sector time is 51.912 and he is nearly 3.2 seconds now behind Tortella. He just must the car on track and on one peace to make it to the grid. Over the NGK chicane curbs without drama and now through the final corner to complete the lap. Lap time is 1:18.596 and that's 4.2 seconds off Tortella's P1 time.
Ponissi Finish Line 5
1:18.596 +4.240
This was the first group of five cars and next we are going to small break with Tortella leading the European Grand Prix qualifying.
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Group 2:
([Forausberger, Cummings,] Maple, Mihailovic, Whiteman)
Welcome back to follow live coverage from Nürburgring track, this is 7th race of the season. We just heard that Cristian Forausberger who should have been on track next and next driver after him David Cummings are both missing and wont make their qualifying laps. We just heard this and we haven't heard any reason for this.
Maple
Mapes-VO
After missing Forausberger and Cummings next car should be black'n'yellow car of Mapes-Vo team with Matt Maple behind the wheel as Petri Loukasmäki has stepped down for some reason. Maple starts his first qual run behind the wheel of his very own team. His new teammate Mikko Jakonen is currently leading the drivers championship and Mikko just won the Monaco GP. Mapes-Vo is also leading the constructors championship so Maple has big role in the team to help Mikko and the team to win both champs by the end of the season. It's also very difficult place to be as first your results are compared to your own team mate and Mikko has took 3 wins out of 6 races this season. But back to Maple's lap has he completes the 1st sector in superb time of 24.103 seconds! He is over 2 tenths of a second quicker than Tortella was on Maple's Ex-car. Dunlop hairpin goes nicely and up the hill through Audi-S bends and Michelin corner. Short straight and into Bit-corner to complete the 2nd sector, has Maple kept up the pace? Yes he has 48.330 is new sector record and he extends his lead now to 0.391 seconds to Tortella. Now Maple just needs to keep the same rhythm going and get cleanly trough NGK chicane to take p1. And he does just that 1:13.928, he is first one to go under 1:14 barrier and he takes the p1 by 0.401 seconds.
Maple Finish Line 1
1:13.928 -0.401
Mihailovic
MMRT
Miodrag Mihailovic is our next driver to make his qualifying lap on MMRT car. Mihailovic was one the 5 drivers on the opening lap accident at Monaco and his Monaco GP was over before it actually event started. Mihailovic starts his qual lap and he gets cleanly through the Castrol-S chicane and heads down into next left hander leading to Ford corner. No mistakes for him as he completes the 1st sector by 24.498 seconds and that's nearly 4 tenths off Maple's P1 sector time. Mihailovic is slightly faster than Harding was and just behind Wilkinson. Wilkinson and Harding are currently on 3rd and 4th places. 2nd sector for Mihailovic shows he has lost out to Harding now, sector time is 49.565 and he is 1.235 seconds off Maple pace. Harding's 2nd sector time was 49.352 so Michailovic needs to find few tenths quicker line trough final corners to take 4th place from Harding. Good line at the chicane and final corner and over the line he goes. 1:15.326, that's good for 5th place behind Harding, he made up the lost time on final sector but not enough.
Mihailovic Finish Line 5
1:15.326 +1.398
Whiteman
EIRE
Scott Whiteman started the season with 3 poles and 3 wins in a row, but then he hit the technical gremlins on his EIRE outfit as he was forced to retire at Imola where he was leading. He had to retire at Barcelona and Monaco also. So can Scott get back up to the middle step on the podium? Are those technical worries sorted out? Scott starts his flying lap on very aggressive way as he kicks up the dust on the Castrol-S chicane, 1st sector time is 24.082 and he is in front! Only by 21 thousands but still. Maybe a bit wide entry line into Dunlop hairpin, but that should give him good exit speed. He is really using the every inch of the track and a bit more at the Michelin and Bit corners. 2nd sector time is? 48.527 he has lost his advantage over Maple and now trails him by 0.197 seconds, can he make it back at the NGK chicane? Car jumps over the curbs hard at the chicane as Scott is really giving it all on his qual lap. Now exit from final corner and over the line goes to take? 2nd place! 1:14.037 is not enough and Maple still holds the p1 by 0.109 seconds margin over Whiteman. Is that a smile we see at Maple face at the pitlane? I think he is quite happy now.
Whiteman Finish Line 2
1:14.037 +0.109
After 2nd group Maple leads this qualifying. Whiteman is 2nd and Juan Tortella is 3rd. But we have still some 12 drivers to make their qual runs.
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Group 3:
(Loram, Regan, McConkey, Brown, Lock, Koski)
3rd groups is bout to start their qual runs. First we will have Whiteman's team mate Ross Loram on track
Loram
EIRE
Ross Loram and 2nd of the Eire cars are bout to start the flying lap. Can Ross finally break into top-10, his best qualifying positions has been 8th and best race position is 5th, meanwhile his teammate dominated the first 3 races of the season. First sector 25.001 doesn't look too promising start for the lap for Ross as he is already nearly 9 tenths off the pace, he might be using heavier car also, but if he keeps loosing that much over each sector he has big work to be done at the race when he tries to climb up the pack. 2nd sector time is 49.866 and he is now 1.5 seconds off Maple's pace. Over the cubs at NGK chicane and into final corner, he will beat Ponissi, but that's it. He will have big work at the race to get up into points. Over the line he goes and he takes 8th place, lap time is 1:16.127 and that's 2.2 seconds slower than Maple's P1 time.
Loram Finish Line 8
1:16.127 +2.199
Regan
SCUM
Dan Regan on 2nd of SCUM cars, teammate Peter Harding is currently on 5th place, can Regan challenge Harding's time or will Peter win this duel? 1st sector for Regan is slowish 25.287 and by that time he is already 1.184 seconds down on Maple and his teammate Harding did 24.582 so I'm quite sure Peter does won this duel. 2nd sector time for Regan doesn't show much better development on the gap as he is now 2.1 seconds off Maple's pace and Loram who just got back to pitlane did 6 tenths quicker sector time and Loram went down on 8th place so this looks like 9th for Regan with only Ponissi behind him. Over the line he goes to complete the lap, lap time is 1:16.396 and indeed he goes 9th behind Loram.
Regan Finish Line 9
1:16.396 +2.468
McConkey
MMC Racing
Next is Ryan McConkey who was in very good speed over the winter test sessions, but hasn't managed to get into that speed over the season. Now it would be good time to make it. 1st sector time for Ryan is very good, 24.066 is 37 thousands of a second quicker than Maple did. Through Dunlop hairpin and Audi-s bends, BMW engine should have the power to climb that hill, BMW is one of the most powerful engines out there with Honda and Maple had Honda engine on his Mapes-VO car. Michelin corner and Bit-corner without drama and Ryan completes 2nd sector in time of 48.414 seconds, he is now 84 thousands behind Maple but with spot-on last sector he can take it back and make the difference to his advantage. Hard over the cubs and cleanly through final corner, will Ryan take p1 from Maple? oh? no he goes 2nd by 25 thousands! It was really close one, lap time 1:13.953 and he is 2nd to go under 1:14 barrier. Maybe not a pole this time for Ryan, but good lap still, I think both Maple and McConkey will be high with those times, first 2 front rows I would say.
McConkey Finish Line 2
1:13.953 +0.025
Brown
Simsoa
David Brown is next up on 2nd of Simsoa cars. Teammate Javier Aparicio is currently on 8th place, Aparicio's time was 1:15.358. 1st sector for David is 24.560, that's 0.457 seconds off Maple's pace but he is faster than his teammate earlier by some 3 tenths of a second. Dunlop hairpin and Audi-S bends without drama and into Michelin corner and then into Bit-corner and over the sector line he goes. 2nd sector time is 49.190 and he is now 0.860 seconds off Maple's pace, but he is very close to Wilkinson's time and Wilkinson is currently on 5th place. If Brown found few hundreds on last sector compared to Wilkinson he takes 5th from Phoenix F1 driver. Nicely trough NGK chicane, very fast there and now into final corner and good exit from there too and over the line he goes and he takes 5th, he takes 5th from Wilkinson and had superb final sector, lap time 1:14.923 is 0.995 seconds slower, but looking David's final sector time he lost to Maple only 0.135 seconds more rather the same 4 tenths as in first 2 sectors.
Brown Finish Line 5
1:14.923 +0.995
Lock
JTM
Toby Lock and 2nd of JTM cars is ready start the flying lap. Lock's new teammate Juan Tortella is currently on 4th place and Lock surely wants to beat his new teammate and why not his ex-teammate Matt Maple who leads at the moment. 1st sector with drama to him and sector time is 24.397, not quite on Maple's pace but relatively good sector time still. Also 2nd sector without drama and although Lock has been quite constant over the qualifying and races this year he hasn't scored points yet. 2nd sector time is 48.978, he lost over 3 tenths more to Maple and also Tortella was few tenths quicker trough there. Now into final corners for Toby to complete his qual lap, no mistakes on NGK chicane nor last corner either and over the line he goes and he takes 5th place by time of 1:14.859 which is 0.931 seconds slower than Maple did and he also lost out to his teammate by half a second.
Lock Finish Line 5
1:14.859 +0.931
Koski
FinOz Racing
Last driver on 3rd group is Kari Koski driving FinOz Racing Ferrari. Kari had terrible race at Monaco where he wasn't happy at all with the feedback of the car and complained he had lost all the trust to the car and between steel barriers is very important to have the trust and right feeling. At Monaco Kari started with 2 stop strategy from 10th place on the grid but at the end of the day his position was still the same 10th when chequired flag was out. Meanwhile his teammate Steve Elencevski was right up to provisional 2nd place, but on the post race scrutineering was found to have illegal plank wear on the front two corners and he was given 1 minute time penalty. But back to Kari's qual lap has he is already approaching the Dunlop Hairpin. Kari's first sector time was 24.176 and that's only 0.073 seconds off Maple's sector record. Now into 2nd sector and some very fast sections of the track and corners like Michelin and Bit really shakes up the car, setup and driver, every extra kg of fuel compared to competitor will be shown as lost time and Kari's 2nd sector time just shows that, either he has heavier car or he was just slower than Maple on this sector, we have to wait till race day to find out what were the fuel levels, but sector time 48.750 is over 4 tenths off Maple's p1 time. Tortella who is currently on 4th place had 48.721 at 2nd sector so with good final sector Kari might beat the Argentinean. Hard over the curbs at NGK chicane and into final corner, Kari uses all curb on the exit and kicks up the dust. Will it be 4th or 5th from him? he goes to 4th 1:14.178 superb last sector and Kari reduces the gap from 0.420 seconds down to 0.250.
Koski Finish Line 4
1:14.178 +0.250
After 3 groups and what should have been 16 cars but with two missing drivers we have had 14 cars on track so far. Maple leads with McConkey, Whiteman and Koski right behind. Still 6 cars to go including drivers like Sleight, Elencevski and last 3 races winning Mikko Jakonen.
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Group 4:
(Wagner, Sleight, Elencevski, Irisarri, Goodley, Jakonen)
Final group of 6 cars, first driver on this group is Swiss Andreas Wagner on Puma F1 car. We all remember Wagner's huge qual laps at Imola and Barcelona, can he pull something like that also in here? What will do season opening Melbourne qualifying poleman Paul Sleight? Or Imola poleman Steve Elencevski who was both happy and disappointed after Monaco GP, first he was happy after team found solution to the steering problems and then disappointed after he was given 1 minute penalty. Chris Goodley was one the positive surprises of Monaco GP with his great run to 4th place there. And last but not least will see Mikko Jakonen on track, Mikko has won last 3 races after Whiteman's run was over at Imola.
Wagner
Puma F1
Andreas Wagner starts his flying lap, it will be interesting to see what he can do here after suprises at Imola and Barcelona. 1st sector time doesn't predict anything very special for the Puma driver, actually far from it 24.789 is 0.686 seconds off Maple's time and only Loram, Regan and Ponissi has done over 25 seconds time on 1st split. Can he catch up at the 2nd sector? Looks like no, 49.680 is 1.35 seconds off Maple's time and he is still too far behind to challenge others than Loram, Regan and Ponissi. Loram is currently on 12th place so Wagner could take that position from him. Over the line goes the solo-Puma F1 driver as Cummings failed to get his car on track for some unknown reason. Wagner's time is 1:15.924, that's nearly 2 seconds down on Maple's time and he goes 12th in front of Loram.
Wagner Finish Line 12
1:15.924 +1.996
Sleight
MMC Racing
Paul Sleight started the season in style by driving on poleposition at Melbourne, after than results haven't been so good and he has had only 18 points so far. Teammate Ryan McConkey is still on very good position as he is on 2nd place. Sleight starts his flying lap and he is looking smooth on first corners as was his teammate too. 1st sector time for him is 24.164 and that's only 61 thousands off Maple's time and although McConkey was faster than Maple trough 1st sector, it's still good start for the lap. Dunlop hairpin goes nicely and so does the Michelin and Bit corners also, but what is the sector time? it's 48.724 he has lost 3 tenths more and is now nearly 4 tenths behind Maple. Tortella and Koski did 48.7 on 2nd sector and Koski is currently on 4th and Tortella is right behind on 5th place. Now into final corners and trough NGK chicane where you can loose a lot of time if you don't get it right, but Sleight has no such problems there and now from final corner into start finish straight and he goes to? 6th just didn't quite make it to Koski's and Tortella's times. Lap time 1:14.407 is 0.479 seconds off Maple's time and teammate McConkey was also 4 tenths quicker this time.
Sleight Finish Line 6
1:14.407 +0.479
Elencevksi
FinOz Racing
Matt Maple has hold the p1 from early stages of this session, now there is only 4 to go, but Steve Elencevski is one of the biggest threat to Maple over the fight of poleposition. Steve scored FinOz Racing's first ever pole at Imola and it's only a matter of time when the first win also come. Steve starts his flying lap and it's a real flyer! 1st sector time is 23.918 and that's massive 0.185 seconds faster than Maple did! Steve's car looks to be like clued to the track it goes just so smoothly and Steve doesn't fight with the car at the corners, he just turns once the wheel and goes through the corner without corrections and that's the only fast way to do it. 2nd sector time is 48.292 and he has lost most of his advantage! He is now only 38 thousands in front, this one will be very close, it's now up to the final corners and how Steve can go over the NGK chicane curbs, can he take p1 from Maple? Look at that! What a balance and setup for the NGK chicane curbs, car just goes so smoothly there no extra bounces or anything, now into final corner and no mistake there either and Steve goes over the line and he takes p1 by over half a second! 1:13.422 that's unbelievable, look that gap! What a last sector, I must say that was superb last sector from the Aussie. Team manager and teammate Kari Koski is smiling the FinOz stand at the pit wall. Maple looks the monitors shakes his head, dunno is that for the disappointment for not getting the pole or for the Steve's final sector time which was awesome.
Elencevski Finish Line 1
1:13.422 -0.506
Irisarri
Phoenix F1
3 to go, Irisarri, Goodley and Jakonen, will Elencevski's time hold on till the end? Will Maple start from front row? What can 3 times race winner Jakonen do? But first we have 2nd of Phoenix cars on track as Antonio Irisarri starts his flying lap. 1st sector 24.546 that's over 6 tenths off Steve's time, teammate Wilkinson was one tenth quicker there. Without mistakes Irisarri completes the 2nd sector also and the time is 49.150 that's over 8 tenths off Steve's pole time both Brown and Wilkinson had 49.1 sector time and Brown is currently on 9th place and Wilkinson right behind on 10th place. Now into final corners and through NGK chicane Irisarri goes without problems and now he accelerates from final corner and over the line he goes to take?. 11th place, lap time 1:15.045 is 1.623 seconds off Steve's pole time and he looses out to Brown and Wilkinson also. Teammate Wilkinson was just 43 thousands quicker.
Irisarri Finish Line 11
1:15.045 +1.623
Goodley
Woods Racing
2 to go, first of them is Chris Goodley driving Woods Racing Toyota. Goodley did superb job at Monaco where he stayed out of troubles and at then end he was 5th place which became 4th after Elencevski got 1 minute time penalty, anyway first points for the team from the most demanding race of the season. 1st sector time for Goodley is 24.728 and that's 8 tenths off pole time and it's about Wagner - Aparicio level. Aparico is currently on 14th place. 2nd sector time for Goodley shows he has lost 7 tenths more and is no 1.582 seconds off pole time, but now Aparicio is far in front, gap to Wagner is roughly 2 tenths and Loram is now the same time as Goodley. Wagner is 15th and Loram on 16th place. Through NGK chicane nicely without drama and good exit from final corner also and over the line he goes to complete the lap. Lap time is 1:5.726, that's 2.3 seconds off pole time and Goodley goes to 15th he moves back in front of Wagner at the final sector.
Goodley Finish Line 15
1:15.726 +2.304
Jakonen
Mapes-VO
Only 1 to go, will Steve start from pole? Will Maple be on front row? Or will Monaco race winner Mikko Jakonen spoil FinOz party and drop his new teammate from front row, soon we will find out. 1st sector for Mikko doesn't look too promising for him 24.481 is over half a second slower than Steve did, so looks like it's 2nd pole of the season from Elencevski and Maple will be starting alongside the Aussie from front row. Dunlop-hairpin without drama and now up the hill into Michelin and Bit -corners to complete the 2nd sector. Mikko's 2nd sector time is 48.905 and that's 0.6 seconds off Steve's poletime, Koski, Tortella and Sleight all had 48.7 on 2nd sector and Lock did 48.9. Lock is currently on 8th so Mikko's lap could be good for 4th row on the grid maybe? Throught NGK chicane and into final corner to start finish line and Mikko goes to 8th place 1:14.853 and he was 1.161 seconds slower than Elencevski and celebrations at FinOz garage starts.
Jakonen Finish Line 8
1:14.583 +1.161
Summary
Steve Elencevski took the poleposition by "country mile" thanx to superb last sector. Actually both FinOz drvers had great final sector as Kari was 2nd quickest through the NGK chicane and Coca-Cola corner. Matt Maple hold the p1 from long time but was finally dropped to 2nd place. Still 2nd place was very good for him after awfull start for the season. Maple had to jump from JTM to his co-owned Mapes-VO team after Petri Loukasmäki had to step down from race drivers role. Also few other new nemes on the grid with Juan Tortella takin Maple's seast at JTM and qualifying to 6th. Championship leader Mikko Jakonen down on 8th place, but race will be long 66 lapper and anything can happen as we have seen before
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1 Elencevski 1:13.422
2 Maple +0.506
3 McConkey +0.531
4 Whiteman +0.615
5 Koski +0.756
6 Tortella +0.907
7 Sleight +0.985
8 Jakonen +1.161
9 Lock +1.437
10 Brown +1.501
11 Wilkinson +1.580
12 Irisarri +1.623
13 Harding +1.792
14 Mihailovic +1.904
15 Aparicio +1.936
16 Wagner +2.304
17 Loram +2.502
18 Regan +2.705
19 Goodley +2.974
20 Ponissi +5.174
Forausberger
Cummings
Poleposition development
Harding Finish Line
1:15.214
Wilkinson Finish Line
1:15.002 -0.212
Tortella Finish Line
1:14.329 -0.673
Maple Finish Line
1:13.928 -0.401
Elencevski Finish Line
1:13.422 -0.506
Group 1 (5 cars) - Harding, Wilkinson, Tortella, Aparicio, Ponissi
Group 2 (5 cars) - Forausberger, Cummings, Maple, Mihailovic, Whiteman
Group 3 (6 cars) - Loram, Regan, McConkey, Brown, Lock, Koski
Group 4 (6 cars) - Wagner, Sleight, Elencevski, Irisarri, Goodley, Jakonen
Intro:
Hello and welcome to follow the European Grand Prix qualifying session live. European Grand Prix will be held on legendary Nürburgring track and it's 7th race of the F1VWC 2004 season.
Lap around the track:
?Powering along the start-finish straight at the Nürburgring you reach 181mph / 290km/h in sixth gear, before braking hard for the entrance to the Castrol-S chicane taken in 3rd gear, fast left - right chicane which swings you back round onto the straight.
?Powering up through the gears on the approach to the fast left, you brake from speeds of 165mph / 265km/h in fifth gear to 110mph / 177km/h in third gear to negotiate the sweeping bend. A short burst on the throttle takes you to the second gear Ford Kurve, this bumpy right hander is taken at 65mph / 104km/h. On the exit you accelerate downhill up to 185mph / 297km/h in sixth gear as you approach the hairpin, which is taken at 60mph / 96km/h in second.
?It is crucial to take a good line through the hairpin so that you can push hard and early on the throttle on the exit. Up the hill towards the Michelin Kurve you reach speeds of 175mph / 281km/h, lifting slightly for the left-right flick of the chicane, before braking hard for Michelin, dropping down to 85mph / 136km/h in third for the 90-degree left-hander. A similar right-hander, which is one of the most crucial corners on the circuit, follows and takes you onto the back straight.
?Taken flat-out, the fast, sweeping straight, with a slight right kink, sees you reach 190mph / 300km/h in seventh gear as you approach the chicane, the main overtaking opportunity at the circuit. This is another tough braking point as you drop from the highest speed at the Nurburgring to 60mph / 96km/h in second to negotiate the chicane where you have to drive aggressively over the curbs in order to carry the speed through the corner.
?Accelerating out, a short burst on the throttle sees you reach 140mph / 225km/h in fourth before dabbing the brakes for the final corner. Taken at 75mph / 120km/h and using the whole curb as you exit, the right-hander flicks you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap.?
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Group 1:
(Harding, Wilkinson, Tortella, Aparicio, Ponissi)
Harding
SCUM
Peter Harding is bout to start his qualifying lap and open our European GP qualifying session. Over the line he goes and clock start running. First sector of the track takes about 24 to 25 seconds. Also 2nd sector is almost as long as 1st sector and 2nd split time will be about 48 to 51 seconds. Also final sector takes about 25 seconds and laptimes will be about low 1:14 for the fastest ones or we may even go under that, but we will wait and see what happens. Meanwhile Harding has completed the Castrol-S section and exits now from Ford-Kurve without problems and stops the clock to show 24.582, that's right between the 24 to 25 seconds barrier I was just talking about. Very tricky Dunlop-Kehre as Germans says the Dunlop hairpin corner. Good entry is important but even more important is good exit from there into uphill section to Audi-S bends. Harding runs smooth there and enters turn-10, Michelin-Kurve and from there into Bit-Kurve and completes the 2nd sector. Time is 49.352 seconds so he his right on the time slot there too. Now flat out to the Veedol-Schikane, actually it has changes its name to NGK chicane. This is the most best overtaking place on the track, it's also very tricky to get it right as driver approach the braking area over 300kmh and this chicane is very tight. Harding gets it clean as he goes over the curbs and into final corner now, Coca-Cola-Kurve and into start finish straight to complete his lap. Lap time is 1:15.214, that's quite good start for this session.
Harding Finish Line 1
1:15.214
Wilkinson
Phoenix
Next driver to make his qual run is Phoenix F1 driver Daniel Wilkinson who is back behind the wheel after missing the Monaco GP. Actually the first 4 drivers didn't participate at Monaco, but Juan Tortella driving JTM is the only one new as race drivers. Tortella's turn is next after Wilkinson. So lets see what Daniel can do now. Aggressively through Castrol-S, next into sweeping left hander and then into Ford Kurve and downhill towards the hairpin. 1st sector time for Wilkinson show he is 0.118 seconds faster than Harding was. From Dunlop hairpin through Audi-S bends and to Michelin corner without mistakes, car looks to be going smoothly and he doesn't need to fight with it on every corner. Now accelerating from Bit-corner into long back straight and Wilkinson has kept his speed up, split time is 49.169 and that's 0.183 seconds faster than Harding did. Looks like Peter hard the P1 only for a short while. But next is the trickiest corner of the track where you really can win or loose the lap. Through NGK chicane and Wilkinson hits hard the curbs, but that's the way it have to be done to be quick there. Now only the last corner and over the line he goes and yes? he takes P1 by time of 1:15.002 and he goes first by 0.212 seconds.
Wilkinson Finish Line 1
1:15.002 -0.212
Tortella
JTM
Next we have totally new driver for the driving seat, Argentinian Juan Tortella driving on his own team. Tortella has been teams test driver and he is the team owner of Juan Tortella Motorsports, that's where the name comes from if someone has been wondering the JTM name. Team 2nd driver Matt Maple has been loaned from the team to Mapes-VO where Maple replaces Petri Loukasmäki. Tortella has been quite quick over the test sessions, so it will be interesting to see what he can do on his first qualifying session on the season. No problems at the Castrol-S chicane nor the next left-right hand combination either as Tortella sets new sector record to 1st sector and he is 0.157 seconds faster than Wilkinson was who is holding the p1 at the moment. Down into Dunlop-hairpin and from there accelerating hard trough Audi-S-Bends to Michelin corner and from there to the Bit-corner. No mistakes and he is running very smoothly and using the track very wisely. 2nd sector time is 48.721 and Juan has picked up the speed as he extends his lead to Wilkinson to now over 4 tenths of a second. Now he just needs to keep it nice and tidy through the NGK chicane and Coca-Cola corner to take P1. And he does it 1:14.329 is new poleposition time by 0.673 seconds. Wilkinson is now 2nd and Harding drops to 3rd.
Tortella Finish Line 1
1:14.329 -0.673
Aparicio
Simsoa
Javier Aparicio has been on and off from the Simsoa racing driver role, he is now back on with David Brown. Javiers best qualifying positions is 12th. Trough Castrol-S without problems and now into Ford Corner, small lock-up there but he gets the car in into corner, but that might cost some time. 1st sector time is 24.825 and he is just over half of a second down on Tortella, maybe that lock-up did cost some of that. Now he just needs to keep his head cool for the rest of the lap. Dunlop hairpin goes nicely and so does Michelin corner and Bit-corner also. 2nd sector time is 49.388 and lost only just over tenth more to Tortella, very good 2nd sector for Aparicio. He almost equals Harding sector time, so if he can gain a bit of time on last corners he might go to 3rd, also Wilkinson is only few tenths in front , so with super last sector he might go to 2nd. No no no? lock-up again into NGK chicane and car bounces all over the place over the curbs, that's no good! He keeps it under control and now enters the final corner, but that line through chicane cost him more time, I'm sure. Over the line he goes and he goes 4th 1:15.358 and just over 1 second slower than Tortella. Wilkinson keeps his 2nd place and Harding hold on to 3rd.
Aparicio Finish Line 4
1:15.358 +1.029
Ponissi
Woods Racing
Next man on track is Willy Ponissi and he will be the last driver on the 1st group. Willy didn't take part to Monaco GP, where Vincent Keersmaekers took his place and Vincent was 5th at the qualifying but didn't make it trough the 1st corner at the race. On the next group we have several drivers from that 1st lap accident who was forced to retire from the race. Ponissi is working hard behind the wheel as usual and after the first sector he is already over 1.6 seconds down on fastest sector time there set by Juan Tortella. Now he heads down into Dunlop-hairpin and small lock-up there to Willy. As you can he really tries and pushes really hard, but maybe he is trying too hard? Hard to say, but clock is ticking and it doesn't look like Willy could challenge the drivers in front on his lap. 2nd sector time is 51.912 and he is nearly 3.2 seconds now behind Tortella. He just must the car on track and on one peace to make it to the grid. Over the NGK chicane curbs without drama and now through the final corner to complete the lap. Lap time is 1:18.596 and that's 4.2 seconds off Tortella's P1 time.
Ponissi Finish Line 5
1:18.596 +4.240
This was the first group of five cars and next we are going to small break with Tortella leading the European Grand Prix qualifying.
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Group 2:
([Forausberger, Cummings,] Maple, Mihailovic, Whiteman)
Welcome back to follow live coverage from Nürburgring track, this is 7th race of the season. We just heard that Cristian Forausberger who should have been on track next and next driver after him David Cummings are both missing and wont make their qualifying laps. We just heard this and we haven't heard any reason for this.
Maple
Mapes-VO
After missing Forausberger and Cummings next car should be black'n'yellow car of Mapes-Vo team with Matt Maple behind the wheel as Petri Loukasmäki has stepped down for some reason. Maple starts his first qual run behind the wheel of his very own team. His new teammate Mikko Jakonen is currently leading the drivers championship and Mikko just won the Monaco GP. Mapes-Vo is also leading the constructors championship so Maple has big role in the team to help Mikko and the team to win both champs by the end of the season. It's also very difficult place to be as first your results are compared to your own team mate and Mikko has took 3 wins out of 6 races this season. But back to Maple's lap has he completes the 1st sector in superb time of 24.103 seconds! He is over 2 tenths of a second quicker than Tortella was on Maple's Ex-car. Dunlop hairpin goes nicely and up the hill through Audi-S bends and Michelin corner. Short straight and into Bit-corner to complete the 2nd sector, has Maple kept up the pace? Yes he has 48.330 is new sector record and he extends his lead now to 0.391 seconds to Tortella. Now Maple just needs to keep the same rhythm going and get cleanly trough NGK chicane to take p1. And he does just that 1:13.928, he is first one to go under 1:14 barrier and he takes the p1 by 0.401 seconds.
Maple Finish Line 1
1:13.928 -0.401
Mihailovic
MMRT
Miodrag Mihailovic is our next driver to make his qualifying lap on MMRT car. Mihailovic was one the 5 drivers on the opening lap accident at Monaco and his Monaco GP was over before it actually event started. Mihailovic starts his qual lap and he gets cleanly through the Castrol-S chicane and heads down into next left hander leading to Ford corner. No mistakes for him as he completes the 1st sector by 24.498 seconds and that's nearly 4 tenths off Maple's P1 sector time. Mihailovic is slightly faster than Harding was and just behind Wilkinson. Wilkinson and Harding are currently on 3rd and 4th places. 2nd sector for Mihailovic shows he has lost out to Harding now, sector time is 49.565 and he is 1.235 seconds off Maple pace. Harding's 2nd sector time was 49.352 so Michailovic needs to find few tenths quicker line trough final corners to take 4th place from Harding. Good line at the chicane and final corner and over the line he goes. 1:15.326, that's good for 5th place behind Harding, he made up the lost time on final sector but not enough.
Mihailovic Finish Line 5
1:15.326 +1.398
Whiteman
EIRE
Scott Whiteman started the season with 3 poles and 3 wins in a row, but then he hit the technical gremlins on his EIRE outfit as he was forced to retire at Imola where he was leading. He had to retire at Barcelona and Monaco also. So can Scott get back up to the middle step on the podium? Are those technical worries sorted out? Scott starts his flying lap on very aggressive way as he kicks up the dust on the Castrol-S chicane, 1st sector time is 24.082 and he is in front! Only by 21 thousands but still. Maybe a bit wide entry line into Dunlop hairpin, but that should give him good exit speed. He is really using the every inch of the track and a bit more at the Michelin and Bit corners. 2nd sector time is? 48.527 he has lost his advantage over Maple and now trails him by 0.197 seconds, can he make it back at the NGK chicane? Car jumps over the curbs hard at the chicane as Scott is really giving it all on his qual lap. Now exit from final corner and over the line goes to take? 2nd place! 1:14.037 is not enough and Maple still holds the p1 by 0.109 seconds margin over Whiteman. Is that a smile we see at Maple face at the pitlane? I think he is quite happy now.
Whiteman Finish Line 2
1:14.037 +0.109
After 2nd group Maple leads this qualifying. Whiteman is 2nd and Juan Tortella is 3rd. But we have still some 12 drivers to make their qual runs.
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Group 3:
(Loram, Regan, McConkey, Brown, Lock, Koski)
3rd groups is bout to start their qual runs. First we will have Whiteman's team mate Ross Loram on track
Loram
EIRE
Ross Loram and 2nd of the Eire cars are bout to start the flying lap. Can Ross finally break into top-10, his best qualifying positions has been 8th and best race position is 5th, meanwhile his teammate dominated the first 3 races of the season. First sector 25.001 doesn't look too promising start for the lap for Ross as he is already nearly 9 tenths off the pace, he might be using heavier car also, but if he keeps loosing that much over each sector he has big work to be done at the race when he tries to climb up the pack. 2nd sector time is 49.866 and he is now 1.5 seconds off Maple's pace. Over the cubs at NGK chicane and into final corner, he will beat Ponissi, but that's it. He will have big work at the race to get up into points. Over the line he goes and he takes 8th place, lap time is 1:16.127 and that's 2.2 seconds slower than Maple's P1 time.
Loram Finish Line 8
1:16.127 +2.199
Regan
SCUM
Dan Regan on 2nd of SCUM cars, teammate Peter Harding is currently on 5th place, can Regan challenge Harding's time or will Peter win this duel? 1st sector for Regan is slowish 25.287 and by that time he is already 1.184 seconds down on Maple and his teammate Harding did 24.582 so I'm quite sure Peter does won this duel. 2nd sector time for Regan doesn't show much better development on the gap as he is now 2.1 seconds off Maple's pace and Loram who just got back to pitlane did 6 tenths quicker sector time and Loram went down on 8th place so this looks like 9th for Regan with only Ponissi behind him. Over the line he goes to complete the lap, lap time is 1:16.396 and indeed he goes 9th behind Loram.
Regan Finish Line 9
1:16.396 +2.468
McConkey
MMC Racing
Next is Ryan McConkey who was in very good speed over the winter test sessions, but hasn't managed to get into that speed over the season. Now it would be good time to make it. 1st sector time for Ryan is very good, 24.066 is 37 thousands of a second quicker than Maple did. Through Dunlop hairpin and Audi-s bends, BMW engine should have the power to climb that hill, BMW is one of the most powerful engines out there with Honda and Maple had Honda engine on his Mapes-VO car. Michelin corner and Bit-corner without drama and Ryan completes 2nd sector in time of 48.414 seconds, he is now 84 thousands behind Maple but with spot-on last sector he can take it back and make the difference to his advantage. Hard over the cubs and cleanly through final corner, will Ryan take p1 from Maple? oh? no he goes 2nd by 25 thousands! It was really close one, lap time 1:13.953 and he is 2nd to go under 1:14 barrier. Maybe not a pole this time for Ryan, but good lap still, I think both Maple and McConkey will be high with those times, first 2 front rows I would say.
McConkey Finish Line 2
1:13.953 +0.025
Brown
Simsoa
David Brown is next up on 2nd of Simsoa cars. Teammate Javier Aparicio is currently on 8th place, Aparicio's time was 1:15.358. 1st sector for David is 24.560, that's 0.457 seconds off Maple's pace but he is faster than his teammate earlier by some 3 tenths of a second. Dunlop hairpin and Audi-S bends without drama and into Michelin corner and then into Bit-corner and over the sector line he goes. 2nd sector time is 49.190 and he is now 0.860 seconds off Maple's pace, but he is very close to Wilkinson's time and Wilkinson is currently on 5th place. If Brown found few hundreds on last sector compared to Wilkinson he takes 5th from Phoenix F1 driver. Nicely trough NGK chicane, very fast there and now into final corner and good exit from there too and over the line he goes and he takes 5th, he takes 5th from Wilkinson and had superb final sector, lap time 1:14.923 is 0.995 seconds slower, but looking David's final sector time he lost to Maple only 0.135 seconds more rather the same 4 tenths as in first 2 sectors.
Brown Finish Line 5
1:14.923 +0.995
Lock
JTM
Toby Lock and 2nd of JTM cars is ready start the flying lap. Lock's new teammate Juan Tortella is currently on 4th place and Lock surely wants to beat his new teammate and why not his ex-teammate Matt Maple who leads at the moment. 1st sector with drama to him and sector time is 24.397, not quite on Maple's pace but relatively good sector time still. Also 2nd sector without drama and although Lock has been quite constant over the qualifying and races this year he hasn't scored points yet. 2nd sector time is 48.978, he lost over 3 tenths more to Maple and also Tortella was few tenths quicker trough there. Now into final corners for Toby to complete his qual lap, no mistakes on NGK chicane nor last corner either and over the line he goes and he takes 5th place by time of 1:14.859 which is 0.931 seconds slower than Maple did and he also lost out to his teammate by half a second.
Lock Finish Line 5
1:14.859 +0.931
Koski
FinOz Racing
Last driver on 3rd group is Kari Koski driving FinOz Racing Ferrari. Kari had terrible race at Monaco where he wasn't happy at all with the feedback of the car and complained he had lost all the trust to the car and between steel barriers is very important to have the trust and right feeling. At Monaco Kari started with 2 stop strategy from 10th place on the grid but at the end of the day his position was still the same 10th when chequired flag was out. Meanwhile his teammate Steve Elencevski was right up to provisional 2nd place, but on the post race scrutineering was found to have illegal plank wear on the front two corners and he was given 1 minute time penalty. But back to Kari's qual lap has he is already approaching the Dunlop Hairpin. Kari's first sector time was 24.176 and that's only 0.073 seconds off Maple's sector record. Now into 2nd sector and some very fast sections of the track and corners like Michelin and Bit really shakes up the car, setup and driver, every extra kg of fuel compared to competitor will be shown as lost time and Kari's 2nd sector time just shows that, either he has heavier car or he was just slower than Maple on this sector, we have to wait till race day to find out what were the fuel levels, but sector time 48.750 is over 4 tenths off Maple's p1 time. Tortella who is currently on 4th place had 48.721 at 2nd sector so with good final sector Kari might beat the Argentinean. Hard over the curbs at NGK chicane and into final corner, Kari uses all curb on the exit and kicks up the dust. Will it be 4th or 5th from him? he goes to 4th 1:14.178 superb last sector and Kari reduces the gap from 0.420 seconds down to 0.250.
Koski Finish Line 4
1:14.178 +0.250
After 3 groups and what should have been 16 cars but with two missing drivers we have had 14 cars on track so far. Maple leads with McConkey, Whiteman and Koski right behind. Still 6 cars to go including drivers like Sleight, Elencevski and last 3 races winning Mikko Jakonen.
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Group 4:
(Wagner, Sleight, Elencevski, Irisarri, Goodley, Jakonen)
Final group of 6 cars, first driver on this group is Swiss Andreas Wagner on Puma F1 car. We all remember Wagner's huge qual laps at Imola and Barcelona, can he pull something like that also in here? What will do season opening Melbourne qualifying poleman Paul Sleight? Or Imola poleman Steve Elencevski who was both happy and disappointed after Monaco GP, first he was happy after team found solution to the steering problems and then disappointed after he was given 1 minute penalty. Chris Goodley was one the positive surprises of Monaco GP with his great run to 4th place there. And last but not least will see Mikko Jakonen on track, Mikko has won last 3 races after Whiteman's run was over at Imola.
Wagner
Puma F1
Andreas Wagner starts his flying lap, it will be interesting to see what he can do here after suprises at Imola and Barcelona. 1st sector time doesn't predict anything very special for the Puma driver, actually far from it 24.789 is 0.686 seconds off Maple's time and only Loram, Regan and Ponissi has done over 25 seconds time on 1st split. Can he catch up at the 2nd sector? Looks like no, 49.680 is 1.35 seconds off Maple's time and he is still too far behind to challenge others than Loram, Regan and Ponissi. Loram is currently on 12th place so Wagner could take that position from him. Over the line goes the solo-Puma F1 driver as Cummings failed to get his car on track for some unknown reason. Wagner's time is 1:15.924, that's nearly 2 seconds down on Maple's time and he goes 12th in front of Loram.
Wagner Finish Line 12
1:15.924 +1.996
Sleight
MMC Racing
Paul Sleight started the season in style by driving on poleposition at Melbourne, after than results haven't been so good and he has had only 18 points so far. Teammate Ryan McConkey is still on very good position as he is on 2nd place. Sleight starts his flying lap and he is looking smooth on first corners as was his teammate too. 1st sector time for him is 24.164 and that's only 61 thousands off Maple's time and although McConkey was faster than Maple trough 1st sector, it's still good start for the lap. Dunlop hairpin goes nicely and so does the Michelin and Bit corners also, but what is the sector time? it's 48.724 he has lost 3 tenths more and is now nearly 4 tenths behind Maple. Tortella and Koski did 48.7 on 2nd sector and Koski is currently on 4th and Tortella is right behind on 5th place. Now into final corners and trough NGK chicane where you can loose a lot of time if you don't get it right, but Sleight has no such problems there and now from final corner into start finish straight and he goes to? 6th just didn't quite make it to Koski's and Tortella's times. Lap time 1:14.407 is 0.479 seconds off Maple's time and teammate McConkey was also 4 tenths quicker this time.
Sleight Finish Line 6
1:14.407 +0.479
Elencevksi
FinOz Racing
Matt Maple has hold the p1 from early stages of this session, now there is only 4 to go, but Steve Elencevski is one of the biggest threat to Maple over the fight of poleposition. Steve scored FinOz Racing's first ever pole at Imola and it's only a matter of time when the first win also come. Steve starts his flying lap and it's a real flyer! 1st sector time is 23.918 and that's massive 0.185 seconds faster than Maple did! Steve's car looks to be like clued to the track it goes just so smoothly and Steve doesn't fight with the car at the corners, he just turns once the wheel and goes through the corner without corrections and that's the only fast way to do it. 2nd sector time is 48.292 and he has lost most of his advantage! He is now only 38 thousands in front, this one will be very close, it's now up to the final corners and how Steve can go over the NGK chicane curbs, can he take p1 from Maple? Look at that! What a balance and setup for the NGK chicane curbs, car just goes so smoothly there no extra bounces or anything, now into final corner and no mistake there either and Steve goes over the line and he takes p1 by over half a second! 1:13.422 that's unbelievable, look that gap! What a last sector, I must say that was superb last sector from the Aussie. Team manager and teammate Kari Koski is smiling the FinOz stand at the pit wall. Maple looks the monitors shakes his head, dunno is that for the disappointment for not getting the pole or for the Steve's final sector time which was awesome.
Elencevski Finish Line 1
1:13.422 -0.506
Irisarri
Phoenix F1
3 to go, Irisarri, Goodley and Jakonen, will Elencevski's time hold on till the end? Will Maple start from front row? What can 3 times race winner Jakonen do? But first we have 2nd of Phoenix cars on track as Antonio Irisarri starts his flying lap. 1st sector 24.546 that's over 6 tenths off Steve's time, teammate Wilkinson was one tenth quicker there. Without mistakes Irisarri completes the 2nd sector also and the time is 49.150 that's over 8 tenths off Steve's pole time both Brown and Wilkinson had 49.1 sector time and Brown is currently on 9th place and Wilkinson right behind on 10th place. Now into final corners and through NGK chicane Irisarri goes without problems and now he accelerates from final corner and over the line he goes to take?. 11th place, lap time 1:15.045 is 1.623 seconds off Steve's pole time and he looses out to Brown and Wilkinson also. Teammate Wilkinson was just 43 thousands quicker.
Irisarri Finish Line 11
1:15.045 +1.623
Goodley
Woods Racing
2 to go, first of them is Chris Goodley driving Woods Racing Toyota. Goodley did superb job at Monaco where he stayed out of troubles and at then end he was 5th place which became 4th after Elencevski got 1 minute time penalty, anyway first points for the team from the most demanding race of the season. 1st sector time for Goodley is 24.728 and that's 8 tenths off pole time and it's about Wagner - Aparicio level. Aparico is currently on 14th place. 2nd sector time for Goodley shows he has lost 7 tenths more and is no 1.582 seconds off pole time, but now Aparicio is far in front, gap to Wagner is roughly 2 tenths and Loram is now the same time as Goodley. Wagner is 15th and Loram on 16th place. Through NGK chicane nicely without drama and good exit from final corner also and over the line he goes to complete the lap. Lap time is 1:5.726, that's 2.3 seconds off pole time and Goodley goes to 15th he moves back in front of Wagner at the final sector.
Goodley Finish Line 15
1:15.726 +2.304
Jakonen
Mapes-VO
Only 1 to go, will Steve start from pole? Will Maple be on front row? Or will Monaco race winner Mikko Jakonen spoil FinOz party and drop his new teammate from front row, soon we will find out. 1st sector for Mikko doesn't look too promising for him 24.481 is over half a second slower than Steve did, so looks like it's 2nd pole of the season from Elencevski and Maple will be starting alongside the Aussie from front row. Dunlop-hairpin without drama and now up the hill into Michelin and Bit -corners to complete the 2nd sector. Mikko's 2nd sector time is 48.905 and that's 0.6 seconds off Steve's poletime, Koski, Tortella and Sleight all had 48.7 on 2nd sector and Lock did 48.9. Lock is currently on 8th so Mikko's lap could be good for 4th row on the grid maybe? Throught NGK chicane and into final corner to start finish line and Mikko goes to 8th place 1:14.853 and he was 1.161 seconds slower than Elencevski and celebrations at FinOz garage starts.
Jakonen Finish Line 8
1:14.583 +1.161
Summary
Steve Elencevski took the poleposition by "country mile" thanx to superb last sector. Actually both FinOz drvers had great final sector as Kari was 2nd quickest through the NGK chicane and Coca-Cola corner. Matt Maple hold the p1 from long time but was finally dropped to 2nd place. Still 2nd place was very good for him after awfull start for the season. Maple had to jump from JTM to his co-owned Mapes-VO team after Petri Loukasmäki had to step down from race drivers role. Also few other new nemes on the grid with Juan Tortella takin Maple's seast at JTM and qualifying to 6th. Championship leader Mikko Jakonen down on 8th place, but race will be long 66 lapper and anything can happen as we have seen before
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1 Elencevski 1:13.422
2 Maple +0.506
3 McConkey +0.531
4 Whiteman +0.615
5 Koski +0.756
6 Tortella +0.907
7 Sleight +0.985
8 Jakonen +1.161
9 Lock +1.437
10 Brown +1.501
11 Wilkinson +1.580
12 Irisarri +1.623
13 Harding +1.792
14 Mihailovic +1.904
15 Aparicio +1.936
16 Wagner +2.304
17 Loram +2.502
18 Regan +2.705
19 Goodley +2.974
20 Ponissi +5.174
Forausberger
Cummings
Poleposition development
Harding Finish Line
1:15.214
Wilkinson Finish Line
1:15.002 -0.212
Tortella Finish Line
1:14.329 -0.673
Maple Finish Line
1:13.928 -0.401
Elencevski Finish Line
1:13.422 -0.506
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