Castellet, France, Octobre 10th 2023 - What better setting could there be than the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet to determine the final outcome of the 2023 Alpine Elf Europa Cup?
Alpine’s famous one-make cup headed to the south of France this weekend, to the Var department for the season’s final round. The title was still up for grabs, even if young Belgian driver Lorens Lecertua (Chazel Technologie Course) had put himself in a strong position after recently claiming a clean sweep in Barcelona (two pole positions and two race wins). On a circuit where the A110 Cup’s incredible balance could be shown off to the full, the stage was set for plenty of on-track action. In hot, sunny conditions, former F4 driver Lecertua showed no signs of stage fright when it came to the final act. Although he let 2022 champion Lucas Frayssinet (Chazel Technologie Course) take both pole positions on his return to action, Lecertua finished as runner-up in race one, thus sealing the title aged just sixteen and concluding a season in which he has shown remarkable maturity for such a young age.
He collects the €40,000 in prize money awarded to the overall winner, and can now plan for a switch to GT4 racing next year! Looking back on the season, the newly-crowned champion felt that the turning point in the title race came at the Dijon meeting, just before the summer break, where he struck a telling blow with three pole positions and two race wins. Meanwhile, Léo Jousset and Race Cars Consulting claimed their first win in the cup, whilst Frayssinet took the final podium spot. Jousset clearly enjoyed the taste of success as he produced another winning performance on Sunday, this time finishing ahead of Thibaut Bossy (Herrero Racing) and Tim Merieux (Autosport GP). Finally, the last race weekend of the year saw Anthony Fournier (Race Cars Consulting) claim a second title in the Gentlemen Drivers’ class.
