Zandvoort, The Netherlands, June 21th 2022 - The Alpine ELF Europa Cup headed north to Zandvoort this weekend for round three of the series, the first meeting ever to be held in the Netherlands.
The twenty-four competitors were faced with the challenging prospect of racing on the demanding Zandvoort track and its banked corners. Louis Méric (Race Cars Consulting) was the first to impress in this tricky, unfamiliar environment, grabbing pole position in the first qualifying session. He finished ahead of Lucas Frayssinet (Chazel Technologie Course), Edwin Traynard (Chazel Technologie Course), Nicolas Ciamin (Chazel Technologie Course) – who was making a guest appearance – and Simon Tirman (Autosport GP). However, it was Lucas Frayssinet, winner of the season’s opening race in Nogaro, who came out on top in the race, establishing a big enough lead in the closing stages to seal victory. Louis Méric had to settle for second place after struggling in the final few laps following contact with Nicolas Ciamin, who was forced to retire. Edwin Traynard (Chazel Technologie Course) took the final podium spot.
In the Gentleman Drivers’ class, Frédéric Roy (Chazel Technologie Course) finished first, ahead of Anthony Fournier (Race Cars Consulting) and Laurent Richard (Herrero Racing). After coming into the Zandvoort round as leader of the Cup standings, Simon Tirman recovered from a lowly fourth place finish in the opening race to claim pole position for race two, ahead of Lucas Frayssinet. In the second row, Paul Cauhaupé (Autosport GP) and Nicolas Ciamin were determined to muscle their way into the fight at the front. This time, Nicolas Ciamin, the former track racer turned rally driver, seized the opportunity to win the race. Ciamin, who took Alpine back to the top step of the podium in rallying at the 2021 Rallye d’Antibes, prevailed in the Netherlands, beating Lucas Frayssinet, his team-mate for the weekend, and Paul Cauhaupé. Behind the top three, polesitter Simon Tirman had to settle for fourth place again, after making a mistake a few minutes from the end of the race. In the Gentleman Drivers’ class, Frédéric Roy made it two wins out of two, this time beating Anthony Fournier and Mickael Carree (T2CM). The series now takes a break for the summer, returning to action on 8-10 September in Barcelona.
Winner of the weekend’s opening race, Lucas Frayssinet also filled his pockets on Sunday. With Ciamin not entered in the Cup, and therefore not scoring any points, he was awarded the points for first place in race two despite finishing second, enabling him to move top of the Alpine ELF Europa Cup standings.
