Nogaro, France, April 19th 2022 - The Alpine Elf Europa Cup just goes from strength to strength. This weekend in Nogaro, no fewer than twenty-five drivers took part in the opening race of this, its fifth season, all eager to succeed Jean-Baptiste Mela as champion.
The Cup clearly still possesses all the qualities that have made it such a success so far: highly competitive racing and sporting fairness in a friendly, relaxed setting, providing a real springboard for the winners. With new drivers having joined during the off-season, the opening meeting at Nogaro promised something of a reset. And sure enough, when the racing action got underway, there were some less familiar faces at the front. Lucas Frayssinet (Chazel Technologie Course), for example, grabbed the opening pole position of the season, only the second of his career in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup. The Junior driver then converted his front-row start into a commanding lights-to-flag win in the opening race. Meanwhile, Rodolphe Wallgren (Herrero Racing) carved through the field with a series of overtaking moves, going from sixth on the starting grid to finish as runner-up ahead of Simon Tirman (Autosport GP) and Louis Méric (Race Cars Consulting). After losing out on top honours last year, Philippe Bourgeois (Chazel Technologie Course) has made regaining the Gentleman Drivers’ title his main target this season. He wasted no time in confirming his ambitions with pole position, followed by a race win in the class.
On Monday, Simon Tirman (Autosport GP) built on his podium-finish in the opening race by grabbing pole position for race two on his 26th birthday, just sneaking ahead of Junior drivers Edwin Traynard (Chazel Technologie Course), Louis Méric (Race Cars Consulting) and Paul Cauhaupé (Patrick Roger Autosport GP). However, he was brought back down to earth with a bump in the race. Not only was he unable to add another win to his record in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup, he ended up having to retire. Edwin Traynard went on to win the race, finishing ahead of Louis Méric and Paul Cauhaupé after another high-quality contest. Meanwhile, Philippe Bourgeois made it two wins out of two in the Gentlemen Drivers’ class, kicking off his 2022 title push in ideal fashion. Following this successful opening round, the 2022 season is set to continue at Magny-Cours on 13-15 May, also held as part of the FFSA French Track Racing Championship.
The consistency of Edwin Traynard (Chazel Technologie Course), fifth in the opening race before claiming top honours in race two, means he leads the Alpine Elf Europa Cup overall standings from Louis Méric (Race Cars Consulting) after the first meeting of the season.
