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Round two of the 2023 Alpine Elf Europa Cup season at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours was dominated by Junior Enzo Geraci (Chazel Technologie Course Junior) ahead of Tim Mérieux (Autosport GP) and Alexis Garcin (Chazel Technologie Course Junior). With the win, the Frenchman seizes the lead in the general classification before the next meeting on the calendar.
Following the extraordinary kick-off of its sixth season with two new race-winners at Nogaro, the Alpine Elf Europa Cup travelled to Nevers with 21 drivers ready to do everything they can to confirm or reverse the early trends seen last month.
RACE 1: GERACI UNSTOPPABLE
On Friday, Romain Favre (VPS Racing) was the first to stand out in free practice, but Enzo Geraci took over in mixed conditions in the afternoon. The Chazel Technologie Course Junior driver made his intentions known before snatching the pole position from Léo Jousset (Race Cars Consulting) under the chequered flag on Saturday morning.
Back on equal points at the head of the general classification thanks to his pole position, Enzo Geraci kept the advantage after the start. Behind him, Louis Maurice (Code Racing Development) quickly passed Léo Jousset to lead the chase group. Lorens Lecertua (Chazel Technologie Course Junior) followed, but the Belgian lost a lot of ground on lap five. Back on the provisional podium, Léo Jousset dropped out due to a broken brake disc on the following lap.
Enzo Geraci consolidated his lead as the laps ticked by, while Louis Maurice was under pressure from Alexis Garcin and Tim Mérieux. The latter took advantage of a contact between his two rivals on lap 12 to move into second place, while Louis Maurice received a five-second penalty for his role in the incident.
Enzo Geraci sealed his maiden victory in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup and became the third different Junior to win this season. Tim Mérieux joined him on the podium, as did Alexis Garcin after Louis Maurice’s penalty was applied. Romain Favre completed the top five despite the attacks of Ethan Bernard (Herrero Racing), who made a good comeback in the opening laps. Sami Dhahri (VPS Racing), Romain Brun (Herrero Racing) and Jules Gougeon (Chazel Technologie Course Junior) followed in this order.
Tenth, Adrien Catelin (Code Racing Development) won the Challengers category in front of Denis Bernardi (Herrero Racing) and Margaux Verza (Autosport GP), who recovered well after a trip through the gravel at the start. Laurent Richard (Herrero Racing) won a thrilling duel with Anthony Fournier (Race Cars Consulting) ahead of Alain Jacono (Chazel Technologie Course) in the Gentleman category.
RACE 2: ONE POINT FOR FAVRE
In cooler conditions Sunday morning, Romain Favre beat Lorens Lecertua by 0.009s to become the fourth different pole winner in as many qualifying sessions this season. Tim Mérieux and Alexis Garcin completed the leading foursome separated by less than a tenth of a second.
After the session, the scrutineers detected a technical discrepancy in one of the A110 Cup’s specific competition parts, affecting several drivers. As a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the competitors while safeguarding fairness between all the protagonists, the decision was taken to postpone the race to one of the later dates of the calendar in common agreement with all the actors of the Alpine Elf Europa Cup.
Enzo Geraci now leads Tim Mérieux by 13 points in the general classification and is 14 ahead of Romain Favre, who keeps the point for claiming the pole position in Q2. In the Challengers category, Adrien Catelin retains the lead, while Laurent Richard now leads the Gentleman category, which is more competitive than ever before the Alpine Elf Europa Cup heads to round three of its 2023 season.
QUOTES
Enzo Geraci (Race winner): “I’m thrilled to get my first win, which I’ve been chasing for a long time. Everything went according to plan, with a pole position thanks to a different strategy to see how the track was evolving, a good start and excellent tyre management. I couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the season: third, second and now first! We’re making steady improvements with this enjoyable car and I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
Adrien Catelin (Challenger category winner): “There are a lot of positives and things to work on from this weekend. I am clearly improving my understanding of the car and the slick tyres, which I didn’t have before this season. I am happy with the result in my category, but I need to be a bit more aggressive in the race. Despite a strong pace, I still have too much of a wait-and-see attitude in the race, but it’s always a difficult balance against the Juniors. I am here to have fun, so I’m already looking forward to Spa. The mere mention of the name gives me the chills.”
Laurent Richard (Gentleman category winner): “I am delighted to have won the race. I was a bit disappointed with my qualifying, but we all know that Anthony Fournier is very quick. I got a solid start and was soon in the lead with a good race pace. I then saw Anthony close the gap before taking advantage of his problems to secure the win. I’m so pleased with this success for the whole team before we go to Spa!”
CLASSIFICATIONS
Race 1
1. Enzo Geraci (Chazel Technologie Course Junior)
2. Tim Mérieux (Autosport GP) +7.637s
3. Alexis Garcin (Chazel Technologie Course Junior) +8.901s
4. Louis Maurice (Code Racing Development) +13.554s
5. Romain Favre (VPS Racing) +17.258s
Pole position : Enzo Geraci (Chazel Technologie Course Junior) – 1:47.607s
Fastest lap: Enzo Geraci (Chazel Technologie Course Junior) – 1:49.326s
Race 2
Pole position : Romain Favre (VPS Racing) – 1:47.822s
Race postponed to a later date this season.
General classification
1. Enzo Geraci – 50 points
2. Tim Mérieux – 37 points
3. Romain Favre – 36 points
4. Alexis Garcin – 32 points
5. Lorens Lecertua – 30 points…
