Marijn van Kalmthout ends Klaas Zwart dominance in Zolder
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Marijn van Kalmthout was, of course, very happy with his first win of the season: Even though problems with his car almost ruined his ambitions again. “I drove over those high curbstones in the first chicane and that’s not exactly good for your car. My Benetton was a bit damaged on the left side and I was forced to take my foot off the gas pedal as a result. However, I had no other choice but to put the pedal to the metal again when Ingo Gerstl came really close in the final minutes of the race. After all the bad luck I’ve had this season, I already feared that things would go wrong again. The car lasted until the end though and I get to enter the podium with a beautiful victory after 14 laps.”
Runner-up Ingo Gerst: “I purchased a new car this year and things are going better by the race with this GP2. Making the podium for the first time this year is the reward for all the progress we’ve made. This is really fantastic! A new car is a bit like a child. First he crawls, but after a while he just goes faster and faster. This is exactly the process I’m in with my Dallara GP2 at the moment.”
Henk de Boer completed the podium as number three: “I enjoyed my race. It was beautiful weather and it was a nice Sunday morning without any worries. Simply magnificent! The team did a great job to prepare my Panoz DP01 Champcar just perfect. Compared to the Formula 1 cars, my car is a bit heavier and that works against me, especially on a track like Zolder, where you’re breaking and accelerating pretty much all the time. However, I’m going fast and furious in the high speed curves. I really love chasing someone on moments like that. It’s just great that my Champcar completely fills the other drivers’ mirrors.”
Masters
Karl-Heinz Becker won the Masters Class. “My car once again drove very well. I struggled a bit with shifting back during the qualification and that cost me valuable time. I kept a close eye on Damien Charveriat during the race and was looking for the right moment to get past him. My Dallara Nissan WS went through the Channel-curve very smooth and that was his weak spot. I managed to get past him in that curve. I really enjoy racing at Zolder. It’s a lot better than at the Nürburgring, where it’s hard to have any fun with all those Tilke-curves.”
Damien Charveriat, the number two: “I also race in the FIA GT3 and it takes some time to make the switch from the touring cars to the fast Formula 1 cars. Additionally, this was only my second weekend in the BOSS GP-series. I haven’t reached my limits yet and I can get a lot faster, especially in the fast curves. That was exactly where Karl-Heinz got past me. We were involved in an interesting battle in Zandvoort too and that’s what I like most about racing. If there are no other drivers close to you, it’s just like you’re testing a car. It’s so much more entertaining when you’re fighting for a position with another driver.
Carlos Antunes Tavares finished in third position: “Not a bad result. The car is having some problems when the temperature of the track goes up. This was the best result possible for me.”
Results race 1:
1. Marijn van Kalmthout (Net), Benetton B197 F1, 14 laps in 19:38,735
2. Ingo Gerstl (Aus), Dallara GP2, at 0,543 seconds
3. Henk de Boer (Net), Panoz DP01 Champcar, at 9,010
4. Karl-Heinz Becker (Ger), Dallara Nissan World Series, at 55,261 (1st Master)
5. Damien Charveriat (Fra), Dallara Nissan World Series, at 57,444 (2nd Master)
6. Carlos Antunes Tavares (Por), Dallara Nissan World Series, at 1 lap (3rd Master)
7. Alain DeBlandre (Bel), Lola T8900 Indycar, at 2 laps
Did not finish: Greg Thornton, Klaas Zwart
