RODRIGUES TAKES DOUBLE VICTORY
With an incredible drive, José Eduardo Rodrigues ended Race 2 on top of both podiums.
Starting from second, he optimised his position on the left-hand side of the track to stay wheel-to-wheel with pole-sitter Lukas Hahn and have the inside line going under the Dunlop Bridge. The plan worked to perfection, and by the fourth corner the Portuguese Chrome driver had the lead he would not give up for the rest of the race.
It had looked like it would be a simple drive to the finish, having built up a four second lead with only four laps remaining, but then second-placed André Kursim put his foot down to get on the rear bumper of the Chrome driver. Kursim tried a few moves, but Rodrigues was ready to block off anything he tried.
The battling got so close that even third-placed Steffi Halm and Norbert Kiss, who was trying to demote her from the podium, were in the mix come the final lap. All four were split by meters of race track at the chequered flag, but Rodrigues held on to take both overall and Chrome victories in Race 2.
Halm had done a fantastic job to hold Kiss back, blocking his attempts to use the outside line for the switch back. Considering that, in her fight to the podium, she had been caught in a few moments of contact and had bodywork flapping off her truck, it was a feat to see her hold onto third overall. But Kiss did not give up until the end of the race, a photo finish seeing them cross the line just three tenths apart.
Jochen Hahn and Sascha Lenz had quieter races for fourth and fifth respectively. For Lenz, the fifth place and six points were important in his battle with Antonio Albacete for third in the overall standings. Albacete did not manage to finish in the points after picking up an early race puncture, meaning it’s five points in favour of Lenz’ third place hopes.
Steffen Faas finished eighth overall, third in Chrome, ahead of Mark Taylor and John Newell, who took the last overall points. Importantly for him, he finished both races today in front of Taylor, meaning that Faas stays ahead of the Brit, second in Chrome.
Luke Garrett took a competitive sixth in Chrome, 11th overall after passing Albacete in the closing moments of the race. Luis Recuenco and he demote the Spaniard to 13th on the line. The non-points score and Lenz’ five points, wipe out the ground Albacete had made on the German when he came third in Race 1.
Bradley Smith, Craig Reid, Stefan Kursch and Simon Faulkner were the last four finishers of Race 2. Clemens Hecker’s race came to an end early as he pulled over on the way up the hill to Dunlop Bridge with a technical failure.
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