Frenchman Jerome Grosset-Janin will preserve his FIA European Rallycross Championship lead heading into the third round after finishing second at Germany’s Estering circuit.
The Albatec Racing driver, who won the opening round of the championship in Belgium, is now two points ahead of Tommy Rustad as the series heads to Norway.
Grosset-Janin won two races on his way to the final, where he was eventually beaten by a dominant Rustad. A tidy joker lap from the Frenchman gave him enough of a gap to hold off Fabien Pailler and Jean-Baptiste Dubourg, who tangled for third place.
“The car was really good all weekend, it’s better every time I drive it, and I think we’ve proved that the combination is certainly quick,” said Grosset-Janin. “I’m feeling very happy, I’m feeling more and more confident in the car, which I think is very good for the next races.”
“We have lost a little bit of the advantage in the championship but we were fifth yesterday, and as always Sunday is always a very, very long day so to finish second here, especially here on this track, is a very good performance for us, for the team and for the championship.”
Grosset-Janin’s team-mate James Grint also enjoyed a successful weekend in the Albatec Peugeot 208 RX, reaching the second semi-final after setting consistently quick times in the heats. The British driver could have joined Grosset-Janin in the final, but a spin on the opening lap ended his hopes of progressing.
Team boss Andy Scott was quick to praise the work of both of his drivers after a high-scoring event for the Albatec squad.
“It’s been a great weekend. Estering always produces great, close racing, and this year was no exception,” he said.
“Jerome once again drove a great race, running consistently at the front of the Euro RX runners all weekend, and to maintain the series lead against such an incredibly strong field is a great result. We’re all very, very pleased for James to achieve his objective too. From the start he was within the top 12, and steadily improved across the four heats to get tenth”
“Now we must continue to work hard to ensure we’re ready for the next round of Euro RX, in Norway, to consolidate the advantage.”
The EuroRX championship will continue with the penultimate round on August 22-23, at Norway’s Hell circuit.
