Win for Volvo at Dijon-Prenois – though under appeal
The Volvo S60 Racing team has taken their first win of the 2011 BTCS season, but the result won’t be officially confirmed until the outcome of their appeal after they were initially disqualified for running non-standard wheels.
The team started from pole position with Eric van de Poele at the wheel, and the ex-F1 driver held firm at the start from Edouard Mondron’s Renault Mégane, with the No.2 car ordered into the pits to serve a drive through penalty for jumping the start.
Phillipe Steveny had moved up to second place after the pit stops in the Kia Pro_Cee’d, passing the other Delahaye Racing Mégane of Christian Kelders, but a puncture saw the Kia pit and fall back to eventually finish fourth.
The podium was filled out by the two Delahaye Racing Renaults of Mondron/Lémeret & Bouvy/Kelders, who stand to inherit a one-two result should the Volvo S60 of Vincent Radermecker and Eric van de Poele lose their appeal.
The Astur Car SEAT León of Pierre Piron and Pierre-Yves Rosoux won in the Touring 3 class, finishing sixth overall, with the two WRT Sciroccos filling out the T3 podium.
Philippe Steveny and Didier De Radigues still maintain their lead in the championship with 53 points, but the gap is reduced to four points ahead of the Renault pairing of Frédéric Bouvy and Christian Kelders (provisionally).
The second race of the weekend takes place at 13:40 CET tomorrow, with the Volvo again starting from pole position.
