San Marino double

In the third and last Formula BMW race in the VRL Summer Trophy, Simracing For Holland driver Robin Verdegaal finally found his speed. Starting both races from pole position, Verdegaal kept things interesting by ruining both starts. In race 1 Ricardo Michalewski took over the lead for lap 1, but lost it in the second lap to see Verdegaal drive away to the finish. Two laps and three spins later, gentlemen’s cup contender Erwin Zwart had to retire his car after a high speed incident causing heavy damage to the second SFH car. The fastest lap in the race put Verdegaal on poleposition for race 2.

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In race 2 Ricardo Michalewski, Tim Vanhee and Martin de Graaf beat Robin at the starting lights, but before the end of the lap he got back into second position. From that point on Verdegaal was his own worst enemy, struggling to keep the car on the tarmac and matching his own clean pace from race 1. By the time he got back on Michalewski’s tail, too many chicane cuts had been reported by the track officials, and after the race Verdegaal earned a qualifying penalty for the next race at Zolder. All that time Erwin Zwart’s car had been running stationery in the pitbox, while the SFH crew struggled to find out what was wrong with it. In the end Zwart never made it to the track and ‘No comment’ was all he wanted to say about the San Marino weekend. In the last stages of race 2 Verdegaal secured the win with a clean pass in the last chicane.

Verdegaal took over the championship lead from Martin de Graaf. Being asked if his new gear had anything to do with his renewed pace Verdegaal denied so, stating that ‘Material always plays a part, but finding back my speed was long overdue anyway‘. And about the new Simracing For Holland BMW 320 E21 prepared for the next set of Summer Trophy races: ‘I’m looking forward to Zolder. SFH have done a great job on the 320 and I’m really having fun behind the wheel‘.

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