Brands Hatch - ELITE 1 Saturday Race - KNAUF 75
Ander Vilarino Wins His First Race On Oval
Two-Time Champion Leads The Standing by one Point
Tours Speedway, France - Ander Vilarino (#2 TFT-Banco Santander Chevrolet SS) added another jewel to his crown on Saturday by winning the Knauf 75 at the Tours Speedway. The Spaniard overtook last-year winner Frederic Gabillon (#12 Still Racing Chevrolet Camaro) with 15 laps to go in the 75-lap race on the French short-track and held on in a green-white-checkered finish to take his first win ever on an oval track.
photo Credits: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard
This is third win of the season and the 16th of his NASCAR career.
“This win is special because it came on an oval and NASCAR means oval racing all over the world, I feel like a Sprint Cup Series Champion winning his first Daytona 500,” said Vilarino, who was second at Tours in 2012. “Fred is a very clean driver, he never closed the door on me, even while I was attacking him for the lead. I feel really good competing with him.”
Gabillon overtook early the poleman Eddie Cheever III (#51 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) and gained a little advantage on the italian in the initial long green-flag run. On Lap 34, a contact on the front stretch led to the first of the 3 yellow flags of the race. The incident resulted in some damage to the front of the #12 Chevrolet Camaro, but Gabillon kept the lead on restart ahead of Vilarino, who took advantage of the double-file restart to pass Cheever and start to chase down the leader.
“I saw two cars touching in front of me,” said Gabillon. “We all tried to slow down but I was touched from behind and I hit the car ahead, damaging the front right side of the car”.
The Spaniard made the decisive move on lap 60, when he overtook Gabillon on the inside in turn 3. A couple of laps later Cheever passed Gabillon and climbed to the second position before the second yellow flag waved on lap 65 due to a spin by Hugo Bec (#8 RDV Compétition Ford Mustang). A flat tire on the #77 Chevrolet SS of Christophe Bouchut (#77 DF-1 Racing by B66 Chevrolet SS) caused the last caution of the day on lap 71 and led to the green-white-checkered finish.
Vilarino crossed the finish line ahead of Cheever and Gabillon, while Mathias Lauda (#66 DF-1 Racing by B66 Chevrolet SS) brought home a solid fourth place finish, ahead of Freddy Nordström (#44 Still Racing Chevrolet Camaro) and the Belgian duo of Bert Longin (#11 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS) and Anthony Kumpen (#24 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS).
Borja Garcia (#1 Ford Autolix Competition Ford Mustang) and Nicolò Rocca (#25 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) both climbed 9 positions and finished respectively 8th and 10th. Between the two, 2013 ELITE 2 division champion Anthony Gandon (#7 TFT-Red Line Chevrolet SS) came in ninth.
Vilarino took the lead in the ELITE 1 championship standings by just one point over Kumpen.
Cheever won the Jerome Sarran Trophy classification ahead of Nordstrom and Gandon, while Fabrizio Armetta (#31 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS), who raced with a broken collarbone, won the Challenger Trophy classification ahead of Pierre Roché (#17 VdeV Sport Toyota Camry) and Guillaume Rousseau (#13 Bull Racing Team Ford Mustang).
The second ELITE 1 race of the weekend, the Michelin 75, will start tomorrow at 11:30 CET (5:30 ET) and will see Garcia start from the pole thanks to his 16.851 seconds fastest lap. Vilarino will be on the outside pole.
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