Side by side in the paddock, the official structures of Intrepid and EGP (Eyckmans Grand Prix) continue to cooperate to enable the Intrepid brand to reach the highest levels and to prove that the Italian chassis has a great potential, so much so that its pilots can conquer the best positions and become protagonists!
“We all work a lot to find the best technical solutions, in order to achieve the best times” Jérémy Iglesias, Intrepid pilot in KF1, commented. “Of course, results also depend on the weather, on racetrack configuration and on pilots. But the most important aspect remains the performance that a pilot is capable of achieving. And with Intrepid, we always have a chance to obtain excellent results”.
At Mariembourg, it was Yannick De Brabander who better mixed all these ingredients to lead Intrepid to the top of the podium. “It was really a great weekend” Yannick confessed. “After timed qualifying, where I set the sixth best time, I felt that I could do something good. I knew that I would be under a little bit of pressure, racing in
front of my public, but my Intrepid chassis worked so well that I felt confident about the final phase”.
During the first heat, Yannick proved to be capable of rivalling with some candidates to the title and set the second best lap time. In Race 1, the EGP pilot did better than pilots of the calibre of Bollingtoft, Fore, Convers, Laine, Te Braak and Parrott and crossed the finishing line in third position, by setting the second best lap time once again. “My Intrepid chassis proved to be very reliable and I showed another excellent performance in Race 2” De Brabander explained. “This time, I conquered the second step of the podium. After my victory at the Winter Cup on season debut, this is a confirmation of our competitiveness”.
Iglesias was less lucky and withdrew during Race 1, although he staged a superb 22 places recovery in Race 2, thus increasing the points accumulated so far in the European Championship. In KZ1, Norman Nato and Roberto Toninelli were very competitive at Mariembourg, but a series of race mishaps compromised their winning chances. As the French pilot put it: “After setting the third time in timed qualifying, I easily won the first heat, before getting a penalty for pushing another pilot. But that pilot had not been very regular, because he had braked in the middle of a turn, so I could not avoid him. Anyway I finished the other heat in second position but that accident pushed me back in 8th position, while I could have started in the first row. Then my team mate Roberto Toninelli and I had a communication problem during Race 1 and unfortunately we collided. Pity, because we lost precious points for the Championship. But I managed to finish 7th overall anyway”.
With a 16 place recovery and 5th best time in Race 2, Toninelli confirmed his speed at the wheel of his Intrepid-TM. The same can be said about Manuel Cozzaglio, 9th in the Championship despite a penalty for an early start at Mariembourg.
The Intrepid brand was in spotlight at the second round of the European KF1 Championship. In his homeland, at Mariembourg, Belgian Yannick De Brabander really made an exploit by conquering two podiums. A performance even more impressive for Intrepid and EGP Team given that it is De Brabander’s first season in the top category…
Comments by Mirko Sguerzoni, in charge of Intrepid: “This European Championship at Mariembourg was yet another good weekend for Intrepid. It is really exciting to see that a private team can help
a pilot reach the podium after he has chosen our chassis. Well done to EGP Team for working so well and to Yannick De Brabander for showing that by possessing all the necessary qualities, a pilot can achieve great results, even in a category as complex as KF1. Our pilots have also obtained excellent results in KZ1, and this shows that our technical choices were correct”. |
