Ekstrom is electric for Cupra success
PURE ETCR MOTORLAND ARAGON (ESP) 10-11 JULY ROUND 2/5
Mattias Ekstrom claimed victory at Motorland Aragon to continue Zengo Motorsport’s 100% record in the all-new Pure ETCR electric touring car series.
The Swede’s Cupra e-racer was unbeatable in each of his three ‘Battle’ races, winning in rounds one and two, plus Sunday’s Superfinal B. The only blot on his copybook was an effort that he claimed was “too cautious” during the 500kw, single-lap Time Trial that set the grid for the finale.
Ekstrom was third-fastest and so lined up in the corresponding spot on the offset grid, knowing that only a victory would enable him to usurp Pool A winner Augusto Farfus – who had triumphed in Superfinal A earlier in the day – as the overall winner.
A strong start brought him into the lead and, after a brief scrap with Farfus’s polesitting Hyundai Motorsport N teammate Jean-karl Vernay, he pulled away to take Cupra’s second straight victory; a result that moved him into the drivers’ points lead and increased the Spanish brand’s advantage at the head of the manufacturers’ standings.
While Ekstrom’s win was straightforward, the one in Superfinal A that had made Farfus the man to beat was anything but. The Brazilian fought tooth-and-nail with Ekstrom’s team-mate Mikel Azcona – the Vallelunga winner and overnight Pool A leader – for the lead until halfway through the seven-lap race.
After squeezing Farfus – a winner in round two – towards the pitwall as they entered the first corner, Azcona was on the receiving end of minor contact from his rival at Turn 3 that spun him into the gravel and put the Spaniard out. Naturally, their opinions about who was to blame differed.
The same corner spelled the end of
Stefano Coletti’s race as the Alfa Romeo driver exited while trying to pass Jordi Gene’s Cupra, which he hit as he spun backwards across its path. Coletti was later penalised 10 championship points for trying to pass under a yellow flag (present for Azcona’s car, which was still stuck in the gravel).
Gene was third, ahead of Tom Chilton (Hyundai) in what was a scintillating race, neither maximising their 40 seconds of Power-up as well as Brazilian Rodrigo Baptista, who was the runner-up and has now risen to fourth in the points for Romeo Ferraris-m1ra.
Vernay’s second place in Superfinal B – following a stunning Time Trial lap – completed a remarkable fightback after he suffered a driveshaft failure that prevented him even making it out for round two.
His remarkable lap for pole knocked the Romeo Ferraris-m1ra Giulia ETCR of Luca Filippi off the top spot, but the Italian was – along with Ekstrom – one of only two drivers capable of beating Farfus for overall honours as Superfinal B approached.
Sadly, a loose electrical connector took a while to identify and re-attach, meaning the Superfinal was already a lap old when he took to the track. He ended up 11th overall.
His non-appearance (in relative terms) opened an opportunity for team-mate Oli Webb to finish third in Superfinal B, the Briton having won in round two on Saturday. Other ‘Battles’ wins went to Chilton, Baptista and both Luca and John Filippi.