FERRIER AND PANIS SHARE THE SPOILS IN ANDORRA’S ANDROS TROPHY CLASH
Frenchmen sign off in style before mid-campaign break for ice-based series
The Andros Trophy ice racing series concluded the opening phase of its 2022-2023 winter season with a visit to Andorra and Christophe Ferrier and Aurelien Panis claimed the victory spoils.
As in the opening encounter at Val Thorens a week before, the Andorran ice circuit adopted a rallycross-style joker lap but, unlike at Val Thorens, Ferrier got his weekend off to a better start.
Having struggled through the opening weekend of the campaign, the DRP driver won the qualifying stages ahead of Yann Ehrlacher.
Come the latter stages, it was five-time champion JeanBaptiste Dubourg who topped SuperPole to take pole position for the final and he drove to victory in the last race of the day. However, due to the points amassed in qualifying and finishing second to Dubroug in the final, it was Ferrier who took the overall win, ahead of Dubourg and Ehrlacher.
The layout of the circuit was changed for day two, making the lap significantly quicker, and it was 2019–20 champion Panis who dominated to extend his points’ lead.
Top in qualifying, Sainteloc Racing driver Panis took a clean sweep, winning SuperPole and the final, having made the perfect start in the last race of the weekend.
Ehrlacher shadowed Panis in qualifying, then ended up in a battle for track position with World Rally Championship driver Adrien Fourmaux in the final. The latter was competing in only his second Andros Trophy event.
Ehrlacher ultimately came out on top to secure second in the series’ fourth round, while Fourmaux claimed a maiden podium.
Sebastien Loeb Racing driver Dorian Boccolacci and touring car legend Yvan Muller battled in the final; Boccolacci eventually finished fourth. The series resumes on the first weekend in January at Isola 2000.