Torn triumphs in ERC3 Junior
ByERC
Published 26/05/2019 at 17:47 GMT
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Image credit: ERC
Estonian Autosport Junior Team driver Ken Torn clinched FIA ERC3 Junior Championship victory on Rally Liepāja ahead of Sindre Furuseth and Steve Røkland.
Torn’s win on his maiden appearance in the Pirelli-supported category is the second in a row for the new-for-2019 Ford Fiesta R2T following Jean-Baptiste Franceschi’s victory on Rally Islas Canarias. The two drivers were locked in a close battle into the second leg in Latvia, with Torn just 12 seconds ahead after eight stages.
Franceschi then drove SS9 with the bonnet up on his car, hampering visibility, after forgetting to lock it shut before the stage. That demoted him to fourth place and gave Torn a more comfortable advantage that he could nurse to the finish, taking the win by 29.4 seconds.
Norwegian Peugeot 208 R2 drivers Furuseth and Røkland both led early in the rally prior to small issues and staged an exciting fight for second place on the final day. Furuseth ultimately held on, with his final 15s margin exaggerated by a 10s penalty for a jump start by Røkland on the penultimate stage.
After his earlier mistake, Franceschi tried to fight back to regain his second place, but was one of several drivers to receive a penalty for not correctly navigating a chicane in SS5, which left him fourth.
ERC3 Junior championship leader Efren Llarena of Rallye Team Spain just held onto fifth place. FPAK Portugal Team ERC’s Pedro Antunes had closed to within 2.5s during the Sunday morning loop, but Llarena eked out his advantage to 4.7s during the afternoon. The fight for seventh in ERC3 Junior was even closer, with Kristof Klausz holding off Roman Schwedt by 1.4s. Gregor Jeets took 10th place on his debut in the second Estonian Autosport Junior Team entry, having lost seven minutes when he stopped with a turbo issue in SS3.
Not eligible for ERC3 Junior, Yohan Rossel was seventh among the ERC3 crews. Fellow Peugeot driver Sean Johnston was 10th as the American former circuit racer continued his learning on gravel. Catie Munnings claimed maximum ERC Ladies’ Trophy points with the Peugeot Rally Academy in 11th.
Franceschi then drove SS9 with the bonnet up on his car, hampering visibility, after forgetting to lock it shut before the stage. That demoted him to fourth place and gave Torn a more comfortable advantage that he could nurse to the finish, taking the win by 29.4 seconds.
Norwegian Peugeot 208 R2 drivers Furuseth and Røkland both led early in the rally prior to small issues and staged an exciting fight for second place on the final day. Furuseth ultimately held on, with his final 15s margin exaggerated by a 10s penalty for a jump start by Røkland on the penultimate stage.
After his earlier mistake, Franceschi tried to fight back to regain his second place, but was one of several drivers to receive a penalty for not correctly navigating a chicane in SS5, which left him fourth.
ERC3 Junior championship leader Efren Llarena of Rallye Team Spain just held onto fifth place. FPAK Portugal Team ERC’s Pedro Antunes had closed to within 2.5s during the Sunday morning loop, but Llarena eked out his advantage to 4.7s during the afternoon. The fight for seventh in ERC3 Junior was even closer, with Kristof Klausz holding off Roman Schwedt by 1.4s. Gregor Jeets took 10th place on his debut in the second Estonian Autosport Junior Team entry, having lost seven minutes when he stopped with a turbo issue in SS3.
Not eligible for ERC3 Junior, Yohan Rossel was seventh among the ERC3 crews. Fellow Peugeot driver Sean Johnston was 10th as the American former circuit racer continued his learning on gravel. Catie Munnings claimed maximum ERC Ladies’ Trophy points with the Peugeot Rally Academy in 11th.
The post Torn triumphs in ERC3 Junior appeared first on FIA ERC | European Rally Championship.
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