Progress at Silverstone
Team EMG Motorsport had their first outing of the 2010 Season at Silverstone over the Easter weekend. This was the first round of the European Championship. There was much trepidation, as rumours were rife that some of the other Factory Teams had made big steps forward over the winter period.
All the Teams had the opportunity to avail of free practice on the Thursday and Friday prior to the commencement of the event. Erik had several outings during this period, and most of the time was spend on motor and chassis set-up. It was difficult to gauge performance, as there was no live timing for these runs.
Saturday morning saw all the competitors take to the circuit for the first Qualifying Session. Pole position was swapped a number of times between the usual favorites. Erik initially did a number of sighting laps on Wet Tyres. He then pitted and waited for a lengthy period before electing to fit slick tyres. With 8 minutes remaining, Erik launched a bit for a quick time. On his first lap he registered 5th quickest lap. On the next lap and with only seconds remaining, the Norwegian posted a time which elevated him to Pole Position for the first session. A delighted Erik commented ‘ I am so pleased to have posted the quickest time for this Session. I knew we had made progress during the off-season, but I was not expecting this. We still have a lot to understand in relation to the chassis set-up.
The early part of the second Qualifying was set-out by Erik. This however did not last long. After 4 laps, Trevor Robeats beat Erik’s Time. A few laps later, Gavin Bennett reduced the time by a further 1.6 seconds. Consequently, Erik was forced to take to the Track. On his first flying lap he registered the fasted time of the session. A lap later he pitted, but was disappointed to learn that his time had again been reduced by a number of Drivers. Another attempt was made to steal pole, but this was not to be, and he slipped to a disappointing 13th place.
Race one on Sunday morning made for an exciting spectacle. The Track was damp, and the big decision was Tyre selection. Erik elected to fit ‘Wet Tyres. Some of the front runners fitted Slick tyres. In less than a lap it was obvious that those competitors on Slicks had made the wrong decision. By the end of the first lap, Erik had forced his way from 13th to 3rd position behind Tony Algren, from Sweden and Trevor Roberts. By lap 3, Erik had moved into 2nd, and began to apply the pressure to Roberts. On Lap 4, Erik made his way into 1st. Trevor Roberts was denied the opportunity to respond, as his motor expired on the following lap. Erik began to move away from the Swedish driver, and things were under control for the middle section of the Race. Lurking in the background however was the ex-European Champion in the form of Damien Payart. Damien stalked Erik, and with just two laps to go, Damien took the lead, and remained in that position until the end of the Race. Erik ran out the first Race in second position. ‘ For sure I am so delighted with this result. I appreciate there were mitigating circumstances in the form of Tyre selection. I picked the correct tyres, and now I have a good result. This is my first podium in this class, and I am happy’
Race two did not present the same difficulty for tyre selection, and it was slicks for everyone. After the first lap Erik moved from 13th to 12th. By lap 3 he had made his way up to 10th. On lap 7 Erik became aware that there was a problem with the Temp. of the engine. This was rising to dangerous levels. With one lap to go, and with 5 Points available, Erik decided to take on the challenge of the last lap. Good fortune however refused to shine, and with ¾ of a lap to complete, the motor expired. The race win was taken by a very fast Trevor Roberts. He was followed home by Gavin Bennett, with Malcom Crow seizing the last position on the podium.
On commenting after the Race, Erik said ‘ The reality is that in the dry with my chassis set-up, I did not have the pace of the first 6 drivers. It is disappointing to have come so close to getting good points in the second race, and yet fail in the end. If I could have finished the last lap, I would now be second in the Championship. As it stands I am now 3rd.’
The second venue of the championship is at Assen in Holland. This event is in August. The Team plan to compete in some of the other events in Europe over the coming months. This may include the UK Cup Meeting at Bishopscourt in Northern Ireland.
