Unstoppable Dolby rules race one at Zolder
17/07/2011
Craig Dolby (England) has triumphed in the opening race of Superleague Formula's Grand Prix of Zolder, taking full advantage of a lightning-fast pitstop to grab a lead he would not surrender.
After taking pole in yesterday's qualifying session Dolby was relegated to second on the grid for the race one for a pitlane infringement by his team, but the Englishman wasn't going to let that stop him triumphing at Zolder, a circuit he has excelled on throughout his career. Harrying poleman Chris van der Drift (New Zealand) during the opening stint, Dolby snatched the lead of the 40-minute run during the pitstops. The England crew turned their man the best part of a second faster than their rivals, allowing Dolby to re-join the action in P1.
From here Dolby was in his element. With a clear track in front of him he hammered home the fast laps to carve out a comfortable lead and eventually win by 3.051s.
Neel Jani (Belgium - RSC Anderlecht) took second position, the Swiss-born racer also leapfrogging van der Drift during the pitstop phase. From there he worked to eliminate Dolby's advantage but didn't have the ultimate pace of the Englishman.
Frederic Vervisch (Luxembourg) snatched the final podium spot with a pass on erstwhile leader van der Drift just a few corners from home. The Belgian-born racer had spent the entire second stint harrying the Kiwi and finally made that pressure pay at the last gasp.
Dutch racers Robert Doornbos (Japan) and Yelmer Buurman (Netherlands - PSV Eindhoven) came home fifth and sixth, with John Martin (Australia) a muted seventh. Max Wissel (Korea), Antonio Pizzonia (Brazil) and Duncan Tappy (Turkey - Galatasaray) completed the top ten.
With just 25-minutes between races one and two the drivers have little time to recover from the opening run. With a full reverse grid Tristan Gommendy (France - Girondins de Bordeaux) is set to start in P1 but crash damage sustained early in the opening race make his participation uncertain. Should the Frenchman fail to make the grid Andy Soucek (Spain – Atletico de Madrid) will take the box seat for race two.
From here Dolby was in his element. With a clear track in front of him he hammered home the fast laps to carve out a comfortable lead and eventually win by 3.051s.
Neel Jani (Belgium - RSC Anderlecht) took second position, the Swiss-born racer also leapfrogging van der Drift during the pitstop phase. From there he worked to eliminate Dolby's advantage but didn't have the ultimate pace of the Englishman.
Frederic Vervisch (Luxembourg) snatched the final podium spot with a pass on erstwhile leader van der Drift just a few corners from home. The Belgian-born racer had spent the entire second stint harrying the Kiwi and finally made that pressure pay at the last gasp.
Dutch racers Robert Doornbos (Japan) and Yelmer Buurman (Netherlands - PSV Eindhoven) came home fifth and sixth, with John Martin (Australia) a muted seventh. Max Wissel (Korea), Antonio Pizzonia (Brazil) and Duncan Tappy (Turkey - Galatasaray) completed the top ten.
With just 25-minutes between races one and two the drivers have little time to recover from the opening run. With a full reverse grid Tristan Gommendy (France - Girondins de Bordeaux) is set to start in P1 but crash damage sustained early in the opening race make his participation uncertain. Should the Frenchman fail to make the grid Andy Soucek (Spain – Atletico de Madrid) will take the box seat for race two.
