Saturday, 6 September, IBIZA: For the first time in qualifying in C1 for the coveted Pole Position spot, two outfits posted identical times. LFF10’s Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella and Victory’s Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi could not be separated in this morning’s two hour qualifying session for race 1 of the Mediterranean Grand Prix with both posting a 2:46.45s lap. “This is a big step forward. To match the best team in the world is always our target,” said Luca Fendi.
“We have worked a lot on the boat and I think this proves that we are heading in the right direction. I am very pleased with qualifying but the race is another and the next chapter.”
The fight for the pole in V1 was equally tight with Italian’s Giuseppe and Antonio Schiano in Karelpiu edging out the Tommy One duo of Maurizio Schepici and Stefano Bonanno by just one tenth of a second, with 3:02,53s. After struggling in the first half of the session with a lack of power Nico Bertels and Frank Hemelaer leapt up the standings to go third quickest in Bernico-New Star. “It was a very good fight with Tommy One, very close,” said Antonio Schiano, “We stay with same set-up for the race, will try to start well and get out front and take it from that point.”
Al Zaffain is now unbeaten in qualifying in seven outings and he and Bin Hendi will get the advantage of the pole slot because they were the first to post the time. “I don’t think we need to worry. We are playing it safe,” said Bin Hendi, racing alongside Al Zaffain for the first time in C1 in two years. “This was not the time to push, to go for the limit, we are happy with what we have, but to get the feel for the boat and partnership again in this boat and not make any mistakes. There are a lot of eyes watching us.”
Guido Cappellini and Mikhail Kitashev posted 2:48.22s to go second quickest ahead of Relekta-Zabo-Isiklar, but their third best time came at a cost for Ugur Isik and Christian Zaborowski who, for the second time in two days broke a gearbox and now face a race against time to get to the start line for race 1
Source: Class One
