Hat trick of wins puts Raphaël Fournier on top of TC France
In the second race meeting of the FFSA TC France series at Dijon-Prenois, Raphaël Fournier was victorious in three races out of four, finishing second to Giovanni Scamardi in Race 3.
These results propelled the young driver of JSB Compétition and his Hyundai Elantra N on top of the standings, 5.5 points ahead of the previous leader Scamardi.
On Saturday, Fournier won the first race from the pole, leading throughout the whole distance and beating Pierre Bredeaux by eight tenths, while Scamardi was a distant third.
In the second race, Sunday morning, the pole sitter Fournier and Scamardi ran abreast for the first three laps until Fournier took the lead and ran away. In lap 8, the pack was regrouped by the safety car to recover Bredeaux’s CUPRA that had pulled up alongside the pit wall with a technical issue that would sideline it for the rest of the day. A second neutralization was declared with three minutes left of the clock and the race finished behind the safety car. Fournier took another win from Scamardi who was dropped to fifth by a five-second penalty for track limits that elevated Gilles Chauvin and Tom Pussier to second and third.
Fournier and Scamardi resumed the fight in Race 3, with the Belgian driver moving into the lead during the first lap. Throughout the race, Scamardi put in a spotless performance, closing all the gaps that could offer Fournier the opportunity to pass. Not even a late intervention of the safety car that left one last lap of race prevented Scamardi from taking the win, only three tenths ahead of Fournier. Behind them Franck Salvi won the fight with Chauvin for P3.
The fourth and last race started as the previous two, with Fournier and Scamardi having a battle for the lead; however, after a few laps the scenario turned into a solo flight for Fournier who built a solid gap and eventually won by nine seconds over Scamardi. The focus then, shifted on the battle for the third place, with Pussier who gallantly defended the position from the attacks of Chauvin and Salvi until a technical issue forced him to retire. Chauvin then, beat Salvi to the last spot on the podium.
The FFSA TC France will resume in Belgium, at Spa-Francorchamps on 20/22 June.
Championship points
- R. Fournier, 86 pts.; 2. G. Scamardi, 80.5; 3. G. Chauvin, 55.5.
Picture: SRO
