All in all pole position for Carol and second race podium.

Marc Carol-Evgeniy Makushin, driving Baporo Motorsport’s Seat León, finished a hot, a very hot weekend in Alcañiz climbing onto the second place of Motorland’s Division 1 (D1) podium. On the first race of the event, which took place on Saturday (27th June) from 10pm onwards, they finished fifth.
The problem the Baporo team drivers had to overcome, in each race, was the long stop at pit-lane when they had to change drivers. Why? Due to the handicap obtained after a double victory by Marc Carol and Zakhar Makushin (Evgeniy’s brother) a few weeks ago in Jarama circuit.

Carol-Makushin, as well as the rest of the teams, had to endure the consequences of a heat wave that affected the Spanish territory. The air temperature was close to 40º, which climbed up to 50º on the track and was tough to cope with inside the cars.

The great difference of the first free training session was that it was scheduled at night. It was fairly clear from this first contact with the track that the drivers were going to have visibility issues during the first race under artificial lights. Both Carol and Makushin, who was new to the circuit, realised it was not going to be easy to get their bearings after a possible swerve off the track.
The timed training sessions went on smoothly for the team of Baporo Motorsport. Carol managed to score under 2’02” (2’01”594), the only driver in the D1 category who did it. Therefore, he started from the pole position amongst the D1 on the first race (night race). Makushin, whilst adapting to the track, got a time of 2’04”383 and was placed sixth.

As previously mentioned, during the 1st race the main difficulty for Carol-Makushin was the accumulated handicap. The Andorran driver, after overcoming the always complicated start, stood at the front of the D1 cars and finished his turn clearly ahead of his closest rivals. The long stop at pit lane meant that Makushin entered the track third with Aristi right behind him. It looked like fourth place was a sure thing, but on the lap before last Fontes overtook the Russian driver, new to the circuit of Alcañiz. At the end, in the Baporo pit, the result was deemed good: Carrying such a handicap we couldn’t really aim much higher. The situation on the track wasn’t the most suited to take risks.

The beginning of the 2nd race was astonishing. Makushin, who started on the fifth lane of the grid, surprised all his rivals and placed himself first amongst the D1 cars.Once again the change of drivers was key. Carol joined the track in fifth position, but the category leader was 20” ahead. He almost managed to catch him, but in the end the Baporo driver had to settle for second place 1” away from victory: Considering how we started the race, the result is very good, but being so close to victory and not being able to fully fight for it is quite disappointing. These were Carol’s words. His teammate, Makushin, was absolutely ecstatic with his second race in a circuit that not that long ago was completely unknown to him.

After almost two months of inactivity, the teams fighting to win the CER 2015 will meet again in the Navarra Circuit in the town of Los Arcos. This track will be the setting for the fourth meeting of the season and everyone’s wish is for the weather to be more merciful.

Press Service.

Results CER 2015 - Motorland Circuit (Alcañiz).

1st Race:
1.-Ampolo-Lepoutre (VW Scirocco) 52’04”356, 2.-Font-De Diego (Seat León), +18”561, 3.-H-Arruabarrena-Aristi (Seat León) (Seat León) +31”326, 4.-Fontes-Van Oostrum (Seat León) +48”143, 5.-Carol-E.Makushin (Seat León) +51”879.
2nd Race:
1.-Sicart-Carbo (Seat León) 51’57”690, 2.-Carol-E.Makushin (Seat León), +1”106, 3.-Font-De Diego (Seat León) +19”600, 4.-H-Arruabarrena-Aristi (Seat León) (Seat León) +24”591, 5.-Fontes-Van Oostrum (Seat León)  +33”637.