Nurburgring: Tom Coronel weekend summary

SNORAS SPYKER SQUADRON 2ND IN 1000 KM OF THE NURBURGRING

SNORAS Spyker Squadron took a brilliant second place in the 1000 km of the Nurburgring this afternoon. Despite starting from the back of the grid Spyker regular drivers Jarek Janis (CZE) and Tom Coronel (NL) secured for the second time a podium place in the German Le Mans Series round.

Tom took the start of the race and immediately showed the pace already shown at Le Mans and in Portimao. After one hour of racing Tom had already managed to get into seventh place, despite being held up by a Ferrari for a while. A strong and quick first pit stop helped the team to move up into fifth place. Both drivers were extremely happy with the performance of the car and after passing another Ferrari the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R was in fourth place.

Into the second part of the race, with Jarek behind the wheel, the gap to the top three started to shrink rapidly. Jarek started to chase down the FBR Ferrari F430 GT2 in third place and, despite nearly being hit by Danny Watts crashing his Ginetta-Zytek, the gap was down to a couple of seconds when he came in. A quick pit stop and an incredibly fast out lap resulted in third place with just under an hour and a half remaining. That changed into second place when the Team Modena Ferrari spun out into the gravel.

An interesting final hour saw Tom and Anthony Beltoise in the FBR Ferrari fighting for second place. Beltoise closed the gap but Tom defended his position successfully, until Beltoise hit the Spyker and sent it into a spin. Fortunately Tom was able to continue quickly and when Beltoise was given a stop-and-go penalty he was back in second place. A quick 'splash and dash' with just fifteen minutes left was done quick enough to stay ahead of the FBR Ferrari and Tom raced to the finish to take second place for Spyker Squadron.

Tom Coronel: "It's a dream! We really needed this and the result came at the right time! It was one of my hardest races ever, but well worth fighting for. My last stint felt like doing qualifying laps for one and a half hour. We were in a heavy fight with Beltoise in the Ferrari towards the end of the race. I already saw him closing in and he looked very eager to overtake me at the first possible moment, so when he touched me at the exit of the corner it did not really come as a surprise. With 5 years of WTCC experience you tend to be prepared for situations like this. After he hit me, I quickly corrected the slide and selected first gear. The stewards promptly handed out a stop-and-go penalty to the Ferrari, which actually gave us some more breathing space to secure second place. We are all over the moon with this result. The team has been working every hard to achieve this and it is fantastic to see the results now. It is also great for all our guests and the fans from The Netherlands that came to support us. I am sure they enjoyed it as much as I did!"

Jarek Janis: "I am very happy; it was a great weekend for us. The car was working very well. Unfortunately we had to start from the back, but during the race our lap times were pretty good and so we went to the front step by step. I have to say thanks to the team, my engineer and the mechanics, they did a great job. The car is getting better at every race and it is easy and nice to drive this car!"

Peter van Erp, Managing Director Spyker Squadron: "This is a great result for the team. The drivers really worked hard and went for it. We already showed it was possible at Portimao and after our fifth place at Le Mans. We were right there in the practice sessions and in qualifying. Due to the engine change we came from the back of the grid to second place so I am extremely happy and very proud of the drivers. My compliments for the team!"

Victor Muller, CEO Spyker Cars: "This is one of our best results ever in the Le Mans Series. It is a great year; things can not go wrong anymore. We had a fifth place at Le Mans and now a second place here at the Nurburgring. Years of hard work were finally rewarded. The car was flawless! I am extremely proud and I think the team has achieved something incredible! "

-credit: coronel.nl