Álvaro Fontes takes commanding win in Los Arcos
Sharing the PCR Sport SEAT Leon Cup Racer with young ace Jordi Oriola, one of the youngest and talented Spanish drivers, Fontes took a clear victory in the Spanish Endurance Championship last weekend, during the event held at the Circuito de Navarra. In race two, Fontes / Oriola retired from the race due to brake issues. Fontes keeps title fight alive.
Álvaro Fontes continued his winning streak in the Spanish Endurance Championship, with the Malaga-born driver teaming up with Jordi Oriola at the wheel of the PCR Sport-entered SEAT Leon Cup Racer. Oriola joined the team for the event taking place at the Circuito de Navarra, the race track close to Los Arcos. Rain dampened opening CER practice session and, from the very beginning, Fontes and Oriola proved to be a razor sharp both in D1 class and SEAT Leon Trophy. The duo ranked 4th and 2nd in both free practice sessions before heading into qualifying. There, Oriola stormed to pole position by setting a sensational 1:48.577 in Q1 and then, in Q2, Fontes stopped the clocks with a 1:49.224, 3rd-fastest.
Sunday was devoted to both races, with Oriola making the opening stint in Race one. Although he was overtaken by Marc Carol, Jordi maintained second place before pitting for handing over to Fontes. Fontes rejoined the track leading the field and, playing it clever and consistent, kept David Cebrián at bay. Finally, PCR Sport driver crossed the finish line. But Fontes / Oriola got an unhappy ending as Race 2 ended abruptly due to brake issues. Fontes was running in the top-5 but, immediat“Jordi has done very good work over the weekend, posting pole position time and then delivering a strong stint before I jumped into the car. Cebrián and we had the same time handicap and, at the beginning, was lapping quicker than me, but soon I pulled away and built a seven-second gap. My stint was rather solid”, Fontes said, stressing that “it was such a pity we had to retire in Race 2 because I think certainly we had a shot for podium. But title fight gets tighter than ever. Now the series head to Estoril”.ely after pit stop, Oriola was forced to retire.
