Hoppe & Picco complete 1:8 grid in Fiorano

Lars Hoppe and Alberto Picco complete the grid for the final 1:8 A-Main of the 2015 Euro Nitro Series after bumping up from the B-Main at the championship’s fourth & concluding round in Italy.   Like the 1:10 B-Main it was another close 20-minutes of racing, the Top 3 all finishing on the same lap, with Hoppe from third on the grid winning by 8/10ths of a second from Picco. Having bumped up from the C-Main, unfortunately for ENS race winner John Ermen, who set the fastest lap of the race, his recovery from a difficult qualifying would come to an end as he finished half a lap down on the leaders.  The race would also mark the end of the event for 2014 finalists Andrea Lorenzi and Michael Salven.

A podium finish at Round 2 in Aigen, ARC driver Lars Hoppe described the final as ‘not so bad’ adding ‘but I need a new engine’.  With his Reds Racing engine set ‘way too lean’ he said it was done after the 20-minutes and he would have to fit a new one for the final.  Only getting his R8.0 right in the third qualifier, but making mistakes over that 4-minute run, the German said the car has been really good since and he will leave it unchanged for the main race adding he is confident he can improve from his 11th on the grid.

Qualifying fourth for this race last year, Picco said he ‘started the race a little angry’ after being hit by another car at the start despite trying his best for a ‘careful’ start.  Driving his Mugen ‘as fast as he could’ the Picco engine boss said the car was the best it has been all weekend and planning to make no changes for qualifying he is looking forward to working his way through the field in the final.

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