Hagberg & Kerry complete grid in Bologna

Alexander Hagberg & Joe Kerry will complete the 12 car grid for this evening’s 1:10 A-Main at the opening round of the Euro Nitro Series in Bologna, Italy. Both direct qualifiers for the event last year, Kerry qualifying 5th and Hagberg 8th, but this time round they found themselves in a competitive B-Main. A 20-minute encounter, Kerry’s Capricorn started on pole with Hagberg’s Xray starting fourth. Leading away, Kerry would stay out front for 6-laps before Hagberg went to the front where he would stay till the finish winning by almost a full lap over Kerry. The British driver would have to work hard for the final bump up spot coming under intense pressure from the KM of Eduardo Escandon. All over the rear bumper of the pole sitter, the ENS Fiorano Finalist would come together with Kerry and end up on the grass ending his chances of a bump to the reduced 30-minute A-Main.

Hagberg said the main reason he found himself outside the direct Top 10 qualifying positions was because ‘I couldn’t get my shit together in qualifying’. The World champion continued, ‘we had various problems and in a field that is so close you miss out on the A-Main. The Top 15 drivers this weekend are so close’. Coming up with a set-up for the B-Main that was a ‘bit better’ the Swede said he ‘just tried to stay consistent and stay in front’. Looking to the final and having gained good track time in terms of evaluating tyre wear, he said ‘impossible to do 30-minutes without a tyre change so its going to make for an interesting final’. With rain forecast later this evening race organisers have made the decision to reduce the race from 45-minutes with almost unanimous backing of drivers, master of race strategy Lamberto Collari one driver who was against the move.

Kerry said the race was intense at times but ‘it worked out quite good at the end’. One of the surprise stars of qualifying last year, he said ‘the competition is a lot higher with it being a 1:10 Worlds year’. He added, ‘qualifying wasn’t too good and it was the third round before we found a set-up’. For the main event, he said the shorter 30-minute race distance would make for an easier race as now one tyre stop should be enough. After that he said his plan was to ‘drive a consistent race and see where I end up’.

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