Miguel Gomes marginally missed out a top 10 result at eNASCAR race in Mosport despite incident – Gordon Barnes in top 20, Yevgen Sokolovskiy 22nd after a hectic start
At the road course race in Canada, Miguel Gomes finished eleventh despite being hit by an opponent. Seven places behind him, Gordon Barnes finished 18th after difficulties, while Yevgen Sokolovskiy finished the first road course race in 22nd place after a hectic start.
Going without pit stop is the key to success
What looked like a subdued 17th place in qualifying, was clearly corrected in the 30-lap race. Gomes established himself in the fight for the top 15 early in the race, until Alex Tagliani (NASCAR Pinty’s Series) made unfortunate contact with the Portuguese driver on lap 10.
What had happened? Lying in 17th position, Gomes was behind Federico Gutierrez Hope (NASCAR Peak Mexico Series), Justin Campbell (Drive for Diversity) and Leonardo Colavita (NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), but ahead of Tagliani. In the Moss corner (turn 5/6) Tagliani caught the rear of the #46 Camaro. Gomes corrected the spinning Chevrolet machine, but was forced to distance himself from the group thereafter.
However, strategy was to be the deciding factor. Gomes decided early on to go without pit stops throughout the race, as he commented on his strategy afterwards. By saving tyres and fuel, he was able to hold on to an eleventh place finish. „Eleventh place was a good result considering the chaotic first half,“ Gomes commented.
Barnes bites his way through difficult race
For the Briton, things did not work out as wished, despite having found a solution after the Miami hardware problems. Qualifying in 18th place, the #148 driver struggled with the track. After an early spin, he „never really found his way back into the race“, as was conveyed.
So Barnes – despite all his efforts – ended up in 18th position. Mosport is a „difficult track“, because „small mistakes become big ones“, he added.
Team-mate Sokolovskiy in the #48 car could not avoid two spinning cars on the start. But despite the damage to the front of his car, the Ukrainian went on to finish in 22nd position. „Mosport was not easy because it is a difficult track and I could not develop a feeling for the car and the track,“ Sokolovskiy said on his result.
After Mosport, the points standings reads like this: Gomes is in seventh place with 59 points. Barnes is in 16th place with 41 points, tied for the last top-15 spot. Sokolovskiy is in 21st place with 35 points.
Next Saturday, the third round of the season will take place in Zolder, Belgium. On the traditional circuit – which is part of the real EuroNASCAR championship – the Marko Stipp Motorsport drivers will thus try to use their existing track experience to their advantage.
With image material from eNASCAR International iRacing Series (iRacing)
19 Januar 2022, Alessandro Righi