Photo: Jacques Letihon Photographe

Renaud Kuppens wins a wet Race 3 in Spa-Francorchamps

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Renaud Kuppens won the third of four races at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, taking a comfortable win ahead of Boutsen Ginion Honda team-mate Stéphane Lémeret.

At the start, Pierres-Yves Corthals made a poor getaway in the DG Sport Opel Astra from pole and fell to fifth position, while the two Boutsen Ginion Honda Civics of Renault Kuppens and Stéphane Lémeret battled it out for the lead around the first few corners.

Kuppens emerged with the upper hand and began to pull out a small gap over his team-mate, while Alexis van de Poele was now up to fourth in the Delahaye Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR.

Corthals despatched Edouard Mondron’s Delahaye SEAT for fourth, who also fell behind the Milo Racing Volkswagen Golf of Frédéric Bouvy, while Corthals now was caught in a battle with van de Poele for third.

Corthals eventually made his move on lap five, passing the Volkswagen driver at Blanchimont and was now on the tail of Lémeret’s Honda battling for second position.

The former WTCC driver was unable to get ahead of the Boutsen Ginion Honda driver however, despite liberal application of his headlights, and had to settle for third.

Kuppens went on to win the race by 3.2 seconds ahead of Lémeret, with Corthals third, van de Poele fourth and Bouvy in fifth.

The final race of the weekend follows imminently following a compulsory safety car break.