Tom Blomqvist wins in quarter-final photo finish in ETCR’s Pool Fast

Tom Blomqvist was the winner of ETCR Pool Fast’s first quarter-final at Zolder.

Hyundai Motorsport’s Jean-Karl Vernay had pole for the race, but his “start was just terrible”, according to the man himself and he dropped to third off the line behind Cupra EKS duo Adrien Tambay and Blomqvist.

However Tambay locked up and ran deep into the first corner, dropping back to third. Vernay was several car lengths back but used his power boost to close in on Blomqvist and had several looks at passing him in the middle of the lap. He could not find a way by then, but Blomqvist left the door open when the trio reached the Terlamenbocht right-hander and that allowed Vernay back into the lead.

Starting lap two Blomqvist lost another place as Tambay powered up to rise to second place, and he then hassled Vernay hard but similarly found it difficult to pass on the tight track. Vernay used his boost to stay ahead into the final lap, but Tambay also had boost remaining and took the lead.

Blomqvist meanwhile saved his for the final sector of the final lap, and the patience paid dividends as after the penultimate chicane he moved back ahead of Vernay and with with his final seconds of boost managed to draw alongside his team-mate as they met the chequered flag.

In a photo finish it was Blomqvist who came out on top by just 0.075 seconds, with Vernay only half a second back in third.

“I got a good start, I was quite aggressive on the first lap using my energy,” Blomqvist said, pleased that his strategy of saving boost while the other two fought ahead worked in the end. He also added “it was a fun race”.

Vernay also enjoyed the scrap, but said his “start was terrible” and it cost him the win although he was “able to recover [positions] from some mistakes of the guys”.

The second quarter-final was similarly as close, and Romeo Ferraris’ Giovanni Venturini booked his place in the semi-finals by taking victory.

He, team-mate Bruno Spengler and Hyundai’s Norbert Michelisz ran three-wide off the line and into the first corner at the start of the race, and after some door-to-door action it was Spengler who led into turn one courtesy of holding the inside line.

At the exit he used as much room as possible, leaving Michelisz with no room and resulting in the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR driver to go off track and fall back to third. He ended the lap in second though as Spengler lost positions later in the lap.

Venturini gleefully took the lead and controlled his race from there, holding off attacks at first from Michelisz but then being able to relax one the second placed man was preoccupied with defending from Spengler. Through the final lap, Spengler used his boost as much as he could in attack and there was some panel rubbing as the faster car in third place attempted to force a way past.

He couldn’t get it done until after the final chicane, as he slipstreamed past Michelisz by a tiny margin to complete a Romeo Ferraris one-two 1.785s behind Venturini.

Next up is the Pool Furious quarter final, starting at 17:30 CEST.