In qualifying, Albert Costa showed his determination by impressively claiming pole position for both of the weekend’s races, finishing ahead of team-mate Fabien Thuner on both occasions. This meant it was an all-Oregon Team front row for Race 1, with Bas Schothorst lining up alongside Kevin Gilardoni (Oregon Team) on the second row.

Schothorst tried to take everyone by surprise at the start of the race, but the Eurocup Megane Trophy championship leader was too enthusiastic on his approach to turn one and ran wide. The order, then, remained unchanged at the front, with Costa leading the race ahead of Thuner, Bas Schothorst, Gilardoni and Tom Coronel (TDS Racing).

Niccoli Nalio, who started the race in eighth, quickly caught up with the front five. On the third lap, the Italian began to push in a bid to snatch fifth place from Coronel, but he had to wait until the fifth lap to find the opening. Costa, meanwhile, was opening up a strong lead over Thuner and Bas Schothorst.

Nalio was the first of the frontrunners to make the obligatory trip to the pits, with Coronel, for his part, forced to retire from the race after coming into contact with the car of Kelvin Snoeks (TDS Racing).

With all the pitstops complete, Costa retained control of the race with slim one-second advantage over Thuner. Bas Schothorst, meanwhile, trailed more than 12 seconds behind Thuner in third.

The tussle between the Oregon Team pair was the main attraction towards the end of the race. Thuner did not force the issue, however, allowing Costa to cruise home to his first victory in the Eurocup Megane Trophy. Thuner finished second to secure a first one-two of the season for Oregon Team. Despite finishing third, Bas Schothorst maintains a commanding lead at the top of overall standings in the Eurocup Megane Trophy.

What they said:

Albert Costa: “I joined this competition from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, so everyone thought I was going to stroll to the title. But it’s not like that. I’ve had to get to know the car and spend lots of time working with Oregon Team, as this is a really competitive discipline. It all paid off today with my first saloon-car victory. It puts me back on track and gives fresh motivation to everyone around me. We had to win!”

(http://www.worldseriesbyrenault.fr/en/tv_news/news/Pages/LuckyhelmetinspiresCostatovictory.aspx)