Ambri: Maurer knocks Egli off SM podium

DRAMATIC SLALOM FINALE As in the previous year, Marcel Maurer celebrated the day's victory in Ambri. Due to the first defeat of the season, the previous dominator Philip Egli slips from first to fourth SM rank. As expected, the title goes to Martin Bürki. More exciting than in Ambri, where the responsible persons of the Equipe Bernoise because of the construction work on the airfield a new [...]

Editorial - October 7, 2019

Lukas Eugster was in front in the training and in the first race run. But again nothing came of the first day's victory (Photos. Peter Wyss).

Slalom sport at this level can't be more exciting than in Ambri, where those responsible for the Equipe Bernoise had to lay out a new course because of the construction work on the airfield.

After the two practice runs on the fluid, but only 2.75-kilometer-long circuit, Lukas Eugster in the Ligier-Honda and Marcel Maurer in the Tatuus-Renault were tied in time. Meanwhile, Philip Egli in his Dallara-EPR-2 lost almost two seconds. And Tiziano Riva, in a Reynard F3000 with a gear ratio that was too long and on tires that were too old, was without a chance from the outset.

Eugster must capitulate
While Maurer wanted to win again at the end of the season, Egli had to - because defeat would mean losing his third place in the SM championship. And Eugster sensed his chance for the first national day victory, as he had never been on a par with the fastest race car drivers with his two-liter sports car.

But it was Marcel Maurer's day. Although Eugster was ahead after the first race run, the Bernese furniture specialist then got everything out of his two-liter race car and undercut the Appenzeller's second submission.

Lukas Eugster: "I thought it was enough. Marcel is a maniac. I don't know how he did it, but I don't begrudge him. We just lack some power in the CN car with Group N series engine, plus the higher weight. I couldn't make up for that with the better aerodynamics and four new tires."

An engine failure on the way to victory in Hemberg had interrupted Marcel Maurer's season. Now the man from Bern returned to success in Ambri.

Free in the head

Maurer himself could explain the first national day victory in exactly one year with his looseness.

Marcel Maurer: "I drove without any pressure and realized that I was not nervous. For me, Lukas was the favorite. When I heard his new best time, I knew it would be tough. Still, I didn't think it would go so well, since I didn't compete in a slalom for almost five months. Finishing the season like this is awesome."

Bitter pill after a fantastic season
On the shortest course of the year, of all places, Egli thus suffered his only defeat, a clear one at 2.86 seconds behind.

Philip Egli: "I specially fitted a shorter gear ratio from practice to the race and set more wings for the fast sections. Although I then attacked fully, I didn't get up to speed. I did have a shifter in the second run, but I wouldn't have gone 1'22."

Philip Egli (left) and Marcel Maurer have been having great duels for the day's victories for years. In AMbri, it had consequences for the championship.

Thus, a super season for the man from Glarus ended with a quiet disappointment. Despite seven victories on the day and one second place, Egli slipped from first place in the SM standings, held jointly with touring car drivers Bürki and Thöni, to a thankless fourth place.

Happy ending for Darani
Egli would only have kept his third medal position if Christian Darani had not won the E1 two-liters two race fields ahead of him. However, the Ticino native only showed a slight sign of weakness with a spin in the first race and then drove the always spectacularly moving Fiat X1/9 to its seventh victory of the season.

Seventh strike from Bürki
The championship title goes, for the seventh time since 2011, to Martin Bürki in the proven VW Polo. The 51-year-old from Sigriswil above Lake Thun put in two absolutely safe runs that earned him the 20 points needed to win the title. Therefore, for once, he did not aim for a touring car best time. Even so, he won the E1-1600 with a lead of almost ten seconds over Werner Willener in a likewise optimal VW Golf 16V. Congratulations!

At the start of the season in Interlaken in April, Martin Bürki showed what he plans to do in 2019. Now he is getting the tenth champion's star on the hood of his VW Polo.

Runner-up title to Thöni
Hanspeter Thöni also showed strong nerves and driving skills. This time, the man from Brienz again left his quite equal opponents in the ISN-1600 class behind him under his own steam, after he had last come to full points in Drognens only after a protest against his brand colleague Mathieu Zurkinden.

Two new winners
Fastest driver of all touring cars and GT cars was Sandro Morros in a Porsche 991 II GT3 Cup from group E1. Last year's winner Patrick Flammer was on his way to possible best times with the Opel Astra TCR, but he touched a gate in the first run and only rolled to the finish line with half power in the second due to the turbo hose coming loose.

There was a new winner in the group Interswiss. Marco Geering, who had previously appeared in REG hillclimbs, won the entire Group IS with his Opel Kadett 8V in only his second national slalom appearance (after Frauenfeld) ahead of the specialists Manuel Santonastaso (BMW 320) and Christoph Zwahlen (Porsche 997 GT3), who were used to winning.

With Marc Beyeler, there was also a surprising new winner in the Renault Classic Cup. We will describe how this came about in a separate report this week.