Motorsport: Martin Bürki at the top again

AutoSprintCH had predicted it a week ago after the Slalom Bure, and so it came in Romont. While the previous championship leader Danny Krieg scored a great victory in class record time with his Audi A4 STW in Hemberg, his pursuers Martin Bürki and Philip Egli won their classes at the sixth Slalom SM round and are now tied at the top of the standings. Apart from their undisputed driving skills, both also had the necessary luck on their side.

Philip Eglis took 17th win of the day in the National Slalom
Because he had run into a competitor, Egli in the Dallara-Opel F3 was allowed to repeat the first race run on the 2.9 km course, whereupon he realized the eventual best time of the day with a 1.3 second lead over his permanent opponent Marcel Maurer (Tatuus-Renault). As in the first heat, the race car drivers opted to fit rain tires in the second heat, although the track was only partially damp. Although Maurer achieved a fabulous time, it was not enough to knock Egli off his throne. With his 17th win of the day in a national slalom, the skier from Zurich is closing the gap to Martin Bürki at the top of the SM standings.

Bürki and Muzzarelli not to be beaten
In Group E1, the second run had to decide after the wet first run. Shortly after Bürki's fantastic drive in the VW Polo, there was a long interruption. In the meantime, it began to rain lightly, putting the following competitors at a disadvantage. However, nobody would have disputed the third overall touring car victory for the defending champion. Martin Bürki's closest rivals were Sylvain Chariatte in a 1600cc VW Golf and Michaël Béring in a two-liter Honda Civic, who set the best times in the InterSwiss group. In the Opel OPC Challenge, Marcel Muzzarelli won ahead of Thierry Kilchenmann and Denis Genton.

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Photos: Jürg Kaufmann