Motorsport: Water battle at slalom opener

Rainy races have their own laws, and this was no different at the consistently wet opening round of the Swiss Slalom Championship. The 4.1-kilometer course with 63 gates and two chicanes claimed prominent victims. As the conditions were almost unacceptable for Eric Berguerand's Lola winged monster, the mountain champion risked nothing and even accepted exclusion from the classification.

The favorite was therefore the multiple national day winner Philip Egli. But the Zurich native did not have his best day, spinning in the first run and damaging the wing of his Dallara-Opel F3 in the second. As a result, the 2015 SM third-placed driver had to settle for an unfamiliar fourth place in the class. On the other hand, Marcel Maurer surpassed himself. As in practice, he set two clear fastest times in his Formula Renault Midland and deserved to be congratulated on his first win of the day.

Surprising problems with champion Martin Bürki
There was also a surprise in the touring car category. Martin Bürki already attracted attention in the first training run with a bomb time, which no one else reached in the race. He himself stopped in the first heat with a drive defect on the gray VW Polo (his green champion car is not yet ready), which he was able to repair for the second heat with the greatest of efforts. Because of fogged up windscreen his second attempt became a blind run, which still brought him the third class rank. However, the best time of all closed cars was not achieved by runner-up Danny Krieg in the predestined Audi A4 STW with all-wheel drive, but by the brilliantly disposed Frédéric Neff with his over 500 hp Porsche 911 GT3. The championship continues next Sunday in Frauenfeld.

www.slalom-de-biere.ch
Photos: Ramon Hänggi