There was certainly no lack of on-track excitement in Coppa Shell Race 1 at Spielberg. The protagonists, who shared the podium alongside winners Axel Sartingen and Joakim Olander, tell us all about what happened on the Austrian curves.
Ernst Kirchmayr, runner-up in Coppa Shell: “It was a good race: the start was excellent but after a couple of laps Axel Sartingen pushed very hard and got clean past me. I'm very pleased because I'm Austrian and I came away with a positive result: getting onto the podium here, in what I consider my “home” circuit, gives me great satisfaction. Spielberg is a beautiful circuit. I hope to win in Race 2 tomorrow.”
James Weiland, third place in Coppa Shell: "It was a tough test: I immediately found myself behind Axel Sartingen and Ernst Kirchmayr. I tried to put pressure on Kirchmayr but I didn't get much of a result. It is also a demanding circuit from the physical point of view. As for tomorrow, I hope to do better than today and get closer to the podium and hopefully, fingers crossed, it won't be too wet, as the weather forecast is predicting rain.”
Giuseppe Ramelli, runner-up in Coppa Shell Am: “Too bad really, because without the five-second penalty, I would have probably taken the win. Tomorrow, in Race 2, I will try to do better. I really like the Spielberg circuit, I felt good and it was fun to pull back various positions.”
Laurent De Meeus, third place in Coppa Shell Am: “I didn't get off to the best possible start as I had to begin from eighth. Later I had a lot of fun outrunning my opponents, making it as far as third position. I hope I can do better tomorrow.”