As the Crown Racing Series reached the halfway point of its inaugural season, the tempo in the championship race was increasing.
Three races had seen a trio of different winners, with Nicolai Pedersen and Balazs Erdeyi heading the standings. The Dane was seven points clear heading into Belgium following his second place to Gregory Hovesen at Daytona.
Kicking off the second half of the season was Spa-Francorchamps, a track steeped in history and packed with tight corners, testing the drivers' skills to the limit.
On-track Hovesen was briefly the series’ first two-time winner, only for a post-race penalty to drop him behind Pedersen, who extended his championship lead.
But what happened when the CRS headed for its spa day?
Race Analysis
Strategy corner
One aspect of Spa, which makes it unique among other racetracks, is its microclimate, where one part of the course can be bone-dry while another is soaking wet.
But with conditions set to be perfect, the rain tyres were put away, and with it the potential for a multi-stop race.
With Spa over seven kilometres in length, drivers would be able to go past half-distance before making their pit stops. Like at Daytona, there was a possibility of gaining track position by just stopping for extra fuel and forgoing new rubber.
Pedersen continues his charge
Having just missed out on his second race win at the flag, Pedersen was the main beneficiary of post-race penalties.
After only managing fifth on the grid, Pedersen made hay on the opening lap, avoiding the carnage to pick up three spots, allowing him to keep Neo honest during the opening stint. A slow stop for the Spaniard handed Pedersen the lead, but with Hovesen right on his gearbox, he couldn’t afford to relax.
As the laps ticked down and with fuel scarce, Pedersen and Hovesen again worked together before the Canadian made a bold move around the outside of Blanchimont on the final tour to take the win. But with Hovesen picking up a two-place penalty for his part in a collision with David Bozga, victory went to Pedersen, his first since Fuji.
Witvoet bounces back
A much-needed return to the rostrum for Witvoet, putting him back in the championship mix at a critical time of the season. Having not finished inside the top six since dominating at Silverstone, Witvoet qualified sixth and ran a distant fifth by the time the pitstop window opened.
Rather than follow the rest of the top four into the pits on lap 13, Witvoet went one lap longer, giving him a lap in the lead before diving in for fuel. Staying out put the Dutchman in the mix for the podium places, putting him in a great position when Erdelyi and Neo made contact on lap 19, allowing him to breeze into third. That became second mere hours after post-race penalties were applied.
Dismay for Hovesen
When the chequered flag fell at Spa, Hovesen appeared to have taken back-to-back victories, only for the stewards to put celebrations on ice. From fourth, Hovesen had a difficult start, getting out of shape on exit of Les Combes, with Bozga the unfortunate casualty as the Canadian tapped him around.
Now in third, Hovesen profited from Neo’s slow stop to move into second, with the next few laps becoming a replica of Daytona as he and Pedersen worked together to build up a gap over their rivals.
But as the laps ticked by, it seemed inevitable Hovesen would get by; the question was where and when. Eventually, the Canadian muscled his Mustang around the outside of Pedersen at Blanchimont to seal the win on track at least.
Fourth again for Erdelyi
The breakthrough to the podium will have to wait for Erdelyi, who once again had to settle for another fourth place.
With his consistency building him a strong platform in the title fight, Erdelyi qualified strongly at Spa, putting his Mustang on the inside of the second row. However, a mediocre start dropped him to fifth before recouping fourth on the run-up to Pouhon.
Erdelyi remained in fourth after the pit window, but with a handful of laps to go, he closed in on third-place Neo on the approach to Les Combes. The Hungarian tried to go around the outside of the Spaniard, only for the pair to get out of shape, allowing Witvoet to pull clear and secure third.
Kos makes the top five
Once again, the big mover in races, Kos sealed his best result since Silverstone despite failing to qualify inside the top 10.
Kos had plenty to do after only managing 13th in qualifying, but with plenty of carnage happening in front of him, the German charged up to ninth by lap 1. That became seventh after Youp de Vos made contact with Ryan Woodrow on lap 2, and on lap 6, he dived past Kodi Cosford on the approach to the Bus Stop to jump into sixth.
Once clear of Cosford, Kos managed to pull clear of the Scotsman to bag his first top six since Silverstone.
Out of reach for Neo
Spa’s surprise polesitter had hoped to pick up big points, but race day would be another case of what if for Neo. Neo raised a few eyebrows by snatching pole by less than a tenth from Pedersen, but the Spaniard proved he could run at the front on merit, leading the race comfortably before the pit stop window.
But Neo’s race quickly unravelled when a slow stop dropped him to third behind both Pedersen as well as Hovesen, leaving him vulnerable to Erdelyi. The Hungarian saw his opportunity and attacked on lap 19, only for both cars to go off the road, with Neo sent into the gravel on course to finishing sixth.
Chase for the crown
With just two rounds to go, Pedersen leads the standings with 114 points, while Erdelyi lies second on 100, with de Vos, who finished way down in eighth, third on 84. Hovesen is two points behind the Dutchman in fourth, with Witvoet a firm fifth on 76, nine clear of Woodrow, who completes the top six.
Driver Quotes
"Unexpected qualifying, good first stint with fuel saving, but after the hit in the pits and with a damaged car the dream of a race win disappeared."
"Unlucky in Qualifying. Lucky in the race. Negligence of other drivers cost me a good qualifying, there was more to get but I am happy with p6 after all that happened in the race."
"Didn’t lead a lap, didn’t force moves, just stayed smart, saved fuel, and capitalized when it mattered. That’s how you get a P2 at Spa."
Paddock Pass
Cosford finally cracks the top eight
A hat-trick of ninths finally came to a close for Cosford, who earned himself his first series top six after a strong drive. Starting ninth, Cosford jumped to eighth when Mihai Neg spun off in front of him on the opening lap, which became sixth when de Vos and Woodrow hit trouble.
However, with connection troubles causing him to disappear off the screen, Cosford had to concede sixth to Kos but was still able to keep de Vos behind until the chequered flag.
Like Kos, Cosford was bumped up one spot in the final results due to post-race penalties.
Bozga’s woes continue
Needing to pick up points after exiting on the opening lap at Daytona, Bozga looked to be in a good position to bounce back after qualifying fourth at his home event. The Frenchman wasted little time in getting his elbows out to clear Pedersen for third, allowing him to chase after Hovesen for second.
But as they exited Les Combes, Hovesen got on to the gravel, causing the Canadian to get of shape, collecting the attacking Bozga to be sideswiped into the wall. For the second running, the Frenchman was out on the opening lap, adding another non-score to what’s fast becoming an unlucky season.