Bénézet inherits Mondello victory following late drama in Ireland
Andréa Bénézet has increased his advantage in the Euro RX4 title fight at Mondello Park today (19 July), after finishing third-on-the-road in Ireland but finding himself promoted to first place by subsequent penalties for arch-rival Filip Melon and team-mate, Thomas Quincé.
The overnight leader on the FIA European Rallycross Championship’s return to Ireland following a three-decade hiatus, Melon – who celebrated his 17th birthday in the build-up to the event – continued to set the pace in Q3 on Sunday morning. While he narrowly lost out to Quincé in Q4, he had nonetheless done more than enough to secure Top Qualifier honours – and more importantly, the prime spot on the grid for the all-important Final.
After holding position away from the line, it seemed the Pole was set to leave his competitors eating his dust again – but those competitors had other ideas. When Melon put two wheels onto the grass exiting Turn Two, Quincé pounced, with contact between the pair elevating the latter into the lead. What’s more, with the Frenchman’s compatriot and Eleven Motorsport stablemate Bénézet right behind in third, the Warsaw native was suddenly in a precarious situation.
It was not the first time during the day that the trio had found themselves in close quarters, having engaged in a similarly tense tussle in Q4, and the presence of Haotian Deng just a couple of seconds back in fourth meant Melon could not afford an early joker, obliging him to keep a watching brief.
Bénézet was the first of the victory-chasing trio to take the compulsory alternative route, followed next time around by Melon, with the pair resuming in the same order. Knowing Quincé would likely joker himself a lap later still, the Peugeot driver did not have long to make the difference – but make the difference he did.
Notwithstanding a small error approaching the merge, Melon successfully overhauled his Renault rival to assume a lead he would retain to the chequered flag, leaving Quincé with his hands full fending off Bénézet behind.
That looked to have turned a two-point deficit at the top of the title table into a five-point advantage, but there was to be a late sting in the tail, when the winner’s radiator thickness was found to slightly exceed the maximum homologated figure, culminating in disqualification from the results.
With Quincé having already been penalised for the opening lap contact with Melon, Bénézet duly inherited the win – and with it, increased his margin at the summit of the standings to a commanding 24 points.
Following the penalties, Deng scooped the runner-up spoils, after surviving a clash with Albert Kokk that fired the young Estonian into the grass banking. Ivo Gabrāns placed third, ahead of delayed SET Promotion star Kokk.
The chase for the Euro RX4 crown will conclude at Lousada in Portugal on 12-13 September.
