No points in the UK for Norbert Michelisz

2011. július 18. 05:59  szerző: Viktor Adorján

Zengő Dension Team had to face a difficult weekend in the United Kingdom as the changeable weather conditions and a collision prevented Norbert Michelisz to score any overall championship points but he still keeps his positions in both championship ahead the German round of the season.

For the first time of the 2011 season Norbert Michelisz couldn’t manage to score points over a race weekend but the Zengő Dension Team driver still holds the lead in the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy and his 7th place in the overall standings of the World Touring Car Championship. Michelisz was involved in collisions on both installment of the 2011 Race of UK held at Donington Park for the first time as he was trying to improve his starting position.

This time he couldn’t take the results that his performance would have indicated. At the beginning of Race 1, Michelisz improved his 18th starting position lap by lap up until Lap 6 when he made contact with Darryl O’Young’s car that made the Hungarian driver to make a spin on the track. Michelisz’s steering got damaged in the incident that forced him to return to the pits for repairs that took place right until the last lap of Race 1.

As a consequence of the incident, Michelisz didn’t score points in the overall classification that was won by Chevrolet’s Yvan Muller ahead Robert Huff and Alain Menu. The victory in the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy was taken by Franz Engstler ahead Michel Nykjaer and Kristian Poulsen.

Battling rivals collide on Race 2

Following a troubled first race, Norbert Michelisz was hoping for a more successful second race in the UK and initially it was looking like he would be set for a point scoring finish in Donington Park. The Hungarian driver managed to overtake a total 10 cars before he was hit by Kristian Poulsen at the end of Lap 9. Michelisz then lost his 8th place and fall back to 12th in the overall classification.

Race 2 featured several contacts and racing incidents but initially Michelisz could take advantage of them. Despite the accidents and the fact that he couldn’t score any points since he began his season in Zolder, he still leads the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy and keeps his 7th place in the overall standings. Race 2 was won by Yvan Muller again ahead Robert Huff and Franz Engstler who took 1st place in the Yokohama Trophy as well. “

My aim was to overtake Kristian Poulsen as I’m in a tight competition with him in the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy. I managed to lead him into a mistake and I could overtake him by taking a reasonably small risk but after that unfortunately he missed the braking point,” said Michelisz after Race 2.

He added: “It happens sometimes, I’m not angry for him but this made Race 2 very unfortunate again. I was completely satisfied with the place where I got but I couldn’t finish there. We collided, I spun and then I was overtaken by three to five drivers.”

The championship resumes in two weeks’ time in Oschersleben.