Archive
Radical Nevada Cup: Almeria, Spain, 23-24 January 2010
25th January 2010
The 2010 Radical Nevada Cup winter series kicked off this weekend at Almeria, Southern Spain, with 17 racers joining Radical for testing and racing in the winter sun.
Almeria’s tarmac rollercoaster, deep within the Andalusian mountains, demanded a lot from the drivers for a quick lap time. Fast corners, a long high-speed straight with a 90° right turn at the end…all are typical of this technical circuit.
Two open pit lane sessions where all the participants could learn the track were followed by 30 minutes of qualifying and the first 45-minute race on day one, with Mike Gardiner / Phil Keen (SR8) on pole, and Roger Bromiley / Rob Wheldon in the second starting position in the works SR3. 27 hard-fought laps between the fast SR8 and versatile SR3 saw Keen & Gardiner emerge the victors, closely followed by Thomas Meidinger (SR5) and Scotsman David Thorburn on a fantastic third place.
Heavy overnight rain led to a much more slippery and wet track for race 2, with Gardiner and Keen again on pole. Radical UK Cup SR8 runner Manhal Allos lined up alongside on the grid, but the real battle was behind them, between Thomas Meidinger, Phil Abbott and David Thorburn. Before the mandatory pit-stop window, Meidinger had been battling with Christian Droop, but was beaten by Droop in the pits. Droop pushed his older SR3 to the limit and finished in third place overall. The winners in race 2 were again Gardiner and Keen ahead of Manhal Allos, who had the lead for a long while, until an unlucky spin.
“The first Nevada Cup weekend has had everything: a beautiful track, an intimate paddock area, challenging races, close in-fights and a delicious dinner on Saturday evening where all the teams and drivers come together to discuss the day, sit back and relax,” said Alex Tauer, Radical Deutschland. “The next round of the Radical Nevada Cup & Trackdays will be held at the Ascari Race Resort on the 27-28 February; already 25 cars have signed up for this event.”