Carrasquedo Jr., Ho, and Shin monopolized the podium in the first Eurocup-3 race held in Alcañiz. Lisle and Kluss also scored points in the last event before the summer break
The 2024 Eurocup-3 season reached its summer break with Campos Racing achieving another significant haul of podiums and points at Motorland Aragón, the venue for the sixth round of the calendar. Mexican driver Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. made his debut as a winner in the category while Christian Ho earned his sixth podium of the season, which could have been seven if not for a penalty for the Singaporean in the Sunday race. South Korean Michael Shin also featured on the podium, while Noah Lisle and Valentin Kluss scored points twice in Alcañiz.
On Saturday morning, during free practice, Carrasquedo Jr. and Ho topped the timesheets in the first free session with their laps of 1m53.150s and 1m53.228s. After the second free session, where Campos Racing drivers again led the pack, the first qualifying session took place at midday, determining the grid for the afternoon race. In Q1, Carrasquedo Jr. flew to pole position with a time of 1m53.504s, beating Javier Sagrera by ten thousandths. Ho also performed excellently, finishing third with a lap of 1m53.556s, while Shin closed the top 5 with a lap of 1m53.808s. Further back, Australian Lisle achieved the tenth best time with a lap of 1m54.019s, while Kluss was fourteenth with his lap of 1m54.580s.
In the first race, as soon as the lights went out, it was Carrasquedo Jr., Ho, and Shin who led the group in the early stages, especially after a collision between Sagrera and Owen Tangavelou in the first corner that brought out the safety car. The race resumed on the third lap, and the Campos Racing trio began to pull away from their pursuers, demonstrating a much faster pace. The battle between Carrasquedo Jr. and Ho was memorable; although the Singaporean briefly led, it was the Mexican who took the win after 16 laps, just three-tenths ahead of Ho. Additionally, Ho was the top rookie. Shin rounded out the podium in third place under the checkered flag. German driver Kluss, in full attack mode and making a comeback throughout the race, finished seventh, just ahead of his teammate Lisle.
Sunday began with the second qualifying session, where Ho was the best of the team’s drivers, securing fourth place with a time of 1m51.949s. Kluss and Lisle were sixth and seventh with their times of 1m52.181s and 1m52.345s. Carrasquedo also made it into the top ten with a time of 1m52.374s, earning ninth place. Shin qualified in thirteenth place with a time of 1m52.547s.
In the second race, which took place shortly after midday, Ho maintained his position at the start. By the second lap, he had already passed Tangavelou and was running third. By then, Lisle was sixth, and Shin had moved into the top ten. Unfortunately, a spin by Carrasquedo Jr. dropped him to the back of the field. After a period with the safety car on track, the race returned to green flag conditions on the fifth lap. Ho stayed close to the leaders and even pressured Bruno del Pino to try to take second place. However, he settled for the points from third place. Unfortunately, hours after the race ended, the Stewards imposed a ten-second penalty for the maneuver in which he passed Tangavelou, dropping him to ninth place. Thus, Lisle was the best of the Campos Racing drivers with his fifth place, while Kluss and Shin finished seventh and eighth. Carrasquedo Jr. managed to climb back to tenth place.
After Alcañiz, Ho occupies second place in the drivers' standings with 164 points and is the best rookie. Kluss is fifth overall with 103 points and the second-best newcomer. Shin is also among the top ten, eighth with 58 points. In the teams' standings, Campos Racing holds the second place.
The championship will resume in Jerez on October 5 and 6.
Photos: © FotoCar13
