The Singaporean driver was the standout performer of the weekend, securing two pole positions, one victory, and one second-place finish. Carrasquedo shone brightly, stepping onto the podium in his debut. Kluss and Shin also managed to score points
Campos Racing concluded its participation in the fourth round of Eurocup-3 at Circuit Paul Ricard with success, as their drivers achieved a magnificent haul of points to boost their chances of clinching the titles at the end of the season. Christian Ho was the spearhead of the Alzira-based team in France and undoubtedly the dominant force at Le Castellet. Equally notable was Jesse Carrasquedo Jr.’s podium finish in his debut, while Valentin Kluss and Michael Shin continued to demonstrate high-competitive performance. Australian Noah Lisle came very close to scoring points, which his teammates did manage to achieve.
In the free practice sessions, Carrasquedo and Ho were the fastest in the first and second sessions, respectively. Therefore, it was no surprise that in the first qualifying session on Saturday at midday, Ho secured the pole position. The Singaporean clocked a time of 1m59.485s, while Carrasquedo Jr. was eighth with a time of 2m00.070s. Kluss and Shin completed the top ten with times of 2m00.103s and 2m00.553s, respectively. Lisle, on the other hand, was 15th with a time of 2m00.831s.
In the afternoon, when the lights turned green, Ho was overtaken at the start by Bruno del Pino and Javier Sagrera. Carrasquedo gained a position, while Kluss and Shin maintained their starting positions. Unfortunately, Lisle had to pit shortly after and rejoined at the back of the pack. Carrasquedo experienced a similar fate on the next lap, also dropping down the order. However, up front, Ho was putting pressure on Sagrera, with Shin battling Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. Gradually, the positions solidified until Ho overtook Sagrera on the outside at the Mistral braking point. The Campos Racing driver had much more pace, distancing himself from Sagrera and closing in on del Pino. But by then, it was too late, and Ho settled for the second place at the finish. Kluss climbed to seventh, with South Korean Shin in ninth. Lisle, after his pit stop, was 21st.
On Sunday, in the second qualifying session, Ho repeated his pole position with a time of 1m59.734s, leaving his closest rivals two-tenths behind. Carrasquedo qualified fifth with a time of 2m00.272s, just ahead of German Kluss, who clocked 2m00.285s. Shin was 12th this time, with Lisle finishing Q2 in 16th place.
When the lights went green, Ho maintained his advantageous position while Carrasquedo and Kluss followed their teammate, moving up to third and fourth, respectively. Ho's pace this time was unmatchable for Sagrera, who soon lost his trail and had to fend off attacks from Carrasquedo Jr. After 16 laps, Ho secured his third victory of the season with more than a three-second lead. Carrasquedo Jr. also ensured his place on the podium in third, with Kluss in fourth. Meanwhile, Shin climbed to eighth place. The only one not to reap rewards from his recovery was Lisle, finishing 11th, just outside the points.
At the season's halfway mark, Ho takes the lead in the drivers' standings with 116 points, also being the best rookie. His teammate Kluss is fifth with 76 points and second among the rookies. Shin is further back in ninth place with 37 points. In the team standings, Campos Racing is in second place with 215 points.
Without any break, the championship will continue in Zandvoort next weekend with two new and exciting races.
Photos: Fotocar13
