Strauven and Popov claim maiden Eurocup-3 podiums in Jerez, with Tarnvanichkul also on the rostrum
The antepenultimate round of the Eurocup-3 season, and the first of the two events scheduled in Spain, delivered outstanding results for GriffinCore Campos Racing's drivers. Thomas Strauven, who had been chasing a podium finish in recent races, finally secured his maiden rostrum on Saturday. It came in the very first race in which he was joined by Enzo Tarnvanichkul, with the Red Bull Junior Team member finishing third. Maximilian Popov became the third member of the Alzira-based team to stand on the podium at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto after finishing second in the sprint race. Rounding off the team's overall performance, Alex Powell scored points in all three races, with fourth place in the opening race his most notable result.
From Friday's free practice sessions, it was clear that GriffinCore Campos Racing's drivers would be in contention for highly ambitious targets. Powell, Strauven, Tarnvanichkul and Popov all finished inside the top five in at least one of the practice sessions.
Saturday dawned with the first qualifying session on the horizon and with both the objective and confidence to secure results that would subsequently allow the team to fight for podium finishes. By the end of the first qualifying session, that objective had been comfortably achieved. Strauven secured his best qualifying result in the category to date by taking second place with a lap of 1m33.942s, earning a place on the front row of the grid. Tarnvanichkul, driving his Red Bull-liveried Dallara 326-Toyota, set the third-fastest time with a lap of 1m33.965s. Powell completed the top five, with the American posting a time of 1m33.985s. It could hardly have been closer! Making his first appearance with GriffinCore Campos Racing, Popov also made an excellent impression, as his 1m34.231s lap earned him 12th place and, with it, pole position for the second race, Saturday afternoon's sprint.
But first came Saturday's feature race, held around midday. When the lights went out, Strauven made a superb start and drew alongside James Egozi. However, with the American retaining the preferred line, the Belgian was unable to get past. Tarnvanichkul held third, while Powell gained one position at the expense of Gianmarco Pradel, whom he overtook in the opening stages. Although Egozi tried to pull away, he could not shake off the GriffinCore Campos Racing trio, which occupied positions from second to fourth. However, on lap five, the Safety Car made the first of three appearances following three separate cars running off track, meaning the race was effectively decided by a series of restarts. In fact, following the final intervention, the race was never restarted and finished under neutralisation, with Strauven and Tarnvanichkul securing their respective podium finishes, with Powell providing excellent support in fourth. Popov finished 12th.
The sprint race once again produced plenty of action. Starting from pole position, Popov tried to hold on to his privileged position at the start. However, his Dallara's tyres spun excessively, allowing Keanu Al Azhari to draw alongside and pass him moments later. Further back, Tarnvanichkul was eighth, ahead of Powell. Strauven was running 11th in the opening stages when the Safety Car was deployed following an incident on the first lap, which shortly afterwards led to a red flag to allow repairs to the damaged barriers. After 15 minutes, the engines roared back into life and, with ten minutes remaining, Race Control once again waved the green flags. Popov remained glued to Al Azhari until, with less than a minute remaining, another incident triggered a further Safety Car period. Popov consequently secured second place on the podium at the chequered flag. Tarnvanichkul and Powell added further points with eighth and ninth places, respectively. Strauven, starting in the middle of the pack from the reversed grid, crossed the finish line in 12th.
Temperatures had changed somewhat by Sunday and GriffinCore Campos Racing's drivers were unable to complete a perfect lap. In Q2, Powell was the team's best-placed driver in seventh, thanks to a 1m34.472s lap. Tarnvanichkul was just outside the top ten in 11th with a 1m34.542s lap. Popov set the 13th-fastest time in 1m34.639s, while Strauven was 16th with a 1m34.739s lap.
The third and final race, lasting 30 minutes plus one lap, took place around midday. When the lights went out, an incident occurred at the start, with a car hitting the wall on the main straight and immediately prompting a Safety Car deployment. After three laps, the SC headed into the pits and the green flags were waved. On the restart, Powell launched his attack on Ean Eyckmans and drew alongside him on the back straight, passing him around the outside under braking for Turn 6 to move into seventh. Further back, Strauven was also engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle with Pradel, with Popov subsequently joining the fight. As the race reached its midpoint, the gaps began to stabilise, with Powell seventh, Tarnvanichkul 10th, Popov 12th and Strauven 13th. After 18 laps, Powell crossed the finish line in seventh and Tarnvanichkul in 10th, the latter having fought to overtake Santino Panetta all the way to the chequered flag. Popov eventually passed Pradel to finish 11th, while Strauven took 13th.
In the drivers' standings, Powell sits sixth with 82 points, while Strauven moves up to 11th with 51 points, six more than Tarnvanichkul. In the teams' standings, GriffinCore Campos Racing is third with 204 points.
The next round will take place on 23-25 October, when the championship heads to the Hungaroring for its penultimate round.
