Funyo V de V Challenge: Three races and multiple contenders for victory

// Race 1 //
After the great qualifying session on Friday, the Funyo drivers set off on their first lap between the red and blue stripes of Paul Ricard. At the first crossing of the line, the hierarchy of the grid is preserved, but we are already expecting a great battle between the Hériau family and Jean-Pascal Burguet, the author of the pole. A quartet is organized at the head and no leader is clearly defined. A second group, led by the No. 5 from Fontbonne, drives the middle of the peloton. At mid-race, the Burguet / François Hériau duo took a 4 second lead over the 3rd and offered a great show to the public at Castellet. Behind them, Serge Hériau, Eric Grare, Gilles Hériau and Nicolas Cannard are at the heart of a pitched battle to access the last available place on the podium. We are approaching the end of the race and the gaps are still very small between all these men. 5 minutes from the checkered flag, François Hériau passes Burguet and seems to succeed in taking a few steps ahead. Lap after lap, he gains a few tenths, but Jean-Pascal Burguet will react in the last loops to come back to within a second of first place. No effort was wasted, François Hériau retained the lead and won this first race of the weekend in Funyo. Behind these two men, we witnessed for a good while a very nice explanation between Serge Hériau and his son Gilles, who was participating in his first race here. The latter will unfortunately make a mistake and plunge in the ranking to finish in 11th place. Serge Hériau is therefore free to take third place on the podium. A great opening round which confirms all the motivation of the drivers in this 2013 championship.

// Race 2 //
We find the 26 Funyos again at the start of this second round. After the warm-up lap, the cars stopped in their respective locations, but the No. 22 of HMC Lohéac had a problem. Jean-Louis Simon is evacuated from the track and returns to the stands; a quick repair and he will be able to start at the end of the pit lane. Meanwhile, the other Funyos perform a second round of heating, as required by procedure. The race time will however be reduced to 16 minutes (instead of 20 minutes). It's the green light and François Hériau, winner of the first round, completely misses his start. The pilots arriving behind him narrowly managed to avoid him. The problem is in fact more serious since it was a mechanical break which did not allow the No. 37 to start correctly; François Hériau was forced to give up in the first round. At the first crossing of the line, the ranking is as follows: 16 / 36 / 2 / 1 / 14. We thus find in the top 5 all the leaders of the first event contested at the opening of the season in Barcelona. Burguet is in the lead ahead of Serge Heriau and Eric Grare, but given the gaps, everything can change from one corner to the next. The No. 38 of Arlan Boulain also had good times and followed the Funyo of Eric Grare who was 3rd. The two men will offer us a superb fight during the following rounds. In the lead, Jean-Pascal Burguet was able to gain a small lead which he seeks to consolidate over the laps. For his part, Arlan Boulain continues his effort and is now tackling Serge Hériau for second place. No gifts between 36 and 38 while we are in the last minutes of the race. We enter the last lap and the drivers have regrouped to attack the last loop; no one can say who will complete the podium behind Jean-Pascal Burguet! It is experience that will speak. Serge Hériau and Eric Grare pass Arlan Boulain who is ultimately not rewarded for his superb race and finishes just off the podium. The classification is as follows: Burguet / Heriau / Grare.

// Race 3 //
Burguet attacks this last round at the same pace as the previous two and gives himself a few steps ahead from the first laps. Serge Hériau increases the pace and comes back to within a few tenths of the leader. Nicolas Cannard and Eric Grare are also there for the start of the race, just as competitive as during the other rounds of the day. The positions are not fixed and a few laps later, Serge and François Heriau are respectively 3rd and 4th for a family explanation. The No. 16 from Burguet and the No. 38 from Boulain are only separated by 4 tenths, but François Hériau has got the better of Serge and will soon move into second. A few minutes later, he was in the wake of the leading car. Under pressure, Burguet made a mistake and gave up the lead. We now have an explanation between Boulain, Serge Hériau and Grare. Problem for Boulain who finds himself 7th and loses, as in the previous round, the benefits of his good start to the race. Eric Grare took the lead, leaving Hériau to explain with Burguet who managed to move up the rankings. Everything is not over but everyone will succeed in defending their place for this last podium of the weekend in Funyo.

Next round of the Funyo V de V Challenge in Dijon on June 28, 29 and 30.