Paul Ricard – Race 2: Al Azhari takes his revenge after an epic duel with Egozi

The Eurocup-3 entered a new era this weekend with the competitive debut of the Dallara 326. And to close this first chapter, the Paul Ricard circuit delivered a thrilling scenario. While Gianmarco Pradel started from pole position, it was championship leader James Egozi who executed the perfect strategy at the start. Starting from the second row, the American dived confidently into the first corner to seize the lead.

The race was quickly neutralized by a yellow flag at the North chicane following Lorenzo Campos' retirement. Under the safety car, pole-sitter Gianmarco Pradel saw his last hopes dashed, a mechanical issue forcing him to retire.

A war of words between Al Azhari and Egozi

At the restart, the tension rose a notch. Under pressure from Keanu Al Azhari, Egozi held firm as the Dubai native made a small mistake, temporarily running wide. A thrilling battle ensued. The two drivers engaged in a fierce duel, remaining side-by-side for four consecutive corners. While the Emirati initially gained the upper hand, Egozi responded a few laps later to retake the lead, before Al Azhari delivered the final blow.

By crossing the finish line victorious, Keanu Al Azhari secured a prestigious win for Hitech GP, redeeming himself after his disappointing pole position the previous day. James Egozi finished second and left the South of France in the lead of the championship.

Behind this formidable duo, Rene Lammers tried to capitalize on the battle to close the gap, but the Dutchman ultimately lacked pace towards the end of the race, dropping to fifth place. Alex Powell completed the podium.

For the first time in the category's history, neither MP Motorsport nor Campos Racing managed an overall victory. The top Campos driver was Alex Powell, third in Race 2 at the Paul Ricard circuit, ahead of two MP Motorsport drivers, Ean Eyckmans and Rene Lammers, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

On the French side, Rafael Perard staged a superb comeback. Relegated to 30th on the grid following a technical issue during the second qualifying session, the Frenchman battled hard to climb back up to 13th. A solid performance that partially erased the frustration of his starting position. Rayan Caretti, after climbing as high as 17th, ultimately crossed the finish line in 20th place. The third winner of the weekend, in the Sprint race, Christopher El Feghali, finished ninth.

The Eurocup-3 competitors will now meet in Portimão, from June 5 to 7, for the second stage of the season.

Eurocup-3 – Paul Ricard (France)
The classification of Race 2

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