Hard learning for OL

For the first 2009 round of SuperLeague Formula, Olympique Lyonnais, who are new to the discipline, had a very difficult weekend.

In front of their audience, the single-seaters always have the motivation to shine. Even if the Nivernaise stands were not very crowded, there is no doubt that Olympique Lyonnais would have liked better results on the Magny-Cours circuit. Unfortunately for Nelson Panciatici, the pilot, and Epsilon, who is preparing the car, OL's national round took place during the opening weekend. And the white car with the blue and red border was behind the other cars on the field.

After difficult qualifying, Nelson Panciatici could only stay at the back of the pack during the first race, finishing 13th. A place which, however, allowed the OL car in the second race. “ My gearbox played a bad role for me. The mechanics really need to solve the problem for the second round, otherwise I'm going to experience another 45 minutes of hassle » admitted Panciatici after the race.

But the Asniérois, much slower than his rivals, only saw his pursuers overtake him with ease in the second round, the Lyon single-seater quickly descending in the hierarchy. Finally 13th, OL confirmed the result of the first round, finishing in last place among the cars having finished the race. The 20-year-old driver recognized, like Epsilon boss Michel Lecomte, that the OL car was seriously lacking in power.

And Olympique Lyonnais? Coming as a very attentive spectator, the president of OL, Jean-Michel Aulas, obviously did not take this double disappointment well. However, the man who built OL step by step into the world of football is trying to put these very timid beginnings into perspective. “ It?s always a disappointment not to win when you enter a competition, recognizes Aulas on the club's official website. We are here to learn. We decided late to enter this Superleague. As a result, we recovered our engine late. » But there is no doubt that this demanding boss will not want to see this kind of performance happen again in three weeks, in Zolder (Belgium).