Thank SEAT I have had the opportunity to attend the appointment that was supposed to crown the champion of the second edition of the cup brand, the SEAT Leon Eurocup 2015. A day between gas, oil, tires, and speed. With a final tremendously fun and overwhelming. So it was this glorious day.
The first racing took place on Saturday, but the championship is decided on Sunday
Since the dawn of racing, man has wanted to go faster in the beginning is physically possible. The races were born to meet this need, the drug, which is the speed. The struggles and amateur, have always represented the branch in its purest and most authentic in the world of the motor. Civil daily but riders on the weekends. Big names and legends have been forged in these competitions that are slowly coming out of their stage more dark.
Brands like SEAT have wanted to keep this kind of competitions alive. An excellent way of promoting and helping riders. For this nothing better than to employ to your model the more commercial of all, the Lion. This is one of the cars in competition with more success. In the past won the world title in the WTCC in the seasons of 2008 and 2009. And since 2003 he has been employed for competitions-brand, called the SEAT León Eurocup from last year.
The circuit of barcelona in Montmeló had the privilege of hosting the last two tests of the championship extremely tight. Each of the sleeves, one on Saturday and another on Sunday, scores a maximum of 10 points for the winner, to which we must add three more points if you get the pole position. Two pilots came matched to points, the spaniard Pol Rosell, current champion of the SEAT Leon Eurocup, and the Norwegian Stian Paulsen. As a guest of exception, and as an ambassador of the brand, the 16 times champion of the trial world, Laia Sanz, participated in both tests.
33 riders took part in each of the sleeves, where the pole was separated by a little more than 70 thousandths of a second
Before the first of the race the nervousness was more than obvious. The first position was occupied by Mikel Azcona, followed by Rosell. Paulsen, for his part occupied the ninth drawer out, and Laia Sanz in a most excellent twelfth position. In the moments before the mechanics are responsible for putting up the last details, put on the new tires, no blankets heated, are prohibited. Just a few minutes away, where you mix the hustle and bustle and the concentration of the pilots who do not come down from their mounts.
From the pit-the television-served to follow the career down to the smallest detail
The race begins. The first curve form a stockpile that splits the grill in half, Laia is involved in that stage and quickly falls 10 positions. Meanwhile Rosell takes command of the sleeve, Azcona, and Paulsen back posts in a spectacular way. After the 14 laps, Paul Rosell stands with 10 points, followed by Azcona. Paulsen finished in a great fourth position and Laia Sanz has been able to back up to the 17. The championship still have to be decided in the next race disputed on Sunday.
There is a saying that all public and private reigns a great atmosphere. It is the good thing about these races, far from other competitions, most inaccessible, appears to be open to more contact with the fans. From the pit you can feel the nervousness, as well as from the walls of the pit lane, where it follows closely the telemetry and engages in conversations with the pilots.
After the second of the races, much less tight on this occasion, the spaniard Pol Rosell will rise with the second victory of the competition, thanks in part to the mechanical problems suffered by its rival Norwegian that doesn’t get to finish the race. For his part, the ambassador Laia Sanz improvement in the position achieved on the Saturday, reached a creditable twelfth position. Despite the disappointments, the good atmosphere is still present in the Catalan track.
The flag of spain eventually topped the podium of the first race contested on Saturday
15,000 euros was the prize for the winner, € 10,000 for the runner-up and 5.000 to the third
note that although the awards receive the pilots, one of the major protagonists is the SEAT Leon Cup Racer. SEAT has a long-standing experience in the field of competitions of cars, and for this occasion, borrowed a SEAT Leon Cupra that removes everything non-essential, and there is an arc of safety, aerodynamics worked, lightweight materials like carbon fiber and a few tweaks in the engine bay.
to Say at this point, that far from what we may think, the engine remains almost as the standard. The only thing that is changed is the distribution of items such as the Intercooler, increases the air filters and, above all, improving the exhaust and electronics. At the end of all these jobs the Leon Cup Racer is able to reach the 330 HP content in a weight of 1,250 kilograms. In regard to the change of the DSG from the factory is still present, although they have strengthened the gear to be able to withstand the harshness of the competition.
Two laps aboard the SEAT Leon Cup Racer
Now, how do you feel that beast from within? Well thank SEAT I had the privilege of being able to give two laps of the circuit of Montmeló, as co-pilot yes. At the controls was the andorran Amalia Vinyes, pilot Baporo Motorsports. With the monkey, and the hull sheathed, I insert in the bucket of the front passenger, a maneuver which is not easy to complete given my size and the narrowness of the pass-through area. But it is achieved, everything is by feel the Lion roar.
Many are the feelings that you experience after that steering wheel
once Amalia puts the Leon Eurocup in march the first thing that you become aware of being is that the noise is very intense in the interior. To compete is stripped of everything, and took the body to the found, so no insulation or any other discomfort. In addition to the escape is free, and gives off a sound in its final stretch of more than 100 decibels. To say that an aircraft in the manoeuvre of takeoff follows 140 decibels, so imagine the ruidito makes there within.
But there is discomfort, the urge to give the returns outweigh the noise, which is not a joke, you get to ignore, there are things that impress you much more. I have to say that I hoped sincerely that She would give me two laps in the “plan layout” or in mode VIP as they say, but nothing could be further from the reality. The aunt squeeze anything more out from the pit lane. That is when I realized that for her they are extra laps with the car, a gift for both of you that is taken very seriously.
Sure most of you know the layout of Montmeló, with their drop offs, fast corners and long straights. It is the circuit most commonly used by Formula 1 teams, in making his point of face to the world, something will be. 4.627 meters have been witness to great battles, epic overtaking, and a multitude of accidents. I would not want to be I added to the list of recent.
The engine factory is still almost in its entirety, although it receives significant improvements
But the truth is that I am confident, my driver shows good skill, though in certain moments I wonder why go so fast? And it is not how fast you are going, in the end, the highest figure I can see in the display are 230 Km/h, it’s the braking thing that impresses me most. It’s amazing what can change the behavior of a car with a few “quick fixes”, such as reducing the weight and put a brake on competition.
The braking of the Leon Cup Racer is brutal. It is capable to get the eyes from their sockets. It fits to say that at the end of the long start / finish straight, the 230 Km/h previously mentioned, I can see the poster of 200 meters, and 150, wondering when you plan to stop this woman. The curve is approaching very fast, and if for me out there braking for half a mile, but I’m not a pilot, Amalia yes, and it makes it past the poster of 100 meters. Despite the harness of four points on the body leans forward, a braking short but accurate which is followed by a swerve to the right and then another to the left.
After the two laps, and once through the pit lane, taken at a speed that is insane, me under the car, barely, because if it is difficult to climb the more difficult it is to lose, with a smile on your face and thinking that if some day I get a euromillón can you point me to one of these competitions-brand, where the only the price of the car is already a disbursement of close to € 100,000. As I said at the beginning, a way to “relatively” cheap way to feel like Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton. What a pity, it has made me short.
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