Simon Gachet shines in Pau
Fifteen days after the inaugural event fought out on the Ledenon circuit, the drivers of the French F4 Championship met again for the Pau Grand Prix, ready to tear down the streets of the Béarnaise city. Simon Gachet, the "EUROFORMULA VOLANT" 2011, created a stir when he won second place right from the very start of the qualifiers in Ledenon and finished second in race 2 after leading the race for a great part of it. Emerging from rugby, he discovered motorsport last year, without even going through the karting stage, unlike his young friends, Simon has astonished everyone!
Arriving in Pau with great ambitions, Simon Gachet stepped up on the second step of the podium twice for both races fought out on the urban circuit of the city. The "EUROFORMULA VOLANT" 2011 was the driver who won the most points during this "risky" weekend, boosting his rise in the general provisional ranking of the French F4 Championship where he now stands in 3rd place.
After some studious free practice, Simon Gachet completed some great qualifiers finishing with 4th and 3rd places on the starting grid, advantageous positions in a race where it's almost impossible to overtake!
Off to a good start in race 1 which saw him finish the first lap in 4th place, the "EUROFORMULA VOLANT" would benefit from a penalty attributed to his leading opponents to finish in second place. Same again for the second race where he would also finish in second place after a brilliant and consistent race, the "Gachet" rocket was launched:
"I came to Pau with the objective of picking up some big championship points on a very technical and dangerous circuit. Objective achieved since I did win the most. For that I knew it was vital to succeed in the qualifiers to get a start on the two front lines, after that it was relatively easy because I only had to control the situation according to events on the track, I think I had a successful weekend. A big thank you to EUROFORMULA and RALF TECH."
There was satisfaction all around at EUROFORMULA, as the director, Laurent Fradon, tells us: "He was the driver who brought in the most points from this weekend and there's no doubt that it will weigh heavily in the balance when the tally is counted for the championship! Simon knew how to manage the pressure perfectly while all the time being fast and consistent, he is among the lead players of this championship and he's fast becoming one of the favourites for the title. The next step is victory but not at any price, Simon must always keep in mind that it is the intermediate points that often determine the champion!"
The next challenge in the French F4 Championship will take place on June 23 and 24 on the Val de Vienne circuit where Simon Gachet has always felt at home. We can now count on the "EUROFORMULA VOLANT" 2011, and thoughts of victory are now among the possibilities!