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Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski

Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski

08. July 2018Magny-Cours - The weather on this second day of the Championnat de France Camions weekend in Magny-Cours was as perfect for racing as the day before. Despite the light cloud cover the temperature had risen to above 25° in late morning’s qualifying. The arguments over the results will have been considerably more heated, though. At first everything seemed to be going as you would expect, Janiec setting an unbeatable time and his MAN colleague and strongest rival Robineau coming in more than a second slower. Both stayed out no longer than that one lap to conserve their tyres. They were joined by Téo Calvet (MAN), Polish Renault pilot Grzegorz Ostaszewski and the father-and-son duo of Lionel and Yorik Montagne, both also Renault.
But there was an inordinate delay before the Super Pole began – and when it did, the list of 10 trucks allowed a go at bettering their times bore little resemblance to the outcome of the qualifying run. The times of Janiec, Robineau, and both Montagnes were cancelled for overspeed infringements. What that meant effectively was a walkover for Calvet and Ostaszewski, the 17-year-old MAN driver pipping the Pole to pole. The two aspirants to the title, meanwhile, found themselves banished to the end of the field of 19 trucks.
It had grown rather hot at the start of the first race of the day – 30° in the shade, the asphalt beginning to shimmer at up to 60° in parts. There was no incident after the lights turned green; polesitter Calvet led Ostaszewski into the first corner, and the two quickly pulled out a gap over the rest. But Janiec came raging up from the rear, muscling his way into 4th at the end of Lap 1, 3rd at the end of the second lap, and 2nd at the end of the third. On the fifth lap he was clear in the lead and disappearing into the distance. The MAN pilot went on to take the flag almost seven seconds ahead of the rest.
Behind him, Calvet and Ostaszewski battled for 2nd. Robineau presently came up on them and threw himself into the fray. Over several laps he and the Polish Renault pilot duelled for 3rd. That eased the pressure on Calvet, who was able to put some space behind him. Robineau eventually subdued Ostaszewski and set off in hot pursuit of his young countryman. A cautious Calvet was now taking no risks, and wisely let his quicker MAN colleague overtake without resistance. The podium thus decided, the Junior Cup went once again to Téo Calvet.
Lionel Montagne, the third top pilot who’d had to start from the rear, was also making progress, though his was nowhere as dramatic as Janiec’s and Robineau’s. Four laps to the flag he caught up with his Renault colleague Ostaszewski, whom he immediately sought to overtake. Emulating Robineau’s move on Janiec yesterday, he drafted right up to his Polish competitor on the long descent to the sweeping final right-hand curve. Unlike Robineau, though, he was on the inside, which allowed him to take 4th out of Ostaszewski’s hands without difficulty.
Volvo pilot Franck Conti was 6th, ahead of Aurelien Herrgott (DAF) and Patrice Lacouve (MAN), who inherited pole for the concluding race of the weekend.
But the first pole of his career proved of no benefit at all. Lacouve did survive the first lap to cross the line in the lead, but was then unceremoniously shoved down the order, forcing him to give up after the seventh lap with severe damage to his truck.
The win was then decided between Janiec and Robineau.
After Lacouve it was Ostaszewski that headed the field, but he soon had Robineau and Janiec breathing down his neck. The Lion pilot had made a better start and was two or three positions ahead of Robineau, but then made an unforced error on the second lap that allowed Robineau, who had closed back in, to surge ahead of the yellow-and-black MAN. Together, Robineau and Janiec then broke Lionel Montagne and then Ostaszewski, thence to take the flag unchallenged. Nobody now could take away the rewards of their labour but they themselves, and their fight to the finish could well have knocked either or both out of the race. At the end it was Robineau who took the flag first, by a whisker.
All Montagne’s exertions to tear 3rd place out of his Renault colleague Ostaszewski’s hands remained fruitless. Even here the battle was razor’s-edge, but at the flag the Pole stayed four tenths ahead of the Frenchman.
Calvet drove a relatively eventless race to finish 5th, unable to make up ground and with no danger from the rear.
More than two hours later, the result was revised. To most observers, Janiec and Robineau had fought an exceptionally hard battle without crossing the line – figuratively speaking. Race control ruled otherwise. Both pilots were given 30 seconds for “Conduite antisportive” – unsportsmanlike conduct. As a result, Ostaszewski was retrospectively declared the winner, ahead of Lionel Montagne, Robineau, and Janiec, the remaining order staying unchanged.

Impressions:

Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski
Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski
Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski
Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski
Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski
Championnat de France Camions in Nevers Magny-Cours - Wins for Janiec and Ostaszewski