While the Red Bull Ring round was again shortened by adverse weather, Alesia and Jacqueline Kreutzpointner had another remarkable weekend in the BMW M2 Cup, as both fought at the top end of the field and finished in the top ten in an action-packed race 1.
The fifth out of the of six rounds of the 2022 BMW M2 Cup season hit the track at Red Bull Ring, in Austria, resuming what has been an exciting and very open championship fight.
Alesia and Jacqueline Kreutzpointner were again on the hunt for points, after the fastest twins in motorsport were both in the top ten at the Nürburgring, at the previous round.
Saturday's race provided some great racing action, entertaining the many DTM spectators on track. Fabian Kreim started from pole position and led the field into the first corner – but Maxime Oosten remained on his tail and eventually overtook him after the second corner.
None of them was willing to give up an inch to the opponent, as they traded places throughout the whole race, until Lorenz Stegman – who had waited patiently for his chance – passed Kreim for second position on lap 14.
That wasn't the only on-track battle, as the whole field was separated by groups of battling cars. Alesia Kreutzpointner was right in the mix; having shown great pace at the Austrian track, she was the protagonist of many battles and ultimately crossed the finish line in seventh place, securing her best result of the season so far.
"What a race!" – Alesia said after the race. "After a very good start I was able to move up from P8 to P4 in the first corner."
"I could defend the position for a very long time", she continued. "In the end, I struggled a lot with the tyre pressure and ended up in P7. Let’s see what I can do tomorrow."
Jacqueline Kreutzpointner also had a very positive first race, after setting competitive lap times in both practice and qualifying. While her race was not an easy one, she put her elbows out and finished again in the Top-10, adding more important points to her tally.
"I am happy with some points today" – said Jacqueline Kreutzpointner. "But tomorrow is a new chance and it looks like we are going to have our first wet race! I will start from P7. Let’s go."
Unfortunately, Sunday would ultimately not provide that chance, as – for the second time this year, after Nürburgring a few weeks before – the adverse weather forced the series to cancel the race.
“Of course we are disappointed not to be able to race today, but the decision of the race director is the only right one", commented Jörg Michaelis, series director of the BMW M2 Cup. "There is simply too much water on the route – and according to the weather report, the rain isn't going to stop anytime soon."
"A race in these conditions would be too dangerous", he continued. "We are a championship for young talents, many of our drivers do not have that much experience, especially in these conditions. That's why we have to pay particular attention to the safety of our pilots." – Michaelis stated.
The final event of the season will take place from 7th to 9th October at the Hockenheimring, with a still an open championship battle.
