There are a number of drivers still in with a shot at the title
Courtesy of Peugeot
With a day of testing in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP as one of the chief prizes in the inaugural 207 Spider Cup, it’s hardly a surprise that the series has been so fiercely contested since the beginning of the season. With one round remaining, four drivers can still hope to take the crown, although the final showdown will not form part of the programme of a Le Mans Series round. The outcome will be decided instead at the Super Série FFSA meeting at Magny-Cours, France.
On paper, Dino Lunardi, Grégory Guilvert, Julien Briché and Julien Schell can all still dream of clinching the top prize this weekend at Magny-Cours. With a total of 48 points up for grabs, these four drivers are covered by just 31 points.
Since the visit to Silverstone in September, last year’s Peugeot RC CUP winner Dino Lunardi has emerged on top of the provisional standings thanks to a score of four wins, two of which were notched up at the British round. Dino currently enjoys a 16-point advantage over Grégory Guilvert who lost out badly in the first race at Silverstone following a puncture. Everything seems to be going well for him at the moment, though, since he has won Karting’s Le Mans 24 Hours and, more recently, secured the 125cc category French Karting Cup. At Magny-Cours, should Grégory Guilvert succeed in winning both races, qualify both times on pole and post both fastest race laps, Dino Lunardi will still take the trophy if he finishes second in each of the two races. Meanwhile, the two Juliens - Briché and Schell - are split by a mere three points. However, they will need a certain amount of good luck on their side if either of them is to succeed in dislodging the two front-runners! That said, anything is still possible, as we have seen since the beginning of the championship. Indeed, no fewer than four drivers have taken turns at the top of the provisional points table - Maxime Dubrulle, Julien Schell, Grégory Guilvert and Dino Lunardi - while the racing has been marked by plenty of dramatic turnarounds. The battle is consequently wide open, especially since the rest of the pack has no intention of holding back while the top-four sort out their own fight. Maxime Dubrulle would dearly love to end the year as he started it, with another win, while Benoît Lison will be keen to add to his crop of podium finishes. The entertaining Marcel Sciabbarrasi is also eyeing his first top-three finish, as is Briton Simon Moulton who could well run for the most unfortunate driver of the year award. Since the start of the season, he has been plagued by technical trouble and has also been victim at times of pretty some virile jostling in the pack! The visit to Magny-Cours of the 207 Spider Cup, which has essentially served as curtain-raiser to the European-based rounds of the 2007 Le Mans Series, will also decide the winner of the Nations Cup. Belgium still tops the provisional standings ahead of Germany, which is represented by Oliver Freymuth, and Spain, whose colours will be flown in France by Alvaro Espinosa Gonzalez and Jorge Baeza.
Just before Sunday’s finale, French driver Eric Helary will perform a demonstration run with the 908 HDi FAP to remind the 207 Spider Cup contestants one last time just what it is they have been competing for since the start of the season. In addition to walking away with a 207 Coupe Cabriolet, the eventual winner will take part in a physical fitness course in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, in the company of the 908 HDi FAP’s usual drivers and then spend a day in Vélizy to meet the team and familiarise himself with the car before undertaking a day of testing at Paul Ricard, France, in the early part of December.