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ERC
Round 6, Sweden:
Irish Luck runs out!
Team Tracey woke to a wet Holjes circuit
this morning and wet tyres were the order of the day. Undeterred
by the wet conditions George recorded 13eth fastest time in the
Peugeot in Heat 2 and another C final looked like it was on the
cars for the Profile Park man. However a third heat which
included top ERC runner Isachsen & local opposition saw 18th
fastest time being recorded and the C Final was missed. It was a
disappointment for the team before the five week break but
George has proved in the first half of the season that both he
and the Peugeot are formidable opposition now in Division 1.
Marcus Gronholm made an astonishing debut by winning the A Final
in an amazing race.
ERC
Round 6, Sweden:
The BIG ONE!
The biggest event of the season has arrived and Holjes has an
even bigger crowd puller for 2008 in the form of ex WRC Champ
Marcus Gronholm. Marcus made a spectacular debut today with 2nd
fastest time in Heat 1. George had a mixed kind of day with a
spin in practice and some overheating problems with the Eklund
prepared Peugeot. Per and team hope to have all sorted for
tomorrow morning. Despite the engine worries, George managed 15th
fastest time which puts him in a position to qualify for another
C Final. More news tomorrow....
ERC
Round 5, Norway:
George Wins C Final!
A red letter day for Team Tracey in Momarken as George recorded
his first ever ERC final win. The second day began well for
George as he recorded 9th fastest time in the 2nd
Heat which secured his 11th position overall and
virtually ensured a C final position. With the competition tough
from Scandinavian local drivers George recorded 15th
fastest in Heat 3 and lined up on the second row of the grid for
the C Final. The by now familiar rocket start from the 307 and a
superb move catapulted the Mullingar man into 1st
place in the first corner and that was where he was to stay
despite constant pressure a number of ERC regulars.
The victory was a little overshadowed after the race when a
broken clutch meant the Peugeot was sidelined and could not take
up its position on the grid for the B Final. However, George was
still ecstatic and once again has shown that the Profile Park
driver can mix it with the best of the ERC competitors. With the
highlight of the season, the Swedish event in Holjes next
weekend and the huge crowds expected with Marcus Gronholm
competing, George will be eager to continue his good results.
ERC
Round 5, Norway:
Dynamite!
George has a new team mate with local Norwegian Rallycross star
Guttorm Lindefjell joining up with the Profile Park team for the
two Scandinavian ERC events. Guttorm will pilot the Citroen C4
that John McCluskey has been campaigning this season. George
likes the Momarken venue but it is disappointed to see the crowd
pleasing jump has been taken away. George was certainly a
contender for the high jump winner on the jump when he debuted
the Xsara here in 2007.
Timed practice began in dull conditions on Saturday morning and
George produced some stunning times including 3rd
fastest overall on the 2nd timed run. This was
followed by an excellent 11th in heat one but George
reckons there was more left in him and promises a bigger push on
Sunday for a finals position. Guttorm encountered power steering
problems which saw a slow Heat one time. It should be
interesting to see Dynamite going for it in Heat 2 and 3 on
Sunday!
ERC
Round 4,
Austria:
George in a
Storm!
Day 2 saw ominous clouds gather over the PS Racing Center in
Greinbach. George had been 18th in his first heat and
was under pressure to put in some top times to qualify for the
Finals. As Heat 2 commenced a thunderstorm like only the Alps
could produce descended on the track and turned the venue into a
swimming pool complex causing all kinds of problems for the
drivers. George’s team mate John McCluskey made the best of the
conditions and recorded a very credible 11th fastest
time which virtually secured his C final position. George
however pushed too hard in the treacherous conditions and spun
off the track recording only 20th fastest time which
meant that only a miracle performance in Heat 3 would see the
Profile Park driver line up in the C Final. With nothing to
lose, George approached Heat 3 with a do or die approach which
saw the Dubliner stun the ERC establishment with 3rd
fastest time, beating Rallycross Legend Hansen who was 4th.
This amazing result catapulted him into 2nd place on
the grid in the C final with team mate McCluskey joining him on
the back row.
The C Final started well for George and held 2nd
position into turn one. Whilst the rain had stopped track
conditions were still atrocious and visibility nil unless you
were leading. Despite this, George never let ERC regular
Isachsen away from him and kept him honest until the 2nd
last lap when 2 punctures on the Profile Park Peugeot meant
George now had to defend his 2nd position. With some
spectacular crowd pleasing driving, he duly obliged retaking 2nd
position from Harsanyi despite his punctures and finished a
fantastic 2nd.
ERC
Round 4,
Austria:
Day One Report
Team Tracey made their way to the PS Racing Circuit in Greinbach,
Austria for round 4 of the European Rallycross Championship. On
a high following his B Final in Hungary last weekend, George was
hoping for more of the same at the tricky Austrian circuit. 13th
in timed practice saw George show his intentions for another
good performance in the Profile Park 307. Team mate John
McCluskey closely followed in 16th place. Despite the
threat of a deluge of rain, a light shower before Heat one did
not change track conditions. George once again pushed hard in
the 123.ie Peugeot which led to an off track excursion resulting
in 18th position and putting the pressure on for heat
2 & 3 on Sunday if a Final is to be realised. JMC kept his nose
clean to record 14th position as he looks to reach
his first final of his ERC campaign
ERC Round 3, Hungary:
Day 2 Report:
Day two at Nyirad proved to be a red letter day for George
Tracey as he reached his first ever B Final. George had started
the weekend with a C final in his sights but the Profile Park
driver soon realised that the results from recent testing were
coming to fruition and a B final was a distinct possibility.
After a very solid 10th in heat one on Saturday,
George resumed his good form with 11th place in the 2nd
heat on Sunday morning.
The 123.ie Peugeot never missed a beat all weekend and the icing
was put on the cake when George recorded a superb 6th
place in the Heat 3 to see him reach the B final. Despite being
at the back of the grid, George made another great start but
unfortunately Eriksson who was in front of him wasn’t as quick
out of the blocks and George made contact with the rear of the
Fiesta driver which saw him 2nd from the back in the
1st corner and left with an uphill task. The weekend
was not all glory for Team Tracey, as the other
Motorsportmad.com team member John McCluskey succumbed to gear
box problems for the 2nd event in succession. Both
cars will be back on track next weekend in Greinbach for Round 4
in Austria.
ERC Round 3, Hungary:
Day 1 Report:
Team Tracey made the longest ERC trip of the season so far to
the hot Nyirad track in Hungary. George is debuting his
fantastic new transporter truck for Round 3 & the beautiful
machine is certainly turning heads this weekend.
Timed practice began at approx noon today and the hot conditions
made the racing conditions sticky and thirsty work for the
Profile Park 307. With liquids at the ready, George completed
the first timed practice in 18th position which
didn’t reflect the speed of the Mullingar man’s recent form at
round 1 of the Swedish Rallycross championship. With Heat 1
starting promptly after timed practice, a few minor tweaks were
made and a focused George proceeded to take a fantastic 10th
position overall in Heat 1. This leaves George in with an
excellent opportunity to make a C final should he be consistent
in Heat 2 on Sunday morning. George’s team mate, John McCluskey
in the Motorsportmad.com Citroen C4 hadn’t a good run in his
first heat which resulted in 18th position. JMC will
need a big push in tomorrows 2 heats if he wants to make the
finals. More news tomorrow
Swedish Rallycross Championship, Sweden:
More Improvement!
George and team travelled to the Knutstorp ring for round 1 of
the Swedish Rallycross Championship to gain some valuable track
time in the Motorsportmad.com Peugeot 307. The Irish ERC regular
joined up with Per Eklund for the Swedish event as Per continues
his development of the car. Once again George showed the
transformation in the car as he led both his heats with rocket
starts off the grid. Unfortunately a mixture of unfamiliarity
and the competition of local ERC regulars saw George narrowly
miss out on the A final but once again he was extremely
encouraged by the performance of the 307.The Profile Park team
will now relax for a couple of days before heading to Holjes for
a 3 day test session which will include private tuition for
George jnr from Per Eklund as the junior member of Team Tracey
prepares for his ERC Division 1 Debut later in the season.
Following the Holjes test, the team will pack up for the trip to
Hungary for round 3 of the ERC on May 30th
Pic courtesy
of:
Mikael Persson
/
www.aktuellmotorsport.se
ERC 2008 Round 2 Kerlabo, France:
Day TWO Report - Gearbox Woes!
Day 2 in France couldn’t have got off to a worse start. As
George approached the first corner of his warm up lap he
selected reverse gear which blew the gearbox and any chance of
reaching the C final. Tony Bardy and Per Eklund together fitted
the spare gearbox to the 307 and George rewarded their efforts
with 16th fastest time in Heat 3. George’s team mate
John McCluskey succumbed to gearbox failure as well which saw a
replacement being fitted to the C4 for Heat 3. Once again the
307 showed great potential and eager to continue the development
of the car, George is travelling to Sweden next weekend to
contest a round of the Swedish National Championship and gain
more track time in the car
ERC 2008
Round 2 Kerlabo:
Day ONE Report - The Joker Wins!
Kerlabo in North France saw George continue his ERC campaign in
the Peugeot 307. With a huge local opposition that use the venue
for their home championship, the ERC regulars knew a challenge
lay ahead. Despite this, George threw down the gauntlet in
Bretagne
and showed his intentions in free practice with consistent top
15 times. Timed practice recorded a slower time than expected 20th
but when the first heat arrived, George once again showed he
meant business but after a great performance, a heat win was
penalised after George has missed the Joker Lap. With the
penalty envoked George found himself in 36th
position. With two heats remaining, a Super Sunday performance
is required from the Peugeot driver to reach the finals. More
news tomorrow
ERC 2008 Round 2 Kerlabo, France:
PREVIEW
George and team continue their ERC adventures this weekend in
North France for round 2. The event based at the Kerlabo track
is a new test for George who like most of the ERC competitors,
has never raced at the venue. The Profile Park/123.ie Peugeot
has had a spanner check and George is eager to prove that the
car is capable of making finals. George will be joined by
Motorsportmad.com team mate and fellow Dubliner John McCluskey
who will debut the Tony Bardy prepared Citroen C4. Updates over
the weekend,
Best of luck
lads!
ERC 2008 Round 1 Portugal:
Day TWO Report
Full of
anticipation, George began the second day with a fine 2nd heat
performance which gave the Dublin native 13th fastest time. This
meant George needed a steady performance in Heat 3 to grab a
place on the grid for the C final. Off the blocks in first place
in Heat 3 saw George looking like he meant business but a late
lunge into the first corner by French man Olivier Anne caught
George by surprise and despite attempts to brake and avoid the
man who sold him his C4, a collision was inevitable which
resulted in George being black flagged and ended his chance of a
C final. Obviously disappointed by the decision, George remained
very positive particularly after the strong performance of the
307 and it’s new found power.. Roll on France!
ERC 2008 Round 1 Portugal:
Day ONE Report
George was ecstatic with the performance of the new fettled
Peugeot 307 at the end of day one at Lousada. Despite a small
gearbox problem which saw the Profile Park car stuck in 2nd gear
for Heat 1, George was full of praise for the car which had
performed superbly in the practice sessions and certainly turned
a few heads with its new found power and torque. After timed
practice George was ranked 13th with barely a second between
himself and 1st placed Nottveit. More news tomorrow
ERC 2008 Round 1 Portugal:
The Adventure
begins
George kicks off his ERC campaign this weekend in Portugal for
round 1 of the European Rallycross Championship. George will
once again take to the wheel of his magnificent Division 1
Peugeot 307. The car has been fully rebuilt during the off
season by Per Eklund and following initial tests, the feedback
regarding performance has been extremely positive from the
Swedish Rallycross legend. George won’t get to test the car pre
Portugal but with free practice on Saturday he envisages that he
will be comfortable once again in the Profile Park Peugeot.
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