The second half of the EuroCup-3 season started this weekend with round 5, held at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. GRS Team was back in action in a superb outing as the team took Pole Position, a podium, and fastest lap from each race of the event.
The team entere dan all-new line-up. Nikola Tsolov and Niels Koolen were the drivers racing under our banner. It was their first EuroCup-3 race weekend, for both, even if they came into the series with experience in same tier categories, or higher.
Friday’s collective test proved that the grid was hugely close for yet another weekend, as it happened during the entire season. Nikola proved to be competitive from day 1 as he finished the session in fifth place. This happened again in Free Practice sessions, where the Bulgarian driver consistently lapped in the top spots, while the Dutchman improved lap after lap, improving his adaptation to the car and track.
When the time to qualify came, our drivers performed excellently. Tsolov took Pole Position for Race 1, and Koolen, showing clear improvement, qualified on P12. This was the first Pole for GRS since F4 Spanish Championship at Jerez in 2020.
Tsolov lost places I the opening lap. The Bulgarian driver kept his head down and maintained a consistent, fast pace. His excellent race management helped him to regain spots. He eventually crossed the finish line in second place. GRS obtained its second podium in EuroCup-3 and its second in 2023 as well. These results prove the magnificent job made by the whole team to be on top. Koolen stayed fighting in the middle of the pack during the entire race and finished in a good 12th place.
Sunday followed a similar pattern as the Bulgarian Lion claimed another Pole Position in QP2. With Nikola’s stellar lap, the team took back-to-back Poles and would have another opportunity to fight for a win. On the other hand, Niels qualified at the back of the grid.
Just like it happened in Race 1, Tsolov lost the lead at the start. The Bulgarian put the pressure on the leader for the whole race but found himself unable to find an opportunity to overtake. He finished the race in second and set the fastest lap. Koolen was forced to retire on the early stages due to a mechanical failure.
The team leaves Jerez after one of its best weekends on the series. Our pace and results prove that we are working on the right direction, and we must maintain it in order to be consistently competitive. We congratulate and thank every single member of the team for their efforts.
EuroCup-3 does not stop and we will be back on track next weekend at Estoril Circuit, in Portugal.
