Sagrera provisionally crowned Eurocup-3 champion as Ho wins finale

Photo: Eurocup-3

Javier Sagrera provisionally became Eurocup-3 champion at Barcelona as title rival Christian Ho won the final race.

Ho was beaten to victory by MP Motorsport’s Emmo Fittipaldi in the previous day’s race after an off-track moment decided the fight between them, and an appeal against the results was yet to be settled when the title decider began.

Starting on pole was Campos Racing driver Ho, with MP’s Sagrera four places behind (as team-mate Owen Tangavelou got a grid penalty) but 10 points ahead.

Sagrera held position on lap one, as Ho swept to the inside off the line to stay ahead of Fittipaldi, Sainteloc Racing’s Daniel Nogales and Drivex School’s Nikita Bedrin. At the end of the lap, Campos’s Noah Lisle flew off at the last corner but was able to safely rejoin further down the order.

Fittipaldi pressured Ho into turn one on lap two before settling in behind him, and on lap five Bedrin cut turn two and briefly got ahead of Nogales but let him back past.

Nogales defended against him down the pit straight on the next lap but could not prevent Bedrin from going down his inside at turn one, as Fittipaldi took away the fastest lap – and a crucial point – from Ho.

The response from Ho was to bring his lead from 0.7 to 1.1 seconds on lap eight and take back the fastest lap, with the gap remaining steady until the final quarter of the 20-lap race when he built it up to 3.659s.

Bedrin also gapped himself from Nogales, who came under intense pressure late on from Sagrera. However he was able to hold on to a personal best finish as Global Racing’s Service Mari Boya, who like Bedrin was a non-scoring guest driver, start filling Sagrera’s mirrors.

On each of the final three laps he was able to get alongside Sagrera through turns 11 and 12 before tucking back in behind, although passing him would have made no difference as Sagrera took the points for fourth and the title by two points.

If the appeal of the race one results is accepted and Fittipaldi is penalised, then Ho will earn seven extra points and take the title from Sagrera.

Boya had needed to pass Campos’s Valentin Kluss on lap 10, then Tangavelou had demoted him further with a confident move around the outside of turn one on lap 12. Jesse Carrasquedo Jr also got past Kluss a few laps later.

Race results (20 laps)