ALTAS ROTAÇÕES - Herrero and Barrere tame sweltering Spa

Monday, 22 June 2026 20:40

Herrero and Barrere tame sweltering Spa

Written by Super User

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Following Nogaro and Dijon, the Alpine ELF Cup Series travelled to Belgium for round three of the season.

The series introduced a new format at the ‘Ardennes toboggan’, replacing its two one-hour races with a two-hour race on a shared grid featuring the British GT and the FFSA French GT Championship. In addition to the 54 cars on the track, this format also presented an extra challenge for the competitors, with the Alpine ELF Cup Series’ first-ever pit stops.

Herrero Racing sets the pace

Right from the get-go on Friday, Herrero Racing led the way in private testing with Matéo Herrero. The Gironde native confirmed his form on Saturday in free practice before dominating Q1 by more than eight tenths of a second. His team-mate David Barrere followed suit in Q2 to secure pole position for the #25 Alpine A110 Cup.

On the starting grid, determined by the addition of each driver’s best times, the duo lined up ahead of the series leaders, Romain Monti and Rodolphe Wallgren (Chazel Technologie Course #111). Alexandre Lopez and Johan Akkerman (Chazel Technologie Course #93) shared the second row with Lenny Kieffer and Julien Neveu (Schumacher GP #31), whilst Axel Constantin and Frédéric De Brabant (Chazel Technologie Course #123) rounded off the top five.

David Barrere and Matéo Herrero unbeatable

On Sunday, the ‘Am’ drivers started the race. David Barrere maintained his advantage in front of Rodolphe Wallgren, whilst Julien Neveu snatched third place from Johan Akkerman. Behind them, Gosia Rdest (Chazel Technologie Course #03) gained the upper hand over Frédéric De Brabant, but the Polish driver went off on lap five.

Whilst the leading duo remained unchanged when the race resumed, Johan Akkerman showed that he had lost none of his skills on his return to the Alpine ELF Cup Series when he overtook Julien Neveu. Julien Paget (Chazel Technologie Course #09) also went on the offensive against Frédéric De Brabant in a group of six drivers separated by less than ten seconds.

After a full course yellow delayed the driver change window, David Barrere and Rodolphe Wallgren handed over to Matéo Herrero and Romain Monti. Johan Akkerman and Julien Neveu did similarly with Alexandre Lopez and Lenny Kieffer. Pitting one lap later, Julien Paget and Frédéric De Brabant allowed their team-mates Anthony Pisano and Axel Constantin to slot in between the leaders.

When the green flag returned, Matéo Herrero led the field, whilst Anthony Pisano slipped behind Axel Constantin and then Romain Monti. The latter continued his charge, taking the lead of the chase group five minutes from the finish, but the #25 Herrero Racing crew had already built up an insurmountable lead.

Matéo Herrero sealed his first victory with teammate David Barrere, bringing an end to Chazel Technologie Course’s winning streak. The pair won by more than seven seconds ahead of Romain Monti and Rodolphe Wallgren. In third place, Axel Constantin and Frédéric De Brabant secured their first overall podium finish in their very first outing together. Starting from the back of the grid, Anthony Pisano and Julien Paget fought their way up to fourth place, ahead of Julien Neveu and Lenny Kieffer, who knocked Johan Akkerman and Alexandre Lopez out of the top five in the final ten minutes. Having rejoined the race following Gosia Rdest’s incident, the #03 Chazel Technologie Course claimed the final points on offer with Paul Alberto behind the wheel.

Alpine continues to sparkle in FFSA GT

The Alpine A110 GT4+ continued its impressive trophy haul in the FFSA GT French Championship in front of 13,500 spectators, including numerous guests from the Alpine Stores Strasbourg, Mulhouse and Boulogne-Billancourt. Following its victories in the first four rounds of the season, Alpine secured another pole position and a podium finish with Rudy Servol and reigning Alpine ELF Cup Series champion Léo Jousset (Race Cars Consulting). Meanwhile, Stephane Auriacombe and Stephane Lémeret (CMR) consolidated their lead in the Am Cup with the win in the Alpine A110 GT4 Evo.

The final sprint is taking shape

Second in Belgium, Romain Monti and Rodolphe Wallgren remain at the top of the general classification with a lead that now stands at 30 points over the weekend’s winners, Matéo Herrero and David Barrere. Paul Alberto and Gosia Rdest have slipped to third place, whilst Frédéric De Brabant has capitalised on his maiden podium on this double-points fixture to now lead the chase group going into the next round at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (31 July–2 August).

QUOTES

Matéo Herrero (best time in Q1, race winner)

“It was a brilliant weekend for us. We finished top of the table in every session, which is obviously very satisfying. David did an excellent job, and we had a solid pace right from the start of the meeting. The private test session allowed us to set up the car properly, so we just focused on driving and other key aspects, such as tyre management. It really paid off, and we’re absolutely delighted. The race was very physically demanding. It was extremely hot in the cockpit, probably between 60 and 70°C, but everything went well in the end. We don’t really pay attention to the standings. We prefer to take each round as it comes, enjoy ourselves and see where we end up. The aim is to keep improving and have fun with David.”

David Barrere (best time in Q2, race winner)

“It was a perfect weekend. I was a bit concerned about sharing the track with so many cars, including the GT3s, especially with a two-hour race format in particularly hot conditions. Those fears were confirmed, but all the work we’d done with Matéo paid off. We worked hard on the onboards and other aspects. We’d identified areas for improvement and put everything in place this week. We maintained a strong pace from Friday right through to Sunday. Setting the fastest time in Q2 was hugely satisfying. Since joining the Alpine ELF Cup Series, my main goal has been to compete against myself and to keep improving. Seeing my name at the top of the timing screen, ahead of some extremely fast drivers, was a great personal victory. This first win is obviously important for the championship, but it’s not our priority. We’re focused on our progress, enjoying ourselves in the car and the work we are doing. If that helps us climb the classification, it’s the icing on the cake.”