Alex Fisher was left “underwhelmed” by his performances in a taxing Fine Cut Radical Cup UK ‘flyaway’ at Circuit Zandvoort (11-13 July).
Teams from Radical Cup UK, Benelux and Scandinavia came together to form a diverse and competitive multi-class field, and many drivers only got their first ever sighting of Zandvoort in Thursday’s tests.
Consistency was hard to come by on the Dutch circuit’s highly abrasive surface and Fisher struggled to replicate his testing pace later in proceedings, although the Radical rookie still placed inside the top ten during Saturday’s red flag-affected Qualifying session.
DW Racing’s Fisher entered Sprint Race 1 with a little more confidence in his long-run performance, but his potential to move forward was somewhat compromised when he was jumped by fast-starting rivals on the dash to the banked first corner, Tarzan.
He tucked in behind Ludvig Bäck’s RCR Sweden machine and spent the opening salvos fending off Radical Netherlands’ Robin Greenhalgh, before stretching out a ten-second advantage in a relatively quiet, uneventful run to 11th.
The second Radical sprint race of the Zandvoort Summer Trophy weekend began in much the same way, with three cars getting the better of Fisher as he tentatively approached the apex of Tarzan.
He braved it out alongside the #17 Radical SR3 XXR through the first sector of the 2.64-mile Dutch circuit but had to concede further around the first lap.
However, the Safety Car was dispatched twice in response to incidents that occurred directly ahead of him, with Greenhalgh and the #60 RCR Sweden entry of Johan Leander coming to blows, before Bäck skittered off the track at Schievlak.
The dramas lifted Fisher back up into P9 and placed him on the tail of the #99 car of fellow Radical Cup UK contender James Pinkerton, but a clash involving those battling for the victory at the second restart prevented him from mounting an attack for eighth.
The weekend-closing 50-minute Enduro Race was packed with on-track tussles from the outset because, from 12th on the starting grid, Fisher went side-by-side with Greenhalgh through Turns 1, 2 and 3, where he ran his opponent out wide.
Fisher ascended into ninth position at the expense of the troubled Rachel Robertson and John Macleod, releasing him to go off in pursuit of Bäck while being chased down by Radical Factory driver Pinkerton, who found a way by as the field began to spread.
From there, DW Racing’s Fisher kept pace with two-time Radical SR1 Cup Champion Pinkerton, both lapping in the 1m43s to match those in contention for fourth until their compulsory pit stops.
Fisher inherited eighth and was happily circulating in clean air with no threat from behind, and while consecutive Safety Cars and a spin at Schievlak cost him, he still rounded out an “underwhelming” weekend at Circuit Zandvoort in P8 after penalties were applied to other drivers’ race times.
“The Fine Cut Radical Cup UK weekend at Circuit Zandvoort featured a lot of on-track battles and I also had some good pace during Thursday testing and at the start of Sunday’s Enduro Race, but I somehow lost the tyres in the latter stages. I honestly thought I’d be stronger this weekend, but I wasn’t nearly as quick as I should be at this stage of the season. It’s underwhelming.
“I’m always at a disadvantage on the British tracks because I’ve never raced them before. I thought I’d have a chance when none of my opponents have experienced Zandvoort, but I couldn’t find the pace for some reason. It’s my fourth outing in my Radical SR3 XXR and I should be progressing, but I was inconsistent on this occasion.”
