For the eighth round of the season, the fourth meeting of the Northern European Cup for Formula Renault 2.0, the Spa-Francorchamps racing was as one might expect in the Belgian Ardennes, a lot of showers. Extreme wet racing conditions does not particularly bother Dorian Boccolacci but the disruption caused by some drivers going off the track during timed practice, however, seriously complicated the running of the competition. With a fine 2nd place in Race 1, he could have done better than 6th in Race 2, a result that doesn't really flatter him.

Dorian enjoys the long Spa-Francorchamps circuit and its rapid and dramatic 7004 m in the heart of the forest. He is not the kind of driver to be intimidated by the high speed after the famous steep path of Eau Rouge or the famous La Source hairpin. There is also the "toboggan of the Ardennes" where he had the opportunity to shine in 2015.

The qualifying sessions of the NEC were well watered by rain. As well as reduced grip and visibility there were numerous interruptions caused by drivers crashing. "In the first session, I could not do two flying laps, but I was left with the second fastest time," explained the Tech 1 Racing driver. "It was even more complicated in the second session which was cut short by several yellow flags and two red flags. I could not complete a single lap at full speed while being hindered by a driver just in front of me, so that I was not too disappointed with 8th and found myself 6th after the penalties imposed on other competitors."

Dorian had a good start on Friday in the rain for Race 1. "Norris was a little bit ahead, it was hard to follow his pace, although I was faster with the third fastest time of the race. I pushed to the maximum to keep my 2nd place and get on the podium again. This allowed me to score a lot of points and take the lead in the championship standings. "

There was a change of scene on Saturday for the two runs with a totally dry track after all the running, except for the second free practice session, had taken place so far in the rain. Dorian had a place on the podium in his sights, but it did not happen as planned. He did not have enough speed to attack his opponents. A passing attempt to move to 5th at halfway didn't prove conclusive. There was obviously not much to do but remain in 6th position.

"We'll have to work hard with the team to compensate for the performance handicap which we had to face. There was a little lacking in the rain and it was not better in the dry: I set exactly the same time as my team mate Sacha Fenestraz, but we were missing several tenths to fight at the front. We absolutely must be more effective when we return to Spa for the Eurocup in September."

Dorian is currently the second-ranked in the NEC 11 points behind the leader. He compete next weekend on the circuit of Assen (NLD) during the 2016 Gamma Racing Day, a new track to learn for him with the ambition is to achieve two solid runs and a return to the championship.