Bonjour et bienvenue à tous dans ce nouveau championnat d'Endurance... Le blog de course de voitures de sport. Couvrant pour la première fois les SRO GT2 European Series sur le Circuit Paul Ricard sur la Côte d'Azur au Castellet, en France. Hello and welcome, everyone, to a new championship here on Endurance... the sports car racing blog. Covering the SRO GT2 European Series for the first time at Circuit Paul Ricard on the Cote d'Azur in Le Castellet, France. In GT2, there are Pro-Am and Am drivers allowed. There is no full-fledged Pro division as we would see in GT3, and I believe the same is true for the GT4 European Series races we just covered here on the blog for you.
We have seen GT2 spec cars compete in the GT America division in SRO America alongside older and never GT3 machinery and GT4 cars. Now, this is yours Truly's first crack at covering the European championship. A whole new season is ready to get underway. Two 50-minute races are coming up. We have new cars and drivers. What we have are some driver teams with two drivers who will swap halfway through the event at the pit stop. Other drivers are racing as one, going Marco Solo. We have David Addison in the commentary booth to guide us through the proceedings for both races this weekend. In qualifying, well, they have both races today here, but we are going to race the second event into the dusk.
So, it may be that we can cover a full day of GT2 action right here on the blog. Let's see how things turn out. Paul Ricard is a great venue for the GT class cars and lots of hard work has gone into this class with a larger entry than we have seen before. The top frontrunner we are keeping an eye on is Leonardo Gorini aboard the #1 LP Racing Maserati GT2. The Swiss driver is sharing the Maserati with Italian Carlo Tamburini. The Maserati GT2 is an all-new car to the championship for 2024. We are now looking at car #98. This is the Motorsport 98 Mercedes-AMG GT2 in the Pro-Am class, shared by Belgian drivers Loris Hezemans and Eric de Doncker.
Carlo Tamburini, it should be noted, the co-driver of the pole sitting Maserati, he raced most recently in the Italian GT Championship. It ought to be noted, as we talked about in the GT3 race, the big one that we covered here on the blog for you, Eric De Doncker, I believe, is the sole driver in this event who was in the original BPR GT race here at Paul Ricard, 30 years ago, back in 1994. Yes. He is the one racer on this weekend's grid who ran in the big race in BPR 30 years ago and of course BPR was formed by Stephane Ratel who is the SRO boss these days, alongside Jurgen Barth, the former Porsche engineer and manager, and Patrick Peter, who has more recently organized his own series for vintage and historic sports cars.
Stephane Ratel is still good mates with both Patrick and Jurgen even though he is really the brain trust behind the organization for GT racing globally that has his initials on it. Eric De Doncker, we have seen him in GT4 and GT3 before and now he is focused on GT2. So, he has done the trifecta in his career. Mandatory pit stops of 128 seconds line to line will happen between 20 and 30 minutes in the race. We are looking again at more of the contending cars to keep an eye on in these races. Jean Luc Beaubelique of France, is teamed with countryman Gilles Vannelet for Akkodis ASP in a Mercedes-AMG GT2.
Akkodis ASP now much more focused on their Lexus GT3 campaign as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. But they are here with a Mercedes in SRO GT2 as well. Car #24 is the black and yellow TFT Racing Maserati GT2. Alexander Leroy of France is flying solo aboard this car for both races this weekend. 50 minutes of racing is fine for him to go it alone without handing off to a co-driver. He can handle it. These races are in no way an endurance event like the GT3 race we talked about earlier. These are some cool cars. They look great. Here is another contender. Car #812 is the MZR Motorsportzentrum-Ried KTM Crossbow GT2 being driven by Switzerland's Martin Koch and Reinhard Kofler, presumably a German driver.
We have had the GT2 class Porsche's in the past for these races stateside and in Europe but there are no GT2 spec Porsche's entered for these races as yet in 2024. Stay tuned and we'll find out later in the season if the Stuttgart brand intends on racing in the GT2 ranks. Blimey! I tell you a lie! We have a sole Porsche on the grid this weekend. We have a Proton Competition entered Porsche 911 GT2RS, car #77 in the hands of German racer Patrick Dinkeldein, who is another driver going Marco Solo in these races because he will be fine racing without a co-driver for barely an hour. Audi and KTM are in the field too.
We are looking now at the #10 KTM Crossbow for RacingLab in the hands of Ronnie Bremer and Jacob Mathiassen. If you have a long memory, you may recall Ronny Bremer racing Formula Ford in England and having a brief career in Champ Car in America, which of course is now the NTT IndyCar Series. As ever, with GT cars and prototypes too, the intrigue is not only in the shape of the car but it is the sounds of the car, the engines. Every car sounds different. We now look at the LP Racing Maserati GT2 driven by Frenchman Philippe Prette. He is another driver going solo in these races. His son, Louis Prette, we saw Louis in the GT3 race here at Paul Ricard. So, father and son, both are racing drivers. I wonder if they would team up, for an endurance race?
Philippe Prette has won two Asia Pacific championships in the global Ferrari Challenge. We can see the KTM with it's distinctive bodywork. That isn't a door, ladies and gentlemen. That car has a canopy on it that moves forward for ingress and egress much like a fighter jet does. We do have another KTM in the field this weekend that lost lap times for track limit offenses and other infractions. That is the #17 car for True Racing shared by KTM factory driver Laura Kraihamer and Hubert Trunkenpolz. Leonardo Gorini is a former racer in Lamborghini Super Trofeo. We tend to forget too that Leonardo Gorini was an early contender in the old Gentleman Trophy class in GT World Challenge Europe which has evolved into the Am Cup and this was when the championship under the SRO's purview was known as the Blancpain Endurance Series, and they were sponsored by the Blancpain fine watches company.
Criminy! I am showing my age! That is because I have followed GT3 racing pretty much since it began in around 2010 or 2011. The grid is being cleared. Everyone will roll off behind the Lamborghini safety car and we'll be ready to race. These cars will use the chicane on the Mistral straight before Signes corner because they are so fast! These GT2 cars are incredibly speedy, and you will see that as we get the race underway, now, and the one that is supposed to take place later today. I will make you a deal. Today, we are going to cover race one and then post the video of it.
Tomorrow, we shall do the very same for race two. A race report, followed by a video replay. To say gentleman racer is not fair, but there are experienced and competitive drivers in this motor race today. Engines fire up and we are ready to get the race underway. On the outside of the front row is another KTM Crossbow. This is the #89 RTR Projects entry of Czech driver Jan Krabec sharing with Matej Homola from Slovakia. Martin Koch in one of the other KTM's was racing the European GT4 championship last year, the series we have already highlighted the doubleheader of races here at Paul Ricard on the blog for you.
Good to see Jean Luc Beaubelique of France here. JLB as he is known by his initials, he is a lifer in SRO racing, and it is good to see him here being competitive again. He will share the car with Gilles Vannelet. So, we have 17 GT2 cars on the grid and ready to go. The backstretch chicane connects the two halves of the Mistral straight. Leonardo Gorini used to race a GT2 spec Porsche but now has the Maserati as his race car for 2024. Good to have Maserati back on the grid. They were so successful in Formula 1 and sports car racing many decades ago and their more recent successes came with the awesome MC12 in the old GT1 World Championship almost 20 years ago. Maserati have also been involved more recently in the Formula E electric racing championship.
Gorini ran 4/10ths quicker tha Jan Krabec in qualifying. We are ready for the start. The Lamborghini safety car will pull in and Gerald Duval is our Race Director. Red lights on, 50 minutes of racing ready for blastoff. The lights flash green and away we go! Gorini and Prette both have good starts as they fan out down the frontstretch headed for the first turn. Oh dear. The first turn. Please tell me you know what to do at the first turn! Jan Krabec in the KTM tries to defend but the other racers are not buying it and they are going right around the outside. Selling the dummy on the first corner of the motor race? OK. Let's not get that conspiratorial here. Every seems to be giving each other space.
The Mercedes contingent is exploring the boundaries of track limits. I would not do that. Come on, boys. Be sensible. Pascal Gibon runs a wee bit wide as they dive through Virage de l'Hotel, Hotel corner, for the first time of asking. Great pictures from the drone and it looks like the drone is a contender or wants to enter the race! Imagine that! Now they scream out onto the Mistral straight, but remember, they use the chicane with the GT2 cars, and we will not see them going at full chat down the straightaway. These cars have such power and speed, and the aerodynamics are not quite at the same level of a GT3 car. Jan Krabec is now a Pro-Am driver, so he is competing against the likes of Leonardo Gorini and Ronnie Bremer among others.
Ronnie Bremer, look, dives inside of Krabec to nab third place. They go through Signes corner for the first time of asking in race one of the weekend. A good battle between two of the Mercedes-AMG GT2's for 11th spot. This is Eric De Doncker, the Belgian, racing Frenchman Pascal Gibon, and keeping a watching brief is that sole GT2 Porsche in the field of Patrick Dinkeldein, the German driver. Right now, the two leading Maserati's are putting daylight between themselves and the three KTm's behind them are putting themselves together en masse in a chain. So, you have Bremer, Krabec, and Koch all in line. Bremer, Krabec, and Koch, it sounds like a law firm or an accounting firm.
Leonardo Gorini, racing in a new car, at least to him, is running well as Patrick Dinkeldein in the Proton Porsche fending off the opposition at the tail end of the pack. Thomas Andersen is next up in another KTM Crossbow. Andersen aboard the #80 car the Razoon more than Racing entry he is sharing alongside Simon Birch this weekend. One lap now in the bag. Gorini is racing against Philippe Prette and since Prette is going Marco Solo in this race, he can maintain a pace the whole way while other drivers who will swap to their co-drivers, well, drive number two will need to match or find their own pace.
Martin Koch has passed Bremer and Jean Luc Beaubelique on the inside makes a pass for fifth into Virage de l'Hotel. The leaders are onto the Mistral straight. We are looking to the opening of the pit window as Ronnie Bremer is closing on Philippe Prette. Prette is being closed on by Bremer followed by Koch, Beaubelique, Krabec, and the rest. Pascal Gibon in the #53 Mercedes makes a pass. He is closing on the similar Mercedes of fellow Frenchman Philippe Perrin. Bremer must do everything now to clear Prette and get on terms with Gorini as the top three are running all in an identical lap time bracket in the 2:06 range.
There is a local yellow in sector three. Oh dear. I am afraid it is Stephane Ratel in the Audi who is having trouble as he gets going again. Maybe the car is moving again. So, the SRO boss is going OK in a return to driving behind the wheel. It must be frustrating for Stephane Ratel because he has many cars to overtake. The top three are Gorini, Prette, Bremer, followed by Koch, Beaubelique, and Bremer. Let's have a look at the full running order now that we have some time to do it with just five or six minutes on the board.
1. #1 Gorini/Tamburini LP Racing Maserati GT2
2. #2 Prette LP Racing Maserati GT2
3. #10 Bremer/Mathiassen Racing Lab KTM X-Bow GT2
4. #812 Koch/Kofler MZR Motosportzentrum-Reid KTM X-Bow GT2
5. #87 Beaubelique/Vannelet Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG GT2
6. #89 Krabec/Homola RTR Projects KTM X-Bow GT2
7. #24 Leroy TFT Racing Maserati GT2
8. #61 Ricci/Ricci Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG GT2
9. #16 Angerhofer/Sarmini True Racing KTM X-Bow GT2
10. #90 Liebl/Olbert Razoon - More Than Racing KTM X-Bow GT2
11. #888 Perrin/Viebahn NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT2
12. #53 Gibon/Bourret Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG GT2
13. #98 De Doncker/Hezemans Motorsport 98 Mercedes-AMG GT2
14. #80 Andersen/Birch Razoon - More Than Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2
15. #77 Dinkeldein Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT2 RS
16. #17 Trunkenpolz/Kraihamer True Racing KTM X-Bow GT2
17. #88 Ratel LP Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2
So, the KTM battle is on between Ronnie Bremer and Martin Koch. The lead gap is extending althoguth Ronnie Bremer is reeling in Philippe Prette. The Maserati can use all it's pace down the Mistral straight and through the chicane while Ronnie Bremer in the KTM is better through the corners. Horses for courses. Strengths and weaknesses between the cars. The pace Philippe Prette can run at in the Maserati is different than that of Ronnie Bremer in the KTM simply because Prette is driving Marco Solo, while Ronnie Bremer will be making a pit stop and handing the Racing Lab KTM over to co-driver Jacob Mathiassen.
On the inside, Alexandre Leroy looks to pass Jan Krabec in the KTM vs. Maserati scrap and Krabec shuts the door directly in his face and says, "not now, sunbeam." They go through Virage de l'Hotel once again and Leonardo Gorini is setting fast lap after fast lap, from Virage du Camp through Virage du San Boem. Coming back to the Mistral straight again, Mauro Ricci is turning it on because he was passed by the True Racing KTM in the hands of Sehdi Sarmini.
Ricci is also being harried by another KTM and this is the #90 dRazoon - More Than Racing entry of Dennis Liebl sharing with Dominik Olbert. Perrin is steaming right up behind Liebl! He tries finding a gap into the chicane, and no dice, and there's contact! Perrin tags Liebl who spins out! Denis Liebl went way too deep into the chicane and lost traction. Poor old Liebl is facing the wrong way. Liebl is actually a regular in both GT4 and in one make racing for the KTM X-Bow. Local Yellow at the Mistral chicane.
At the top of the shop, it seems the gap between Gorini and Prette is coming down. Behind them though, Martin Koch is a man on a mission. The KTM driver is going for it. Koch in the #812 X-Bow he shares with Reinhard Kofler for MZR - Motorsportzentrum-Ried. Gorini uncorks the new fastest lap ut Bremer is right on Prette's six coming back to Virage de l'Hotel. We have a safety car and a change for second spot! Bremer made the move but then backed off when the safety car was scrambled. Leonardo Gorini was three seconds to the good over Philippe Prette, but with the yellow, that gap will be erased.
All the gaps will come down. So, Bremer and Koch both be in the game. In this replay, Ronnie Bremerr makes the move but the safety car was called, and he had to back off the gas and hold station. This is an amazing picture from the drone! Holy cow! No contact, and the correct order. We have the Lamborghini safety car deployed leading two Maserati's. The margin had crept up to four seconds but is gone now. Will Leonardo Gorini build his lead? Or, will he pit early and hand the car over to Carlo Tamburini. He was third in the sprint section of Italian GT in 2023 and second in their endurance series.
This is a short safety car and we are going to go back to green flag racing. Maybe the cars at the back of the pack can bail for the lane sooner. Stephane Ratel's Audi is having issues. Ratel is getting to the back of the queue but has to hustle to catch the crocodile at the back. This will give Ratel a shot at scrapping for a spot with the KTM driven by Hubert Trunkenpolz who will hand the car off on the pit stop, to co-driver Laura Kraihamer. The field is ready to go back to green. Mauro Ricci has run between GT3 and GT4 and now GT2 racing with Benjamin Ricci, his son. The safety car is in the lane and we are back to racing with 35 minutes to go.
The pit window will open very soon. Leonardo Gorini extends his lead over Philippe Prette. Oh my! A big dive for Brmer and poor old Prette gets tagged by Koch and spins off! This was between turns five and six. Jean Luc Beaubelique will take over the Am class lead. Stephane Ratel has passed Hubert Trunkenpolz and Denis Liebl who triggered the safety car scramble, it is game over for Liebl. He is out of the race. Ratel is driving the GT2 spec Audi R8 which has a different rear wing and a different shaped tail than the GT3 spec version does. I believe we have seen the Audi R8 LMS GT2 also in GT America racing in SRO America competition fairly recently.
If you rejoin the road in the right place after running wide, you are fine. Bremer and Gorini both know their stints at the wheel end soon and they are going to hand off to their co-drivers for the finish. We are now watching a battle between a Pro-Am driver and an Am driver. Jan Krabec in the KTM is chasing Jean Luc Beaubelique in the Mercedes. Beaubelique is the Am class leader as they come out of the Virage du Pont towards the start/finish line. The Liebl and Gibon fracas we saw a wee while ago is now under investigation by the stewards. Ah. I failed to mention that on the pit stop, Beaubelique will hand over his GT2 Mercedes to co-driver and fellow Frenchman Gilles Vannelet.
Like Beaubelique, Vannelet has been a longtime competitor in SRO racing. Krabec and Leroy battling now, and we see this scrap between the Maserati and the KTM. Krabec hangs on and Leroy has to give it up. Leroy is no quitter, and these two chaps are not far behind Beaubelique. Krabec has the better lap time. Eight laps now completed with three minutes before the pit window opens. Leonardo Gorini leads the motor race with a quicker previous lap time, fractionally, compared to Ronnie Bremer and right now, Gorini is nearly a second to the good over Bremer.
More trouble for the Austrian Sehdi Sarmini in his KTM X-Bow. So, his Am ranked KTM Crossbow is out. He has pulled off to the side of the road, at the pit exit, with mechanical problems. KTM are in strife as two of their cars have already expired and retired from the race. Beaubelique runs ahead of Krabec who still has Alexandre Leroy all over him like a cheap suit. Leroy is a former historic and vintage car racer and then he ran in Porsche Carrera Cup France before moving up to the GT2 series. A good battle brewing now too, between the two Mercedes' of Mauro Ricci and Pascal Gibon with Thomas Andersen in his KTM not far away.
Andersen has successfully passed by Stephane Perrin in the NM Racing Team Mercedes. Bremer is faster closing in on Gorini. But Gorini has more speed down the Mistral straight. Leroy can run his own pace and of course Krabec will hand the KTM to his co-driver Matej Homola. Homola, the Slovakian driver, is a quick touring car racer and seems to be running well in a GT car here at Paul Ricard just the same. Maximize the track time available if your quicker driver is in the car. Jean Luc Beaubelique has co-driven for a long time with Jim Pla and Pla flew the Mercedes-AMG nest to race a Sainteloc Audi in the GT3 class.
He was a part of the Paul Ricard 500 Kilometers we documented here on the blog last month. Stephane Ratel is making progress bt has lost a spot to Philippe Prette in the Maserati. Will anyone bail for the pit lane? Good question. Ricci and Gibon are scrapping with the two Mercedes entries, Pro-Am vs. Am. Gibon does the full send on Ricci. Ricci pits to turn the car over to his son and there are wholesale pit stops early. Gorini uncorks yet another fastest lap of the race. Reinhard Kofler has been racing for years as he takes over the #812 KTM. More cars in the lane now. Stephane Perrin, Martin Koch, Jan Krabec, Eric De Doncker, Thomas Andersen and Hubert Trunkenpolz. At NM Racing, another experienced shoe will get into the car, Jorg Viebahn of Germany.
Viebahn is a veteran of GT4 and GT2. Bremer in the meantime is taking time out of Gorini, but Gorini can gain the time back. Alexandre Leroy is third having gone by Jan Krabec. Into fourth spot is Pascal Gibon who has stayed out. Ronny Bremer will now come into the pit lane. The cars that have pitted, join in with the race leader. Gorini in and Carlo Tamburini, a touring car and GT car racer, he has the pressure to stay in the lead after the pit stops as we are closing on the halfway mark. 128 seconds line to line is the pit delta. A solo driver has to get out of the car and then back in.
This is all for safety. If you are under 128 seconds, expect penalties from the stewards. The Maserati is back in the race as Reinhard Kofler in the KTM is coming past the pit lane and Carlo Tamburini will stay ahead. The gap between them though is less than before the pit stops happened. Well, well, well. The pit stop for #1 was just half a second slower. Pascal Gibon has gone up to second place with Benjamin Ricci racing behind Simon Birch. The LP in LP Racing is team boss and driver Luca Pirri. Simon Birch making amends for his five place grid drop and he is on a roll.
Simon Birch raced in Le Mans Cup in the GT3 class in 2023. In the background, Jacob Mathiasen is back on track. We'll look and see how Philippe Prette does in the second half as we have a change for the lead and Jacob Mathiasen keeps the lead ahead of Carlo Tamburini. KTM will need a joker pit stop, perhaps. Up the inside goes Tamburini and Reinhard Kofler makes a pass for second place! Holy smokes! Jan Krabec's co-driver Matej Homola has now uncorked fastest lap of the motor race as well! It is all happening here at Paul Ricard! Amazing!
Maserati vs. KTM into the chicane and back onto the Mistral straight. Alexandre Leroy pits from the erstwhile lead. Reinhard Kofler has now moved to second place in the running order. Stephane Ratel has not pitted the Audi yet. Simon Birch goes full send on Benjamin Ricci into Le Beauseilles! Wow! The competition level in GT2 is stepping up, as Birch uncorks a personal best middle sector time. Tamburini only 9/10ths of a second ahead of Kofler at this stage. The Maserati seems to bring more power than the KTM can. Tamburini ahead of Kofler and maybe Gilles Vannelet can make his move. Vannelet wants by Alexandre Leroy.
This is for sixth overall and the lead in the Am class. Further back, look, is Simon Birch ahead of a sideways Benjamin Ricci, and now, Loris Hezemans has taken over the Mercedes-AMG GT2 from Motorsport 98, from his teammate Eric De Doncker. Loris Hezemans, the Silver rated driver who ran GT World Challenge Endurance Cup in 2023 and Loris, I believe, is the son of GT racing legend Mike Hezemans and the grandson of touring car and GT racing legend, Toine Hezemans. Just under 20 minutes on the board. The two Mercedes' right close together. Benjamin Ricci will need to get his elbows out if he wants to do anything with Loris Hezemans.
Carlo Tamburini is a second ahead of Reinhard Kofler. Manwhile, we are also watching Alexandre Leroy scrapping with Gilles Vannelet. This is a battle for fifth place. Simon Birch has moved up to fourth spot motoring away from the pack behind. Benjamin Ricci is closing the gap. So, the top eight has Tamburini, Kofler, Mathiassen, Homola, Leroy, and Vannelet. Left, right, left through the chicane on the Mistral. Finally, Vannelet tries the inside but Leroy stands his ground shutting the door in Vannelet's face for the Am class lead.
GT2 is in it's third season and the entries are growing while the racing is improving. Glad I am doing all I can to cover it. Nose to tail with 14 laps now in the books, 50 miles. For the Am class lead, though, this is the best battle on the track between Leroy in the KTM and Vannelet in the Mercedes. Vannelet is fresher than Leroy who is driving Marco Solo. The margin is only half a second. Tamburini now leads Kofler by 8/10ths of a second. These two are fifth and sixth in the overall. Going into race two, if you are first, second or third in class, you will take an extra amount of time on the pit stops for tomorrow's race. Ten seconds if you are the winner, seven seconds if you finish second, and five seconds if you finish third.
My gosh! Benjamin Ricci is a real scrapper! He gets up the inside curb and there's some argy bargy there, and Hezemans gets totally sideways and thankfully, he hangs on! That was a close call! Loris Hezemans taking no prisoners and Benjamin Ricci gets passed by Philippe Prette who is in recovery mode. The stewards are investigating Stephane Ratel for overtaking under the safety car. Now, this is ironic, because Stephane Ratel is the boss of SRO who hired all the stewards to officiate the race and if the boss man is in trouble, well..., as we have seen recently with a certain high-profile figure in open wheel racing.
Ricardo Tamburini and Reinhard Kofler continue their lead battle and that for the Pro-Am class honors. Another one under investigation for overtaking under the safety car is Loris Hezemans in the Mercedes. But, do recall earlier, ladies and gentlemen, that we saw the much-delayed automobile of Hubert Trunkenpolz, the KTM, running out of steam, spluttering to a stop. Meanwhile, the race is still on between Tamburini and Kofler. The strengths and weaknesses for the KTM and the Maserati can be measured in this part of the circuit where we see the Maserati powering away in a straight line but the KTM catching up through the turns.
Somehow, the Audi five cylinder in the KTM cannot bring more power down the straightaways and again, what does it do? Say it with me. It runs out of steam. Through Virage du Camp and Virage du San Boem before they fly onto the Mistral straightaway. Remember these blokes and ladies use the chicane. Kofler is trying to use his experience to force a mistake. Mathiassen and Homola are battling for third spot just down the road through Signes corner. This is a battle between two KTM's. They have the same car, the same horsepower.
But the pressure is surely on for the Pro-Am division standings, a batle for position with just over 12 and a half minutes on the board. Carlo Tamburini is being reeled in by Reinhard Kofler. An earlier shemozzle between Loris Hezemans and Benjamin Ricci that we saw through the Mistral chicane is no longer deemed worthy of investigation by the stewards. So, toss that notice in the recycler. Matthiasen and Homola in the battle of the KTM's are still jousting, still fencing. But, Homola might have a trick or two up his sleeve here. Out of the chicane they come.
Kofler is quicker than Carlo Tamburini. Tamburini is an experienced GT racer. He knows what he is doing. But Kofler is flinging the KTM through Virage du Pont and down the front straightaway. There is half a second in it. This is the lead battle. 18 laps done and dusted with ten minutes on the board now. So, that's almost 65 miles. Trust me, as we look down from the drone camera, Kofler is throwing all he has including the kitchen sink, at Tamburini. Matthiasen is edging away ever so slightly from Matej Homola. The drone is keeping up with the cars. Simon Birch passes Alexandre Leroy.
He's been drubbed by both Simon Birch and Gilles Vannelet. Alexandre Leroy must be muttering some unrepeatable things in French under that crash helmet right now. To the chicane they come again. Out of Le Beauseille they come. Homola stands the KTM on it's nose and he is closer as they wriggle their way to the end of the lap. Homola to the inside out of the last turn. Oh! Ugh! That's not going to work, and... screech! Mathiassen, loops it! Oy yoy yoy! So, Homola is back on ye olde button while Mathiassen is collecting his thoughts and getting the car pointed in the right direction.
Race Control shall have a Captain Cook at that whole mess. Mathiassen is on the back foot while Homola is snickering in his helmet like Dick Dastardly's shaggy dog Muttley. Slight contact, but enough to unsettle Matthiasen. Homola dives to the inside, turns in and poor old Mathiassen losing his footing and spins it like a top. A personal best lap time in sector one for Carlo Tamburini. The Italian racer is turning it on. He wants a solid cushion over Kofler as they go through Signes. There will be a second race at the end of the day.
But, like I said, what we will do is bring that event to you, tomorrow. I really think we ought to digest what we have just seen and then we'll move on to the next item another time, in a wee while. The Am drivers will be good with a second race on the same day though so that overnight while they are asleep, they don't forget what they did in the first race the day before. Now we look at positions fifth through ninth. Gilles Vannelet in the Mercedes, Simon Birch in the KTM, Alexandre Leroy in the Maserati, and the Mercedes of Loris Hezemans.
Philippe Prette, aboard his Maserati is also making a nice recovery. The Gorini and Tamburini Maserati that has led this whole event still does so. But the battle to really watch is Loris Hezemans' Mercedes #98 vs. Philippe Prette's Maserati, car #2. Prette is third in the Am class. Hezemans is in Pro-Am I believe and is in fifth spot in the class with six minutes and change on the clock yet. Tamburini eking out his gap double what it was over Kofler before as Simpon Birch has passed Gilles Vannelet. Vannelet wants to make his move into Virage de l'Hotel, but that is easier said than done because Simon Birch is scooting away from the Mercedes racer inch by inch.
Simon Birch last year ran Danish GT and Danish Super Cup which I am gathering to mean GT4 and possibly a national division of Porsche Super Cup, but I could be wrong. Birch is gaining mileage and experience in a GT2 car seven seconds down on Jacob Mathiassen. Alexandre Leroy is still reeling in Gilles Vannelet. Leroy still wants a bite of the cherry. He knows the only reason this car ahead of him is there, is for it to be passed, and that is his intent. Philippe Prette, though, is falling away from Loris Hezemans for one reason or another.
How Vannelet has backed up so far into the clutches of Leroy, I haven't the faintest. This is for Am Cup honors. Vannelet was caught up in that scrap with Leroy but is still at the top of the shop in the Am class. Vannelet, Leroy, Prette, Bourret, Viebahn, Ratel, and Dinkeldein with the two KTM's of Sarmini and Liebl having expired from the race earlier. So, it is Mercedes, Maserati, Maserati, Mercedes, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche, with no Am Cup class KTM's left in the picture. Four minutes to go. They come past the pit lane again and the margin is closing between Vannelet and Leroy. Prette is third and has not cleared Hezemans yet.
Carlo Tamburini's advantage is growing over Reinhard Kofler. So, Tamburini laps past the Porsche 911 GT2 RS of Patrick Dinkeldein. Dinkeldein is new to GT2 racing having raced before in the German Porsche Sports Cup. That's club level Porsche racing kind of like the Porsche Sprint Challenge here stateside. The leaders are about to squeeze two more laps out of this motor race before we see the checkered flag here tonight. The one they are about to start, and one more after that. Loris Hezemans in eighth being chased still by Philippe Prette.
The lead gap is two seconds and Carlo Tamburini is on track for a maiden outright victory and so is his co-driver as they are parallel to the airfield through Virage de l'Hotel again. Alexandre Leroy must defend from Loris Hezemans and cannot attack Gilles Vannelet. Reinhard Kofler is given a ten second penalty for causing a collision. It is his respomsibility apparently. The KTM is being given a penalty. Kofler might still stay in second place as he is a dozen seconds ahead of Homola. This is the final lap. Carlo Tamburini should be in the clear. Loris Hezemans in Philippe Prette are closing on Leroy. Loris Hezemans cannot get by.
The clock is at zero. It has run out. Final lap. Hezemans would like Prette to disappear, but he cannot just push a vanish button. I've got a secret button right here on the dash! Wait... no I don't. This is racing, not movie spy cars. Sheesh! Prette goes way wide as he did earlier and loses oodles of space. I think that is the final straw. Meanwhile, we will see Carlo Tamburini and he is in the clear. He is home and hosed. Carlo Tamburini in the new Maserati GT2 looks good, sounds good, and it is a winner! Leonardo Gorini and Carlo Tamburini win the first Fanatec GT2 Europe race of the year!
In Am, Gilles Vannelet has done enough to get away from Alexandre Leroy. Gilles Vannelet and Jean Luc Beaubelique win the Am class!
Overall/Pro Am: #1 Tamburini/Gorini LP Racing Maserati GT2
Am: #87 Beaubelique/Vannelet Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG GT2
A couple penalized cars, but it makes no difference on incident penalties because they stay where they were in the first place. At the end of the day there will be another race into the darkness for GT2 drivers and whoever will do the second stint, they will race in the dark. We'll bring that event to you, tomorrow. Trust me. You will hear all about it. For now, au revoir from Paul Ricard. We'll see you soon. Bye bye.
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