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GT Racing
GT: Marc VDS BMW Wins BES Monza
Bas Leinders, Markus Palttala and Maxime Martin take rain-soaked victory in Blancpain Endurance Series season-opener...
Marc VDS Racing Team's BMW Z4 GT3 survived the treacherous conditions to win Sunday's Blancpain Endurance Series season-opener in Monza. (Photo: Markus Berns/SRO)
The Marc VDS Racing BMW Z4 GT3 No. 3 PRO entry of Bas Leinders, Markus Palttala and Maxime Martin took the honors in the opening race of the Blancpain Endurance Series in treacherous conditions at Monza.
With the Monza track surface heavily waterlogged, the three-hour race began under the Safety Car. It was withdrawn in the 37th minute and the pack unleashed with a thunderous stampede down the main straight.
Vast roosters of spray testified to the amount of water on the track. The weather over the three days of the first round was not kind at all – rain, rain and more rain. A total of 57 cars were entered for Monza – a record for a single category GT3 event.
The Belgian squad continued on from where they left off in 2011 when winning the final two races of the season at Magny-Cours and Silverstone.
In testing conditions on the famed high speed Autodromo Nazionale Monza, team manager Leinders and Palttala, second in the drivers’ standings in 2011, produced superb stints to move the BMW steadily up the order from a starting position of 18th before Martin produced a stunning final flourish to bring the Belgian team entry home by over 17 seconds.
Martin’s lap times were up to three seconds quicker than his nearest rivals and from fifth place as the field re-shaped after a round of pit stops for the leading bunch, he chased down and passed the cars ahead to claim a comprehensive win.
“It was great to get the win, the car was really good in the damp," Martin said. "It meant we could push and after two really good pit stops and good stints from Markus and Bas we were in a great position.
“I think the weather did help us a lot, but we will see how we will run in the dry further on in the season. Maybe we were far off the pace in the dry, but the wet for sure can make a difference, we do have a good car, but the weather did help us.”
Second was the fellow PRO class No. 2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS of Marco Bonanomi, Edward Sandstrom and Laurens Vanthoor and third place went to the No.13 KRK Racing Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 of Koen Wauters, Karl Wendlinger and Anthony Kumpen.
Victory in the PRO-AM class went to the No. 57 Vita4One Italy Ferrari 458 Italia of Eugenio Amos, Giacomo Petrobelli and Alessandro Bonacini from the No.20 Ferrari 458 Italia of French squad SOFREV ASP with Jean-Luc Beaubelique, Ludovic Badey and Patrice Goueslard sharing the driving duties.
Third place went the class pole-sitters Richard Westbrook, Hans Guido Riegel and Mike Stursberg in the No.8 Haribo Racing Team Porsche 997 GT3 R. Westbrook had qualified the car in third overall the previous day.
The Gentlemen Trophy winners were Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia No. 73 of Pablo Paladino, Paolo Andreasi and Bejamino Caccia.
Valentino Rossi, making his debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series, in the Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.46 alongside fellow-Italian Alessio Salucci finished 18th after a strong drive in the first period of the race. Salucci tangled with a back-marker on the 90-minute mark. Despite the car, sporting the striking VR46 livery, dropping down the order, Rossi brought the car to finish 9th in the PRO-AM class.
RESULTS: Blancpain Endurance Series, Monza
With the Monza track surface heavily waterlogged, the three-hour race began under the Safety Car. It was withdrawn in the 37th minute and the pack unleashed with a thunderous stampede down the main straight.
Vast roosters of spray testified to the amount of water on the track. The weather over the three days of the first round was not kind at all – rain, rain and more rain. A total of 57 cars were entered for Monza – a record for a single category GT3 event.
The Belgian squad continued on from where they left off in 2011 when winning the final two races of the season at Magny-Cours and Silverstone.
In testing conditions on the famed high speed Autodromo Nazionale Monza, team manager Leinders and Palttala, second in the drivers’ standings in 2011, produced superb stints to move the BMW steadily up the order from a starting position of 18th before Martin produced a stunning final flourish to bring the Belgian team entry home by over 17 seconds.
Martin’s lap times were up to three seconds quicker than his nearest rivals and from fifth place as the field re-shaped after a round of pit stops for the leading bunch, he chased down and passed the cars ahead to claim a comprehensive win.
“It was great to get the win, the car was really good in the damp," Martin said. "It meant we could push and after two really good pit stops and good stints from Markus and Bas we were in a great position.
“I think the weather did help us a lot, but we will see how we will run in the dry further on in the season. Maybe we were far off the pace in the dry, but the wet for sure can make a difference, we do have a good car, but the weather did help us.”
Second was the fellow PRO class No. 2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS of Marco Bonanomi, Edward Sandstrom and Laurens Vanthoor and third place went to the No.13 KRK Racing Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 of Koen Wauters, Karl Wendlinger and Anthony Kumpen.
Victory in the PRO-AM class went to the No. 57 Vita4One Italy Ferrari 458 Italia of Eugenio Amos, Giacomo Petrobelli and Alessandro Bonacini from the No.20 Ferrari 458 Italia of French squad SOFREV ASP with Jean-Luc Beaubelique, Ludovic Badey and Patrice Goueslard sharing the driving duties.
Third place went the class pole-sitters Richard Westbrook, Hans Guido Riegel and Mike Stursberg in the No.8 Haribo Racing Team Porsche 997 GT3 R. Westbrook had qualified the car in third overall the previous day.
The Gentlemen Trophy winners were Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia No. 73 of Pablo Paladino, Paolo Andreasi and Bejamino Caccia.
Valentino Rossi, making his debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series, in the Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 Italia No.46 alongside fellow-Italian Alessio Salucci finished 18th after a strong drive in the first period of the race. Salucci tangled with a back-marker on the 90-minute mark. Despite the car, sporting the striking VR46 livery, dropping down the order, Rossi brought the car to finish 9th in the PRO-AM class.
RESULTS: Blancpain Endurance Series, Monza
FIA GT Nogaro
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