TF Sport muscled off GT Open podium in last lap frenzy

Indicative good early pace shown by TF Sport drivers Salih Yoluc and Euan Hankey during the two Free Practice sessions yesterday did, as expected, come to nothing once qualifying came about this morning ready for the first race this afternoon.

Despite Yoluc lapping with times equivalent to his FP best with times that were worthy of P3 on the lap charts, those around him were again suddenly able to lap significantly quicker than him which in turn would relegate the #34 car back down to P9 on the starting grid.

Having undertaken the Qualifying Yoluc started the race and would immediately start systematically pounding in the ever decreasing lap times, pulling off a couple of overtakes in the process until he he pitted on Lap 14.

With Hankey now at the wheel he very quickly set about catching those ahead and by the time the pit window and handicap process had been completed, and after he had completed an audacious manoeuvre around the outside of the Audi at the end of the Mistral Straight. he would find himself in P3 with just 18 or so minutes of the race to go.

Next car ahead of him was the Lamborghini of Thomas Biagi but with two very fast Italian cars chasing up behind him - the FFF Racing Huracan and the AF Corse 488. Passing Biagi in the chiccane lead to contact between the #34 and Orange 1 T Lambo that spun the #27 car about putting it out of contention.

Just a lap later and with just a couple of minutes left on the clock, with the pack of four cars jockeying for overall first position entering into one of the Mistral Straight chiccanes, Hankey chose or had to place his car on what turned out to be the wrong side of the leading Teo Martin BMW M6 which forced Hanky to lift coming out of the chiccane.

That check up unfortunately left Hanky's Vantage off the power for a moment too long leaving the FFF Racing Lambo and AF Corse Ferrari to take the jump on him and both take Hankey for position with just a couple of corners to go before the chequered flag.

Had it not have been for that incident in the chiccane, a podium finish would have been a real possibility for the TF Sport team despite their concerns of their unfavourable top end performance worries. From what we swain race 1 the V12 Vantage certainly has enough horses beneath its bonnet just as long as their is nobody behind it in the tow.

The team will now ready themselves for Qualifying 2 tomorrow morning with the second race tomorrow afternoon.

Photo credits - Fotospeedy