It’s down to the Mistral Circuit this weekend for the International GT Open Series as they embark upon their fifth round of the season with another seventy plus sixty-minute race format over the weekend at Paul Ricard.
Thirty multi-classed GT3 crews are again in the attendance with both the #14 Good Speed Racing and #97 Blackthorn Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 Evo powered crews amongst them.
Last time out at the Hungaroring two weeks ago was something of a disappointing affair for both Aston Martin powered crews as the best that the #97 crew of Charles Bateman and (then) Kobe Pauwels could offer was a P5 in Pro-Am in both races whilst the #14 crew of Piotr Wira and Tomasz Magdziarz could only manage a P5 in race at the end of race one before experiencing something of an odd incident going into the final right hander at the end of race two that saw the green livered car speer into the inside barrier causing significant front end damage.
Whilst the #14 crew remains a constant again (and with the car suitably fixed and repaired), the #97 car resorts to its advertised full season crew of both Bateman and Jonny Adam in lieu of Pauwels after the Scot has flown back from Brazil and his latest exploits within the FIA World Endurance Championship last weekend.
Track action begins on Friday with Free Practice before Qualifying 1 and the opening seventy-minute race later on Saturday. Qualifying 2 and the sixty-minute race will again be run on Sunday.
Results so far this season would mean that Bateman would need something like a minor miracle over the remaining rounds of the season to narrow down his points deficit within Pro-Am whilst Wira does remain in contention in Am, being just seventeen points behind the class leader.
Photo credits – Series / Teams / social media
