Prosport Racing again take the spoils at the GT Winter Series visit to Navarro
For their recently reconfirmed Nordschliefe Langstrecken Series GT3 runners Jean Glorieux and Maxime Dumarey, it was to be a case of always the bridesmaid for them picking up second in each of the two thirty-minute solo driver rounds before the days ending hour long, pit stop punctuated race to end with.
Whilst Yevgen Sokolovskiy did indeed return to pair up again with Mike David Ortmann aboard their #48 AMR Vantage GT4, it would be just the sole visit to the podium for Ortmann after the opening sprint race for them this time around.
Brothers Guido and Guillaume Dumarey fared somewhat better between them with a P4 and then a pair of P3 finishes, it was to be the young ladies aboard the #250 AMR Vantage GT4 who would come away with the most silverware as both Gabriela Jilkova and AMR GT4 debutant Jessica Bachmann took both a P2 finish in class during each of their two sprint races before rounding the weekend out with another P2 finish in the endurance race.
Whilst the final round of the GT Winter Series will be in Barcelona over this coming weekend, we are more likely to see most of the Prosport Racing team back at their local circuit of the Nurburgring-Nordschliefe in time for the official NLS test.
Photo credits – Daniel Burgin / Social Media
Monday, March 06, 2023 |
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Back to winning ways for the Prosport Racing team in the GT Winter Series
This time fielding three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s and a Vantage GT3, the opening thirty minute sprint race produced a first class win for Gabriela Jilkova in her winter transition from the Mercedes AMG GT4 to the Aston Martin whilst co-driver Celia Martin went onto claim a class podium P3 at the end of her solo sprint race before both lady drivers wrapped up another pre-season event with a P2 class finish at the end of the days hour long, pit stop/driver change punctuated endurance race.
Teammates Mike David Ortmann and Yevgen Sokolovskiy also enjoyed podium success with a class third for Ortmann in the opening sprint before both finished just behind Jilkova/Martin in third in the endurance race.
Then, with the new drivers to the series this year with the team saw Nico Verdonck again out on track with Guido Dumarey within the #310 GT4 where the speedy Belgian scooped a class P2 finish in Sprint race 2 alongside their P5 finishes in both the first and last races.
To round things off, the #170 AMR Vantage GT3 crew of Maxime Dumarey and Jean Glorieux each earned themselves valuable track time and a whole new load of silverware by claiming a pair of P3 finishes in each of the sprint races with a P2 finish in the endurance round, all in preparation towards their respective entries into various European based series later this year.
The next round of the series is from Navarra, Spain over the 4/5th March.
Photo credits – D Burgin
Monday, February 20, 2023 |
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More Astons at this weekends GT Winter Series visit to Valencia
Amongst the forty plus, multi-class GT entries for this weekend’s triple header event this time sees the Prosport Racing team enter three Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s as well as one of their Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3’s together with a more team familiar driver line up.
Gone this time have guesting class podium winners drivers Charles Clarke and Alex Denning to be replaced with Nico Verdonck and Guido Dumarey within the #250 GT4 who will compete against both Mike David Ortmann/Yevgen Sokolovskiy aboard the #48 GT4 and the all-female line up of Gabriel Jilkova and Celia Martin aboard the #310 GT4.
They will be joined this time around by the teams Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie GT3 racers Jean Glorieux and Maxime Dumarey aboard the (as yet) unidentified Vantage GT3.
Like last time around at Jerez, all will be joined again by Mucke Motorsport solo racer Thilo Goos aboard his #700 AMR Vantage GT4 for the two solo driver sprint and single, hour-long pit stop punctuated race over the weekend used by many now as effective pre-season race ready testing ahead of their chosen full season undertakings.
Photo credits – GT Winter Series / Team
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 |
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PROsport Racing serve Team Ukraine at Motorsport Games
Congratulations to both PROsport Racing and drivers Yevgen Sokolovskiy and Ivan Pecklin for bringing together an Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered team ahead of the FIA Motorsport Games that starts at Paul Ricard in just two weeks time.
Representing Team Ukraine, it will mean another step up the GT ladder for both drivers who have worked with the German based team over the year in their other AMR and Porsche machinery and comes after recent testing at the venue under the watchful eye of Nico Verdonck.
Photo credit - Team
Monday, October 17, 2022 |
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Aston Martin powered success at latest round of NLS
The locally based Prosport Racing team were again back in action with their AMR Vantage GT3 and this time, just one of the Vantage GT4 cars as the Schnitzelalm Racing team also fielding an older generation Vantage GT4 for their clients.
Last time out in the series was for a massive twelve-hour race but this time it was back to the usual four as Nico Verdonck partnered Christoph Breuer in aboard the #17 SP9 Pro-Am entered car whilst Guido Dumarey guided GT4 newcomer Alexander Hommerson around their #176 SP10 classed car whilst father/son pairing, Walter and Fabio Laschet competed in their normally aspirated SP8 classed Vantage GT4.
At the end, all three cars finished with the #17 car coming back with a class win from their group of six competitors whilst the #176 came home in third out of four runners whilst the #132 was the sole SP8 entry, but still they completed the race which is a feat in itself.
Further down the grid in the lower classes, we saw Prosport Racing’s Hugo Sasse complete another race towards his Nordschliefe Permit in one of the team’s Porsche’s whilst Heart of Racing’s Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn were doing likewise with a class win in a BMW M240i classed car.
Photo credits - Teams / social media
Monday, October 10, 2022 |
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Three Astons and some other news for the next round of the NLS this weekend
This Saturday’s four-hour event is the sixth round of the NLS season and the first after their last twelve-hour enduro around the infamous circuit last time out in early September. The locally based Prosport Racing team are again back in the action with another AMR Vantage GT3 and GT4 line up for their long-term group of customer drivers as well as (hopefully this time) the return of an older, normally aspirated V8 Vantage GT4 from the Schnitzelalm Racing team.
Starting with the #17 Prosport GT3 Pro-Am entry, resident driver coach actually gets listed aboard the green car alongside Christoph Breuer rather than be just another late substitution. Last time out in the 12hr, the #17 car finished second in class.
Then they have their usual #176 AMR Vantage GT4 entry within the series SP10 for team regular Guido Dumarey alongside crew newcomer and fellow Belgian Alexander Hommerson. Looking at his driver history, whilst he has raced at the circuit before with the team, it has been somewhat limited and constrained to the smaller classes permitted to race in the NLS.
That leaves the older #132 AMR from the Schnitzelalm Racing team for father and son drivers Walter and Fabio Laschet. Due to race within the last 12hr event, it was a DNS for the crew (for unknown reasons), so we look forward to seeing another very familiar coloured AMR in the field in that one.
The other news that we spoke of is that the Prosport team is presently testing at Paul Ricard within their #17 Vantage GT3 which driver Yevgen Sokolovskiy has said that he will be driving with another (yet TBA co-driver) within the forthcoming FIA Motorsport Games at the French circuit at the end of the month for Team Ukraine.
Our attention is also drawn to the #651 Adrenalin Motorsport Team BMW M240i Racing Cup entry that features a certain Ross Gunn from the UK and a Roman De Angelis from Canada!!
Photo credits - Teams
Photo credits - Teams
Thursday, October 06, 2022 |
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PROsport Racing success at latest 12hour round of the NLS around the Nordschliefe
Running two full season NLS crews aboard their #13 AMR Vantage GT3 and #176 Vantage GT4 cars, their third car was a little more of a mix and match after late drivers changes were forced onto the team left the team’s ‘resident’ driver coach Nico Verdonck as a late entry into their #175 car alongside Celia Martin and Guillaume Dumarey (the reason for Emil Heyerdahl’s withdrawal is unclear).
With some of the foulest weather about around the circuit could throw at the some - one hundred and fifty runners, at least these three Aston Martins were able to take the start of Saturday’s opening six-hour portion of the race before Parc Ferme conditions were imposed overnight before the concluding half of the race today.
Eventually finishing earlier today, the full season #17 Vantage GT3 came home second within their GT3 (SP9) Pro-Am class in second with the one off #175 Vantage GT4 entry also coming home second within their SP10 class whilst the sister full season #176 car coming home sixth in class.
Despite their full season status, both cars have either skipped or failed to finish enough rounds of the NLS Series for them not to be in any Championship contention.
Photo credits - Team
Sunday, September 11, 2022 |
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Another challenging GT4 European Series for the Aston Martin Racing runners at the Hockenheimring
Since the previous round of the series at Speed Week at Spa Francorchamps at the end of July, the summer break had generated several driver changes – particularly amongst the French AGS Events Racing team all stemming from one driver leaving for his previous Mirage Racing outfit. There was also a rationalisation of driving recourses with the Racing One Team Spirit outfit that saw them loose a couple of drivers, gain a couple but loose a car to what they had previously entered.
Setting up over periods of wet and dry tracks, Saturdays double Qualifying sessions left several crews on the back foot as the track conditions dried and others had excursions through the gravel to sustain damage for the second driver.
For race one, it was the #19 Racing Spirit of Lemans car of Tom Canning heading the AMR bunch in eighth, just ahead of his teammate in the #19 car of Konstantin Lachenauer with the close presence of both Hugo Sasse (#24 Prosport Racing) and Ralf Kelleners (#6 Racing One) nearby.
A typical large gaggle entry and exit out of turn one saw many break limits as many crews made up or indeed lost ground in the run up to the next corner with a great move from Lachenauer around the Chevrolet allowed him and Sasse to gain quick ground before the young Swiss tried his luck once too often with the next car at the same corner only to spin the Porsche around.
Fortunately for him, he escaped any official redress for his actions (until the end of the race when they were given a five second time penalty) as Nico Verdonck confused the Audi ahead of him at the time to double switch back to claim a P16 overall position just ahead of the pit window.
First to pit was Sasse to hand over his #24 car to Mike David Ortmann and that proved itself to be a good move as the rain began to fall once again. The fresh crew with the Mirage Racing team (Ruben Del Sarte and Paul Aural-König) had almost kept themselves out of the wars but appeared in pit lane with frontal damage although this didn’t stop them from continuing their maiden voyage together.
Fifteen minutes to go and the rain really started to fall, and whilst many at the front of the pack remained out on slicks, others took the gamble and pitted for wets. Unfortunately for them, a resulting incident on track with two cars left stranded brought of the first FCY but the race would ultimately finish behind the Safety Car because of the track conditions.
That left the #24 Prosport Racing entry to claim another (unchallenged) P2 overall finish to add to their others and helped to consolidate their Championship positions.
That left the #24 Prosport Racing entry to claim another (unchallenged) P2 overall finish to add to their others and helped to consolidate their Championship positions.
Sundays second race was fortunately under clear blue skies and sunshine again as a guesting Will Tregurtha was lead AMR car this time on the grid in P3 with Gus Bowers in his #10 car in fifth.
Another chaotic opening couple of corners soon saw the grid calm down into what appeared to be an orderly queue before the lead bunch came across some fluid left on track by an ailing BMW on the opening lap, leading to many cars (including Tregurtha and Bowers) exiting track right before importantly returning to the race pace only slightly otherwise unscathed.
Elsewhere, Markus Lungstrass was leading the Am Class aboard his #18 Racing One AMR whilst Del Sarte was hanging in there just behind Akhil Rabindra in the #19 car in P15.
Showing some of his old pace, it wasn’t long before Tregurtha was back up with the traffic and challenging for position but suddenly made a bee line for the pit lane with a rear left puncture – that all but destroyed his and co-driver, Nico Hantke’s race.
What followed next was a cascade of incident and accident that claimed another long list of Aston Martin runners with first Bowers hitting into the rear of one car to break his steering, Lungstrass doing similar whilst also challenging for position before both Kellener’s Racing One car and Tom Verdier’s AGS Events cars also pitted with terminal ailments.
That left just the #19 Racing Spirit car of Canning/Rabindra to claim a P6 Silver Cup finish with Del Sarte/König claiming a debut P7 in Silver Cup result too. The new AGS Events line up of Nicolas Gomar and Mike Parisy to claim a P5 Pro-Am result together.
With just one more event to go at Barcelona at the end of the month, only the #24 Prosport Racing and #10 Racing Spirit Astons have any chance of the Silver Cup Champiosnhip prize although both lie at least thirty-eight points back with just fifty points maximum on offer. In the Am Class, another DNF for the #89 AGS Events car of Julien Lambert and Wilfried Cazalbon in race 2 has left them twenty-one points behind their class leader with the same points being available.
That is a tall ‘ask’ but in the land of GT4 racing – anything is possible and probably to the effect!!
Photo credits – Teams / Series
Sunday, September 04, 2022 |
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This time around a six hour race for the PROsport Racing team in NLS
Having taken something of a sabbatical to make space for the twenty-four earlier this year, the formally named VLN Series returned only last week where we had two cars from the locally based PROsport Racing team in attendance with one example of their Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 and GT4 race cars.
That race saw the team’s then Pro-Am classed #17 AMR Vantage GT3 of Maxime Dumarey, Jean Glorieux and Nico Verdonck finish their best result yet second in class whilst their sister #176 AMR Vantage GT4 crew of Guido Dumarey and GT4 debutant Emil Heyerdahl finishing third in their SP10 class by the end of that four-hour race.
This weekend’s longer race sees a slight driver realignment as Christoph Breuer trades places with Verdonck alongside both Dumarey and Glorieux whilst Guido Dumarey and Heyerdahl are joined by returning team racer Simon Balcaen.
Photo credits - @ericmetznerphotoart
Wednesday, July 06, 2022 |
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Not Aston Martins day at the latest round of the GT4 European Series from Misano
Both the Prosport Racing and Racing Spirit of Lemans crews had enjoyed some fine results in the series (and others) up until now and everyone was hopeful of similar performances that helped both teams settle at the top of the Silver Cup Drivers Championship leader board going into the weekend.
Whilst we all know that Qualifying may not necessarily paint an accurate picture of overall performances, the results of Q1 did show that the two Spirit of Lemans cars of Tom Canning/Akhil Rabindra (#19) and Gus Bowers/Konstantin Lachenauer (#10) were still amongst the top runners with their P5 and P8 overall positions whilst the double race winners of last time, the #24 Prosport Racing AMR of Higo Sasse/Mike David-Ortmann was way back in P17 overall.
With five other Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4s amongst the grid of forty-five cars (after the unfortunate early demise of the #9 Racing One car during Free Practice), the odds were surely still stacked in the favour of at least one of these coming through by the end of the first hour long race.
Due to sheer numbers involved, the opening corners were of course a little bit fraught but at least they were clean as the natural hierarchy of performance soon made clear who was fastest and who wasn’t – sadly for the AMR runners, the utter dominance of the Mercedes AMG GT4 quickly proved that it wasn’t to be Astons day this around.
The next pain for some came just after the pit stop window as Wilfried Cazalbon parked his #89 Am Class AGS Events Racing car with a clear technical issue having only just taken over from Julien Lambert. Whatever the problem was, that car would not compete again over the weekend.
Soon after that, the problems for the AGS team got worse as a pit lane exiting Noah Andy got hit from behind, taking both him and the Porsche assailant out of the race on the spot too.
With the two Pro-Am Aston Martin being the last to pit, by the time debris was cleared from the AGS car, Am drivers Rodrique Gillion and Henrik Lyngbye-Pederson each found themselves running within the top 10 on merit as the race went back to green but with just fourteen minutes remaining, contact between two Mercedes spun one of them around and straight into the path of the #25 Prosport Car of Gillion causing extensive front end damage to both cars.
With the two Pro-Am Aston Martin being the last to pit, by the time debris was cleared from the AGS car, Am drivers Rodrique Gillion and Henrik Lyngbye-Pederson each found themselves running within the top 10 on merit as the race went back to green but with just fourteen minutes remaining, contact between two Mercedes spun one of them around and straight into the path of the #25 Prosport Car of Gillion causing extensive front end damage to both cars.
Like the Cazalbon car before it, the #25 Gillion car would not be seen again in race 2.
Another Safety Car and then more issues for the AMR runners as Bowers pitted his #10 car with technical issues that would lose the then Silver Class leaders valuable points as the #24 Sasse/Ortmann car eventually came through for a P15 overall/P3 in Silver finish with the #19 Rabindra/Canning car just behind in P17/P4. The #5 Racing One car of Thijmen Nabuurs/Kenton Koch car would persevere for a P6 Silver finish with the #18 Racing One AM car of Pederson/Lungstrass fifth in Am and the #80 AGS car of Tom Verdier/Ruben Del Sarte the last of the AMR finishes in P27 overall/P10 in Silver.
Another Safety Car and then more issues for the AMR runners as Bowers pitted his #10 car with technical issues that would lose the then Silver Class leaders valuable points as the #24 Sasse/Ortmann car eventually came through for a P15 overall/P3 in Silver finish with the #19 Rabindra/Canning car just behind in P17/P4. The #5 Racing One car of Thijmen Nabuurs/Kenton Koch car would persevere for a P6 Silver finish with the #18 Racing One AM car of Pederson/Lungstrass fifth in Am and the #80 AGS car of Tom Verdier/Ruben Del Sarte the last of the AMR finishes in P27 overall/P10 in Silver.
Sundays second race was sadly not a great deal better as the #24 Prosport car of Sasse failed to finish even the opening lap as an early puncture saw the young German elect to call it a day rather than risk the pointless process of limping his car back to the pit lane.
Despite this early negative, the #80 AGS car of Verdier and the #5 Racing One car of Nabuurs at least looked racy as they put early challenges onto those in front before an early Safety Car was called as a McLaren impacted along the pit wall.
The #10 Racing Spirit of Lemans car would again suffer an untimely exit from the race as Lachenauer would this time be forced to retire his car with technical issues just after the pit window as again, the Mercedes AMG cars just ‘walked away’ at the front.
Despite the best of efforts from all those involved, the best AMR result in Race 2 would be the P10 overall and P6 in Silver finish from the #19 Rabindra/Canning car with the #5 Racing One Nabuurs/Koch effort at least being the more consistent of them down in P12 overall/P8 in silver.
These results have seen the #10 crew lose the lead of the Silver Class to a Mercedes powered crew after their double race win in Misano and the Aston Martin crews double DNF. The sister #19 crew and the #24 Prosport crew remain in P2 and P3 respectively with a similar fate with the #89 AGS crew of Cazalbon/Lambert losing their Am class lead thanks to their double DNF as well.
Next top for the Series will be at Spa Francorchamps later this month during the SRO’s annual Speed Week.
Photo credits – GT4 European Series
Monday, July 04, 2022 |
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Team of the Week - PROsport Racing
If there was an award for “Team of the week”, then that would have to go to the PROsport Racing team whose Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 crews absolutely dominated the latest round of the ADAC GT4 Germany Series as well as two of their other Aston’s doing equally well at the latest round of the NLS from the Nordschliefe.
Full season entries of course for the ADAC GT4 Germany Series saw their Junior Class #24 car of Hugo Sasse and Mike David-Ortmann run with their Trophy Class crew of Yevgen Sokolovskiy and Christopher Rohner as last weekend’s third round of the season at the Dutch coastal circuit of Zandvoort.
There, the #24 car made a clean sweep of overall pole positions of each of the weekend’s one-hour races but then followed that up with two overall victories despite all the full course cautions and weather that the circuit and the series could throw at them.
That in turn was backed up by the #48 crew taking P3 and then P2 in their own Trophy class thanks to their P25 and P19 race finishes respectively.
These results have taken Sasse and Ortmann up to second in the overall Championship table behind that of the Dorr Motorsport AMR crew of Indy Dontjie and Phil Dorr but also to the top of the Junior Class for Sasse and up to second in the Team’s Championship table – again behind the Dorr Team. Sokolovskiy also moves up to third in his Trophy Class as the series moves onto their local circuit at the Nurburgring in early August.
Also running this weekend was another of the team’s AMR Vantage GT4’s as well as their Vantage GT3 which were running again within the Nurburgring Langstrecken Series (ex VLN Series) from the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Having taken something of the sabbatical for the ADAC Total 24H race at the end of May, the third round of the NLS was again ran over four hours with the team’s ‘resident’ driver coach, Nico Verdonck who again joined Maxime Dumarey and Jean Glorieux aboard their #17 SP9 Pro-Am entry to end their Saturday race day P4 in class with their #176 Vantage GT4 car Guido Dumarey and GT4 newcomer Emil Heyerdahl finishing P3 I their SP10 class.
Like many European based GT4 teams these days, PROsport Racing move across to Italy for next weekend’s third round of the GT4 European Series from Misano with their two-car entry, again involving Sasse, Ortmann and Verdonck.
Photo credits – ADAC GT4 / NLS / Teams
Monday, June 27, 2022 |
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Three Astons amongst an entry of 160 cars for round three of the NLS this weekend
With round two having been cancelled due to weather even before the day back at the end of March, this weekend we again expect to see a slightly loaded Aston Martin Racing partner and customer team participation as some within AMR circles prepare to think and prepare for the upcoming ADAC Total 24hr race due to run later in May.
As far as the NLS full season entries are concerned, we again see the #17 PROsport Racing AMR Vantage GT3 of Maxime Dumarey and Jean Glorieux who undoubtedly want to build upon the success of that car in the opening round after Nico Verdonck was called into action for an incapacitated Glorieux to claim a P14 in the full Pro class. This weekend, the #17 car is due to return to its GT3 Pro-Am class.
With us expecting not to see either of the team’s AMR Vantage GT4s in action at the NLS by virtue of two cars racing at the opening round of the ADAC GT4 Germany Series at Oschersleben this weekend, we do in fact see again the #176 SP10 classed GT4 of Guido Dumarey and Alex Walker in action in an obvious third car for the team. Last time out, the #176 claimed a P2 in class result at the end of NLS1 in March.
The additional AMR entry this weekend will of course be the TF Sport prepared GT3 Pro entry for drivers Marco Sorenson, David Pittard and Maxime Martin as the crew and team prepare for a full pseudo factory assault on the biggest prize in GT3 racing and one that has illuded the team for some years now at the 24 hours. None of those really need any introduction from us!!
Photo credits - Team
Thursday, April 21, 2022 |
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From almost nothing to fourth on track - a remarkable AMR debut for the Bullitt Racing team at Paul Ricard
UPDATED
Having started the series Prologue test at the circuit earlier this week in the worst possible manner with a significant frontal impact with a passing LMP3 car after a spin, the immediate requests of the team were answered by the German based PROsport Racing team who were able to ship them the required spares in time for the opening timed sessions of this weekend’s race.
Having then burned the midnight oil within the #99 car’s garage and missing out of the first Free Practice, team boss and gentleman driver Stephen Pattrick was finally able to get some laps in during his bronze driver test before he then Qualified the car P7 in class and last overall within the 38-car grid.
After a clean start to todays 110-minute race, Pattrick was able to show the clear pace of the rebuilt AMR Vantage GT3 as he pestered the AF Corse Ferrari next in line. Eventually passing that car on track and a drive through penalty for a car ahead, the #99 car would circulate for the remainder of Pattrick’s drive time in an impressive P5.
Taking charge of what was only Theo Nouet’s second GT3 race, the young Frenchman quickly found himself elevated up to P2 in class and only 14 seconds behind the class leader but alas, a significantly miscalculated pit stop time saw them being served with a mighty 31 second stop and hold penalty for their troubles which would lose them over a minute on track.
Back to P4 in class with thirty minutes to go, a very spirited drive from Nouet saw him reduce the gap to the #61 Ferrari ahead of him from 7.5 seconds to just meters as the race entered into its final half lap. Taking the tow from the Ferrari, Nouet was able to pass the #61 Ferrari by the end of the Mistral Straight to take P3 in class as the cars completed the final, technical section of the race to claim their first silverware of the season.
What a better way to reward all those who worked so hard to get the #99 back on track after their earlier accident – well done all!!
UPDATE
Well, that is how it appeared to have finished on track with the fall of the chequered flag.
Upon count back by Race Control after the event however, they subsequently deemed that they race finished on the lap before Nouet overtook the Ferrari for third so hence a final P4 finish for the #99 car.
Photo credits – Team / LMC
Saturday, April 16, 2022 |
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