Making its very appearance in the GT4 European Series Southern Cup this weekend, Schubert Motorsport’s new #200 BMW M4 (Beitske Visser-Dennis Marschall) has won the opening race of the Barcelona round after a thrilling finish.
In the AM FFSA French GT championship, Maserati has claimed a maiden victory this year courtesy of GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport’s #34 GranTurismo (Philippe Marie-Olivier Gomez).
Despite intense pressure from several cars, BMW Motorsport Junior Dennis Marschall held his ground until the chequered flag to conclude what his team-mate and fellow BMW protégé Beitske Visser had brilliantly started.
Indeed, the Dutch ace surged ahead from third on the grid to overhaul the front-row starting Ginettas – the #111 Classic & Modern Racing G55 and the #8 Speed Car machine – and lead into the first corner.
A contact in the pack on the opening lap led to an early Safety Car period, soon followed by a red flag as safety barriers around the track needed repairing.
Once racing resumed in earnest, Visser nailed the re-start to fend off any challenge from Energy By ART’s #4 Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4 (Alain Ferté-Gregoire Demoustier) and Robert Consani’s #8 Ginetta. Pole sitter and AM points leader Stéphane Tribaudini had already slipped down the order but the #111 G55 remained the highest ranked car in its category at that time.
As soon as the mandatory driver change window opened at the 25th minute, a gaggle of competitors, including several front runners, rushed into the pits. On the other hand, Schubert Motorsport elected to keep Visser on track until the very last moment before she handed the wheel over to Marschall, who headed back out on track still in first place.
The BMW Motorsport Junior immediately had to withstand intense pressure from Spanish racer Ander Vilarino in the #2 TFT Racing Porsche he shares with Swiss driver Niki Leutwiler.
The mano a mano then turned into a three-way battle when Ekris Motorsport’s #888 BMW Ekris M4 GT4 (Max Koebolt-Ricardo van der Ende) joined the party. The three cars would stay glued together for the final 20 minutes of the hour-long contest. Marschall kept his cool all the way to beat a charging Vilarino by less than a second.
Elsewhere, the Pro-Am title fight featured a major twist in the second half of the race when the #8 championship-leading Ginetta of Robert Consani-Benjamin Lariche had to retire while running a strong fourth.
Mike Parisy and Gilles Vannelet, their main rivals in the #30 CD Sport Porsche, could not really capitalise on this misfortune, as they had to settle for ninth place. It is worth noting that the Race 1-winning BMW M4 is not eligible to score points towards this year’s GT4 European Series Southern Cup since the car had not raced in the championship prior to this weekend.
The AM class saw an unexpected turn of events as well when the #111 CMR-run Ginetta of points leader Tribaudini and team-mate Michael Petit hit trouble and slipped out of contention. This paved the way for GP 34 By Gemo Motorsport to grab the opportunity and that’s exactly what Philippe Marie and Olivier Gomez did, taking the #34 GranTurismo to a strong class win.
The GP 34 By Gemo Motorsport pairing headed two CMR crews in Fabien Michal-Georges Cabanne (#666 Ginetta), who close the points gap to Tribaudini as a result, and Sylvain Debs-Gwenaël Delomier (#999 G55).
Beitske Visser, #200 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT4: “I had a perfect start from third position. After the red flag, I tried all I could to manage and save the tyre so Dennis [Marschall] would get a healthy car for the second stint. He finished the job superbly and I’d like to extend my warm thanks to everyone in the team for this nice win.”
Dennis Marschall, #200 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT4: “That was quite a tough and intense stint with pressure from several cars behind! In those conditions, you have to strike the right balance between pushing 100% and not making any mistake. Our driver change was very good. I had some experience in the procedure and I’d like to point out the calmness shown by Beitske [Visser], which gave us the opportunity to re-join the track in P1. That said, we did not expect to win on our first race in the Southern Cup, so massive congratulations to the entire team.”
Philippe Marie, #34 GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4: “We’re delighted with this win, which comes after we had a tricky start to the season. The GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport guys have been working their tails off and this success comes as well-deserved reward for everyone in the team.”
Olivier Gomez, #34 GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4: “For my very first weekend in the GT4 European Series Southern Cup, I have been quite surprised by my performance, especially in such a competitive field. Philippe is a fast driver and I think we make up a consistent pairing. Our Maserati was perfectly set up by the GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport crew and I hope we can come back for more in Race 2.”
