Mike Parisy and Gilles Vannelet (#30 CD Sport Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4) are the 2017 GT4 European Series Southern Cup champions in the Pro-Am category after a thrilling season finale at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Meanwhile, Stephane Tribaudini has won the AM title in style, as he and crew-mate Michael Petit secured two class wins in as many races for the #111 Classic & Modern Racing Ginetta G55 GT4.
Speed Car has sealed the Teams’ Pro-Am championship, while CMR had already claimed the AM honours two weeks earlier in Barcelona.
The final race of the season was won by Las Moras Racing Team’s #99 McLaren 570S GT4, as Max Braams and Duncan Huisman made it two victories from two contests at Circuit Paul Ricard.
LAS MORAS RACING TEAM DOUBLES DOWN IN RACE 2
Pole sitter Julien Piguet (BMW Team France) led the pack away at the start with the #9 BMW Ekris M4 GT4, as Mike Parisy vaulted the #30 Porsche up to second place ahead of Duncan Huisman.
The CD Sport ace’s advantage would not last for long though, as the #99 McLaren quickly reclaimed P2, with Ekris Motorsport’s Ricardo van der Ende also deposing Parisy with the #888 Ekris M4 GT4.
Further back, Speed Car’s #8 championship-leading Ginetta was trapped on the opening lap when Benjamin Lariche, who had started from 10th on the grid, was caught out by a clash between CMR’s Soheil Ayari (#26 Ginetta) and CD Sport’s Morgan Moullin Traffort (#31 Porsche) ahead of him. Not only did Lariche fell out of the points-paying positions, his Ginetta also picked up damage on the front left.
At that time, things were starting to look pretty good for CD Sport but the 2017 campaign was destined to go right down to the wire. Parisy soon found himself on the back foot when Greg Guilvert (#69 Sainteloc Racing Porsche), Jim Pla (#1 Racing Technology Cayman), and Ander Vilariño (#2 TFT Racing Porsche) whizzed past the #30 Cayman in quick succession.
Parisy hung on to maintain his ailing car within the top 10, as it had to score points regardless of the #8 Ginetta’s result. Indeed, there might have been a two-way tie entering Race 2, Lariche and crew-mate Robert Consani had the edge on countback.
Taking over from Parisy was Gilles Vannelet, with CD Sport team members anxiously looking at the timing screens to check whether the experienced racer could match his direct rivals’ pace with a suboptimal machine. They started breathing a sigh of relief when Vannelet’s lap times showed he had enough speed to hold his ground.
Out in front, Piguet rounded up his strong opening stint in the lead but the #9 BMW had not been able to shake off the #99 McLaren, nor the #888 Ekris. All three cars stopped at the same time and while Piguet’s team-mate Fred Johais kept the top spot as he headed back out on track, Max Braams was soon on the move. The Las Moras driver eventually found a way past, and so did Henry Hassid on the #18 Martinet By Alméras-run Porsche he shares with Steven Palette.
Braams managed the gap to the chasing Cayman over the second half of the race to make it two consecutive wins for Dutch outfit Las Moras Racing Team at Circuit Paul Ricard, while fellow GT4 European Series Northern Cup entrants Max Koebolt-Ricardo van der Ende completed the podium positions with the #888 Ekris.
Piguet-Johais crossed the line just outside the top three, ahead of Parisy-Vannelet, whose fifth-place finish handed the CD Sport pairing the 2017 GT4 European Series Southern Cup title.
Also scoring points on Sunday at Circuit Paul Ricard were Alain Ferté-Gregoire Demoustier (#4 Energy By ART Porsche) ; Morgan Moullin Traffort-David Hallyday (#31 CD Sport Cayman) ; Csaba Mór-Finlay Hutchison (#10 Equipe Verschuur McLaren 570S GT4).
Kudos should also be given to championship runner-ups Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche, who recovered all the way up to ninth at the flag with the #8 Speed Car Ginetta, which helped Pascal Destembert’s outfit take victory in the Pro-Am Teams’ rankings.
Sainteloc Racing grabbed the final point on offer with Sebastien Dumez-Valentin Simonet on the #66 Porsche.
TRIBAUDINI SEALS AM TITLE IN STYLE
Stephane Tribaudini capped his breakthrough 2017 campaign in style to wrap up the AM French FFSA GT title with another class win for the #111 Ginetta he has shared with Michael Petit from Nevers Magny-Cours onwards. The CMR duo made it two from two in the south of France, having already claimed Race 1 on Saturday.
Coming off a two-win weekend of their own in Barcelona, GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport paid another visit to the AM podium, courtesy of Philippe Marie and Olivier Pernaut on the #34 Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4 and its special ‘Antoine le Pilote’ livery. CMR’s Fabien Michal and Georges Cabanne rounded up the top three aboard the #666 Ginetta.
Making its racing debut in Europe this weekend, Ford Performance’s #46 Ford Mustang GT4 further showed its strong potential when Scott Maxwell claimed pole position for Race 2.
As the curtain falls on the inaugural season in France’s revamped FFSA GT championship, the introduction of the GT4 format to the French national scene has been met with great success. Each of the six rounds has boasted healthy grids of 30 cars and more. Seven manufacturers have been involved – Aston Martin, BMW, Ford, Ginetta, Maserati, McLaren, et Porsche –, with more expected following the launch of new GT4 models.
All GT4 European Series Southern Cup champions will be officially crowned at the 2017 prize-giving ceremony, which takes place on Friday 24 November in Paris, France as part of SRO Motorsports Group’s 25-year anniversary celebrations.
Mike Parisy, #30 CD Sport Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4: “We had arrived at Circuit Paul Ricard determined to win the title and we did it! We had a solid season, though we had to start everything from scratch. We managed to optimise our performance and speed, partly thanks to our experience. I’d like to congratulate the entire team for their great work all year long, while also extending my warmest thanks to my crew-mate Gilles [Vannelet]. I’m thrilled to be sharing this championship win with him.”
Gilles Vannelet, #30 CD Sport Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4: “Mike [Parisy] and I have known each other for a very long time. Heck, we were racing each other some 10 years ago! I am delighted to have got the call-up from him and CD Sport at the start of the season and even more pleased to celebrate this title all together now!”
Stephane Tribaudini, #111 Classic & Modern Racing Ginetta G55 GT4: “I will forever remember and cherish the day when I became AM champion in the 2017 GT4 European Series Southern Cup at Circuit Paul Ricard! I really wanted to push today, which resulted in a harmless spin at the end. We still managed to secure another class win to finish the season on a high. Our reliability has been perfect all year and I’d like to thank the entire CMR crew for their hard work. Many thanks as well to my team-mate Michael [Petit], whose support over the second half of the season has proved extremely valuable.”
Duncan Huisman, #99 Las Moras Racing Team McLaren 570S GT4: “It’s been a fantastic weekend for Las Moras Racing Team at Circuit Paul Ricard. I lost one position at the start but was able to get back ahead quickly. Then I really pushed to catch the leading BMW but I had to mind Ricardo [van der Ende] in the #888 Ekris right behind. Still, I managed to stay close and Max [Braams] finished the job perfectly. Many thanks and congratulations to everyone in the team!”
