Jim Pla and Pierre Sancinéna (#1 Racing Technology Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4) have secured their maiden GT4 European Series Southern Cup win in the second 60-minute race held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Meanwhile, Maserati and GP 34 by Motorsport have made it two wins from two events in the French FFSA GT AM Championship, following a last-lap move from the #34 GranTurismo of Philippe Marie-Olivier Gomez.
That pass was only one of many twists in a race that took place in tricky wet-weather conditions after heavy rain swept across the Spanish Grand Prix venue ahead of the start.
On a soaked track, Julien Piguet thought he had enjoyed a tremendous start when BMW Team France’s #9 BMW Ekris M4 GT4 approached the first corner in the lead, having launched from ninth. But the two-time Nevers Magny-Cours winner, who races alongside Fred Johais this year, was soon handed a drive-through penalty for jumping the start.
The misfortune promoted Steven Palette and the #18 Porsche, which had lined up 11th on the grid. The Martinet By Alméras driver had behind him the two Racing Technology-run Porsches – Jimmy Antunes on the #11 Cayman and Jim Pla on the #1 Porsche, who soon got past his team-mate.
Having encountered technical gremlins in qualifying, CD Sport’s Morgan Moullin Traffort (#31 Cayman) and Mike Parisy (#30 Porsche) were already making steady progress through the field. And so was Lonni Martins, who had started P24 and already featured in the points-paying positions with the #5 Riviera Motorsport-entered Porsche.
After taking over from race leader Palette, Henry Hassid headed back on track still in the lead but he soon came under pressure from Pierre Sancinéna, who had replaced Jim Pla in the second-placed Porsche. The Team Racing Technology driver soon relieved the #18 Porsche from first place before pulling away and building a gap that would keep stretching until the end.
The battle for second place involved thrilling on-track battles between Hassid, Christophe Hamon (#5 Cayman), David Hallyday (#31 Porsche), and CD Sport team-mate Gilles Vannelet (#30 Cayman). Right behind, the #8 Pro-Am championship-leading Ginetta of Benjamin Lariche-Robert Consani remained in the hunt and ready to pounce should their rivals up the road hit a snag.
With grip conditions still far from being at a premium, the drivers had to walk on a razor’s edge but they did so brilliantly to put on a great show. Hamon eventually pulled clear of the hunting pack and went on to secure Riviera Motorsport’s maiden Southern Cup podium in the team’s young history.
CD Sport scored valuable championship points in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ standings, as Parisy-Vannelet came home third, just ahead of team-mates Moullin Traffort-Hallyday. For Lariche-Consani (#8 Speed Car Ginetta), it was an exercise in damage limitation with sixth place at the flag, behind the Palette-Hassid pairing.
The #9 BMW Ekris M4 GT4 recovered from its early drive-through penalty to secure seventh, ahead of CMR’s #26 pole-sitting Ginetta (Soheil Ayari-Nicolas Tardif). The #2 TFT Racing-run Porsche (Ander Vilarino-Niki Leutwiler) and #69 Saintéloc Racing Cayman of Greg Guilvert and Manu Rodrigues completed the points-paying positions.
Sunday’s Race was equally exciting in the French FFSA GT AM championship since the class winners were only known on the final lap of the 60-minute event. Having slipped behind BMW Team France’s #6 BMW Ekris M4 GT4 (Jean-Claude Lagniez-Olivier Gomez) after the mandatory driver change, the #34 Maserati GranTurismo got back ahead in a last-ditch effort that resulted in a second win for the GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport team.
Lagniez-Depauw were able to find solace in securing another podium finish, which came after the pair of top-three results they had scored at Nevers Magny-Cours last month. Paul and Jean-Philippe Lamic (#54 Vic’Team Ginetta) stepped onto the third step of the rostrum.
In light of a thrilling Race 2, which saw riveting battles and sportsmanship on track, one will be pleased to notice that cooler heads have prevailed among the ranks of the GT4 European Series Southern Cup ahead of a promising season finale.
The sixth and final round of the year takes place at Circuit Paul Ricard on October 14-15. The two 60-minute races will be shown live on the series’ official website and Facebook page, as well as SRO Motorsports Group’s GT World YouTube channel.
Jim Pla, #1 Racing Technology Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4: “We had often finished in the points, even come close to the podium several times this year. We really wanted to get there before the end of the season because we knew we had the potential to achieve it. We had a great start and the car had a very good setup. Furthermore, the driver change went smoothly. This win comes as a great reward for the Racing Technology team, soBig thanks to everyone!
Pierre Sancinéna, #1 Racing Technology Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4: “We are not racing for the championship so there was not much to lose in attacking for the win. Our only goal was to get a strong result. In the light of Jim’s pace, I knew we had the speed to be at the front. That was not a given at the start of the weekend though, but the team found a great setup, which I am very thankful for!”
Philippe Marie, #34 GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4: “We’re delighted after winning both AM races this weekend. Olivier handed me the car in perfect shape but I still had to get into the groove. I did not manage this right away and was overhauled by the BMW. I was still able to keep pace with Jean-Claude [Lagniez] and overtake him on the final lap, but that was a close fight! Many thanks to the entire GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport outfit for this great weekend.”
Olivier Gomez, #34 GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4: “I initially struggled to get into a rhythm due to the rain and ever-changing grip conditions. But Philippe [Marie] was super fast and at the end of the race, we were jumping up and down on the pit wall when he made his move for the lead! This second win capped a dream weekend for my GT4 European Series Southern Cup debut and I’d like to extend my warmest thanks to everyone at GP 34 by Gemo Motorsport.”
