The 2017 season has started with a frustrating weekend for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. The first round of the Blancpain Sprint Cup held at Misano Adriatico in Italy was marred with incidents of various kind for the Audis R8 LMS of the Belgian squad, which could bring home as best results only a 5th place in the night Qualifying Race with Enzo Ide-Christopher Mies, and a 10th in the Main Race with Jake Dennis-Pieter Schothorst. In a competition that proved to be closer than ever (22 cars within one second in some of the sessions), the Audis R8 LMS of the Belgian squad posted good lap times, but the races saw the dominance of one brand. The focus of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is now on the inaugural round of the Blancpain Endurance Cup, in two weeks time, at Monza.
Team Principal Vincent Vosse summarized the season-opener with few words: “It has been a bad weekend, one to forget as quickly as possible. We had a number of incidents that prevented or penalized the results, and some of our rivals had an incredible pace. The only really positive note was that the team won the Pit Stop Challenge, which proves once again how good our boys are. For the rest, let’s focus on the next race!”
Since the very start of the weekend, with the two free practice sessions, it was clear that competition was going to be very tight. Free practice 2 ended with 22 cars within one second, with four of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in that group, Ide-Mies being the best-placed of the Audis, in fourth position. The only car of the Belgian squad in trouble, and in serious ones, was the #3 of Jake Dennis-Pieter Schothorst, whose engine compartment caught fire in the very first lap of the first practice session. The car was severely damaged, missed free practice 2 but was finally repaired in the course of the night for qualifying. Still the same issue arose from the very beginning of the session, leaving more work for the mechanics and the British-Dutch duo with zero laps completed ahead of the races.
Qualifying also saw very close gaps (with again 22 cars within one second in Q2) but only two of the Belgian Audis were able to reach Q3, with Stevens in P11 and Vanthoor in P12. Ide-Mies (18th) and Leonard-Green (21st) missed the cut by a whisper…
The night Qualifying Race was full of drama, like in past editions, and it stroke in the very first lap, in turn 6, as some cars made contact in the middle of the group. Will Stevens was one of the innocent victims of the turmoil. “I was touched from behind”, explained the Brit, “and went sideways. From there, it was just ‘bang’ on all sides.” Seven cars were force to retire, with the Audi #2 very seriously damaged and out for the rest of the weekend. The race was red-flagged and resumed after about twenty minutes. For the surviving four Belgian Audi Club Team WRT contenders, things went well, including the pit stops, but there was nothing to do against the Mercedes cars, quicker than anyone else. Mies-Ide took 5th, inheriting in the last lap the best result of the Audi field. Vanthoor-Fässler were on course to a podium result, thanks to a strong final stint by the Swiss, who unfortunately spun on debris in the penultimate lap, eventually crossing the line in P8. Leonard-Green finished 12th and Dennis-Schothorst, finally spared by problems, 14th.
The Main Race on Sunday noon, sadly, did not bring any improvement for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. Marcel Fässler on car #5 was involved in an incident in lap 1. Missing a breaking point, he lightly hit a BMW in front of him, which unfortunately resulted in a broken connection rod and retirement. Few meters behind, caught by surprise by that accident, Stuart Leonard went off-track, puncturing a tire few turns later when a Ferrari hit him from behind and breaking also a connecting rod, which prompted a long repair time. Car #17 eventually finished in P24.
The best-placed of the Belgian Audis was #3 of Jake Dennis-Pieter Schothorst, who finished 10th, an unforeseen result given their start of the weekend with a strong field of 34 cars. Right behind, in P11, crossed the line car #1, which suffered a spin in the first stint, with Enzo Ide at the wheel, when running 6th.
The Blancpain GT Series will continue its campaign in Italy, with the traditional first round of the Endurance Series at Monza taking place on 22-23 April.
