Richard Gonda and Mikkel Jensen have finished 5th in the first race of the final GT Open weekend at Barcelona. The Czech team finished just one second behind the podium finishers but they are already preparing for tomorrow’s race in which they won’t be slowed down by a handicap from Belgium.
Saturday began with a qualifying session in damp conditions. That together with yellow flags affected participation in the first minutes. In the end, the qualifying session had to be suspended because of an accident. After the restart, Richard Gonda set the 5th fastest time. Only three drivers managed to do better before the end and it was a great 8th position for the team at Barcelona.
Robert Šenkýř, team principal: “Richard managed to do a great lap in the second part of the qualifying despite he had a lot of traffic. Thanks to that we can start from the fourth row. I’m definitely happy with the result. We are the fastest BMW on the grid!”
There was one more catch for Richard Gonda and Mikkel Jensen in the first race – a 10-second handicap, that had been given Šenkýř Motorsport team after finishing 2nd at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.
“It’s sort of a reward for a good result,” said Robert Šenkýř who was in good spirits.
Richard Gonda dropped to 9th position after the start and then lost two more places just before the switch.
Richard Gonda on the first race: “I was struggling with overheating tyres and I’ve got to say, it was one of the toughest stints I’ve ever had. I’m glad though that I kept it on the track and managed the pace well. The team reacted quickly and the car was ready for Mikkel perfectly. Also thanks to his performance we have another great result.”
The race itself had to be neutralised twice by the safety car, with the last one intervening with just ten minutes to go before the chequered flag. Mikkel Jensen left the pits on 15th place after the 10-second handicap delay. He had a great speed after the restart and with just two laps to go he was already 8th. In the final laps, he then managed to improve to finish on 5th position.
Mikkel Jensen on the first race: “Good first race. Difficult start where we lost out some positions and were down to P11. Richard got pushed some times but managed to bring the car well for the pitstop. I did one of the better stints I have to say. Pushing hard and going for any gap I saw. Managed well and brough the car home in P5. More than we expected when seeing our position mid way. Thanks to the team for a good race car that made me able to fight for positions.”
Robert Šenkýř, team principal: “In GT Open Championship it’s all about the details. Our drivers were really well prepared and very fast, while we together with Jaroslav Janiš worked on the race strategy. Everything went very well, despite that 10-second handicap. A big thanks goes to the whole team for the perfect job.”
The final round of GT Open continues tomorrow. It all starts with qualifying at 10:20, with Mikkel Jensen behind the wheel. He is also set to be the first driver in the cockpit for the Race 2 that begins at 14:15.
