Two solid points finishes highlighted V8 Racing’s debut weekend in the GT4 European Series with the brand new Camaro. On the tight and twisty Belgian circuit of Zolder reigning Pro-Am champions twice finished in the top six in the high-quality field.
The first 60-minute race started off in difficult fashion for the Dutch team as former champion Jelle Beelen fell victim to the so-called concertina effect early on. “I had a pretty good start but suddenly the pace slowed to a crawl and I could not brake in time. I had nowhere to go and hit the car in front.” The hit terminally damaged the Camaro, prematurely ending what potentially could have been a strong run for Beelen and teammate Wolf Nathan.
A couple of places ahead of Beelen was Duncan Huisman who had started well and held on to a position in the top ten. The always fast and experienced Huisman eventually brought his Camaro in at the half-way mark in the top six as he handed over to teammate Luc Braams. Braams then produced an excellent stint to clinch sixth in class and eighteenth overall, a fine performance in a field that has grown into one of the premier GT series in the world.
Braams started the second contest in fine fashion and in a frenetic opening phase kept his cool as well as his top ten position. This enabled Huisman to move up after the mandatory driver change as the championship-winning teammates again headed for a strong finish. Huisman overtook several cars and brought the Camaro GT4.R home in fifth in the Pro-Am class. “I think we can safely say this has been a very solid weekend for us with a brand new car although we are lacking in outright pace due to the Balance of Performance restrictions. Still, if we are good enough for a top five position this early on in the project and we get a bit of a performance break then I think we should be happy”, Huisman remarked.
Jelle Beelen and Wolf Nathan unfortunately failed to finish the second race. After a strong start by Nathan the duo encountered powersteering problems and eventually had to call it a day.
The next race in the GT4 European Series will take place at Brands Hatch on the 5th and 6th of May. Both races are aired live on the championship website.
