When the competitors of the V de V Endurance Series arrive in Jarama, from the 1st to the 3rd of September, the second part of the season will start. Therefore, it’s time to take stock of what already happened in the European PFV Challenge Endurance in Barcelona, Portimao, at the Circuit Paul Ricard and in Dijon.
At the finish of the opening round in Catalonia, the Ginetta G57 #52 moves up several places, since a collision demoted the Robertson / Fielding / White crew to the bottom of the classification after 40 minutes. Nevertheless, all three return to the game taking advantage of the leading Ginetta #57 problems, one hour before the finish, becoming candidates for victory again. They are ahead of the Ginetta #29 Pegasus driven by Schell and Raffin and also ahead of the astonishing and performing Renault R.S. 01 Trophy #28 R-ace GP driven by Perrodo and Vaxivière.Portimao marks the great return under the spotlights of Pegasus Racing that became famous in the V de V Challenge Endurance Proto several years ago. The French racing team that offered itself two Ginettas last winter, inaugurates its track record in the European Challenge Endurance GT / Touring / LMP / PFV dominating in the PFV category with the #57 trio – Simpson / Murray / Hibbert. But it was not a given, since after a few minutes in the race, it was demoted to the bottom of the classification after a hook with the By Speed Factory’s Ligier #5 and finally comes before the # 29, the second Ginetta of the team, driven by Schell and Caussanel, and the #52 Simpson Motorsport driven by Sanders / Fielding.The logic of the qualifying practice is respected by Ginetta at the Circuit Paul Ricard. After monopolizing the first two lines of the grid, Simpson Motorsport takes the lead over the Nova Race thanks to the G57 #6 driven by Mike Simpson and Simon Murray. The British duo thus come before the italian # 99 driven by Hibbert and Winslow while R-ace GP puts its Renault R.S. 01 Trophy on the third place in the category – a performance signed by François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard partners in the #28. Another car with the diamond-shape ends at the door of the Top-3 – the #45 driven by Carugati and Pillon. The Ginetta #57 Pegasus Racing (Muston / Jarvis) and the #32 Nova Race (Tomlinson / Robertson) are next.Dijon is the scene of a real hecatomb in PFV, since the Ginetta G57 #52 Simpson Motorsport (Sanders / Fielding) and the #57 Pegasus Racing (Muston / Simpson) are betrayed by their mechanics, just like #32 Simpson Motorsport driven by Tomlinson and Robertson and #29 Pegasus Racing driven by Schell, Raffin and Caussanel. The latter two make it successfully to the finish and climb the first two steps of the podium.The Burgundian scenario brings turmoil at the top of the PFV Challenge Endurance, since Julien Schell, taking advantage of the fact that Mike Simpson made no score, is henceforth in command, in front of the British. Sennan Fielding keeps the 3rd place but is now followed by Jordan Sanders!
