Simon Gachet kept the advantage and did not waste time in getting away, while Jim Pla was ‘stuck’ behind the #25, who was slower (except in the straights). The start was given and there were no incidents to report as they went into the S of the Verrerie. It was 30☌ when the first race of the weekend took place, and the cars were particularly hot, just as the racing spirits of the drivers. Race 1 – the duo of Pla/Beaubelique takes the victory! Mauro Ricci (#61) set the 7th time in AM and Christophe Bourret (#53) 10th.Īt the end of the two sessions, no fewer than 45 laps had been cancelled due to track limit violations. The quickest in the Akkodis ASP Team was Eric Debard (P4 Pro-AM), followed by Jean-Luc Beaubelique (P9 Pro-AM). Benjamin Ricci (#61) took the third time in AM and Pascal Gibon (#53) took 9th. With worn out tyres, Jim set the third best time, allowing Simon Gachet to take the holy grail. Jim Pla (#87) countered, but his best time was cancelled, having crossed the track limits, which only gave him one more chance to take pole. After having missed out on first place in the qualifying sessions, Simon Gachet (#81) did not commit any mistakes and set pole with a half-second lead. In motorsport, nothing is ever set in stone, and the first qualifying session proved it. In the AM category, the #61 set once more the 4th best time, while the #53 improved (P9). As in FP1, the best time of Simon Gachet (#81) was the point of reference for most of the session, until Jim Pla, once more, took the relay from Jean Luc Beaubelique (#87) to steal the best time in the last minutes. The second session was a great display, resulting in another top two. In AM, Mauro and Benjamin Ricci (#61) were also running well with the 4th best time, while Chrisophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon (#53) were P12. Simon Gachet and Eric Debard (#81) imposed themselves thanks to a great time of 1:14.2s, but during the final quick lap, Jim Pla and Jean Luc Beaubelique went one better by beating the initial reference time. The next rendez-vous will be the 2nd and 3rd of July on the Adriatic coast in Misano (Italy).Īs of the free practice sessions, Akkodis ASP Team got off to a flying start by setting the two best times in the first session. Lastly, a bit frustrated after their retirement in Race 1 following a contact, Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon (#53) got a very nice sixth place in Race 2. On the AM side, the duo of Mauro and Benjamin Ricci (#61) were very consistent and, after finishing the first race sixth in the category, just as in Imola, they took a superb podium in Race 2 (P2). The duo also takes the provisional lead of the overall classification of the category. The #87 of Jim Pla and Jean-Luc Beaubelique imposed themselves in Pro-AM in Race 1 before finishing second in Race 2 following a spectacular climb. The following day, after a contact at the entrance of the pitlane, a broken radiator immobilised the Mercedes-AMG at their pits. Having scored the overall pole for Race 1, the crew of the #81, Simon Gachet and Eric Debard, were robbed of success following a stop and go for having done a driver change that was too quick. Both powerful and particularly incisive, however the two Pro-AM teams did not have the same weekend. For Akkodis ASP Team, four cars were entered, two AM and two Pro-AM. With 50 cars on track, this second round promised to be lively, and it was. After Imola (Italy), it was the Paul Ricard circuit, in the south of France, that welcomed the GT4 European Series last weekend.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |