Blancpain Sprint Series - Round 7 - Zandvoort - Qualifying Race

With a faultless drive, Maxi Buhk and Vincent Abril took their #84 Team HTP Bentley to the win in the Qualifying Race for the Blancpain Sprint Series season finale in Zandvoort. With Robin Frijns and Christopher Mies finishing in 15th after a spin in the opening corner, Buhk and Abril go into the final race of the season with a one-point lead. Norbert Siedler, finishing in fourth with the #333 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari he is sharing with Jeroen Bleekemolen this weekend, still has a shot at the title as well. In Silver Cup the win went to Szymkowiak and Van Splunteren, while Karachev and Dontje took the spoils in the Pro-Am Cup.

There was immediate drama at the start of the qualifying race in Zandvoort. While polesitter Maxi Buhk took advantage of the straight line speed of his Bentley, behind him the other contenders for the top positions were heading into Tarzan corner two abreast. When the rear of his #1 Audi stepped out, series leader Robin Frijns failed to keep his car under control and slipped backwards into the gravel trap. Since the #74 ISR Audi went off as well, a safety car intervention was unavoidable. Frijns was pulled out of the gravel trap and was able to rejoin, albeit a lap down and in last position.

After the restart Maxi Buhk quickly opened up a gap again, with Nicki Thiim (#2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT) battling with Norbert Siedler (#333 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari) for second. Meanwhile, Frijns' position marginally improved when the #4 Audi of Frank Stippler retired and the Dutchman climbed up to 15th. However, he would not get any higher, and team-mate Mies will have to start the final race of 2015 from the last row.

At the front, the driver changes had no immediate influence on the positions of the top three cars, but at Rinaldi Racing the pitstop of the #333 Ferrari did not completely go according to the rules. A drive-through penalty was given, but considering he had quite an advantage over the following drivers, Jeroen Bleekemolen only dropped one position, finishing the race in fourth. That means that Rinaldi driver Norbert Siedler still has a chance of claiming the drivers' title, but he will need at least a podium finish to do so.

By winning the qualifying race, Maxi Buhk and Vincent Abril now lead the driver standings going into the last main race. They have a one-point advantage over Robin Frijns, whose year-long team-mate Laurens Vanthoor now has lost his last theoretical chance of taking the title. Norbert Siedler has to make up a 14-point deficit.

In the Silver Cup the Bentley of Max Van Splunteren and Jules Szymkowiak had to start from the back of the field, but the dynamic Dutch duo used the top speed of their #83 Team HTP Bentley to climb all the way up to seventh overall. In Pro-Am Cup the #70 GT Russian SLS of Indy Dontje and Alexei Karachev looked set for a top-10 finish as well, but a considerable time loss at the pitstop made the yellow car drop back and finish in 13th overall.

Maxi Buhk (#84 Bentley Team HTP): "My main focus was to have a good start and to stay out of trouble. Afterwards I tried to drive as consistently as I could, trying not to push too hard from the beginning, to avoid having a mid-stint slump. It was a perfect day, but we still have one day to go tomorrow. It is not done yet."

Frederic Vervisch (#2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT): "I cannot remember the last time I stood on a podium at this level. We fought really hard, but it was difficult to be quicker than the Bentley. I am very happy with this result of course, but our aim is to help the #1 car. For sure, it was not ideal today, but tomorrow we will push hard to get the best result possible."

Niki Mayr-Melnhof (#6 Phoenix Racing Audi): "I think I have improved a lot since last year, we were just a bit unlucky not to put it on the podium all the time. It's a tough championship, but I am happy to be part of it. Maybe tomorrow we can take advantage of the other cars fighting for the title to gain some more positions."

Jules Szymkowiak (#83 Bentley Team HTP): "I felt quite confident in the car, and I could push from the start. I felt I closed the gap to the others and had the confidence to try and gain some places on the starting grid for tomorrow's race. In the main race we will again give it our all to finish as high as possible."

Indy Dontje (#70 GT Russian Mercedes): "The level of the Blancpain Sprint Series is high, but it's tough racing. All the drivers are quick, which makes it very interesting. It's a cool competition."