Gaspard Simon and Pascal Huteau win a thrilling first race
First victory in the French FFSA GT Championship for the Code Racing Development team
Winning return for Kevin Jimenez and Florent Grizaud in the Am Cup
Water, lots of water, but also a lot of spectacle and a superb first race! Despite the rain, the FFSA French GT Championship got off to a strong start at the Nogaro circuit on Easter Sunday.
At the end of an absolutely captivating 60-minute race, Gaspard Simon and Pascal Huteau secured their first joint victory, and also the first for the Code Racing Development team. Fifth on the grid, Gaspard Simon's #36 Alpine A110 GT4 EVO moved up in the opening laps. After passing Nelson Panciatici (Alpine A110 GT4+/Chazel Technologie Course) and then Éric Trémoulet (Mercedes-AMG GT4/Vic'Team), the 18-year-old driver took the lead shortly before the halfway point after a superb attack on polesitter Nicolas Ciamin (Ginetta G56 GT4 EVO/CMR). The fight for second place was intense afterward, with Lorens Lecertua (Audi R8 LMS GT4/Saintéloc Racing) catching up with Éric Trémoulet and Nicolas Ciamin just before the mandatory driver change.
Having extended the first stint by one lap, the Vic'Team took advantage of this shifted strategy to bring out Olivier Jouffret just ahead of Pascal Huteau. Under pressure, the Mercedes-AMG driver held firm... until a brief neutralization by Full Course Yellow. Quicker at the restart, Pascal Huteau surprised Olivier Jouffret and flew to an undeniable victory, the leading duo remaining unchanged until the checkered flag.
Behind them, the very tricky track conditions caused a few surprises. After taking over from Lorens Lecertua, Sébastien Rambaud paid the price. While in third place, he lost control of the Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS and plummeted down the rankings. Reclaiming third place after taking over from Nelson Panciatici, Rodolphe Wallgren also spun and crashed through the grass, but the Chazel Technologie Course driver held onto the bottom step of the podium. Just behind it were Nicolas Ciamin and Rudy Servol (Ginetta G56 GT4 EVO/CMR), who were unable to confirm their pole position in the rain, secured on a dry track. For a first in the FFSA French GT Championship, brothers Rémi and Axel Van Straaten (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport/Mirage Racing) immediately entered the top 5, ahead of regulars Stanislav Safronov-Aleksandr Vaintrub (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO/Mirage Racing) and French TCR Champion Julien Paget, teammate of Viny Beltramelli in the JSB Compétition Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
In the Am Cup, the pole-sitters didn't win either. Stéphane Lémeret and Stéphane Auriacombe thought they had it all together... before the second-place finisher got caught out and lost a few seconds on the Gers grass. It was all for Kevin Jimenez and Florent Grizaud (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport/GPA Racing). Back after two seasons in GT4 Europe, the duo took their first win in 2025 ahead of the pair of Stéphane Lémeret and Stéphane Auriacombe, who thus saved the most important thing, and Mathieu Casalonga, who drove solo in the other Porsche entered by GPA Racing. The top 5 in the Am class is completed by the duos Jodie Sloss-David Levy (Aston Martin Vantage GT4 AMR EVO/Mirage Racing) and Yves Lemaître-Julien Sabatier (Alpine A110 GT4 EVO/Code Raving Development).
Traditionally held on Easter Monday, the second race of the FFSA French GT Championship season will kick off at 2:45 p.m. It will be available to watch live on the GTWorld YouTube channel.
