Racing Box in GTS and Scuderia Giudici in GTB also repeat honours
The France GT Open lived an exciting and closely fought Race 1, which ended with three of teams having won in Monza being rewarded again. Playteam Sara Free Ferrari 430 took the victory, with Alessandro Pier-Guidi and Michele Bartyan, ahead of the RSV Motorsport sister car of Peter Sundberg and Domingo Romero, who obtained their first podium finish of the year, and the Escudería Bengala Mosler MT900R of Lucas Guerrero – José Manuel Pérez Aicart.
The Scuderia Giudici-prepared Ferrari 360 Challenge are unbeaten in GTB, having scored a third victory, this time with Paolo Cutrera and boss Gianni Giudici, while the Racing Box Viper of Piergiuseppe Perazzini and Marco Cioci takes home the first victory in the newly-created GTS class.
At the star, poleman Pier-Guidi was able to keep the lead but could never get rid of the new-coming RSV Motorsport Ferrari 430 of Peter Sundberg. The pair was followed by the Racing Box Viper of Belicchi, the Escudería Benagala Mosler MT900R of Guerrero, the GPC Ferrari 360 of Montermini, the Motor Competición Mosler of Villalba, the Edil Cris Racing Ferrari 360 of Cressoni and the Sun Red Seat Cupra of Vinyes (which will soon lose positions and then stop in the boxes with mechanical problems), the BMS Scuderia Italia Aston Martin DBRS9 of Malucelli and the rest of the pack.
While the gap between the first two never got over 2 seconds in the first part of the race, some good fighting was going on at all stages behind the leaders. The mandatory stop for driver change and time handicaps brought some more exciting elements as the drivers of the RSV Ferrari got in trouble with the belts and the Escudería Bengala Mosler left with a door half-open. Romero went out in the lead anyway, with less than 10 seconds of advantage on Bartyan. Then Basts Gutiérrez, Pérez aicart, Zonca and Ruberti.
The second part of the race was going to be marked by a number of incidents, as tyres and brakes were starting to suffer from the rough treatment always imposed by Magny-Cours. The Esudería Roger Ferrari 430 Challenge opened the series as it got stuck on the track (and was left there for the rest of the race) and was followed by a spectacular spin of Roda in the Autorlando Porsche 996.
On lap 21, Bartyan took the lead, and further behind Ruberti in the Edis Cris Ferrari and Pérez Aicart on the Bengala Mosler were charging and climbing positions, to the detriment of earlier stars like the Racing Box Viper of Zonca (in serious trouble with his brakes), the GPC Ferrari of Bastos and the Motor Competición Mosler of Gutiérrez (who also visited the gravel trap in the final laps). After the race, three cars were penalized with 25” for excessive speed in the pitlane: the Edil Cris Ferrari (which had ended the race in third position), the GPC Ferrari and the Motor Competición Mosler.
In GTS, the victory did not escape from the other Racing Box Viper of Perazzini-Cioci, who beated the two BMS Scuderia Italia Astons, while the GTB race had a more contrasted history.
The F.González Camino/Escuela de Pilotos Ferrari 430 Challenge dominated most of the race, with Villacieros at the wheel, but experienced some trouble (including a spin) later on, leaving the field free for the 360 Challenge of Cutrera-Giudici, which won after an uneventful race ahead of the Porsche 996 of Médard-Pla and the Riverside Lamborghini of Faraut-Mechaly.
Quotes
Michele Bartyan (1st): “It is our second victory in the championship, and I am very happy. Everything went well and the car was perfect. We had quite a heavy handicap, 90”, but it was eventually compensated by the problems the others got. I am really looking forward to the next races”.
Alessandro Pier Guidi (1st): “I am really exhausted as here in Magny-Cours I am also racing in the F.3000 International Masters, where I finished 3rd, so I cannot really complain about my week-end so far, but I am only half-way through of it”.
Peter Sundberg (2nd): “It has been a tough race and we have lost a lot of time in the driver change because the seat belts got hooked and tangled, but the final result is ok.”
Domingo Romero (2nd): “I had to be careful with the tyres and the brakes in the final laps, but we managed to get in second. It is a good result, especially for me, as this is still my second race on a GTA and the car is brand new”.
