• Championship Re-opens as Lietz-Roda take 3rd and Fässler-Camathias finish only 9th after puncture• Peter-Broniszewski (Kessel Ferrari) crowned GTS Champions as Audi takes first class win with Piccini-Delétraz
RACE 2
It will be a thrilling finale of the International GT Open next week-end in Portimão, as Sunday’s race in Barcelona re-balanced the situation at the top of the standings. Patrick Pilet-Raymond Narac completed a triumphant week-end, winning again in the IMSA Porsche, ahead of Monfardini-Frezza, on the podium again with the Vittoria Ferrari, and Lietz-Roda on the Autorlando Porsche, while championship leaders Fässler-Camathias couldn’t do better than 9th, following a slow puncture that forced them to a pit stop.
With 44 points still to be awarded in the last round, Fässler-Camathias now lead the overall standings with 207 points, while Lietz-Roda have 188 and Pilet-Narac 174.
The Barcelona race, on the other hand, crowned the GTS Champions: second place was enough for Philipp Peter-Michal Broniszewski to clinch mathematical certainty of winning the category on the Kessel Racing Ferrari. The Austro-Polish pair is now ready for bigger adventures. The GTS win went to the debuting Audi R8 of Phoenix Racing, after an impeccable race by Andrea Piccini-Jean Denis Delétraz.
At the start, Pilet defended the pole position well from Lietz, taking the lead ahead of Belloc (who spins in lap 5), Frezza, Camathias, Makowiecki, De Castro, Tutumlu, Carol, Cameron, Cioci, Bonetti and A.Piccini.
While Pilet flew away building an advantage of over 6 seconds, the attention focused on the beautiful climb-up of the Audi of Andrea Piccini, who enjoyed a nice duel with the SunRed of Turkish-Spanish Isaac Tutumlu.
It was a bad day for the Villois Astons, both out of contention after a few laps because of mechanical problems, while De Castro suffered a puncture and Ceccato, who was fourth in GTS, remained stuck in the pit-lane with a broken transmission as he came in for the driver change.
There is more drama soon after the driver change, as championship leader Fässler has to come in to change the left rear wheel. After handicaps, it’s Narac just ahead of Roda, Monfardini, Perazzini and Deletraz, who now leads in GTS with the Audi, and Aguas. The two runner-ups in GTS, Cameron and Dayraut collide on lap 20.
In the lead, no major issues for Narac, while Monfardini passed Roda for second and Perazzini spins but keeps fourth ahead of the GTS-winning Audi, while Peter secures the GTS title and Fässler grabs the last point of 9th position.
