It’s done! After winning the Team title in Magny-Cours, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT hasbrought home also the Drivers’ title of the Blancpain Endurance Series, as Grégory Franchiwas crowned today in Silverstone. It was an exciting finale to a great first edition of theB.E.S.: the Audis R8 LMS of the Belgian squad had a difficult start of the race, but climbedpositions throughout the 3-hour race. Bert Longin-Filipe Albuquerque-Stéphane Ortellifinished second after a superb performance, which meant that the Belgian Audi Club WRThas been on the podium of every race, while Greg Franchi-Andrea Piccini-Christopher Miestook fifth, comfortably securing Greg’s title.
As expected, this British weekend was not a piece of cake. In qualifying, it took a sensational lap byStéphane Ortelli to put the #32 in first row with the second-fastest lap time, while the #33 was 14th.The qualifying result was in line with the team’s plan to have the #32 fighting for victory, while #33had as main objective to finish in the top 8 among the Pro-Cup cars, in order to secure the Drivers’title.
On sunday, Bert Longin took an excellent start but he couldn’t do much against the power of thepole-sitting Alpina. Pushed into the outer side of the track, the Audi got its tyres damaged and lost anumber of positions. An excellent first pit stop allowed Albuquerque to start the second stint in sixthposition. From there on the Portuguese and later Ortelli, in the final stint, did not stop closing up onrivals. The Monegasque, in a sensational day, managed to bring the car from fifth to 2nd at thechequered flag, passing the Vita4One Ferrari in the very last lap. “It’s a pity we had a difficult start,because we could have won this one”, says Bert Longin. “But no regrets, it has been a nice raceand the team got the title. I took a good start, I was alongside the Alpina, but was pushed into thedirty side of the track. My tyres collected a lot of rubber and dirt, so I had a lot of understeer in theinitial laps and was passed by a number of cars”. The podium finish meant fourth position in the finalstandings for the #32.
The race of the #33 Audi was obviously more cautious. At the start, Franchi avoided any trouble,passing in P16 at the end of the first lap. When Piccini took the wheel after an excellent first pit stop,the car was already in P9, but still not certain of the title as Palttala was leading the race. But Picciniand Mies did the necessary, bringing home #33 in an excellent fifth position that granted the title tothe Belgian driver. “Winning the title after the 24 Hours of Spa is a fantastic feeling, I can’t describeit!”, said an obviously elated Franchi. “It was a difficult race, as I was caught in traffic in the initialstint, but luckily, things went the right way. It’s definitely the success of the entire team, and I want tothank everybody at the Belgian Audi Club and Team WRT, all the mechanics and all my team matesduring the season for this great achievement”.
Team work and team spirit was also at the center of the comments made by Vincent Vosse, in a daywhere he seemed in trouble to find his words. “What can I say: it’s fabulous!”, declared the teammanager of the Belgian squad. “It was a great, stressful finale, but it is for moments like this that it isworth being in motor racing! Today and throughout the season, everybody in the team did a greatjob. It’s hard work and consistency that have brought us here today, in what is only the second yearof life of this team. Tonight we are going to party, that’s sure, but as from tomorrow we will bepreparing our next race”. Next weekend, indeed, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has another titlefight to take care of, in Zandvoort, for the FIA European GT3…
Blancpain Endurance Series – Round 53 Hours of Silverstone (UK)
Results1. Palttala-Leinders-Martin (BMW Z4) 85 laps in 3h01m52s6542. Longin-Albuquerque-Ortelli (Audi R8 LMS) + 28s3613. Petrobelli-Iacomelli-Salaquarda (Ferrari 458) + 29s1474. Roda-Ruberti-Giammaria (Porsche 911 R) +1m16s4055. Franchi-Piccini-Fässler (Audi R8 LMS) +1m45s987
Championship Standings after Round 5 of 5 (final)1. Franchi 89,5 points2. Palttala 803. Roda, Giammaria, Ruberti 704. Longin, Albuquerque, Ortelli 685. Leinders, Martin 667. Ekström, Scheider 46.59. Fässler 4210. Piccini 40
