Bronze test
The one-hour Bronze Test was the first track action of the Blancpain GT Series season finale at the Circuit de Catalunya.
In the end it was Daniele Perfetti (AKKA ASP #89 Mercedes-AMG GT3) who set the fastest time of the Bronze drivers participating in the preparatory session.
His time was 0.227 of a second quicker than Hunter Abbott (Barwell Motorsport #77 Lamborghini Huracan GT3) and another 0.111 of a second quicker than 2017 Pro-Am Cup winner Alexander Mattschull (Rinaldi Racing #333 Ferrari 488 GT3)
Free practice session
In this Saturday, September 30th, in Catalunya, the French squad AKKA ASP dominated the opening free practice session. Rafaelle Marciello (AKKA ASP #90 Mercedes-AMG GT3) set the fastest time in 1’47.318, which was just under three tenths quicker than team-mate Jules Gounon (AKKA ASP #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3), The French youngster set was quickest of the Pro-Am drivers.
With Dani Juncadella (AKKA ASP #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3), the team of the southwest of France, completing the top-3 overall.
Dominik Baumann (HTP Motorsport #85 Mercedes-AMG GT3), set the fourth time, with overall championship leader Mirko Bortolotti (GRT Grasser Racing Team #63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3) in fifth.
Championship contender Vincent Abril (Bentley Team M-Sport #8 Bentley Continental GT3) ended up in eighth with the other Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup leaders Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet.
David Perel (Kessel Racing #888 Ferrari 488 GT3) was quickest of the Am Cup drivers, in 24th overall
Pre-Qualifying session
Just before the start of the Pre-Qualifying session rainshowers hit the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The times of this morning’s free practice times proved impossible to beat, but the drivers got some useful running in the wet.
Eventually it was Dries Vanthoor (Belgian Audi Club Team WRT #5 Audi R8 LMS) who topped the timing sheets, clocking a 1’58.369 early in the session.
He was marginally – 0.051 of a second to be precise – quicker than Robert Renauer(Herberth Motorsport #911 Porsche 991 GT3 R), fastest of the Pro-Am Cup drivers.
Third overall was Felix Serralles (AKKA ASP #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3), with Marc Rostan (Team HB Racing #777 Lamborghini Huracan GT3) quickest in the Am Cup with a time of 2:03.665.
Qualifying session
Robin Frijns (Team WRT #17 Audi R8 LMS) took the final pole position of the 2017 season in 1:46.019.
Endurance Cup and overall title candidate Mirko Bortolotti (GRT Grasser Racing Team #63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3) completed the first row, with their main contenders, Vincent Abril / Maxime Soulet / Andy Soucek (Bentley Team M-Sport #8 Bentley Continental GT3), only in 28th in 1:47.889.
The final qualifying session was held in difficult conditions, rain had hit the circuit in the early morning, and the track was still slippery at the start of the session.
This resulted in a catastrophic start for Bentley Team M-Sport, leaders in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup team standings.Coming out of the final corner, Guy Smith (Bentley Team M-Sport #7 Bentley Continental GT3) lost control and hit the inside wall.
With the track drying more and more all the time, it was clear that the fastest times would be set at the end of Q3.
It looked like Mirko Bortolotti’s (GRT Grasser Racing Team #63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3) 1’46.257 would be enough to take pole – and a possible important single point for the championship – but Robin Frijns (Team WRT #17 Audi R8 LMS) had left his final attempt very late and clocked a 1’46.019, which was enough to take the final pole position.
In the Pro-Am Cup Total 24 Hours of Spa winner Jules Gounon (AKKA ASP #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3) proved to be quickest, setting seventh time overall as well. Gounon was two tenths of a second quicker than Jonny Adam (Oman Racing Team with TF Sport #97 Aston Martin V12 GT3) already certain of the Pro-Am Cup Endurance title.
Newly crowned 2017 Blancpain GT Series Am Cup champion David Perel (Kessel Racing #888 Ferrari 488 GT3) added another point to his tally, setting 35th time overall.
The race
Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart (GRT Grasser Racing Team #63 Lamborghini Huracan GT3) started the final race of the season with a healthy lead in the overall driver rankings,In order to have a clean sweep of titles the Lamborghini duo, again sharing the wheel with Andrea Caldarelli, needed to make up eight points.
A less than perfect qualifying for the Bentley trio set them on the back foot, even though Vincent Abril (Bentley Team M-Sport #8 Bentley Continental GT3) managed to gain a dozen positions in the opening stint.Andy Soucek edged the #8 into the top-10. Halfway through the race the gearbox of the Bentley was damaged and Soucek had to park the car.
The Bentley’s retirement meant that Bortolotti and Engelhart were certain of the overall drivers’ title.
Far in front of the title contenders two cars were at it hammer and tongs in the fight for the race win.
Dani Juncadella had taken the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG up to first position by the end of the opening stint, Puerto Rican driver Felix Serralles consolidated that position, and just like in last year’s sprint race in Barcelona Tristan Vautier brought the car home.
That may sound easy, but it certainly wasn’t. Stuart Leonard/Jake Dennis/Robin Frijns (Team WRT #17 Audi R8 LMS) were chasing the red Mercedes-AMG all the way, Frijns even coming alongside in the final chicane of the final lap. However, the Dutchman slid wide, and had to settle for second.
In the Pro-Am Cup Hunter Abbott/Martin Kodric/Patrick Kujala (Barwell Motorsport #77 Lamborghini Huracan GT3) took a third win of the season. They eventually finished in 16th overall, some 25 seconds clear of Rinat Salikhov/Daniel Keilwitz/Alexander Mattschull (Rinaldi Racing #333 Ferrari 488 GT3), Ludovic Badey/Daniele Perfetti/Nico Bastian (AKKA ASP #89 Mercedes-AMG GT3) completed the podium.
In the Am Cup the Barcelona race was all about the duel for the endurance title. Marco Zanuttini/Jacques Duyver/David Perel (Kessel Racing #888 Ferrari 488 GT3) werre only to finish to take both the driver and team crowns, but when the car ended up in the gravel trap, that suddenly looked very difficult.
However, Jacques Duyver managed to free the car, and Marco Zanuttini and David Perel brought it home. For the Italian driver it was the second endurance Am Cup win, with Perel adding the title to the 2017 overall Am Cup win.
Rino Mastronardi and Pierre Ehret (Rinaldi Racing #488 Ferrari 488 GT3), the only drivers who, before the start could keep the Kessel Racing trio from the endurance Am Cup title, found consolation in taking the Am Cup win in the final round of the season.
My favourite of the Week End
It was very difficult to choose a favorite for this race.
There are of course the mechanics of the Bentley #7 who rebuilt the car so that it can take the start of the race after its spectacular crash. But having no photos of the car after the accident, I had to give it up.
The winners obviously, but too simple.
Such or such drivers, teams, cars.
And then, by sorting the photos of the Barcelona weekend, I realized that it was all the races on the spot or seen on television that captivated me.
Then just thanks to SRO and see you next year.
(Based on Blancpain Press release)