



Bronze test
The Circuit Paul Ricard 1000 km event started with the Bronze Test on Friday morning.
The one hour session to give the Bronze drivers the opportunity to get to grips with the 5.791 km Paul Ricard track turned out to be largely incident free.
Am Cup championship leader David Perel (Ferrari 488 GT3 #888 / Kessel Racing) set the fastest time in 1’59.377, from Stefano Costantini (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 #60 / Raton Racing) in 1:59.619 and reigning Pro-Am Champion Michael Broniszewski (Ferrari 488 GT3 #11 / Kessel Racing) in 1:59.674.




Free practice session
It is under a temperature around 32°C that it is unfolded the free practice session of the 1000Km of Paul Ricard.
Times dropped quickly though, and after a flurry of fast lap times, it looked like Am Cup championship leader David Perel (Ferrari 488 GT3 #888 / Kessel Racing) would set the fastest time, being the first driver to break the 1’59 barrier, with a 1’58.706 lap.
But half an hour into the session, Davide Rigon (Ferrari 488 #72 / SMP Racing) improved with a 1’58.442 lap around the 5.791 km Circuit Paul Ricard.
The top 17cars were separated by less than one second.The Audi R8 LMS #7 (Gregory Guilvert, Christian Kelders, Marc Rostan, Sainteloc Racing) ending with a gap of 0.975.








Pre-Qualifying session
Still sweltering hot temperatures during the 90-minute pre-qualifying session for the sixth round of the 2017 Blancpain GT Series, the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000 km
In the dying minutes Franck Perera (Mercedes-AMG #84 / Team HTP Motorsport) set the fastest time of the day, in 1’57.614, narrowly beating the 1’57.784 of the quickest of the Pro-Am drivers, Jonny Adam (Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 #97 / Oman Racing Team with TF Sport).
Third was Maxime Soulet (Bentley Continental #8 / Team M-Sport Bentley) in 1:57.870.
The fastest of the Am Cup drivers was again David Perel (Ferrari 488 GT3 #888 / Kessel Racing), 15th overall.








Qualifying session
The qualifying session was run in the same hot conditions the drivers and teams have experienced since the start of the weekend.
If Davide Rigon (Ferrari 488 #72 / SMP Racing) and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Ferrari 488 # 50 / AF Corse) seemed on course to take the pole, but an inspired final lap by Yelmer Buurman (Mercedes-AMG #4 / Team Black Falcon) snatched pole position in 1:56.442.




Respectively ahead of Davide Rigon and Alessandro Pier Guidi. The top 5 is completed by Albert Costa (Jaguar G3 #14 / Emil Frey) and Franck Perera (Mercedes-AMG GT3 #84 / HTP Motorsport).


In the Pro-Am Cup, Matteo Cressoni (Ferrari 488 GT3 #11 / Kessel Racing) took the class pole by the smallest of margins, 0.009 of a second ahead of Toni Vilander (Ferrari 488 GT3 # 37 / BBT).
The first eight cars in the Pro-Am Cup – of five different manufacturers – were only separated by four tenths of a second.




In the Am Cup, Rino Mastronardi (Ferrari 488 GT3 #488 / Rinaldi Racing) was first of the class, after cancellation of the David Perel’s (Ferrari 488 GT3 #888 / Kessel Racing) lap time for a track limit infringement.




The race
It is under a temperature as warm as previous days that was given the start of the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000 km, this Saturday at 18:00.




Six hours later, the race was won by Vincent Abril, Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet (Bentley Continental GT3 #8 / Bentley Team M-Sport), first endurance win for the British manufacturer since their victory at the 2014 Circuit Paul Ricard round, ahead of Victor Shaytar, Miguel Molina, Davide Rigon (Ferrari 488 GT3 #72 / SMP).
The third step of the podium going back to Antonio Garcia, Nico Müller, Rene Rast (Audi R8 LMS #1 / Audi Sport Team WRT). The top ten was completed by Felix Serralles, Renger van der Zande, Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes-AMG GT3 #88 / AKKA ASP), Lucas Ordonez, Alex Buncombe, Katsumasa Chiyo (Nissan GT-R #23 / Motul Team RJN Nissan), five different brands to the top five, follow Stuart Leonard, Jake Dennis, Robin Frijns (Audi R8 LMS #17 / Team WRT), Filipe Albuquerque, Clemens Schmid, Filip Salaquarda (Audi R8 LMS #75 / ISR), Christopher Mies, Pieter Schothorst, Frederic Vervisch (Audi R8 LMS #2 / Audi Sport Team WRT), Christopher Haase, Peter Terting, Markus Winkelhock (Audi R8 LMS #25 / Audi Sport Team Sainteloc) and Edoardo Mortara, Michael Meadows, Raffaele Marciello (Mercedes-AMG GT3 #90 / AKKA ASP).
















For the leaders in the Blancpain GT Series driver standings, Andrea Caldarelli, Christian Engelhart, Mirko Bortolotti (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 #63 / Grasser Racing Team) and Jimmy Eriksson, Maximilian Buhk, Franck Perera (Mercedes-AMG #84 / Team HTP Motorsport), the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000 km proved to be a nightmare. The latters retired with two hours to go, due to a suspected engine issue.
The Lamborghini finished outside the points – 13 th - after it had to serve a one minute stop & go penalty for causing a collision.
















McLaren was also nasty face with a 16th place as best result for Sam Tordoff, David Fumanelli, Jonny Kane (McLaren 650 S GT3 #43 / Strakka Racing).








In Pro-AM Cup, Adrian Amstutz, Martin Kodric, Patrick Kujala (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 #77 / Barwell Motorsport) took their second consecutive endurance class win, crossing the line with 25 seconds in hand over Ahmad Al Harthy, Salih Yoluc, Jonny Adam (Aston Martin V12 GT3 #97 / Oman Racing Team with TF Sport) the smallest step being conquered by Jean-Luc Beaubelique, Nico Bastian, Jules Gounon (Mercedes-AMG GT3 # 87 / AKKA ASP) the top 5 was completed by the Maranello constructor Niek Hommerson, Louis Machiels, Andrea Bertolini (Ferrari 488 GT3 #53 / Spirit Of Race) and Alexander Mattschull, Rinat Salikhov, Matteo Malucelli (Ferrari 488 GT3 #333 / Rinaldi Racing).








The AM-Class, Henry Walkenhorst, David Schiwietz and Stef Vancampenhoudt (BMW M6 GT3 #36 / Walkenhorst Motorsport) dominated the race ahead Jacques Duyver, Marco Zanuttini, David Perel (Ferrari 488 GT3 #888 / Kessel Racing) and Pierre Ehret, Rory Penttinen, Rino Mastronardi (Ferrari 488 GT3 #488 / Rinaldi racing ).
Following a penalty inflicted on the BMW M6 GT3 / Walkenhorst Motorsport victorious - driving time of David Schiwietz has been exceeded - 1 minute of penalty after the arrival was imposed on the winner, making him pass on the second place. Jacques Duyver, Marco Zanuttini, David Perel (Ferrari 488 GT3 #888 / Kessel Racing recover finally the victory.










Podiums




My favourite of the Week End
The Ultracars have been part of the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000 km meeting for a couple of years now. As usual, cars like the La Ferrari, the Ferrari F12 TdF or the McLaren P1 GTR can be admired on and off track. But this year the Blancpain Ultracar GT1 Sports Club is spicing up the cocktail of sun and beautiful cars even more.


Cars that have written important chapters in the history of the SRO Motorsports Group are now part of the meeting as well.
The Maserati MC 12 for instance, a car which conquered five consecutive FIA GT team titles between 2005 and 2009 and the FIA GT1 title in 2010. The car present at the Circuit Paul Ricard is the Vitaphone Racing Team machine that took the win during the 2010 Brazilian round, in the hands of Alexandre Negrao and Enrique Bernoldi.


Another former F1-driver, Mika Salo, drove a Ferrari 575 GTC to second place in the 2004 edition of the Spa 24 hours.
At that occasion Salo shared the car with Fabio Babini, Philipp Peter and current Belgian Audi Club Team WRT team owner Vincent Vosse.


More iconic racing cars come in the form of a couple Lamborghini: the Murciélago R-SV will be driven by SRO Motorsports Group Founder and CEO Stéphane Ratel, as well as a Murciélago R-GT.




Together with a Ferrari F550 GT1, the dominant car in FIA GT in 2003 and 2004, a wonderful Porsche 911 GT1 and an impressive Corvette C6.R GT1 all these cars can be admired in the paddock of the Circuit Paul Ricard.






(Based on Blancpain Press release)