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International GT Open - Round 2 - Circuit Paul Ricard - France

20th - 22nd May 2022

Event report and photos by Raymond Bonnello

International GT Open - Round 2 - Circuit Paul Ricard - France (event report and photos by Raymond Bonnello) - picture number 001International GT Open - Round 2 - Circuit Paul Ricard - France (event report and photos by Raymond Bonnello) - picture number 002

It was under a blazing sun that it took place, three weeks after the kick-off of the 2022 season, the second round of the International GT Open, on the legendary Paul Ricard circuit in Southern France.

In addition to the International GT Open grid, we were entitled to GT Cup Open Europe featuring FIA GT4-spec cars as well as eligible one-make category cars, MAXX Formula with those spectacular historic Single Seaters, Euroformula Open for the young shoots of the single-seater and TCR Europe Touring Car Series present on the European scene for the sixth season.

International GT Open.

After free practices 1 and 2 dominated by the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo of the Kessel Racing, the session dedicated to the bronze drivers saw the Theeba Motorsport Mercedes AMG GT3 climb to the top of the timesheet

Qualifying

Q1

Adam Christodoulou (Mercedes AMG GT3 #18 - Theeba Motorsport) signs a fantastic pole for Race 1 in 2:00.313 on behalf of the newly-created Saudi team whit a gap of 0.509 on Axcil Jefferies (Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #73 - Kessel Racing).

Q2

Q2 reserved for driver 2 (except, of course, for solo drivers) saw the British Joe Osborne ahead of all these opponents at the wheel of his McLaren 720 S GT3 #72 of Optimum Motorsport ahead of David Fumanelli (Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #133 - Kessel Racing) and Karol Basz (Audi R8 GT3 #777 - Olimp Racing).

Race 1

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P2 in qualifying, the #73 Ferrari of Kessel Racing, was sanctioned with the cancellation of all its times, because of an irregular gurney He had to start from the last position.

The poleman opened the gap on these pursuers until the entrance of the safety-car in lap 8.

The restart took place three laps later, with Christodoulou keeping the lead but Moritz Kranz (Mercedes AMG GT3 #9 - GetSpeed Performance) being passed by Glenn Van Berlo (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #19 - Oregon Team) and Benjamin Hites (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #63 - Oregon Team).

The pit stop window opened in lap 14.

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After all changes, Kevin Gilardoni (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #19 - Oregon Team) was in the lead, narrowly in front of a group comprising David Fumanelli, Joe Osborne, Karol Basz and Roman Ziemian (Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #73 - Kessel Racing).

Joe Osborne emerged from the fight and in lap 24 took the lead. The Britanic will finish the race in front with more than 7 seconds advantage on the second Karol Basz.

The third step of the podium will come back to David Fumanelli.

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Results by category

PRO

1 Nick Moss / Joe Osborne McLaren 720 S GT3 #72 - Optimum Motorsport

2 Kevin Gilardoni / Glenn Van Berlo Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #19 - Oregon Team

3 Benjamin Hites / Leonardo Pulcini Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #63 - Oregon Team

PROAM

1 Marcin Jedlinski / Karol Basz Audi R8 GT3 #777 - Olimp Racing

2 Murat Ruhi Cuhadaroglu / David Fumanelli Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #133 - Kessel Racing

3 Dexter Müller / Yannick Mettler Mercedes AMG GT3 #54 - SPS Automotive Performance

AM

1 Alexander Hrachowina / Martin Konrad Mercedes AMG GT3 #25 - Mann Filter Team Landgraf

2 Omar Jackson / Charles Hollings Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #77 - Kessel Racing

3 Laurent De Meeus / Jamie Stanley Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #55 - AF Corse

Race 2

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Starting from pole, Joe Osborne keeps the advantage over David Fumanelli and Karol Basz in full fight.

The gap of Joe Osborne grows up to 6 seconds over David Fumanelli and 8 over Karol Basz, with Leonardo Pulcini (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #63 - Oregon Team) and Jamie Stanley (Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #55 – AF Corse) 20 seconds behind by lap 13, when the window for driver change opens.

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After all driver changes, Murat Ruhi Cuhadaroglu ((Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #133 - Kessel Racing) leads by 3 seconds on Nick Moss (McLaren 720 S GT3 #72 - Optimum Motorsport) and 6 on Marcin Jedlinski (Audi R8 GT3 #777 - Olimp Racing).

Moss takes the lead in lap 20.

The last laps see Nick Moss holding perfectly the lead and win, beating Glenn Van Berlo and Adam Christodoulou, who has charged to take another podium and Pro-Am win.

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Results by category

PRO

1 Nick Moss / Joe Osborne McLaren 720 S GT3 #72 - Optimum Motorsport

2 Kevin Gilardoni / Glenn Van Berlo Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #19 - Oregon Team

3 Benjamin Hites / Leonardo Pulcini Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO #63 - Oregon Team

PROAM

1 Reema Juffali / Adam Christodoulou Mercedes AMG GT3 #18 - Theeba Motorsport

2 Sébastien Baud / Steve Jans Mercedes AMG GT3 #911 - GetSpeed Performance

3 Roman Ziemian / Axcil Jefferies Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #73 - Kessel Racing

AM

1 Alexander Hrachowina / Martin Konrad Mercedes AMG GT3 #25 - Mann Filter Team Landgraf

2 Omar Jackson / Charles Hollings Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #77 - Kessel Racing

3 Laurent De Meeus / Jamie Stanley Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo #55 - AF Corse

GT Cup Open Europe

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The GT Cup Open Europe is ready to take the track for its fourth edition, for the first round in 2022, on the Circuit Paul Ricard.

Race 1

Race 1 at the Paul Ricard saw Jan Lauryssen (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #54 - Q1 Trackracing) imposing himself, the new season started from where it ended, despite a post-race penalty of 5 seconds inflicted by Stewards. The podium was completed by Bashar Mardini/ Christopher Zöchling (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #67 - GDL Racing) and Lukas Valkre/ Dirk Schouten (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #53 - Q1 Trackracing). Followed John de Wilde (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #56 - Q1 Trackracing) who won in AM ahead of Glauco Solieri (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #12 - Ghinzani Arco Motorsport).

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Race 2

Bahar Mardini / Christopher Zöchling (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #67 - GDL Racing) had a perfect race, with Bahar Mardini holding third position in the first stint and Christopher Zörchling finishing the job in the second. Started from pole the pair Lucas Valkre / Dirk Schouten (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup #53 - Q1-trackracing) finished on the second step of the podium ahead of Eugenio Pisani / Stefano Zanini (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup gen 2 #44 - Eugenio Pisani/SP Racing). As the day before John de Wilde won the AM class again in front of Glauco Solieri.

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The other grids of the meeting have brought variety to this weekend placed under the label of of the GT.

Euroformula Open

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3 races were on the program for this second French meeting, after the GP de Pau, of the Euroformula Open.

We saw twice the Dane Oliver Goethe climb to the top of the podium, the Australian Christian Mansell winning the second race.

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MAXX Formula

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The MAXX Formula season opener 2022 took again place at the circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.

The FIA is known for its extreme safety, specifically for the superfast F1, GP2, IndyCar, A1 GP and World Series 3.5 show this weekend!

The Swiss Kurt Böhlen on a Dallara Mecachrome 4.0 V8 won the first confrontation while the Frenchman Christopher Brenier at the wheel of a Panoz DP09B MCT 4.2 V12 dominated the Sunday round.

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TCR Europe Touring Car Series

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Three weeks after the 2022 TCR Europe season got underway at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, the action resumes at the Circuit Paul Ricard.

Tom Coronel, driving a Comtoyou Racing Audi RS 3 LMS TCR, took an emphatic victory in Race 1, with Franco Girolami making it a 1-2 for the team by finishing second.

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Race 1 result

1. Tom Coronel (Audi RS 3 LMS TCR #33 - Comtoyou Racing)

2. Franco Girolami (Audi RS 3 LMS TCR #72 - Comtoyou Racing)

3. Felice Jelmini (Hyundai Elantra N #44 - Target Competition)

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After Tom Coronel’s victory in Race 1, his Comtoyou Racing teammate Viktor Davidovski repeated the feat in Race 2, becoming the first Diamond Trophy driver to win a TCR Europe race outright.

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Race 2 result

1. Viktor Davidovski (Audi RS 3 LMS TCR #110 - Comtoyou Racing)

2. Klim Gavrilov (CUPRA Leon Competición #14 - Volcano Motorsport)

3. Pepe Oriola (Honda Civic Type R #74 - Brutal Fish Racing)

Based on International GT Open press report

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