Garage 59 Wins Blancpain Sprint Cup at Nürburgring

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

Alvaro Parente and Rob Bell put in an impressive performance in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Main Race at Nürburgring on Sunday, in their No. 58 McLaren 650S GT3 run by Garage 59.

Bell took the lead of the 60-minute race into the first corner, with a quick start off the line allowing him to quickly pass pole-sitter Enzo Ide. Bell’s start was investigated after the race, but the Stewards decided not to take any further action.

Having won the Qualifying Race on Saturday, Ide and Christopher Mies struggled for pace in the main event, and by the end of Ide’s opening stint the No. 33 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS was in fifth position.

Mies took over but could only come back to take fourth position.

It was the No. 28 WRT Audi that challenged the McLaren for the win, with Rene Rast coming out of the pit lane only just behind Parente, who had pitted about five minutes earlier.

Rast continued to push in the car that had been started by Will Stevens from third on the grid, but ultimately he could only manage to finish second, 2.090 seconds behind Parente.

A strong stint from Jules Szymkowiak helped Bernd Schneider take the No. 86 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 to come home in third, ahead of Mies.

The top five was completed by Marco Seefried, whose team-mate Norbert Siedler made up several positions in the first half-hour in the No. 333 Ferrari 488 GT3 of Rinaldi Racing.

Luca Stolz took the No. 19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 to the Silver Cup win for Grasser Racing Team and team-mate Michele Beretta, although he didn’t serve a drive-through penalty for track limit infringements at the chicane.

Markus Pommer was second in the No. 5 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS, along with Nicolaj Moller Madsen.

Giacamo Piccini and Michael Broniszewski were the Pro-Am winners for Kessel Racing in the No. 11 Ferrari 488 GT3, while Stephane Lemeret and Claudio Sdanewitsch were victorious in Am for AF Corse.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.