Fourth-Hour Contact Results in Suspension Damage for 2 Seas

2 Seas Motorsport has suffered a significant setback in its quest for a third overall victory in the Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours after contact with ARC Bratislava resulted in suspension damage.

The No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, with Stephen Grove at the wheel, was hit by Neale Muston’s No. 44 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo at Turn 6, resulting in broken left front suspension that put the car in the garage.

The delay marked a significant setback to what had so far been a strong run from the Bahraini-flagged squad, which found itself in an advantageous  strategic position after taking the first of its mandatory 100-second stops at the end of the opening lap.

It ran firmly inside the top ten by the time Grove made contact with Muston, which had occurred after both Brenton Grove and Jules Gounon had both also already driven the car.

Out front, Proton Huber Competition captured the lead after Sergei Borisov steered his No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R past the No. 25 Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II at Turn 9 shortly after the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG was pushed into the garage.

The pair of Garage 59 McLaren’s ran fourth and fifth in the hands of Miguel Ramos and Philippe Prette, with AF Corse’s No. 51 Ferrari 296 GT3 completing the overall top five piloted by Marco Pulcini.

The third and fourth hours of the contest saw the safety car made two appearances in quick succession, both triggered by problems involving contenders from the GT Cup class.

First, Alessandro Giannone brought the No. 17 Enrico Fulgenzi Racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup to a halt between Turns 14 and 15, while a second safety car was required after Graeme Mundy hit the Turn 11 barriers aboard the No. 42 Toro Verde GT entry.