BMW Team France capped a perfect GT4 European Series Southern Cup weekend at Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours with Julien Piguet and Fred Johais claiming a second win in as many races in their No. 9 BMW M4 GT4.
Once again starting from pole position, the BMW did not lose any ground on the opening lap unlike fellow front-row starter Soheil Ayari in the No. 26 Ginetta he shares with Nicolas Tardif. The experienced CMR racer slipped behind the fast-starting #18 Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4 of Martinet By Alméras ace Steven Palette.
The experienced CMR racer slipped behind the fast-starting No. 18 Porsche Cayman Clubsport MR GT4 of Martinet By Almeras driver Steven Palette.
Right behind, a terrific battle was shaping up with several cars in the hunt for valuable championship points. The list included Generation AMR SuperRacing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Matthew George and James Holder, as well as Energy By ART’s McLaren 570S GT4 driven by Simon Gachet and Bruno Hernandez.
George would tumble down the order though, after an off in the early stages of the race.
Having started from P6 on the grid, CD Sport’s Mike Parisy was already up to third place, ahead of Gachet and a gaggle of feisty-looking Caymans.Contact between Vilarino and Beltoise resulted in an early retirement for the two-time FFSA GT Champion, while the Spaniard was given a drive-through penalty.
Out in front, Piguet kept lapping at a competitive pace, so much that he handed the wheel over to Johais with around six seconds in hand. The US-based racer delivered another strong, mistake-free stint to pull away from a raging battle for second place between Palette’s crew-mate Henry Hassid on the #18 Porsche and Gilles Vannelet, who had taken over from
The U.S.-based racer delivered another strong, mistake-free stint to pull away from a raging battle for second place between Palette’s crew-mate Henry Hassid in the No. 18 Porsche and Gilles Vannelet, who had taken over from Parisy.
The CD Sport driver thought he had the runner-up spot in the bag after overtaking the Martinet By Almeras racer, only for Hassid to pounce back ahead.
The final minutes of racing featured twists and turns galore. First, the No. 8 Ginetta, which had fought back up to sixth, ended up beached in the gravel after it was hit by another car at the rear.
Almost simultaneously, drama struck the No. 30 Porsche, as Vannelet stopped on the start/finish straight, thus triggering a red flag period with one minute left on the clock. Although the CD
Although the CD Sport car was initially ranked third behind the No. 9 BMW and No. 18 Porsche, it was later disqualified for technical nonconformity.
The mishap promoted the No. 3 McLaren to its first podium of the season. Energy By ART’s successful outing at Nevers Magny-Cours was completed with a solid fourth-place finish for Gregoire Demoustier and Alain Ferte in the No. 4 Porsche.
RESULTS: Race 2