Title-Winning ASP Crew “Didn’t Have the Cards in Our Hands”

Jules Gounon felt that he and his Akkodis ASP co-drivers “didn’t have the cards in our hands” for much of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup season finale, where they clinched the title despite finishing behind their competitor.

Gounon, Raffaele Marciello and Daniel Juncadella took fifth place at the 3 Hours of Barcelona to secure the Endurance Cup by two points over Iron Lynx Ferrari driver Antonio Fuoco, who finished second.

After the race, Gounon explained that it was a challenging and at times nervous Sunday afternoon for the Akkodis ASP crew, which ended up relying on Fuoco’s Ferrari not winning the race despite entering the weekend with an 11-point lead over the Italian.

In the race, the No. 71 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 appeared quicker than the Mercedes-AMG and was only denied a race and title-winning position when Dinamic Motorsport used an undercut strategy to get its Porsche 911 GT3 R ahead at the final pit stop.

Marciello then drove a solid concluding stint to secure fifth and the title for ASP. The team later revealed that he had only a few seconds to spare before hitting the 65-minute stint maximum, as a consequence of dealing with a late-stint puncture for Gounon.

Anything over 65 minutes would have put ASP under investigation for a penalty, threatening the two positions it needed to secure the championship.

“I think we were very lucky today, with Spa as a reminder,” said Gounon, referring to the pedal box issue that nearly jeopardized ASP’s TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa win.

“The last three laps of my stint were with a slow puncture, and on the last lap the pressure went to 0.80-bar so it was really tricky not to have a tire deflation. It was quite stressful.

“Then we had to wait in the pit lane to be sure that Lello [Marciello] could finish the last stint within the driving time.

“At the end, we didn’t have the cards in our hands. We were just hoping for a Porsche to win, which is unusual for us.

“It’s a fantastic season for the team, to win Spa and the drivers’ Endurance and teams’ title — and Lello overall — it’s something really amazing that we should cheer on.”

Marciello added that while Akkodis ASP did not always have the outright fastest car in Endurance Cup this season, its ability to consistently deliver high points finishes was crucial for the title win.

The No. 88 Mercedes-AMG finished second at the 3 Hours of Imola, third at the Paul Ricard 1000km and won the 24 Hours of Spa, while its electrical issue-based retirement from the 3 Hours of Hockenheim was canceled out by an accident for the No. 71 Ferrari.

“It was a really good season,” reflected Marciello.

“In Endurance, we struggled a bit more speed-wise. At Imola, Paul Ricard and Hockenheim we were not the quickest car, but we didn’t make any mistakes.

“Akkodis did an amazing season. For a long time, we were always close to doing well and winning, so everything went well together: Bathurst for Jules, Kyalami for us, and now this.”

Policand: “Stability” Key for Auto Sport Promotion

Akkodis ASP, run by Jerome Policand’s Auto Sport Promotion squad, earned its first overall title in GTWC Europe having been a series regular since the first season in 2011.

Policand told Sportscar365 that forming a strong group of loyal people who have gelled together over a long period has been a key element of the team’s eventual title triumph.

“It’s something I always want to [develop] in my team: having the right people to push the drivers, engineers — even me — to improve,” he said.

“I set up the team 20 years ago as a racing team, and the people I have worked with for several years, even the driver lineup.

“I have worked with Lello for seven years… Jules started with us in GT3 in 2017 and came back last year.

“For me, the key is stability. It’s not just to have the best drivers, equipment and engineers.

“It’s a team effort and sometimes things get easier when you know the people; you can go into the details. And in the end, there come the results.”