An impressive start by Vincent Abril propelled the #84 HTP Bentley to victory in the Main Race at Moscow Raceway. The drive by Abril and Max Buhk scored HTP’s first win of the season and the first ever for the Continental GT3 in the Sprint Series.
“It’s amazing to be back on the top step. We struggled at the beginning of the year with the new car, especially me,” said Buhk. “Great drive from Vincent and great work from the team.”
Once again, the most pivotal point of the race was the run down into Turn 1 on the first lap. Albert von Thurn und Taxis started from pole in the Reiter Lamborghini, but the lead didn’t even last the length of the pit straight as a slow getaway allowed Abril to drive straight past and take the lead.
“Albert had a very good start so I followed him, but he slowed down a lot, maybe missing a gear or something so I pulled across and went through,” explained Abril. “We didn’t have the fastest car, but I’m learning a lot from Max, and it’s helped me score my first win in the series.”
The field was bunched up tightly behind, and ran four-wide into the corner. Enzo Ide went up the inside of von Thurn und Taxis and Marco Seefired and collided with the rear of the pole-sitting Lamborghini. It sent the Gallardo spinning in the middle of the pack into retirement. It also cost Rob Bell a lot of places in the sixth place Attempto McLaren who went very wide in avoidance.
When the race settled down after the frantic opening lap, Valdeno Brito in the #77 Brasil BMW sat second with Enzo Ide’s #2 WRT Audi third. Ide couldn’t hold the position for long though, as Seefried in the Rinaldi Ferrari was on a charge and snatched the spot back into the final turn on the second tour before getting by Brito for second two laps later.
Meanwhile, the #1 WRT Audi of Robin Frijns was recovering well after retiring in the Qualifying Race. The Dutchman managed to climb to sixth after sitting 16th on the grid, benefiting the from the shakeup on Lap 1. After the round of the pit stops Vanthoor climbed aboard and emerged ahead of Stéphane Ortelli in fifth. An uncharacteristic spin for Vanthoor dropped him back to sixth, but he was promoted again soon after when the Phoenix Audi of Marcus Winkelhock was handed a drive-through penalty for an unsafe release in the pits.
The round of stops looked to shake up the order dramatically at the front after Buhk climbed in the Bentley and stalled the Continental leaving his pit box. Seefried came in from second soon after but the same fate befell the Ferrari, leaving him unable to capitalise and down to fourth.
Winkelhock applied pressure to Buhk in the final portion of the race and Seidler tried hard to get by the third place #77 Brasil BMW of Atila Abreu. The penalty for Winkelhock promoted both the BMW and Ferrari to second and third respectivley however, much to the frustration of the German. It didn’t make too much different as once again Winkelhock was racing for pride with teammate Nicki Mayr-Melnhof still not available, so the car was ineligible for points.
The #83 Bentley of Max Van Splunteren and Jules Szymkowiak won the Silver Cup by default again, and Alexey Karachev and Christophe Bouchut in the #70 GT Russian Team SLS took the win in Pro-Am.
Next up on the calendar is the round at Algarve on the 4th/6th of September weekend.
Stephen Kilbey
