The #1 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS, driven by Dries Vanthoor, Christopher Mies and Alex Riberas took the win at Autodromo Nazionale Monza after an exciting final stint which saw the lead change three times in the last 32 minutes.
Second overall, and just 2.017 seconds behind at the chequered flag, was the #43 Strakka Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 piloted by Alvaro Parente, Maxi Buhk and, taking the final stint, Maxi Goetz.
Mercedes-AMG earned two overall podiums after the #4 Mercedes-AMG Team Black Flacon Mercedes-AMG GT3 piloted by Luca Stolz, Maro Engel and Yelmer Buurman took the final podium position, Buurman taking the position from Christian Engelhart in the #63 GRT Grasser Lamborghini Huracán GT3 with just over five minutes left.
From the start, it was Miguel Molina in the #72 SMP Racing Ferrari F488 GT3 who held on to the lead from pole position, being chased by Alex Fontana in the #54 Emil Frey Jaguar Racing G3 Jaguar. After the first driver changes had cycled through, Mikhail Aleshin, now at the wheel of the #72 SMP Racing Ferrari maintained the lead with Adrian Zaugg continuing to push in the #54 Jaguar.
With 80 minutes left in the three-hour race, a short Full Course Yellow allowed Maxi Buhk, at the wheel of the #43 Strakka Racing Mercedes, to close the gap to Zaugg. When the race went green, Zaugg, due to a radio problem, did not hear the call to resume race pace which allowed Buhk to move past in to second place on the start-finish straight.
Aleshin, meanwhile, began to have problems with the #72 Ferrari and fell down the order. Davide Rigon took the car over at the next driver change but retired shortly after.
As the race approached the final 30 minutes, Dries Vanthoor, now at the wheel of the #1 Team WRT entry, took the lead on the start-finish straight, passing Goetz on drivers right, but was judged to have driven off the circuit and was ordered to give the place back. Vanthoor clearly had the pace, though, and after slight contact with the #43 car at T1 after which Goetz was asked to give up first place, took the lead which he held to the finish.
Vanthoor was delighted with the win.
“The team gave me a great car, a great strategy and great team-mates. In the end it was a great stint. We had a great fight with Maxi Goetz. We had a small touch and then he had to give me my position back. It was amazing.”
“It was a small squeeze. I had two wheels on the grass and I had some over-steer but then I tried to make the corner because I didn’t want to get a penalty for cutting the corner. They told me on the radio to push and that’s what I did.”
Commenting on being asked to give the pace back after overtaking on the start-finish straight, Vanthoor said:
“I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to to overtake on that part (of the track). I immediately gave the place back. I tried to attack straight away again. Everything worked out and I’m mega-happy.”
Team-mate Christopher Mies revealed that the team’s strategy in saving tyres for the race was what gave Vanthoor the edge in the final stint.
“Yes, it was good. I took the start and I just wanted to keep the car in as good shape as possible. We saved one set of new tyres for the end of the race on Friday practice and I think most or everyone used a new set of tyres in practice. We didn’t. We kept them. Obviously we looked a bit bad in practice but you don’t get points for that. We put them on Dries’ car at the end and it was just the right call from the team.”
“Obviously we had all the hopes the last stint of the race,” said Alex Riberas. “Saving one set of tyres gave us an advantage for the race. The car was feeling good and the team asked to me to give the car to Dries in as good a condition as possible. I think the team did an amazing job. The pit-stops were great and my team-mates drove like legends and Dries did it.”
Maxi Goetz, who drove the final stint in the #43 Strakka Racing Mercedes admitted that fading brakes played a part in the closing stages of the race.
“I felt him (Vanthoor) coming closer and closer. I was stuck in traffic at the last corner and then we were side-by–side. He crossed the white line and gave me the place back. I could hold him for a few laps but in the end it was a bit tricky. I struggled on the brakes at Turn One especially. Overall the team did a mega job.”
The new-for 2018 Silver Cup class was won by the #54 Emil Frey Jaguar Racing Jaguar G3, driven by Alex Fontana, Adrian Zaugg and Mikael Grenier. The team also finished in fifth place overall after running as high as second with one hour to go. The Emily Frey Jaguar Racing squad had been in dominant form throughout the weekend and the result was rarely in doubt.
Although enjoying the class win, Mikael Grenier was clear there were areas for development within the team.
“We had a strategy issue during the full-course yellow, which lost us some positions, “ said the Canadian driver. “This was unfortunate as the team did a great job throughout the whole weekend. I had a good stint even if we did struggle in traffic. The Jaguar can’t brake as late as the others and I didn’t want to take any risks.”
The Pro-Am Cup class was won by the #333 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari F488 GT3 driven by Rinat Salikhov, Alexander Mattschull and Dominik Schwager. Second in class was the #31 Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3, piloted by Derek Pierce, Rob Smith and hard-charging British GT Championship winner Seb Morris who took the final stint.
Fabien Barthez drove the final stint in the #32 AKKA ASP Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shared with Eric Debard and Philipe Giauque to win the Am Cup class.
The next round of the Blancpain GT Series takes place at Brands Hatch, Kent on May 5 – 6 with the Blancpain GT Endurance Series returning at Silverstone on May 18 – 20.
