Race 1
The #3 Team Speedcar Audi of Benjamin Lariche and Robert Consani took the first win of the 2023 GT4 European Series after a closely fought battle, in what was a hectic season opener at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
The #3 Team Speedcar Audi had dominated the event up until the start of the first race of the 2023 GT4 European Series: fastest in both free practice sessions and fastest in qualifying. And after a good getaway, polesitter Benjamin Lariche also managed to keep the lead of the almost 50-car-strong pack.
But the circuit in the Monza Royal Park does not lend itself to gentle walks. After a mere five laps, race direction called for a Full Course Yellow when the #78 Elite Motorsport McLaren came to a halt near the Ascari chicane. Some drivers were slow to react to the speed reduction, causing an incident in the middle of the pack. The race had to be red flagged to repair the damaged safety barriers.
After a 25-minute interruption, the remaining drivers could get back underway, with Lariche holding off a chasing Gael Castelli in the #111 CSA Racing Audi. Just before the pit window opened, Castelli managed to take the lead, after which Lariche immediately decided to go for the mandatory driver change.
An important call, for Castelli stayed out and lost some time in traffic. When co-driver Alexandre Cougnaud took over the wheel of the #111 Audi, his lead was so slim that he could not resist the attacks of Robert Consani, now driving the #3 Team Speedcar Audi.
A few laps later, Cougnaud lost another couple of positions when the #12 Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW of Tom Edgar and the #2 Hofor Racing BMW of Gabriele Piana steamed past the black and gold Audi. Both BMW drivers quickly closed the gap towards Consani – Edgar even came alongside in the braking zone before the first chicane – but the Audi driver managed to hold on to the lead, crossing the line with both BMW cars close behind. The top three were separated by under a second.
In Pro-Am everything went smoothly for the #42 Saintéloc Junior Team Audi. In the first half of the race, Grégory Guilvert even managed to have a go at overall leader Castelli, and after the driver change, Christophe Hamon looked set to finish the job.
But Loïc Villiger had other ideas. In his #36 Code Racing Development Alpine the French driver swiftly closed the gap towards the class-leading Audi. At the start of the final lap, he even managed to claim first position with a daring move in the first chicane. Villiger eventually finished in ninth overall as well, a second clear of the #42 Audi. The #44 Allied Racing Porsche finished third in Pro-Am.
There was a similar story in the Am class. Laurent Hurgon built a comfortable lead in the #55 Autosport GP LS Group Performance Alpine, but in the second half of the race Alban Varutti, at the wheel of the #10 AVR-Avvatar Porsche, closed that gap. He overtook the Alpine and eventually finished with a two-second lead, claiming 15th overall in the process. The #83 Team Speedcar Audi, the sister car of the overall winning machine, finished in third.
Race 2
The second race of the opening weekend of the GT4 European Series was slightly less eventful than the first one. The #2 Hofor Racing BMW, third in yesterday’s first outing, won by a comfortable margin, taking the lead in the Silver class standings.
What a difference a day makes. Yes, there were the usual skirmishes, but the second race at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza was remarkably less eventful than the first one. At the start Gabriele Piana took the lead in the #2 Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport BMW, and would easily hold on to that first position until the mandatory driver change. Co-driver Michael Schrey finished the job in the second half of the race, eventually winning by a 7.777-second margin. A great first win in the GT4 European Series for the new BMW M4 GT4 G82.
Yesterday’s winners, the crew of the #3 Team Speedcar Audi, had no role to play in Sunday’s race. Robert Consani was hit by another car at the start, causing a puncture. The necessary wheel change meant the Audi dropped a lap, and shortly afterwards the car had to retire. It became a day to forget for Team Speedcar when Fabien Boeri in the #83 sister car – then in second position in Am – had to park the car in the grass shortly before the end.
The second overall and Silver podium position was claimed by the impressive #17 V8 Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Dante Rappange had opened up quite a gap in the first half of the race, and Kenny Herremans managed to fend off the late attacks of Berkay Besler in the #12 Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW. With a second place in Race 1 and a third in Race 2, the Turkish squad could be happy with its performances during the opening weekend.
In Pro-Am, the #36 Code Racing Developments Alpine took a dominant win. Loic Villiger and Antoine Leclerc had crossed the line in first after the opening race as well, but a post-race penalty for causing a collision made them drop to ninth. The second race was incident-free, however, and at the finish Leclerc had quite a comfortable lead over the #42 Saintéloc Junior Team Audi, which had inherited the Saturday win. Third was the #16 NM Racing Mercedes-AMG, a great recovery after the issues of Saturday’s race.
The Am category was again won by the #10 AVR-Avvatar Porsche. In the opening stages Alban Varruti briefly lost the lead to the #83 Team Speedcar Audi, but after the driver change Julien Piguet delivered a strong stint, claiming the win from the #55 Autosport GP LS Group Performance Alpine and the #72 GPA Racing Aston Martin.
Circuit Paul Ricard will host the second round of the championship, during the first weekend of June (3-4).
