After a dominant performance in qualifying, Mikkel Mac and co-driver Alessandro Pier Guidi took victory in the opening International GT Open race of 2018 at Estoril, driving the #51 Luzich Racing Ferrari 488 GT3.
As the green flag waved to kick-off the 70-minute race, third-place starter Tom Onslow-Cole made the best start. However, Mac prevented the driver of the #20 SPS Automotive Mercedes from taking advantage of his start, allowing both himself and second-placed Giovanni Venturini to hold off Onslow-Cole through the first sector.
Further back in the pack, Jamie Campbell-Walter (#62 Drivex Mercedes) had minor contact with the #25 Imperiale Lamborghini of Rik Breukers, which led to the young Dutchman spinning to the centre of the track. Contact ensued further back as other drivers attempted to avoid the stricken Huracan, and both Marcelo Hahn (#16 Drivex Mercedes) and Oliver Wilkinson (#96 Optimum Motorsport Audi) had spins in the process. Hahn would ultimately retire.
After starting seventh and taking advantage of the Lap 1 chaos, Fran Rueda made a great move under braking at Turn 7, taking fourth from Farbrizio Crestani (#27 Lazarus Lamborghini), who also benefited from the early dramas.
In ninth place, Campbell-Walter was struggling, his car seemingly a little worse for wear following his role in the first lap accidents. Several cars queued up behind him in the early laps, with Kang Ling (#6 Vincenzo Sospiri Racing Lamborghini) the first to pass the former WEC GTE Am champion.
In AM, there would be one less runner after the Teo Martin BMW of Marcio Basso became stranded at Turn 1, following contact with Giuseppe Cipriani (#28 Daiko Lazarus Lamborghini). Basso’s car was recovered under double-yellows, without need for a safety car.
For the AM leader António Coimbra (#99 Sports & You Mercedes), issues for his classmates were the least of his concerns, as he was embroiled in the battle for tenth place overall, headed by the ailing Jamie Campbell-Walter. Coimbra managed to pass the former FIA GT champion along with both Lourenço Beirão da Veiga (#3 Teo Martin BMW) and Fernando Rees (#12 Ombra Racing Lamborghini).
Coimbra then found himself between the BMW and the Lamborghini. Coimbra soon found a way by the PRO car of da Veiga for tenth.
Further up the field, Andrea Montermini (#11 RS Racing Ferrari) was hot on the heels of Fabrizio Crestani for fifth. A look up the inside at Turn 6 from Montermini proved to be the forebearer to contact at the same corner a lap later, which left Crestani in a spin, and some way further down the order. Montermini looked as though he was struggling for a few corners after the accident, though he soon found his pace once again.
With 24 minutes completed, Montermini had closed up on Rueda in fourth. At Turn 7, Montermini made his move, forcing the driver of the #47 Teo Martin BMW to give him room.
As the race approached the pit window opening point – 28 minutes in – Mac was nearly six seconds clear of Venturini, with Tom Onslow-Cole a little under two seconds further back in the PRO AM-leading #20 SPS Mercedes.
After earlier contact with Montermini, Fabrizio Crestani found himself in strife once more, coming together with Raffaele Giammaria. This time, Crestani was the man on the inside, and it was Giammaria who ended up spinning in the #19 Imperiale Lamborghini.
At the half-way point of both the race and the pit window, Mikkel Mac brought in the leading #51 Luzich Racing Ferrari, and handed over to Alessandro Pier Guidi. The Italian driver built upon the gap Mac had gifted him, and took a commanding victory at the chequered flag, some 12 seconds clear of the #63 Imperiale Lamborghini of Jeroen Mul, who took over from defending champion Giovanni Venturini.
The battle for third would be rather less straight-forward.
Predictably, the #20 SPS Mercedes soon lost third overall once Valentin Pierburg – the AM in the line-up – took over from Tom Onslow-Cole. Andrés Saravia, who had taken over the #47 Teo Martin BMW from Fran Rueda, was the one to inherit the position, with the #11 RS Racing Ferrari, now driven by Daniele Di Amato, the next car through.
However, with over 10 seconds between Di Amato and Saravia ahead, and 15 minutes of the race to run, many would have put money on the order remaining as it was. However, much in the spirit of Montermini in the car previously, Di Amato put in several on-edge laps in the 488, catching and passing Saravia at Turn 7 with five minutes to spare. They would remain in that order until the flag.
Fifth overall and first in PRO AM was secured by Valentin Pierburg in the #20 SPS Mercedes, while Nicolas Costa rounded out the overall top six in the PRO class #6 Vincenzo Sospiri Racing Lamborghini.
In AM, Luis Silva took over the #99 Sports & You Mercedes after António Coimbra’s impressive stint, taking the class win ahead of Martin Konrad in the #74 HTP Motorsport Mercedes.
No pitstop handicaps were in place for this afternoon’s 70 minute encounter as it was the first race of the season. However, that will all change for tomorrow, and there may also be a very different grid after the Sunday morning qualifying session. Expect things to be quite different on all three podiums.
Qualifying starts at 09:25 local time (BST) tomorrow, ahead of the race which will kick off at 13:15.
Photo courtesy of GT Open
