Optimum Motorsport doubled up with a second win of the weekend to round a perfect weekend at Paul Ricard which also included pole position for Sunday’s race and an extended lead in the championship.
It was a perfect day for Joe Osborne and Nick Moss, who now have a gap of 16 points on the two Oregon Team Lambos.
Pulcini-Hites today 6th finished 6th, while the other car of the Italian team, entrusted to Kevin Gilardoni and Glenn Berlo, finished second, the pair taking its first podium of the season.
Reema Juffali and Adam Christodoulou had another great day for the newly launched Theeba Motorsport, taking third overall and a third win in Pro-Am, this time ahead of Sébastian Baud-Steve Jans (GetSpeed Mercedes) and Robert Ziemian-Axcil Jefferies (Kessel Racing Ferrari).
In Am, Axel Hrachowina-Martin Konrad (Mann-Filter Team Landgraf Mercedes) took their second win of the season ahead of the Ferraris of Jackson-Hollings (Kessel Racing) and De Meeus-Stanley (AF Corse).
Starting from pole, Osborne kept the advantage over Fumanelli and Basz. Stanley was fourth ahead of Valente, who cut all of the chicanes in first lap. Hofer’s car did not start.
Lap 3 and Osborne led ahead of Fumanelli, Basz, Stanley, Pulcini, who had passed Gilardoni, then Valente and Mettler, while Korzeniowki spun, before starting a nice duel with Juffali.
The gap of Osborne grew up to 6 seconds over Fumanelli and 8 over Basz, with Pulcini and Stanley 20 seconds behind by lap 13, when the window for driver change opened, with Earle, Juffali, Shoffner and Gilardoni among the first to stop. In the meantime, there was a contact between Jefferies and Cipriani, right after their respective stops.
After all driver changes, Cuhadaroglu led by 3 seconds from Moss and 6 from Marcin Jedlinski, with the two Lambos of Hites and Van Berlo 12 seconds behind. Follow Baud, Müller, Christodoulou, Laber, Jefferies and Jackson, who led in Am ahead of De Meeus and Hrachowina.
Moss took the lead on lap 20, which also saw a close contact between Van Berlo and Hites, as the Dutchman overtook his teammate. Van Berlo was soon second while Hites touched Cuhadaroglu, who spun and remained stranded over the kerb. The Chilean would get a 3-second penalty for that.
The last laps saw Moss holding the lead and taking a hard fought win, beating Van Berlo and Christodoulou, who had charged to take another podium and Pro-Am win. Baud won his duel with Jefferies to take 4th and both completed the Pro-Am podium, while Jackson secured the Am win.
