Monza Blancpain Endurance GT: New Lamborghini Huracan dominates
The GRT Grasser team enjoyed the perfect debut for the new Lamborghini Huracan as the #19 car led for virtually the whole of the Blancpain Endurance race at Monza
With the Ferrari cars enjoying a favourable Balance of Performance ruling at Monza, the #333 Rinaldi car of Rinat Salikhov and Norbert Siedler finished second, 37 seconds behind the #19 Huracan shared by Fabio Babini, Andrew Palmer and Jeroen Mul.
Salikhov and Siedler also took the Pro-Am class honours in the process.
Reigning Blancpain Endurance champion Laurens Vanthoor brought home the #1 WRT Audi to complete the podium after a late mechanical drama demoted the #11 Kessel Ferrari.
A packed field of 58 cars started the race and they all managed to get through the first chicane unscathed. In the process, Pierre Kaffer in the #66 Black Pearl Racing Ferrari seized the lead at the first corner from polesitter Salikhov.
As the pack charged through the Curva Grande corner just seconds later the #78 BMW of Leo Matchitski and the #12 BMW of Eric Dermont ended up in the barriers and gravel trap respectively after Dermont was punted into a spin and Matchitski tried to avoid the carnage.
The safety car appeared as the two BMWs were recovered but it came in again after just one lap, which caused large gaps to appear among the field.
As Kaffer subsequently escaped up the road, Salikhov surrendered second place to Babini in the #19 Lamborghini as the Russian driver outbraked himself into Turn 1 at the start of lap seven.
Kaffer pitted the #66 Ferrari on lap 19 and Babini inherited a lead that the #19 Lamborghini team would never really lose. The #66 Ferrari fell down the order with Steve Parrow thereafter and came home in 22nd.
The #19's lead had stabilised at around 20s over the #333 Ferrari for much of the race, interrupted only by occasional safety cars.
A full course yellow was shown after 56 laps to allow the marshals to recover some debris that had been deposited on the pit straight.
It only lasted a lap but it caught out the #23 Nissan of Katsumasa Chiyo, who subsequently came severe pressure from the #7 Bentley of Andy Meyrick in a scrap for seventh place overall.
With 45 minutes left to run the safety car was called out again after Ronnie Volani in the #54 McLaren suffered a huge accident at the Parabolica when he lost the car under braking while fighting the #84 Bentley of Mike Parisy and slammed into the barrier on the inside of the track.
The safety car remained out for 15 minutes but the #19 Lamborghini was able to run clear to the finish when it came in.
Alessandro Bonacini in the #11 Ferrari looked like he was going to take second place from the #333 Ferrari but he fell away with mechanical gremlins and wound up seventh.
Duncan Cameron in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari came home fourth ahead of the #7 M-Sport Bentley.
The #2 WRT Audi finished in sixth place ahead of Bonacini, with the #23 RJN Nissan in eighth and the #35 Audi in ninth. The #53 AF Corse Ferrari completed the top 10.
NEWS UPDATE: Winning Lamborghini disqualified
RESULTS - 93 LAPS:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A.Palmer, F.Babini, J.Mul | GRT Grasser Racing Team | Lamborghini | 3h01m48.550s |
2 | R.Salikhov, N.Siedler | Rinaldi Racing | Ferrari | 37.007s |
3 | J-K.Vernay, R.Frijns, L.Vanthoor | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi | 51.795s |
4 | D.Cameron, M.Griffin | AF Corse | Ferrari | 1m00.638s |
5 | G.Smith, A.Meyrick, S.Kane | Bentley Team M-Sport | Bentley | 1m07.119s |
6 | F.Stippler, S.Ortelli, N.Muller | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi | 1 Lap |
7 | M.Broniszewski, A.Bonacini, M.Lyons | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
8 | K.Chiyo, W.Reip, A.Buncombe | Nissan GT Academy Team RJN | Nissan | 1 Lap |
9 | G.Guilvert, E.Sandstrom, E.Mortara | Sainteloc Racing | Audi | 1 Lap |
10 | P.Perazzini, M.Cioci, E.Potolicchio | AF Corse | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
11 | N.Bastian, S.Dusseldorp, K.Graf | Rowe Racing | Mercedes | 1 Lap |
12 | S.Walkinshaw, M.Plowman, C.Dolby | MRS GT Racing | Nissan | 1 Lap |
13 | M.Buhk, M.Soulet, A.Soucek | Bentley Team M-Sport | Bentley | 1 Lap |
14 | D.Andersen, M.Jensen | Insight Racing Denmark | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
15 | I.Dontje, D.Juncadella, N.Sylvest | Rowe Racing | Mercedes | 1 Lap |
16 | S.Gisbergen, R.Bell, K.Estre | Von Ryan Racing | McLaren | 1 Lap |
17 | A.Vasiliev, M.Asmer | GT Russian Team | Mercedes | 1 Lap |
18 | S.Jimenez, F.Fraga, C.Bueno | BMW Sports Trophy Team Brasil | BMW | 1 Lap |
19 | A.Karachev, B.Schneider | GT Russian Team | Mercedes | 1 Lap |
20 | F.Salaquarda, M.Bonanomi, F.Vervisch | ISR | Audi | 1 Lap |
21 | C.Haase, C.Mamerow, M.Winkelhock | Phoenix Racing | Audi | 1 Lap |
22 | S.Parrow, P.Kaffer | Black Pearl Racing by Rinaldi | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
23 | G.Balthazard, M.Ricci, T.Vautier | Akka ASP Team | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
24 | S.Earle, L.Talbot, M.Zanuttini | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
25 | G.Venturini, A.Zaugg, M.Bortolotti | GRT Grasser Racing Team | Lamborghini | 1 Lap |
26 | B.Senna, A.Q.-Hobbs, A.Parente | Von Ryan Racing | McLaren | 2 Laps |
27 | F.Barthez, A.Pons | Akka ASP Team | Ferrari | 2 Laps |
28 | A.Al Harthy, D.Lloyd, J.Adam | Oman Racing Team | Aston Martin | 2 Laps |
29 | F.Mancini, A.Alexandrovich, R.Mastronardi | Glorax Racing | Ferrari | 2 Laps |
30 | P.Wilson, S.Leonard, M.Meadows | Leonard Motorsport | Aston Martin | 2 Laps |
31 | A.De Leener, C.Sbirrazzuoli | AF Corse | Ferrari | 2 Laps |
32 | H.Haupt, A.Al Faisal, Y.Buurman | Black Falcon | Mercedes | 2 Laps |
33 | A.McCaig, D.Modell, O.Bryant | Ecurie Ecosse | BMW | 2 Laps |
34 | R.Sperafico, A.Abreu, V.Brito | BMW Sports Trophy Team Brasil | BMW | 2 Laps |
35 | I.Loggie, J.Westwood | Team Parker Racing | Audi | 3 Laps |
36 | M.Koebolt, S.Bottemanne, P.Schothorst | Team WRT | Audi | 3 Laps |
37 | H.Hedman, T.Kemenater, E.Julian | DragonSpeed | Ferrari | 3 Laps |
38 | O.Morley, S.Johnston, M.Engel | Black Falcon | Mercedes | 3 Laps |
39 | Y.Mallegol, H.Blank, J-M.Bachelier | AF Corse | Ferrari | 3 Laps |
40 | J.Haring, D.Konstantinou, F.Schmickler | Attempto Racing | Porsche | 3 Laps |
41 | F.Thuner, N.Armindo, M.Ramos | Attempto Racing | McLaren | 4 Laps |
42 | P.Ehret, A.Mattschull | Car Collection Motorsport | Mercedes | 4 Laps |
43 | J-P.Buffin, G.Cabannes, M.Sourd | Sainteloc Racing | Audi | 4 Laps |
44 | J-L.Blanchemain, P.Hirschi, C.Kelders | Classic & Modern Racing | BMW | 4 Laps |
45 | J.Osborne, R.Ratcliffe, L.Mowle | Triple 888 Racing | BMW | 7 Laps |
46 | A.Moiseev, G.Kondakov, R.Ragazzi | AF Corse | Ferrari | 9 Laps |
47 | H.Primat, V.Abril, M.Parisy | Bentley Team HTP | Bentley | 25 Laps |
48 | Y.Mori, R.Valori, A.Balzan | Attempto Racing | McLaren | 26 Laps |
- | K.van der Linde, S.Richelmi, C.Mies | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi | Retirement |
- | L.Machitski, T.Sardarov, J.Cocker | Team Russia by Barwell | BMW | Retirement |
- | P-E.Bordet, A.Viron | Delahaye Racing Team | Porsche | Retirement |
- | P.Schmidt, M.Toril, K.Heyer | Car Collection Motorsport | Mercedes | Retirement |
- | J-L.Beaubelique, P.Giauque, M.M.Traffort | Akka ASP Team | Ferrari | Retirement |
- | R.Sanchez, M.Gassner, F.Strauss | Nissan GT Academy Team RJN | Nissan | Retirement |
- | K.Ojjeh, O.Grotz | Boutsen Ginion Racing | BMW | Retirement |
- | G.Vannelet, E.Guibbert, A.Santamato | Sport Garage | Ferrari | Retirement |
- | L.Frey, G.Gardel, F.Barth | Emil Frey Racing | Jaguar | Retirement |
- | E.Dermont, H.Hassid, F.Perera | TDS Racing | BMW | Retirement |
- | F.Onidi, A.Fjordbach, A.Roda | ISR | Audi | Withdrawn |
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