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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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