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K plus K takes Hungaroring win

Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp recovered from two incidents to take the K plus K Saleen's second victory of the year in the Hungaroring round of the FIA GT Championship

The silver Saleen survived an early assualt from Alex Muller's Vitaphone Maserati, which had dropped back from pole to third at the start as Enrique Bernoldi shot from row two to the lead in the Sangari Corvette.

Muller tried to regain second into the first corner on lap four, but locked up, slewed past the second-placed Saleen and bounced off the leading Corvette back into Wendlinger's car, taking both onto the grass at the exit of the corner.

While Muller was forced to retire with suspension damage, Wendlinger was able to continue in eighth. With the lead pack running in close formation behind Bernoldi, Wendlinger rapidly made it back through to fourth, only to fall back to seventh when he went off the road again 12 laps later.

The Sangari Corvette lost ground at its first stop as damage from Muller's attack slowed the refuelling process, allowing the #1 Vitaphone Maserati of Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini to take the lead - although their time in front was shortlived as the car was penalised for breaking the pitlane speed limit.

The Maserati's delay and rapid post-pitstop times from Wendlinger's team-mate Sharp saw K plus K emerge in the lead once the first stops were complete, although the Saleen remained under threat from the third Vitaphone entry driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi and Matteo Bobbi.

The Italian duo managed to get in front at the final stops, but Wendlinger quickly demolished their 2.7s advantage and reclaimed the lead with nine minutes to go. Bertolini also passed Pier Guidi in the closing stages, with their second place putting the #1 Vitaphone crew back on top of the championship battle as rivals Mike Hezemans and Anthony Kumpen (PK Carsport Corvette) took a distant sixth.

Bernoldi and team-mate Roberto Streit recovered to take fourth, right on the #33 Maserati's tail. The Luc Alphand Corvette of Xavier Maassen and Thomas Biagi completed the top five.

Prospeed Porsche's Richard Westbrook and Emmanuel Collard had their GT2 pole disallowed to a restrictor issue, but still charged from the back of the field to class victory, with Westbrook passing AF Corse Ferrari's Gianmaria Bruni on the final lap of the race.

                    
Pos  Cl   Drivers              Car                  Time/Gap
 1.  GT1  Wendlinger/Sharp     Saleen S7        2h00m17.422s
 2.  GT1  Bertolini/Bartels    Maserati MC 12      + 33.167s
 3.  GT1  Pier Guidi/Bobbi     Maserati MC 12      + 33.506s
 4.  GT1  Bernoldi/Streit      Corvette Z06        + 33.987s
 5.  GT1  Maassen/Biagi        Corvette Z06        + 37.885s
 6.  GT1  Hezemans/Kumpen      Corvette Z06        + 52.835s
 7.  GT1  Longin/Ruffier       Corvette Z06        +   1 lap
 8.  GT2  Westbrook/Collard    Porsche 911 GT3     +  2 laps
 9.  GT2  Bruni/Vilander       Ferrari F430        +  2 laps
10.  GT2  Ruberti/Malucelli    Ferrari F430        +  2 laps
11.  GT1  Kuppens/Leinders     Ford GT             +  2 laps
12.  GT2  O'Young/Holzer       Porsche 911 GT3     +  2 laps
13.  GT2  Barba Lopez/Cadei    Ferrari F430        +  3 laps
14.  GT2  Bell/Kirkaldy        Ferrari F430        +  3 laps
15.  GT2  Russo/Perez Companc  Ferrari F430        +  3 laps
16.  GT2  Mullen/Niarchos      Ferrari F430        +  3 laps
17.  GT2  Ragginger/Lucchini   Porsche 911 GT3     +  3 laps
18.  GT2  Romanini/Heyer       Ferrari F430        +  3 laps
19.  GT2  Sugden/Ashburn       Porsche 911 GT3     +  4 laps
20.  GT1  Lacko/Nilsson        Saleen S7           +  8 laps
21.  GT1  Mutsch/Hirschi       Ford GT             +  8 laps
22.  G2   Konopka/Studenic     Saleen S7           + 19 laps

Retirements:

     GT1  Lemeret/Hines        Saleen S7        23 laps
     GT1  Muller/Ramos         Maserati MC 12   5 laps

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