Moscow GT1: Stephane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor's WRT Audi wins qualifying race
Stephane Ortelli and Laurens Vanthoor claimed WRT Audi's first World GT1 win since the opening round, as they prevailed in a damp qualifying race at Moscow Raceway
A brief burst of rain minutes beforehand forced the race to start behind the safety car, with all the cars on wet tyres.
Gregoire Demoustier's Hexis McLaren and Filip Salaquarda's AF Corse Ferrari both missed their braking points at the first corner when the safety car came in, allowing Oliver Jarvis to take advantage and move his Audi in to the lead.
It was not long before the sister car of Vanthoor moved past the second McLaren of Stef Dusseldorp to climb into second place.
The two Audis then spent the remainder of the first stint duelling, the highlight being Vanthoor's cunning attempt at passing Jarvis via two backmarkers. In the four abreast moment into Turn 10 Jarvis found grip around the outside and just held on to the lead.
After the pitstops the story was much the same, with Frank Stippler and Ortelli spending half a lap alongside one another. Ultimately, Stippler's pace dropped off dramatically, allowing Ortelli to romp to victory.
Stippler could not hold off the charging All-Inkl Mercedes of Markus Winkelhock, but managed to keep ahead of Fred Makowiecki's Hexis McLaren to claim third on the grid for the championship race.
All-Inkl extended its teams' championship lead, with Thomas Jager and Nicky Pastorelli finishing fifth ahead of the second McLaren, while Vita4One struggled with its BMW Z4s.
Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof and Mathias Lauda could only manage seventh, while championship leaders Michael Bartels and Yelmer Buurman rued an ill-advised move to slicks, finishing a lap down.
Results - 32 laps: Pos Drivers Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Ortelli/Vanthoor WRT Audi 1h00m49.179s 2. Winkelhock/Basseng Munnich Mercedes + 9.511s 3. Stippler/Jarvis WRT Audi + 16.984s 4. Makowiecki/Dusseldorp Hexis McLaren + 17.147s 5. Jager/Pastorelli Munnich Mercedes + 24.626s 6. Parente/Demoustier Hexis McLaren + 41.558s 7. Mayr-Melnhof/Lauda Vita4One BMW + 46.932s 8. Ide/Castellacci AF Ferrari + 1m04.683s 9. Vilander/Salaquarda AF Ferrari + 1 lap 10. Buurman/Bartels Vita4One BMW + 1 lap 11. Ebrahim/Lariche SUNRED Ford + 2 laps
Moscow GT1: Hexis McLaren sweeps front row
Moscow GT1: Hexis McLaren's Stef Dusseldorp and Fred Makowiecki boost title hopes with Russia win
Nurburgring Blancpain: WRT Audi wins to crown Vanthoor champion
Nurburgring Blancpain: WRT Audi wins to crown Vanthoor champion Nurburgring Blancpain: WRT Audi wins to crown Vanthoor champion
Nurburgring Blancpain: WRT Audi's Mies puts leader Vanthoor on pole
Nurburgring Blancpain: WRT Audi's Mies puts leader Vanthoor on pole Nurburgring Blancpain: WRT Audi's Mies puts leader Vanthoor on pole
Algarve Blancpain Sprint: Track limit penalty costs WRT Audi second
Algarve Blancpain Sprint: Track limit penalty costs WRT Audi second Algarve Blancpain Sprint: Track limit penalty costs WRT Audi second
Hamilton: Lack of rear downforce leaves W14 on "knife-edge" at Suzuka
Hamilton: Lack of rear downforce leaves W14 on "knife-edge" at Suzuka Hamilton: Lack of rear downforce leaves W14 on "knife-edge" at Suzuka
BTCC Silverstone: Rookie Doble takes shock pole
BTCC Silverstone: Rookie Doble takes shock pole BTCC Silverstone: Rookie Doble takes shock pole
Are Red Bull and Ferrari on back foot for potential F1 Japanese GP tyre wrecker?
Are Red Bull and Ferrari on back foot for potential F1 Japanese GP tyre wrecker? Are Red Bull and Ferrari on back foot for potential F1 Japanese GP tyre wrecker?
Marquez will take Honda's interests into account while finalising MotoGP future
Marquez will take Honda's interests into account while finalising MotoGP future Marquez will take Honda's interests into account while finalising MotoGP future
How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition
How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition How a 128-day Mercedes miracle crushed its opposition
The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar
The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar The F1 technology behind Mercedes’ Nordschleife record hypercar
How to get the best out of amateur racers
How to get the best out of amateur racers How to get the best out of amateur racers
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership
The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership
The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion
The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion
The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever
The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever
Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage
Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.