Nurburgring Blancpain Endurance: McLaren wins, Nissan takes title
The Von Ryan Racing McLaren of Kevin Estre, Rob Bell and Shane van Gisbergen won the Blancpain Endurance Series finale at the Nurburgring as Nissan's Alex Buncombe, Katsumasa Chiyo and Wolfgang Reip claimed the title
Using an off-schedule pit strategy, Estre assumed the lead of the race in the final hour when the leading cars were forced to pit under a safety car and cruised home to secure a second win of the season.
Buncombe, meanwhile, succumbed to late pressure from Steven Kane but was able to hold off Laurens Vanthoor for the final podium position in the closing laps to seal the championship by three points.
Craig Dolby squeezed his Nissan GT-R Nismo up the inside of Adrian Zaugg's Lamborghini at Turn 1 at the start of the race, as Chiyo made a tentative start and slotted into fourth after receiving a tap.
Dolby raced off into the distance as a queue began to form behind Zaugg, but the pack closed up when the safety car made its first appearance to cover the recovery of Garry Kondakov's Ferrari 458.
Dolby held the lead until his pitstop, but having handed the reigns over to Sean Walkinshaw the Nissan GT-R dropped down the order to a net fourth, with Chiyo perfecting his in-lap and handover to allow Reip to emerge in the lead of the race.
A strong stint from Reip saw him build a healthy lead at the front but, just like Dolby's earlier, that advantage was wiped out with the deployment of a second safety car when Harold Primat - making the final appearance of his racing career - was punted off by Stef Dusseldorp.
With Estre having earlier jumped into the car at his team's second pitstop, he wound up third when those in front pitted, and that became first when Maxime Soulet and Yelmer Buurman served their stops, allowing him to ease home in the final hour to win by 14.183 seconds.
Having been frustrated for a number of laps, Kane finally found a way past Buncombe in the closing stages when he tapped the GT-R driver through the Arena section, but his time ahead was short-lived as he was promptly ordered to hand the position back.
He made a move stick in the final ten minutes after sneaking up the inside of Buncombe along the pit straight, but it came too late for him to offer a challenge to Estre as he and Bentley co-drivers Guy Smith and Andy Meyrick also fell short in the drivers' championship.
Buncombe clung on to third and with it the championship ahead of a charging Vanthoor, who in turn secured the WRT Audi squad the teams' title by three points over the Bentley M-Sport team.
Pro-Am honours went to the Emil Frey Racing Jaguar of Lorenz Frey, Gabriele Gardel and Fredy Barth, with Gardel narrowly holding off the AF Corse Ferrari of Cedric Sbirrazuoli.
RESULTS - 88 LAPS:
Pos | Class | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pro | S.Gisbergen, R.Bell, K.Estre | Von Ryan Racing | McLaren | 3h00m18.820s |
2 | Pro | G.Smith, A.Meyrick, S.Kane | Bentley Team M-Sport | Bentley | 14.183s |
3 | Pro | W.Reip, A.Buncombe, K.Chiyo | Nissan GT Academy Team RJN | Nissan | 19.161s |
4 | Pro | R.Frijns, J-K.Vernay, L.Vanthoor | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi | 19.650s |
5 | Pro | M.Buhk, M.Soulet, A.Soucek | Bentley Team M-Sport | Bentley | 33.393s |
6 | Pro | G.Venturini, A.Zaugg, M.Bortolotti | GRT Grasser Racing Team | Lamborghini | 37.386s |
7 | Pro | C.Mies, M.Molina, G.Guilvert | Sainteloc | Audi | 38.612s |
8 | Pro | S.Walkinshaw, M.Plowman, C.Dolby | Always Evolving Motorsport | Nissan | 45.368s |
9 | Pro | A.Al Faisal, H.Haupt, Y.Buurman | Black Falcon | Mercedes | 58.884s |
10 | Pro | A.Al Harthy, R.Butcher, S.Mucke | Oman Racing Team | Aston Martin | 1m03.406s |
11 | Pro | S.Richelmi, F.Stippler, S.Ortelli | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi | 1m09.391s |
12 | Pro | F.Salaquarda, M.Bonanomi, F.Vervisch | ISR | Audi | 1m16.014s |
13 | Pro | A.Palmer, F.Babini, J.Mul | GRT Grasser Racing Team | Lamborghini | 1m27.352s |
14 | Pro | R.Salikhov, R.Renauer, N.Siedler | Rinaldi Racing | Ferrari | 1m27.636s |
15 | Pro | K.Heyer, M.Toril, N.Sylvest | Rowe Racing | Mercedes | 1m28.702s |
16 | Pro-Am | L.Frey, G.Gardel, F.Barth | Emil Frey Racing | Jaguar | 1m32.085s |
17 | Pro-Am | A.De Leener, C.Sbirrazzuoli | AF Corse | Ferrari | 1m32.399s |
18 | Pro-Am | M.Broniszewski, A.Bonacini, M.Lyons | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 1m40.649s |
19 | Pro | D.Juncadella, N.Bastian, S.Dusseldorp | Rowe Racing | Mercedes | 1m44.170s |
20 | Pro-Am | A.Karachev, D.Waszek, I.Dontje | GT Russian Team | Mercedes | 1m52.225s |
21 | Pro | F.Fraga, C.Bueno, S.Jimenez | AH Competicoes Team Brasil | BMW | 1m58.200s |
22 | Pro-Am | P.Wilson, S.Leonard, M.Meadows | Leonard Motorsport AMR | Aston Martin | 1 Lap |
23 | Pro-Am | A.Vasiliev, K.Al-Azhari, M.Asmer | GT Russian Team | Mercedes | 1 Lap |
24 | Pro-Am | O.Morley, S.Johnston, M.Engel | Black Falcon | Mercedes | 1 Lap |
25 | Pro | V.Brito, A.Abreu, M.Stumpf | AH Competicoes Team Brasil | BMW | 1 Lap |
26 | Pro-Am | G.Vannelet, A.Santamato, E.Guibbert | Sport Garage | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
27 | Pro-Am | M.Koebolt, S.Bottemanne, P.Schothorst | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi | 1 Lap |
28 | Pro-Am | D.Modell, A.McCaig, O.Bryant | Ecurie Ecosse | BMW | 1 Lap |
29 | Pro-Am | R.Ratcliffe, L.Mowle, J.Osborne | Triple Eight Racing | BMW | 1 Lap |
30 | Pro | M.Lee, S.Thong, M.Winkelhock | Phoenix Racing | Audi | 1 Lap |
31 | Pro-Am | E.Dermont, H.Hassid, F.Perera | TDS Racing | BMW | 1 Lap |
32 | Pro-Am | P.Perazzini, M.Cioci, F.Guedes | AF Corse | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
33 | Pro-Am | S.Parrow, D.Schwager | Black Pearl Racing by Rinaldi | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
34 | Pro-Am | D.Cameron, M.Griffin | AF Corse | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
35 | Am | F.Barthez, A.Pons | Akka ASP Team | Ferrari | 1 Lap |
36 | Am | K.Ojjeh, O.Grotz | Boutsen Ginion Racing | BMW | 1 Lap |
37 | Am | J.Haring, D.Konstantinou, F.Schmickler | Attempto Racing | Porsche | 2 Laps |
38 | Pro | B.Senna, A.Q.-Hobbs, A.Parente | Von Ryan Racing | McLaren | 2 Laps |
39 | Pro-Am | B.Ellis, E.Hankey, S.Yoluc | TF Sport | Aston Martin | 2 Laps |
40 | Pro-Am | D.Hallyday, C.Hamon, L.Martins | Sebastien Loeb Racing | Audi | 2 Laps |
41 | Pro-Am | D.Andersen, M.Jensen | Insight Racing Denmark | Ferrari | 2 Laps |
42 | Am | S.Earle, M.Zanuttini, L.Talbot | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 2 Laps |
43 | Am | I.Loggie, J.Westwood | Team Parker Racing | Audi | 2 Laps |
44 | Pro-Am | L.Machitski, T.Sardarov, J.Cocker | Team Russia by Barwell | BMW | 2 Laps |
45 | Am | P.Ehret, A.Mattschull | Car Collection Motorsport | Mercedes | 2 Laps |
46 | Am | J-L.Beaubelique, M.Ricci | Akka ASP Team | Ferrari | 2 Laps |
47 | Am | P-E.Bordet, A.Viron, E.Orgeval | Delahaye Racing Team | Porsche | 3 Laps |
48 | Pro-Am | G.Lallement, G.Demoustier, M.Rostan | Sainteloc | Audi | 4 Laps |
49 | Pro-Am | D.Allemann, P.Schmidt, K.Wendlinger | Car Collection Motorsport | Mercedes | 20 Laps |
50 | Am | G.Kondakov, A.Moiseev, R.Ragazzi | AF Corse | Ferrari | 21 Laps |
51 | Pro-Am | T.Kemenater, H.Hedman, E.Julian | DragonSpeed | Ferrari | 25 Laps |
- | Am | P.Hirschi, C.Kelders, J-L.Blanchemain | Classic & Modern Racing | BMW | Retirement |
- | Pro | H.Primat, M.Parisy, V.Abril | Bentley Team HTP | Bentley | Retirement |
- | Pro-Am | G.Paletou, R.Sanchez, H.Tincknell | Nissan GT Academy Team RJN | Nissan | Retirement |
- | Pro | T.Vautier, M.M.Traffort, A.P.Guidi | Akka ASP Team | Ferrari | Retirement |
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