Zolder FIA GT: Vanthoor and Ortelli give WRT Audi another win
The Belgian WRT Audi squad notched up its second consecutive win in the FIA GT Series with victory in the opening race on home ground at Zolder
Laurens Vanthoor and Stephane Ortelli followed up the team's success in the main race on the opening weekend at Nogaro by triumphing aboard their Audi R8 LMS ultra.
The WRT duo finished just over 10 seconds up on the pole-winning Reiter Lamborghini LP560 driven by Stefan Rosina and Peter Kox.
Vanthoor took second in the opening moments of the one-hour race and then spent the first 12 laps behind Rosina in the Lamborghini.
The Belgian moved into the lead when the Slovakian driver made a mistake on the exit of Turn 1, while a quick turnaround during the mandatory pitstops gave WRT a clear victory.
Vanthoor said: "I was better on the brakes, but the Lambo was better under acceleration each time, which made it difficult to pass.
"I put him under some pressure and, lucky for me, he made a mistake."
Kox managed to pass the second WRT Audi, which Nikolas Mayr-Melnhof had just taken over from Rene Rast, on its out-lap to secure second place.
Mayr-Melnhof held off a train of four cars led by Andreas Zuber's Sebastien Loeb Racing McLaren MP4-12C to secure the final spot on the podium.
The McLaren, which was started by Mike Parisy, ended up fourth ahead of Edward Standstrom and Frank Stippler, winners in the main race at Nogaro for WRT.
The Sebastien Loeb Racing McLaren that Alvaro Parente had qualified on the front row did not feature.
The car started from the back following a minor technical infringement and then Parente was penalised for avoidable contact, before team owner Sebastien Loeb retired the car in the closing stages.
Results - 39 laps: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Ortelli/Vanthoor WRT Audi 1h01m06.512s 2. Kox/Rosina Reiter Lamborghini + 10.332s 3. Mayr-Melnhof/Rast WRT Audi + 15.928s 4. Zuber/Parisy Loeb McLaren + 16.427s 5. Sandstrom/Stippler WRT Audi + 17.355s 6. Simonsen/Afanasiev Gravity Charouz Mercedes + 17.846s 7. Day/Buhk Gravity Charouz Mercedes + 18.666s 8. Ide/Kumpen Phoenix Audi + 29.446s 9. Salaquarda/Onidi AF Ferrari + 40.709s 10. Seyffarth/Chandhok Seyffarth Mercedes + 41.157s 11. Khodair/Bueno Brazil BMW + 43.268s 12. Proczyk/Baumann Grasser Lamborghini + 1m01.771s 13. Vieira/Campanico Novadriver Audi + 1m16.726s 14. Ricci/Stumpf Rodrive Ford + 1m29.870s 15. Shulzhitskiy/Reip RJN Nissan + 1 lap 16. Stovicek/Charouz Gravity Charouz Mercedes + 5 laps Retirements: Loeb/Parente Loeb McLaren 33 laps Ordonez/Buncombe RJN Nissan 33 laps Zonta/Jimenez Brazil BMW 29 laps Rosa/Bonifacio Seyffarth Mercedes 22 laps
Zolder FIA GT: Peter Kox puts Lamborghini on pole for season debut
Zolder FIA GT: Reiter Lamborghini fends off WRT Audi for win
How to get the best out of amateur racers
Pro-Am GT racing is booming. But how should drivers approach working with an amateur? Autosport sought out a panel of experts to explain the pitfalls amateur drivers should avoid and how professionals can help them to achieve their goals
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership
This weekend’s British GT finale will be a tense title showdown for some but, for those not in the championship fight, it’s a chance to end a challenging year on a high. In the latter camp is Paddock Motorsport's team owner Martin Plowman, whose 2021 season has been a rollercoaster ride of non-stop learning
The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion
It has won most of the big prizes in endurance racing across its six years in service, but the BMW M6 GT3's key weaknesses meant only a devoted few teams persisted with running it. As it prepares to bow out at season's end, the teams and drivers involved in its story share the secrets of an unpopular winner
The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever
Had FIA GT boss Stephane Ratel had his way, the Maserati MC12 would never have been allowed to set foot in his series. It duly proved the class of the field that most had expected, but the Balance of Performance that its superiority spawned would keep GT1 battles tight and bring long-term benefits that sportscar racing enjoys today
Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage
The E-Type may be the most famous of all road-going Jaguars, but that didn't always translate into success on the track. After winning on its competition debut in 1961, motorsport success seemed an inevitability, but things didn’t turn out to be quite that straightforward
Why the Jaguar E-type remains special at 60
It’s 60 years since the Jaguar E-type arrived and caused a sensation. As our resident racer Ben Anderson discovered when he got behind the wheel of two special racing versions at Brands Hatch, the thrill of driving them hasn't diminished over time
The rise of a GT squad responsible for a unique 24-hour racing feat
It's a significant achievement to win one 24-hour race in a year, let alone two, and with different manufacturers, but that's exactly what ROWE Racing did in 2020 at the Nurburgring and Spa. This weekend's German classic offers the DTM newcomer a chance of another unique double to add to its growing collection of accolades