The Mercedes AMG GT3 was in dominant form at the technical corners of Brands Hatch, venue of the first Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe event of 2019, where the No. 89 from AKKA-ASP with Nico Bastian and Thomas Neubauer and the No. 4 from Black Falcon with Luca Stolz and Maro Engel emerged victorious.
The No. 4 Black Falcon Mercedes led the field from the green in what was a messy start further back in the field, with contact between the No. 55 Attempto Audi and the No. 5 Phoenix Audi eventually eliminating both and bringing the first Safety Car period.
After 10 minutes the restart came and the No. 563 FFF Lamborghini was penalized for causing the initial collision, and the lead was unchanged until the pit window, where a good work put the No. 89 AKKA-ASP Mercedes in front to probably work the miracle of a Silver Cup entry winning overall, though the No. 4 Black Falcon Mercedes was still on its back wing.
At a given point after the pit window the No. 63 GRT Lamborghini couldn’t cope with the pace of the cars in front, settled for third and watched the fight from behind, and Thomas Neubauer was able to hold the No. 89 in place and win the race, with the No. 4 winning the Pro Cup from second and the No. 63 completing the overall podium.
Rinaldi Racing won the Pro-Am Cup with the No. 333 Ferrari with a dominant performance from David Perel and Rinat Salikhov.
A damp track welcomed the racers for the second part of the double-header, but outside the No. 26 Sainteloc Audi being sent off track, the start was quite peaceful and fair. The contact in the midfield made other victims, though they lasted longer enough to go back to their garages.
Hugo de Sadeleer was holding the field in the No. 62 R-Motorsport Aston Martin though he was losing ground, which bunched up the field in multiple battles for position, and a touch between the No. 333 Rinaldi Ferrari and the No. 11 Phoenix Audi led to a chain reaction once said Audi met the front of the No. 52 AF Corse Ferrari, then colliding with the No. 25 Sainteloc Audi, the No. 10 & No. 1 WRT Audis and the No. 87 AKKA-ASP Mercedes.
The restart had the No. 90 AKKA-ASP Mercedes leading the field while the No. 55 Attempto Audi had its back full of Mercedes as the No. 4 from Black Falcon was putting total pressure over it. What Fabian Schiller didn’t count is that the No. 90 would receive a drive through penalty for speeding during the yellow flag period, and even the pit window couldn’t save it from losing some positions as the lead was handed to the No. 4 Black Falcon Mercedes.
The No. 4 had the No. 88 AKKA-ASP Mercedes behind it, but had to park because of problems, which promoted the No. 563 FFF Lamborghini to second, all while a series of penalties were given, which included the No. 89 AKKA-ASP Mercedes, which couldn’t replicate its overall win.
The No. 4 was pretty much unchallenged during the final third of racing, and despite the No. 563 gaining some time in the final laps, it settled for second. The No. 89 AKKA-ASP Mercedes still salvaged the Silver Cup win after the drive through penalty, while the No. 519 FFF Lamborghini had to fight until the final meters for the Pro-Am Cup win, overtaking the No. 87 AKKA-ASP Mercedes almost at the line.
The Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe now goes to almost a two month stop until the next event at Misano, on June 29th and 30th, and in between there are the Silverstone and Paul Ricard rounds of the Blancpain GT Endurance Series.
PHOTOS: SRO/Dirk Bogaerts Photography
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