GPX Martini beats FFF for Paul Ricard 1000 win

The second round of the FANATEC GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, the Paul Ricard 1000, was the proof that a race only ends when the checkered flag is waved, with the dominant No. 63 FFF Lamborghini falling into a late defeat to the No. 22 GPX Martini Porsche, as Mathieu Jaminet, Earl Bamber and Matt Campbell led the car to a contention spot near the end and victory after six hours.

It was Lamborghini in the lead with the No. 63 from FFF Racing having the upper hand going away as first lap contacts were eliminating a number of cars, with the No. 33 Rinaldi Ferrari being the one with the biggest loss as the No. 31 WRT Audi basically sent it straight to the garage for repairs.

Deep into the first hour there were some big packs through the field, and this was attracting some drama too, with the No. 77 Barwell Lambroghini also being eliminated due to spin and contact, while the No. 31 WRT Audi had a puncture. The No. 63 was in control of the gap during the early stages, and although the second position traded from Iron Lynx to Walkenhorst, FFF Racing still had a comfortable gap.

The halfway part was when the sky started to become dark, but with the No. 63 still clocking good laps thanks to Andrea Caldarelli, they didn’t have any immediate threats, though the No. 22 GPX Martini Porsche started climbing up the field from fifth, staying within the top-4 when the night time came.

From the fourth hour onwards it was the No. 22 GPX Martini Porsche in chase of the No. 63 FFF Lamborghini, making a good job on reducing the long standing 8 second gap that the Walkenhorst BMWs had for a long time. The final hour started with both cars jumping into the pits for a last one after the mad pursuit, but the No. 22 had some traffic in the pitlane, which cost a bit of time and their on track progress.

The lost time in the pitlane entry wasn’t enough to hold back the No. 22 from closing down the No. 63, and after some intense pressure Matt Campbell made it work, only to see Marco Mapelli get it back, and while the two were in their fight, the No. 71 Iron Lynx Ferrari was also closing in, but Antonio Fuoco had to watch the No. 22 get past the No. 63 for real and protecting the lead on pace alone this time.

The No. 22 had the advantage during the final 30 minutes, and this prevented the No. 71 and the No. 63 to come closer, so the GPX Martini Porsche went straight to the win to not look behind. While the No. 71 Iron Lynx Ferrari came home second, it received a 10 second penalty for pit stop infringement due to excess of personal working on the car in the final stop, so the No. 32 WRT Audi was promoted to second and the No. 63 FFF Lamborghini completed the podium.

Paul Ricard 1000 - Race results

The Silver Cup was totally dominated by the No. 87 AKKA-ASP Mercedes, which had it in control for most of the race. The Pro-Am Cup was decided after crossing the final line, as the mighty No. 19 FFF Lamborghini saw its control of the race turn into a second place finish due to a pit stop infringement, handing the class win to the immediate rivals in the No. 93 SKY Tempesta Ferrari.

Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (No. 32 WRT Audi) lead the GTWC Europe standings with 53.5 points against Raffaele Marciello’s 42.5 and the 33 points of the No. 22 GPX Martini Porsche trio. The No. 22 trio leads the Endurance Cup standings with these 33 points acquired, while the trio of the No. 54 Dinamic Porsche has 31 points, making it a Porsche 1-2, with the trios from the No. 88 AKKA-ASP Mercedes and the No. 71 Iron Lynx Ferrari have the same 27 points and they are the closest opposition.

The Endurance Cup will return only in July with its most famous race, the 24 Hours of Spa, which also starts the Intercontinental GT Challenge season, so extra entries are a given for the different ambitions that the teams have in the Ardennes.

PHOTO: Porsche Motorsport