Motorcar wins 4 Hours of Velopark

Motorcar Racing had a dream race in the third round of the 2021 Império Endurance Brasil season, the 4 Hours of Velopark, dubbed GP Aldo Pastore in honor of the deceased Cronomap leader, with no mechanical issues getting in the way of Gustavo Kiryla and Vicente Orige, as their No. 444 JLM Racing AJR beat the main JLM Racing powerhouse as well the small possibility of a GT3 upset from Blau Motorsport.

The race week had an interesting sight during the open tests, as FTR Motorsport and Sigma P1 Engenharia were getting a sample of the third iteration of the Sigma P1, now sporting a slightly revised aero, going a bit more traditional and leaving the Group C-esque look a bit behind. Also more traditional was the powerplant of choice, with a Chevy LS3 V8 prepared by Motorcar Racing, the obvious choice for most of the P1 class grid in the championship. The debut of the updated machine is expected for Interlagos in August.

The No. 444 Motorcar AJR took care of holding the lead and opening a decent gap, coming to their benefit as some spins were hindering the pace of the race, with the No. 56 Motorcar MRX eventually coming to a stop and bringing the Safety Car.

Thanks to the mistakes from the JLM Racing machines in the pack just behind the leader, the No. 65 NC Racing AJR jumped from fifth to second, but with constant traffic getting in the way of their progress, it wasn’t closing in the No. 444 to fight for the lead. The No. 113 JLM AJR eventually stopped by the pits with brake issues, with intense vibration being mentioned as the main problem. The traffic that once was hindering the No. 65 came to help, as it quickly diminished the gap to the No. 444, eventually favoring a move to the lead to open the gap.

An exhaust repair took some extra time in the first pit stop of the No. 65 NC Racing AJR, so the No. 18 Blau McLaren emerged as the overall leader while dominating the GT3 class. It didn’t take time for the AJRs to catch up with the GT3, with the No. 99 RSPORTS AJR coming out as leader, while other prototypes were discounting laps from the McLaren 720S GT3.

A vicious off from the No. 3 BoatM3 Mercedes and mechanical problems for the No. 74 LT Team MRX brought the Safety Car in with two and a half hours to go, and due to the extensive work needed on track, 25 minutes of caution were needed until the green flag was waved. Gustavo Kyrila didn’t count with Lucas Kohl aiming for the open room and the No. 11 JLM AJR took the lead from the No. 444 for a brief moment until the second pit window comes.

During the last 90 minutes, the No. 444 remained in control while the No. 16 Blau McLaren passed the No. 11 JLM AJR for second place, with the leading trio meeting each other on track with 30 minutes to go, as the No. 444 was lapping the No. 16, which more than secured their victory, and with the No. 11 also regaining ground, it took back the overall second a while after.

While the immediate opponents were in the lead lap, it wasn’t enough even for a cautious Vicente Orige, who drove the No. 444 Motorcar AJR to the victory without risky moves to overcome traffic and keep the gap as big as it was. After the No. 11 JLM AJR and a late No. 65 NC Racing AJR, the No. 16 Blau McLaren won the GT3 class with ease by finishing fourth overall.

4 Hours of Velopark - Race results

The No. 155 SulRacing Ferrari was the best GT3 Light and was the only other class winner inside the overall top-10 list, as both GT4-spec winners, the No. 15 AMG CAC Mercedes in GT4 and the No. 69 Stillux Ginetta in GT4 Light, as well the dominant P3 class winner, the No. 7 SetteCar MRX, featured in the overall top-15 with consistent drives and practically no opposition during the whole race.

The next Império Endurance Brasil round will be the 4 Hours of Interlagos on 7 August.

PHOTOS: Império Endurance Brasil, William Inácio, Rodrigo Ruiz