LP Racing and RTR score GT2 European wins at Paul Ricard

The FANATEC GT2 European Series was back last weekend with two Saturday races at Paul Ricard, one at day and other at dusk, and it was a KTM vs. Maserati battle during both events, with the No. 1 LP Racing Maserati getting the first win while the No. 89 RTR KTM was the second winner in a thrilling finish that will certainly keep the spectators over the season.
 
LP Racing got it right by deciding to expand its Maserati side of the program, with cars lining up on pole and third, with the No. 2 LP Racing Maserati jumping right in front of the No. 88 KTR KTM at the go to protect the No. 1 LP Racing Maserati, with Philippe Prette trying to get less busy as he was trying to build distance away from Jan Krabec.
 
Stéphane Ratel is in what can be called a second period of his racing career outside his duties at SRO, and the No. 88 LP Racing Audi was in more need of a proper run after a spin at the final sector.
 
After a brief Safety Car period, the No. 2 Maserati was spun out by the No. 812 MZR KTM after being unsettled by the No 10 Racinglab KTM. The No. 10 of Ronnie Bremer was in direct pursuit of the No. 1 of Leonardo Gorini, and opted to further his stint as the No. 1 got into the pits for regular window service.
 
The pit window threw the No. 10 behind the No. 1 and the No. 812, and at some point it could be envisioned that the No. 89 RTR KTM could join the party with Mat’o Homola at the wheel.
 
After many minutes trailing Jakob Mathiassen, Homola finds the way past but in the middle of the maneuver the No. 89 found the back of the No. 10 spun it out. In the end, neither Homola nor Reinhold Kofler could do something to reach the No. 1 LP Racing Maserati, as the No. 812 MZR KTM got a ten second penalty due to contact and the No. 10 Racinglab KTM was too far back.
 
The No. 87 Akkodis-ASP Mercedes was the Am Cup winner with a tiny margin over the No. 24 TFT Maserati.
 
GT2 European Series - Paul Ricard Race 1 results
 

Race 2 had the No. 1 LP Racing Maserati on pole and that’s where the car crossed the first corner, with Carlo Tamburini trying to hold it for nearly a full lap only to concede to the No. 812 MZR KTM as Reinhold Kofler established a gap to Tamburini.
 
In the Am Cup, Dominik Olbert could have kept the No. 90 Razoon KTM, but trying to get around the No. 10 Racelab KTM brought a contact and both cars spun, with the No. 90 staying where it stopped, calling the Safety Car on track. This promoted the No. 2 LP Racing Maserati to the top of the Pro-Am Cup, with the No. 61 Akkodis-ASP Mercedes working as a shield from the class opposition.
 
While the No. 812 kept the lead after the pit window, the No. 1 pretty much tumbled down to eighth overall and and sixth in the Pro-Am Cup, even behind the sister No. 2 entry. Which recovered the Am Cup lead as it passed the No. 888 NM Mercedes in front of the No. 1, which meant the Maseratis were pretty much out of contention, or at least out of the way of the KTM domination.
 
With the No. 1 out of contention for the win, Martin Koch’s worries turned to the No. 89 RTR KTM and Jan Krabec, who was glued on him and was faster. Surprisingly, the LP Racing Maseratis had pace for podium, so they put the team play into work on the No. 80 Razoon KTM, which would help the No. 1 get the overall and Pro-Am Cup podiums while the No. 2 kept the Am Cup lead.
 
Even more incredible was the fact that Leonardo Gorini had the pace to close down on the leading KTMs. The final lap started with Gorini passing two for one, but slowing down and spinning later. The KTMs were then allowed to fight and the No. 812 MZR KTM resisted the aggressiveness from the No. 89 RTR KTM until the final corner, and the top speed battle to the line was conquered by the No. 89 by a tiny margin, with the No. 2 LP Racing Maserati completing the overall podium and winning the Am Cup.
 
GT2 European Series - Paul Ricard Race 2 results
 
Next stop for the GT2 European Series is Misano on 18 and 19 May.
 
PHOTOS: SRO/JEP