FIRST GT4 EUROPEAN SERIES VICTORY FOR ALLIED RACING IN 2021, SAINTELOC RACING AND BORUSAN OTOMOTIV MOTORSPORT TAKE CLASS WINS AT SPA

Allied Racing’s Nicolaj Møller-Madsen and Joel Sturm bounced back from retirement in yesterday’s race with a win in race 2 at Spa. The #22 Porsche took control during the pit window and finished well ahead of the other Silver Cup runners.

Victory in the Pro-Am Cup went to the #42 Sainteloc Racing Audi of Gregory Guilvert and Fabien Michal after a late-race scrap with the #34 Selleslagh Racing Team Mercedes-AMG, while Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport’s Cem Bolukbasi took a commanding second victory in the Am Cup.

Møller-Madsen and Sturm claim first victory in Silver Cup in 2021

The second race got underway on a damp circuit, and it was Charlie Fagg in the #23 United Autosports McLaren who moved into the lead as the cars rounded La Source for the first time, followed by Timothé Buret (#88 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG) and Nicolaj Møller-Madsen (#22 Allied Racing Porsche). Five minutes into the race the safety car was deployed after the #90 Trivellato Racing by Villorba Corse Mercedes-AMG went off at the top of Raidillon, but not before Møller-Madsen had taken second from Buret.

After the restart it was Dean Macdonald in the #32 United Autosports McLaren who went on a mission. Macdonald passed the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG and the #30 CMR Alpine and then went on to catch Møller-Madsen and Fagg, who were now engaged in a battle for the lead. Møller-Madsen made his stop with 30 minutes left on the clock, briefly resulting in a one-two for the United Autosports team.

The Allied Racing Porsche took the lead when the two United Autosports McLarens emerged from the pits, with Joel Sturm passing both Bailey Voisin and Gus Bowers as he climbed Raidillon. Sturm pulled away from the other Silver Cup competitors, as Loris Cabirou closed in on the two United Autosports cars. With 20 minutes to go Bowers spun the #32 McLaren on the exit of Les Combes, allowing Cabirou to take third place.

Cabirou and Voisin battled for second place and on the final lap there was contact between the two at the exit of turn 13. The contact left the #32 McLaren with a punctured left-rear tyre and handed Cabirou second place. Out in front, Sturm controlled the race and after completing 21 laps the #22 Porsche crossed the line to take Allied Racing’s first victory of 2021.

The #30 CMR Alpine finished in second place, 19.969s behind the race-winning Porsche. The #8 CMR Toyota of Antoine Potty and Stephane Lémeret grabbed third, with Potty overtaking the damaged McLaren of Voisin out of the last corner. Voisin finished in fourth place, ahead of the #55 Mirage Racing Aston Martin and the second United Autosports McLaren.

Five from eight for Guilvert and Michal in Pro-Am Cup

Gregory Guilvert and Fabien Michal (#42 Saintéloc Racing Audi) came out on top in the battle for Pro-Am Cup honours at Spa. The pair took a fifth win of the season after a late-race fight with the #34 Selleslagh Racing Team Mercedes-AMG of Luca Bosco and Maxime Soulet.

The #42 Audi started from second on the grid and initially it was the #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG driven by Jim Pla that held top spot, but with just over half an hour remaining Guilvert made a pass for the lead.

After the pit stops Michal still led for Saintéloc Racing, but behind him the Selleslagh Racing Team Mercedes-AMG closed in rapidly. As the laps went by Bosco made significant gains and with only a couple of minutes remaining the young Italian driver tried to pass Michal around the outside at the Bus Stop chicane, but ran out of road and had to get back in behind the Audi.

On the last lap Michal went wide at the exit of the Bus Stop, but he held on to the lead and crossed the line 0.441s ahead of Bosco. Alexander Hartvig and Joel Camathias completed the Pro-Am Cup top-three in the #26 Allied Racing Porsche.

Fourth place went to the #2 CD Sport Mercedes-AMG of Jean-Ludovic Foubert and Hugo Chevalier, with Stefan Guerin and Antoine Leclerc taking fifth in the #36 Arkadia Racing Alpine. Ralf Kelleners and Christian Gisy completed the Pro-Am Cup top-six with the #9 Hella Pagid – racing one Audi.

Bolukbasi sweeps Am Cup with second Spa victory

Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport driver Cem Bolukbasi had quite a race in the Am Cup and took his second victory in as many outings. The young Turkish driver started from the 19th row of the grid but fought back brilliantly to take class honours by finishing 11th overall.

An impressive opening run saw Bolukbasi reeling off fast lap times on a drying track and at the halfway point of the race the #12 BMW was already up in fifth overall. Bolukbasi eventually lost a couple of positions on the road but finished the race 24.348s clear of the next Am Cup competitor, the #3 CMR Toyota of Wilfried Cazalbon and Andrea Benezet. Third place went to the #69 Team Fullmotorsport Audi that had also started the race from the back as Christophe Hamon and Michael Blanchemain finished 36.957s behind the race-winning BMW.

Benjamin Ricci claimed fourth place in the #61 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG, ahead of Dutchman Bob Herber in the #35 Selleslagh Racing Team Mercedes-AMG and the #50 W&D Racing Team BMW of Paolo Meloni and Massimiliano Tresoldi.

The next race on the GT4 European Series calendar is the Nürburgring on September 3-5.

Source. SRO Motorsports Group