GT4 EUROPEAN SERIES SEASON FINISHES WITH VICTORIES FOR ALLIED RACING, AKKA ASP AND TEAM FULLMOTORSPORT

The curtain came down on the 2021 GT4 European Series at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this afternoon with victories for Allied Racing (Porsche), AKKA ASP (Mercedes-AMG) and Team Fullmotorsport (Audi).

After Saturday’s bad luck, when a post-race penalty cost them the Silver Cup win, Allied Racing drivers Joel Sturm and Bastian Buus were first across the finish line in the final race of the 2021 campaign.

Allied Racing bounces back with Silver Cup victory in race 2

Bastian Buus in the #22 Allied Racing Porsche started the race from second on the Silver Cup grid, but managed to take the lead on the opening lap, with Thijmen Nabuurs (#17 V8 Racing Chevrolet) moving into second place and pole-sitter Roee Meyuhas (#14 Saintéloc Racing Audi) dropping down to third.

The 2020 GT4 European Series Pro-Am champion began to pull away from Nabuurs and shortly before the pit window opened the gap between first and second in Silver Cup was just over four seconds. On track, only the #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG was ahead of Buus, but in a different class.

Sturm took over from Buus for the second part of the race and while he came out of the pits behind the #87 Mercedes-AMG, now driven by Jean-Luc Beaubelique, it was only a matter of laps before the German passed the Frenchman to get to the front of the pack.

The #22 Allied Racing Porsche pulled away and calmly built a solid lead over Jop Rappange in the the #17 V8 Racing Chevrolet and Clement Seyler in the #14 Saintéloc Racing Audi. With less than five minutes remaining the race director declared a full-course yellow, as the #74 CD Sport Mercedes-AMG went off into the wall at Turn 8, freezing the positions until the finish.

Sturm ultimately crossed the line 30.550s ahead of Jop Rappange, with Clement Seyler finishing in third place, just 0.286s behind the Dutchman. The #30 CMR Alpine of Loris Cabirou and Vincent Beltoise crossed the line in fourth, ahead of the #55 Mirage Racing Aston Martin of Ruben del Sarte and Tom Canning, and the #27 AGS Events Aston Martin of César Gazeau and Konstantin Lachenauer.

AKKA ASP takes second Pro-Am Cup win of 2021

Jean-Luc Beaubelique and Jim Pla in the #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG notched their second Pro-Am Cup win of the season at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Pla started the race from pole and managed to keep the #42 Saintéloc Racing Audi of Grégory Guilvert behind him at the start.

The #87 Mercedes-AMG steadily built a big lead throughout the first half of the race and by the time the Pro-Am Cup leaders made their regulatory stop the gap between first and second was almost nine seconds.

Beaubelique managed to keep the lead and only had to give way to the #22 Allied Racing Porsche with 15 minutes remaining. Fabien Michal in the Saintéloc Racing Audi was unable to catch the Mercedes-AMG, having been in a battle with the V8 Racing Chevrolet himself. When the full-course yellow was declared the #87 Mercedes-AMG still had a comfortable lead and Beaubelique crossed the line 5.3s clear of Fabien Michal.

The #718 Centri Porsche Ticino car of Ivan Jacoma and Max Busnelli took third place in the Pro-Am Cup. Unlike other competitors, the Swiss team stayed out of trouble and gradually made its way forward. Ten minutes from the end the Porsche was passed by the #26 Allied Racing Porsche of Alexander Hartvig and Joel Camathias but contact with one of the BMWs ended the race for Allied Racing. The #222 Mirage Racing Team Alpine that had been running in third place during the first half of the race had already retired in the pits during the pit window.

Fourth place in class went to Stephan Guerin and Antoine Leclerc (#36 Arkadia Racing Alpine), with Thomas Hodier and Pierre Courroye (#5 Team Speedcar Audi) and Pierre-Laurent Figuiere and Thomas Martinez (#63 Arkadia Racing Alpine) completing the top-six in the final race.

Team Fullmotorsport ends season in style with Am Cup victory

Team Fullmotorsport drivers Christophe Hamon and Michael Blanchemain scored their sixth win of the season. Despite starting from fourth place, the #69 Audi quickly moved into second place behind the #33 SVC Sport Management Toyota that had started the race from pole position.

Three minutes before the pit window opened the Toyota suddenly appeared in the pits with a problem, allowing the Team Fullmotorsport Audi to move into the lead. The French team only briefly lost the lead during the pit window but took control of the race in the second part and finished the season in style.

Behind the race-winning #69 Audi it was the #89 AGS Events Aston Martin of Nicolas Gomar and Eric Herr that took second place, ahead of Gregory Faessel in the #21 Saintéloc Racing Audi. Completing the Am Cup top six were Paolo Meloni and Massimilano Tresoldi (#50 W&D Racing Team BMW), Benjamin and Mauro Ricci (#61 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG), and Pascal Bachmann and Paul Theysgens (#7 Street Art Racing Aston Martin).

Source. SRO Motorsports Group