conditions, Maurice set a time in the Top 10 (9th). A perfect warm-up before his season gets underway in the Blancpain G
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Team AKKA-ASP
[email protected] Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup - R1 Misano (Italy) 11 avril 2016 15:58 RACE COMMUNICATIONS J. ARPIZOU
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Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup - R1 - Misano (Italy) Three podiums for Team AKKA-ASP…A successful start to the season! The first of five rounds of the 2016 season of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, the Misano event allowed Team AKKA-ASP to make a successful start in this very close championship, with just under 40 cars competing at the highest level. The PRO car of Tristan VAUTIER and Felix ROSENQVIST showed its potential with two best times and a fastest lap, but was finally unlucky, while the duo of Jean-Luc BEAUBELIQUE and Morgan MOULLIN TRAFFORT, with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, finished twice on the Pro-Am podium. A good result to add to a further podium from Anthony PONS in the Blancpain GT Sports Club with the Ferrari 458 Italia GTE and two top-ten results for Maurice RICCI, exceptionally racing in Italy.
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup For this first race of the season, Team AKKA-ASP only entered two of its three cars in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup. While the PRO crew of Tristan VAUTIER and Felix ROSENQVIST was ready for action, a single Mercedes-AMG GT3 was entered in Pro-AM for Jean-Luc BEAUBELIQUE and
Morgan
MOULLIN
TRAFFORT.
Christophe
BOURRET, Jean-Philippe BELLOC’s team-mate in the second Pro-AM car, had injured his shoulder and ribs, meaning that the duo had to postpone their season debut to the second round, which will take place at Brands-Hatch, on May 7th.
Even though this first round took place in Italy, near the usually sunny seaside resort of Misano, the Sprint Cup competitors were faced with rain for the free practice sessions. A rather complicated way to start the season for the close on 40 cars entered in the Championship, who were not able to get any dry running before qualifying. Qualifying is divided into three sections. In the first, the #88 of Tristan VAUTIER set the second fastest time, showing that the work which had been done on the set-up was going in the right direction. By the end of Q2, Felix ROSENQVIST had further proven the matter by setting the fastest time. It was a good surprise for Team AKKA-ASP to see that its two PRO drivers and its Mercedes-AMG GT3 were extremely competitive. The third and final qualifying session allowed the top 20 drivers to face each other to set the grid, but after two laps, it started to rain, and the #88 was unable to improve on its 8th position.
In the #87, Jean-Luc BEAUBELIQUE started his campaign by getting to know both the circuit and the car in dry conditions during Q1. Morgan MOULLIN TRAFFORT took over for Q2, when he set the 5th fastest time overall. Unfortunately, the driver from Toulouse saw his time cancelled as it had been set under red flags. He was eventually able to take part in Q3, but by the time he started the session it had begun to rain and he was unable to do more than 19th, despite the fact that potentially his times are close to those of his PRO team-mates. On Saturday, the qualifying race took place after dark. A night race to start the season… it was not the easiest of exercises, especially knowing that the track was still damp. Tyre choice before the start proved to be a determining factor.
The PRO car being the best placed on the grid, the team decided not to take any risks and to set off on wet tyres. As for the Pro-AM car, Morgan started the race on slicks. In the #88, Felix put in a superb stint, rising from 9th to 5th. The pit stop went well, but the next three laps proved to be rather complicated for Tristan, who lost ground while his tyres took a while to get up to temperature. The driver from Grenoble then put in a storming drive and managed to climb up to 7th position, but did not score any points (as points are only distributed to the top six cars). As for the #87 Pro-AM, the gamble could have paid off… Morgan put in a fantastic stint on slick tyres on a difficult and tricky track. After the stop, Jean-Luc rejoined in the lead of the category. Unfortunately, a small mistake lost him around 30 seconds and the lead of the category, but they still finished on the podium, the first of the season AKKA-ASP this season in the Sprint Cup.
The next day, at the start of the main race, the two AKKA-ASP cars were placed in good positions and could hope for a fine result. Tristan VAUTIER was 7th on the grid and made a perfect start. With a fine stint, close to the leaders, he pitted in 4th position. The pit stop and tyre change went perfectly, but the car refused to start. Around twelve seconds were lost, and Felix ROSENQVIST rejoined in 6th position. On the battle path, the Swedish driver climbed up to 3rd position and set the fastest lap of the race in the process. But two laps from the end, his progress came to an abrupt halt when a fuel feed problem forced the car to stop on the side of the track. Having been within their grasp, their first overall podium finish disappeared.
As Jérôme POLICAND explained, the main feeling was that of frustration : "We set the best time in Q2 with Felix, the best time in the warm-up with Tristan, the fastest lap in the race, and we didn’t score any points… However, it is very satisfying to have two great drivers who make a superb team."
On the Pro-AM front, they fulfilled their contract with their second podium of the weekend, this time on the second step. "Jean-Luc and Morgan put in two fine stints. Once again, it was a great performance from Morgan who finished the work and ended the race just behind the winner. This is all very encouraging for the rest of the season, and we are currently lying second in the championship. We know that there is still a lot of work before Brands-Hatch. We are going in the right way, but we have to strengthen our position in order to keep up the battle in the Blancpain GT Series overall classification."
Sprint Cup Results
Blancpain GT Sports Club In Misano, two cars were entered in the GT Sports Club. The first, the Ferrari 458 Italia GTE driven by Anthony PONS, will take part in the full season, while the second, a Mercedes-AMG GT3, was in the hands of Maurice RICCI for this event only.
of Maurice RICCI for this event only. In the qualifying sessions, Anthony put in an excellent lap to place himself 5th overall, just two tenths off the front line. For Jérôme, the first satisfaction was to see the Ferrari in such a good position. « I was very pleased with this performance as just a month ago a serious incident saw this car partially burnt out. The incredible amount of work put in by the team has paid off! » A last-minute entry, not knowing the circuit and having his first laps in the Mercedes in the dry conditions, Maurice set a time in the Top 10 (9th). A perfect warm-up before his season gets underway in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in Monza in two week’s time.
On Saturday, the GT Sports Club Qualifying Race allowed Team AKKA-ASP to claim their first podium of the season. A first that was very pleasing for Jérôme POLICAND : "Anthony PONS gave the team its first podium of 2016 after a fine fight. The race took place in the rain, which made the drivers’ task more difficult, as this was their first experience of this circuit in the wet. Anthony climbed up the field and onto the podium during the last two laps, while Maurice finished 7th, an honourable performance considering that driving the Mercedes in these conditions is far from an easy task…. A great way to start."
The next day, for the main race, the starting positions on the grid were those of the qualifying race. Anthony therefore started from the second row, and Maurice from the 4th. When the lights went green, Maurice made an excellent start – perhaps too good as he went from
When the lights went green, Maurice made an excellent start – perhaps too good as he went from 7th to 3rd on the first lap, and was awarded a penalty for a jump start. He dropped down the field but put in a fantastic performance to finish 9th. Having really enjoyed driving the MercedesAMG GT3, Maurice is impatient to get underway with the first round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in Monza. For Anthony, the day did not turn out as he might have hoped. Fighting for the podium until halfway through the race, the AKKA-ASP driver then lost control of his Ferrari when re-accelerating after an overtaking manœuvre, and finished his race in the gravel bed. The overall result is positive, as the performance is clearly there, but unfortunately not the results which the team could have expected. A lot was learned over the weekend, and the focus will now be Brands Hatch.
Sports Club Results The first meeting of the season might have just finished, but the team is already thinking of the next event … the first round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in Monza, the temple of Italian motorsport and a major global motorsport venue. The same cars, the Mercedes-AMG GT3, but different drivers. Team AKKA-ASP will enter two cars, one in Pro-AM and one in AM. The Pro-AM car will be driven by a totally new crew, made up of Daniele PERFETTI, Michael LYONS and Laurent CAZENAVE. In AM, two team regulars, Jean-Luc BEAUBELIQUE and Maurice RICCI will be joined by Gilles VANNELET. See you again soon for another Italian high-adrenaline weekend, on April 23rd and 24th…
Photos@Patrick Hecq
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