Thick qualifications when traveling in a second — for example, at this stage — 24 (!!!) crew. It is an incredible struggle for position in the race, when every pilot must not only attack vperediiduschego, but also to defend themselves from the person who behind his back, and every time a crazy finish, the result of which is solved in the literal sense to the checkered flag level.
Another sprint stage at the Nurburgring was no exception. The last race in the series is definitely dominated by Audi, and the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT takes not only the quality but also the quantity at the top of the peloton. Perhaps today Blancpain GT Series is the only significant competition, which has remained the dominant Audi. Unfortunately, the WEC has long ago played the Porsche, too, is not very lucky in the DTM brand from Ingolstadt, and here they just all not just right, but fine. And, although competition from other brands is really great, and Bentley, McLaren, Mercedes, and even Ferrari literally on the heels, Audi manages to not only fight, but also to teach some special Stalking learned driving skills and the skill of the pit stop.
On the basis of qualifications quickly found himself on the German track two McLarena 59 Garage Team — # 58 (Rob Bell and Alvaro Parente) and # 59 (Martin Plauman and Kom Ledogar), but # 59 was fined and rolled to the very tail of the peloton, so that for the entire first part of the Qualification race until the pit stop, Alvaro Parente, Oates alone with rivals, had to fend off behind the Audi # 33 team of Belgian Audi Club team WRT (Christopher Mize and Enzo Ide) and Mercedes # 84 HTP Motorsport Maximilian Buka and Dominik Baumann, the winners of the main race on Brends Hatch.
Curiously, the further starting grid Nürburgring was densely occupied by four other Audi R8 LMS with the difference between the 4 th and 7 th position in 0.05 seconds, and only in the 8th position somehow managed to get Lamborghini Huracan GT3, so we can say that in addition to the quality of training of cars from Ingolstadt, German track they just clearly appropriate.
Others crews following series are located much deeper in the peloton. So, Rinaldi Racing were on the 14th position, 8 crew Bentley Boys — only 16 minutes, and Bernd Schneider and Jules Zhimkovyak and all started from the second dozen (P24). Incidentally, it is worth recalling that it was Bernd Schneider in the crew Black Falcon Mercedes team won this year's 24-hour race here on the Nürburgring.
Blancpain Series Sprint races are good because they are very revealing not only the speed and skill of pilots, mechanics and skills during a pit stop. It is impossible to say which is more important, and that is the charm.
On Saturday during the qualifying race the entire first part of the lead is the McLaren # 58, and the Audi # 33 «hung» on his tail trying in vain to attack, but it was the perfect execution pitstop brought a team of Belgian club in the first place: by lightning change pilots and work Audi engineers pitstop was 7 seconds shorter than that of rivals!
And reverse №33 has not ceded its leadership to the finish, although the McLaren attack did not stop for a second. In motor racing it is difficult to say which role is more difficult — the hunter or the prey, but in this situation, Enzo Ide behind the wheel of Audi obviously had not sweet. Having met on the street this guy — a complete and seemingly clumsy, more like a «nerd» at the expense of glasses and a curly head of hair rather than a race pilot — never think that he is not just a racing driver, but also the winner of several stages a very competitive series, That's how it is!
Moreover, this season the crew №33 Enzo Ide and Christopher Maiza — the only ones who managed to win just two races in the Cup Sprint (also race in the Brand's Hatch), and Saturday's victory, they further strengthen their position in the standings.
As a result, the difference at the finish between Audi R8LMS # 33 and McLaren 650 S # 58 was only 0.304 seconds! But, in addition, what happened was extremely interested in the first row of the peloton, and watch over how several crews, clenching his teeth, broke forward from distant positions. Unfortunately, in the beginning out of luck Vanthoru Lawrence, winner of the main race at Misano, which started from P4. After falling in the first turn in a small «batch», he was the main victims, and immediately rolled back deeply.
But Bentley # 8 (Maxim Sula and Andy bitches), which consistently show a great will to win, managed in the Qualification race recoup 16 6 result and Mercedes # 86 Schneider and Zhimkovyaka — and even more: up to 12 positions to P8 on finish line and became the last to earn points in the Qualifying race
Marco Zifrid and Norbert Sidler (Rinaldi racing # 333) is first able to recoup up to P8, but in the end finished only in 12th place.
In the main race, the peloton started in the order in which finished Saturday's Qualifying Race, but already from the start the situation has changed: McLaren # 58 finally managed to realize that could not get him the day before. After a good start of the Audi # 33 is now had only to look at his brake lights, which were removed farther and farther. Subject hunters and production got its further development!
In contrast, the Qualifying Race on Sunday, all the main issues have been resolved in the first half an hour before the pit stop window opened on. Already in the first lap of the machine «spread out» along the road according to their ambitions, with major attacks committed Mercedes # 84 crew Jules Zhimkovyaka (who started) and Bernd Schneider, as well as the Ferrari # 333 Rinaldi Racing team. The Rinaldi main race start was entrusted to Norbert Sidler, who performed miracles piloting, bypassing the track rivals one after the other and stamping turns laps of the track. By the twentieth minute of the race Sidler managed to break through on the P4, and in fact started with a crew of 12 places on the grid!
Young Jules Zhimkovyak also very quickly moved from eighth position to third. This pilot, who played last year in the Silver Cup for the team of the Bentley, and really very fast, that even mentioned his running mate Bernd Schneider, said in a brief interview that Jules does not need any advice, because as he knows what to do. Unfortunately, the start of the main race was extremely unfortunate for the two Bentley. Andy bitches (№8) clearly breaks forward from the first meters of the grid, but then turns out to be sandwiched between the two Audi, flies over the track, and then slowing down, stopping at the end of the circle to the pitlane due to technical problems. The car quickly reduced, but the gap in the circle will not be compensated. Then, technical problems also affected the team's second car, and as a result №7 pits and more on the road does not go out.
After a wave of pit stop McLaren # 58 continues to lead, but the second place there is the Audi # 28 René Rast and Will Stevens, and so retains the position until the end of the race. Bernd Schneider also holds third place, but the Ferrari 333 rolls on the 5th position, which in the end and finish.
For Rinaldi Racing and Marco Zifrida entire second part of the race was dedicated to the defense of the advancing behind Maximilian Buka to Mercedes # 84, which once even forced the German pilot to make a mistake — but without any consequences. As a result, the finish on the P5, but for Buka — P6.
Audi # 33 finished the race in 4th place.
It takes 10 minutes to finish the race stewards announced that at the end of arrival will be investigated car start №58, implying that it could prevent some violation. But in the end it was decided that everything happened according to the rules.
For Rob Bell is the third victory this year. Before that, he found himself twice in the first step of the podium in the two-Endurance Challenge: at Monza and Le Castel. Now, thanks to his first victory in the sprints, he has managed to create a gap of 44 points from the next couple of pilots — Maksimilana Buka and Dominik Baumann, who tied for second place in the standings. Third at the moment — Kom Ledogar.
The next stage of Blancpain GT Series will be held in Belgium. This will be the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps track.
