As a kind of greeting a new country and a new audience, the organizers have arranged a series of 17-kilometer-long parade from the Hungaroring to the historic center of Budapest and held in the city center to Heroes' Square participants show car with an autograph session pilots.
To be precise, of course, Stephen Rattel with his championship has been in Hungary, however, it was in 2011, when a series of still called FIA GT3, so technically it is not considered J One of the stars of the evening autograph session began Bernd Schneider who in 1998 he won the race while another FIA GT Championship at the Hungaroring just — and even a couple with his team partner Mark Weber.
I still remember that race, where we participated in a pair with Mark driving CLK GT1, — Schneider said. — We did not expect any kind of victory, because it was the strongest team the Porsche, but the race was just gorgeous! Of course, since then the competition has changed significantly, but every time we continue to expect to finish in the top 5! Changed and the circuit itself — not much, but still a few sections look different. I came here a couple of times with the School of driving skills AMG, but in the race I will be performing for the first time since 1998!
Unfortunately, I missed the race Ferrari crew numbered 333 teams Rinaldi Racing — for economic reasons. Perhaps we will see the bright green car before the end of the season, but for now their team is only «Black Pearl» (Black Pearl) under the number 66.
On Friday, the track is traditionally held the first practice, and I must say that Audi has once again demonstrated the best time, beating even the Mercedes, including crew Bernd Schneider and Jules Zimkovyaka. But the overall dominance of the two German brands was so high that in the top 8 in the practices of one of the other brands, and did not hit at all.
German competitiveness level and confirmed the qualification, however, is the best time showed AKKA ASP team duo of Felix Rosenquist and Tristan Vautier (1.42.433), who managed to get ahead of Christopher Mies at the wheel of Audi Belgian Club Team WRT 0.07 seconds.
Unfortunately, this is their time, as well as during several other crews was canceled for judges leave the track limits, so for a while the list of qualifications of leaders headed by Lawrence Vanthor. A last attempt Rosenquist was half a second better than his time, which was canceled earlier in the session. So in the end the pole position still got cars from Stuttgart.
Saturday's qualifying race began with an incident between Lamborghini # 101 Attampto Racing team and the Audi # 25 Sainteloc Racing, which resulted in the first, however, the short period of the virtual machine security. Upon the resumption of the race, Felix Rosenquist strengthened its leadership, up from pursuing his Miz almost 4 seconds. In fact, after a few laps both the crew as well, «left» from all other members that were out of the competition.
But the last mandatory pit stop the situation on the track has changed. I do not get tired of repeating that the crew Christoph Miz / Enzo Ide race win is not the pilots, and strategist. Once again, the team is so perfectly calculated the situation that, Audi, drove into the pits on lap later the Mercedes, was able to return ahead of Tristan Vautier who replaced Rosenquist. And now Audi is not hung on the tail of the Mercedes, plus the contrary, Mercedes sought to overtake the Audi. In addition to the two rivals and managed to get one more participant — Frederick Vervish, co-driver Lawrence Vanthora as the Audi R8 LMS. On the last lap puff Audi-Mercedes-Audi was another Mercedes in fourth place — in the person of Maximilian Buka, AMG-Team HTP Motorsport team pilot.
So they finished; fifth place also went to Mercedes crew Jules Zimkovyaka and Bernd Schneider, the sixth position played again the crew of Audi Sainteloc Racing team. Then another Audi, and only managed to cling to the eighth crew at number 63 on the Lamborghini Huracan.
As is known, the main race lines up on the grid in the order in which the pilots finished in the Qualifying Race. The peculiarity of the Hungaroring is the track that usually places for overtaking here provided is minimal, and in the sprint races Blancpain Series in athletes, there are two main possibilities to change the position of the best, either at the start or at the expense of competent pit stop. Typically, but not always.
However, Maximilian Buck used all their opportunities, and the car that is already set at the start of the race pace that allowed him to break into the third turn of the leaders of the second starting line. This happened thanks to the fact that the pole-sitter Enzo Ide and started from second field Tristan Vautier so enthusiastic about the struggle for leadership, they did not notice «proshmygnuvshego» Buka past them. Buku lucky: just a few seconds later, hung over the highway regime virtual safety car due to the collision and McLaren # 59 Audi # 5, so that it is almost two seconds advantage helped him to keep rivals at a good distance. After the restart, the leader has not changed, but Enzo Ide conceded second place Vervishu.
In Sunday's race pitstop leaders have called on one lap, but Audi mechanics have done their job faster than the mechanics of the Mercedes, and as a result have №1 gap from the leader was reduced to 0.6 seconds. But Lawrence Vanthor, who succeeded Vervisha driving the Audi # 1, very soon he saw in his mirror quickly approaching the Audi # 33 Christopher Mies, who have lost a lot of time on unsuccessful pitstope.
Tristan Vautier (Mercedes # 88) did not carry the second consecutive day. Like yesterday in the qualifying race on Sunday he was behind Ida, and up to the window that opens, on the pit-stops he was busy, he was trying to find a way to overtake the Audi. However, after the pit stop Mercedes # 88 and all fell to the fifth position.
Unfortunately, the leaders of the race, and Frederick Lawrence Vanthor Vervish were penalized 30 seconds for an unsafe exit from the pit stop, so that the final results of Sunday's race, they were only eighth.
It is worth noting the crew Ituedun №8, which made the race the most important breakthrough, rising from the starting 16 th place finish in the 9th. Unfortunately, the last time Bentley Boys are not too lucky: once because of a fire on pitstope at Paul Ricard they missed the victory, fortune turned away from them.
The next race Blancpain GT Series will be held at the Nürburgring on September 17–18 as a 3-hour Endurance Race. There we will be able to watch continues to participate in a series of Russian pilot Alexander Mosaic in the team Kaspersky Motorsport.
