Championship leaders responded today in Race 2 at the Paul Ricard, taking their third success of the season and extending again their gap in the standings. Luca Franca and Ian Rodriguez, the pair of FAEMS Team left no options to the rivals, winning an intense and beautiful race.
They beat Laura van den Hengel and Paul Meijer in the Burgers Motorsport by HWM Porsche, who took second thanks to a fantastic final charge by the latter and sign a fifth success in Pro-Am, extending their lead.
Third were Lars Zaenen and Gonçalo Fernandes (Q1 Trackracing), while yesteray’s winnes Luca Armanni and Ludovico Longoni (ZRS Motorsport) were fourth and now have a 21-point gap in the standings with respect to Franca-Rodriguez.
Cassio de Mello (GDL Racing) took the win in Am, finishing sixth overall.
THE RACE - The race started with the Greystone GT McLaren Artura of Ollie Webb in pole. The Brit had the best kick-off, while Armanni, who cut off at first corner, had to give back the position and in the process was passed by Babini for second. Papi, vepes, Mello, Franca and Falvey were following. Soon Svepes became third and the leading trio was within one second for some laps, with the Austrian passing the Italian before having to concede the position again. Armanni was fourth ahead of Papi, Franca, Mello and Zaenen and that was the situation up to opening of the driver change window (lap 10).
After all changes, Scannichhio was in the lead, 10 seconds ahead of Fortuna leading a compact group comprising James, Fernandes, Rodriguez, Armanni, Martins and Mello. The race then saw in action the ‘chargers’, with Rodriguez climbing to second by lap 16 and taking the lead two laps from the end, while Meijer also stormed through the field to pass Fernandes in the last meters. Armanni, Scannicchio and Mello completed the top six, with the Brazilian winning in Am after an incident with Martins.