It was hot for the 7th and 8th rounds of the GT2 European Series, held last weekend in Germany, at the very technical track that is Hockenheim. With 740hp under the hood, and 32°C on the thermostat, the teams were keeping an eye on tyre degradation. But it would take more than that to destabilise the Akkodis ASP Team crew, who shone once again. In AM, the duo of Jean-Luc Beaubelique-Gilles Vannelet pocketed their third victory after having taken a 2nd place finish the previous day in the #87 Mercedes-AMG GT2. Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon (#53) had another podium, allowing the team to set another 1-2 finish for Race 2. Unfortunately, in Pro-AM, the efforts and performance of the crew of Mauro and Benjamin Ricci (#61) did not pay off, as they were victims of a contact and had to abandon Race 1, and then they spun out in Race 2, after having spent most of the race near the front. In the championship, Gilles Vannelet and Jean-Luc Beaubelique took the lead in AM, and Akkodis ASP kept hold of their team title. After the long summer break, the series will be heading south towards Italy and the circuit of Monza for two more rounds, on the 21st and 22nd of September.
As of free practice, the heat was suffocating at the Hockenheimring. The drivers were dehydrating as fast as the tyres were degrading. For Gilles Vannelet and Jean-Luc Beaubelique (#87), as well as Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon (#53), they took a gentle start to the track. For Mauro and Benjamin Ricci (#61), the session was cut short following a problem with a hose.
The following day, it was the opposite in pre-qualifying, which were spectacular for the father-son duo. Benjamin Ricci (#61) dominated the track and set the best time, improving by almost two seconds with 1:41.093s. It was also an excellent performance in AM where Jean-Luc Beaubelique (#87) went fastest. Akkodis ASP Team was on the ball
Race 1 – An AM podium to start with…
Meanwhile, the safety car came out on track. Gilles Vannelet was not surprised at the restart and kept hold of his advantage, aiming to widen the gap on his pursuers. Christophe Bourret set an excellent pace and overtook for 8th place. At the refuelling and driver change, he was the first to join the pits, while Gilles Vannelet stayed out for as long as possible
In the second stint, Jean-Luc Beaubelique came out in P2, while Pascal Gibon was P9. The laps went by and Jean-Luc was under menace from the #812 which ended up overtaking him, but didn’t affect his 2nd position in AM
The #87 crossed the line in P4 overall and P2 AM, a new podium for the Beaubelique-Vannelet duo. Pascal Gibon and Christophe Bourret (#53) finished P6 AM
Race 2 – Second 1-2 finish in AM for the Team and third victory for the #87
The final race of the weekend started in the middle of the afternoon. The weather was a bit cloudier but still just as warm.
From the third place on the grid, Benjamin Ricci (#61) executed a perfect start and took P2. Pascal Gibon (#53) was P9 (P3 AM), just ahead of Jean-Luc Beaubelique (#87).
At the front, it was a frantic pace. The #61 and the #98 had a good battle, but Benjamin Ricci kept the advantage. The fight was just as tough in the pack where Pascal Gibon took two positions
For the driver change, Jean-Luc Beaubelique was the first to hand over his car with a minimum refuelling time extended by 7s, due to the morning’s podium. He was followed by Pascal Gibon and in last place, Benjamin Ricci
After the changes, Mauro Ricci was P2, Christophe Bourret P7 (P3 AM), and Gilles Vannelet P8 (P4 AM). But the pace accelerated for the driver of the #87, and with 10 minutes to go, he was leading the category, ahead of Christophe Bourret. Attacked by the #89, still P2, Mauro Ricci resisted remarkably. But a safety car came to stop the fun. Shortly after the restart, Mauro was overtaken by two cars, before spinning, pushed to P10
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