The first of the weekend’s two International GT Open races took place this afternoon at Spielberg, Austria. After 70 minutes, the 488 GT3 of Tempesta Racing with Christopher Froggatt and Eddie Cheever III finished in sixth place in the Pro-Am class. It wasn’t the result the British team had hoped for, but Eddie Cheever’s excellent race pace offered some consolation.
In the group. Starting from the back of the grid, Christopher Froggatt moved up to 19th in the first two laps. After tailing the Mercedes of Habul, the former Ferrari Challenge champion passed the German driver of Rowe Racing and held onto 18th position overall until the mandatory pit stop after 29 minutes. Eddie Cheever III then took the wheel of the 488 GT3 of Tempesta Racing, the only Ferrari in the race, and embarked upon a sequence of high-speed laps that kept pace with the race leaders. The Italian climbed a few positions from 18th to 16th overall while remaining in sixth place in the Pro-Am class. In the finale, Cheever suffered a three-second penalty for veering off track.
Race-200. The Italo-British crew at the wheel of the Ferrari is hoping for a podium finish in the 200th race of the International GT Open that kicks off at 2:30 pm tomorrow.