Hook and Earle stand out at Misano

Two Ferraris on the podium and twin successes in the Titanium and Iron Cup classes were the spoils taken by Maranello machinery from Race-2 of the Blancpain GT Sports Club held today at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Christian Hook, after yesterday’s success, commanded the Titanium Cup finishing second overall, accompanied by Murad Sultanov on the third step of the podium, while Stephen Earle celebrated his fifth triumph of the season in the Iron Cup.

Three-headed tustle. The race looked to have been scripted around the clash between Christian Hook and Jens Reno Moller, with the Ferrari driver playing the role of the hare and the Honda man cast as the hound. Hook’s plan to replicate yesterday’s Race-1 victory, however, came a cropper eleven minutes from the end, when trying to take advantage of a minor twitch from the Ferrari driver, Moller was able to snatch the race lead. To the rear of the pair, in the phase immediately prior to the overtaking manoeuvre, Murad Sultanov had been able to close the gap which had opened during earlier laps after a start hampered by some close jostling with Mario Cordoni. The driver in the Kessel Racing livery, having witnessed the overtaking between Moller and Hook, tried in turn to spring an attack on the leader of the Titanium class, but misjudged the gap and rear-ended the Ferrari #33 sending it into a spin. Both drivers got back into the race, but Moller by now looked uncatchable. Race stewards dished out a sanction, almost immediately, for Sultanov’s move, forcing him in for a drive-through, which allowed Hook to re-establish himself in second spot, while Sultanov, came back out on track in fourth position, immediately getting the better of Malagamuwa’s Lamborghini to return to third, a position he held until the chequered flag dropped.

Cordoni comeback. In the Overall class, Mario Cordoni’s chances of winning faded no sooner had the race began, when the Italian was forced to endure a drive-through for a jump start. The AF Corse ace then staged a very effective comeback to take fifth overall place, third in his class, achieved when he overhauled Pavel Strukov aboard StileF Squadra Corse’s 488 GT3 in the final laps. In the Iron Cup, Stephen Earle once again took the top honours ahead of team-mates Rick Lovat and Howard Blank.

Round 4. Next stop for the Blancpain GT Sports Club is scheduled for 20 / 21 July at the Belgian Spa-Francorchamps track for the fourth and penultimate round of the series.