Victory for Sky Tempesta Racing in Pro-Am in 1000 Km of Paul Ricard

The 1000 km of Paul Ricard, the second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, ended with an exciting victory for Ferrari in the Pro-Am class, plus a fourth and fifth place with plenty of regrets in the Pro class. Sky Tempesta Racing's 488 GT3 Evo 2020 crewed by Froggatt-Cheever-Hui completed a thrilling finish to a chase that began with two hours to go. In the Pro class, the second place conquered by the Ferrari of Iron Lynx no. 71 on the track was snatched away by a penalty that relegated it to fifth place, behind its teammates in no. 51.

In the lead. The first half of the race saw the Ferraris of Iron Lynx among the top ten in the Pro class. Rigon’s decent pace put him in fourth after holding second in the first stint, while Ledogar ascended the standings to ninth before handing over to Nielsen. With the driver change, Rigon made way for Ilott. In the Pro-Am class, Sky Tempesta Racing was among the leaders, with Hui and Froggatt also occupying top spot for a long time. After finding its rhythm in the early stages, the Iron Lynx 488 GT3 Evo 2020 with Dorian Pin and Sarah Bovy climbed into the top ten while the Kessel Racing Ferrari fought towards the back of the field. The two Ferraris of AF Corse and that of Rinaldi Racing retired early, all due to accidents or contacts.

Safety Car. The entry of the Safety Car with just over two hours to go compacted the whole group and triggered a new sprint race with the Ferraris in the first five positions of the Pro class, thanks to Antonio Fuoco and Alessandro Pier Guidi, while Eddie Cheever took second place in the Pro-Am. Fuoco's pace allowed the Italian to pass Mapelli's Lamborghini to take second with 23 minutes remaining while Pier Guidi repeatedly attempted a similar move on Vanthoor's Audi. The finale brought an investigation into Fuoco's Ferrari's last pit stop, which led to a 10-second penalty imposed after the race. This promoted the twin car, no. 51 driven by Pier Guidi to fourth place, just three tenths off the podium.

Triumph. The Pro-Am class saw a spectacular double stint by Eddie Cheever, who managed to catch up with the FFF Racing Lamborghini. Taking advantage of a five-second penalty due to an accident provoked by the latter during the race, Cheever drove the Sky Tempesta Racing 488 GT3 Evo 2020 to victory with teammates Chris Froggatt and Jonathan Hui. Katherine Legge, Dorian Pin and Sarah Bovy notched up an excellent sixth, becoming the first female crew in the GT World Challenge Europe to finish in the points. The Kessel Racing Ferrari finished eighth.

Programme. The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS will be back on track at Zandvoort from 18 to 20 June for the Sprint Cup, while the next round of the Endurance Cup will be the eagerly awaited 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps from 29 July to 1 August.