Marc VDS BMW grabs fourth straight win while Blancpain-Reiter Lamborghini duo reign in PRO-AM

	Silverstone, Britain: AT THE FLAG
Marc VDS BMW grabs fourth straight win while Blancpain-Reiter Lamborghini duo reign in PRO-AM
Blancpain Endurance Series - Race PRO CUP - Top Three 1  M Palttala (FIN)/B Leinders (BEL)/ M Martin (BEL)  3:00:04.708   73 LAPS     3, Marc VDS Racing Team (BEL) BMW Z4             2  A Piccini (ITA)/L Vanthoor (BEL)/E Sandstrom (SWE) 3:00:59.500   +54.792    2, Belgian Audi Club Team WRT (BEL)    Audi R8 LMS Ultra 3  C Haase (DEU)/C Mies (DEU)/ S Ortelli (MON)        3:01:59.188   +55.480    1, Belgian Audi Club Team WRT (BEL)    Audi R8 LMS Ultra PRO-AM CUP - Top Three 1  M A. Hayek (CHE)/P Kox (NLD)                       3:01:59.345   73 Laps    24, Blancpain Reiter (DEU) Lamborghini LP600+             2  E Amos (ITA)/A Bonacini (ITA)/G Petrobelli (ITA)   3:02:21.291   +21.946    57, Vita4One Team Italy (ITA) Ferrari 458 Italia 3  J Wakefield (GBR)/A Ceccato (ITA)/M Lyons (GBR)    3:00:17.115   +1 LAP    59, Vita4One Team Italy (ITA) Ferrari 458 Italia Gentleman Trophy - Top Three 1  M Bender (SWE)/J Brunstedt (SWE)/J Mangs           3:01:17.247   69 Laps    98, JB Motorsport (SWE) Audi R8 LMS             2  R Hissom (GBR)/P Hirschi (CHE)                     3:01:18.553   +1.306    41, Sainteloc Racing (FRA) Audi R8 LMS 3  P Paladino (VEN)/P Andreasi (VEN)/B Caccia (CHE)   3:01:41.432   +2 LAPS    73, Kessel Racing (ITA) Ferrari 430 Scuderia
The Marc VDS Racing BMW Z4 of Markus Palttala (FIN) and Belgian pair Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin recorded their second-straight victory in the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series with a stunning performance at Silverstone. Second was the No.2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 of Andrea Piccini (ITA), Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) and Edward Sandstrom (SWE) with the sister Audi, theNo.1 of Christopher Haase (DEU), Christopher Mies (DEU) and Stephane Ortelli (MCO). At the finish, Martin, doing the final stint, was over a minute clear on a rain-soaked Silverstone circuit. In all, it was the fourth straight PRO CUP win for the Marc VDS team. They opened the 2012 season with an equally impressive victory in Monza in the first round. Prior to that, wins also came at Magny Cours and at the season-finale at Silverstone in 2011. Team manager Leinders was delighted with the win. “It was a great team effort again. Four wins in a row is incredible,” he said. “We worked flat out all winter, concentrating on improving the cars with BMW Motorsport. The team is very concentrated on our aims every single week. “We don’t always have the fastest car on track although it seems like it. We just strive to bring everything together – the strategy, the drivers, mechanics, the engineers, the pit stops – everything has been pushed to the limit to produce results like this. “Both Markus and Max did great stints and again we didn’t make any mistakes. The pit stops were excellent again which helped us get to the front. We work hard training to get them right and it shows in the race.” Victory in the PRO-AM class went to Peter Kox (NLD) and Marc A. Hayek (CHE) in the Blancpain Reiter Lamborghini LP600. The pair were fourth overall. Second in the class was the No.57 Vita4One Team Italy Ferrari 458 Italia of Italian trio Eugenio Amos, Alessandro Bonacini and Giacomo Petrobelli just ahead of their Vita4One Italy Ferrari stablemates Josh Wakefield (GBR), Andrea Ceccato (ITA) and Michael Lyons (GBR). In the Gentleman Trophy class, honours went to the No.98 JB Motorsport Audi R8 LMS of Swedes Mikael Bender, Jan Brunstedt and Jocke Mangs. Second was the Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS No.41 of Robert Hissom (GBR) and Pierre Hirschi (CHE) with the No.73 Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia of Paolo Andreasi (VEN), Pablo Paladino (VEN) and Beniamino Caccia (CHE) third.
How to follow the Blancpain Endurance Series: Online: Live streaming of each race will also be shown on the official web site www.blancpainendurance-series.com Watch the 2012 season preview on the Blancpain Endurance Series Youtube channel. Read David Addison’s blog Moonlighting at www.blancpain-endurance-series.com Television: The series will feature in live broadcast across 22 channels globally with a number of other key broadcasters showing extended highlights in territories such as Europe, Australia, North America and Latin America. Bloomberg Television will also broadcast highlights worldwide (Americas, Pan Euro, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific). That all adds up to a global audience reach of over 350 million homes. Motors TV will carry live coverage to viewers in over 20 countries across Europe. Cameron Kelleher Head of Communications SRO Motorsports Group Blancpain, a tradition of innovation for over 275 years In 1735, Jehan-Jacques Blancpain began his watchmaking activity and installed his first workshop on the upper floor of his family home in Villeret, a village in the Swiss Jura mountains. By inscribing his name in the official communal property register, this pioneer created an establishment that is now the world’s oldest watch brand. Throughout its history, Blancpain has succeeded in maintaining solid continuity in its capacity for innovation and its respect for traditional horological values. Whether by perfecting complications, designs and production methods, or by exploring new horizons, the Manufacture has been devoted for more than 275 years to taking the art of watchmaking to places it has never yet ventured. From the first models created in the 18th century to the prestigious timepieces currently emerging from its workshops, Blancpain has forged an authentic tradition of innovation. The key to its success lies in the mastery of all fields involved in making an exceptional mechanical timepiece – from the creation of the movement and its components through to the functional design of the watch, along with the choice of materials and the extremely refined and entirely hand-crafted finishing. Without ever straying from its precious heritage, the brand steadfastly pursues its quest for performance, precision and elegance by offering a range of exceptional timepieces equipped with the most sophisticated horological complications. The nature of its collections – including the pure lines of the Villeret, the efficient complexity of Le Brassus, and the avant-garde design of L- evolution – is firmly rooted in watchmaking traditions while constantly pushing them towards new limits. In the same way, the ladies’ collection celebrates beauty and refinement, while the Sport collection is composed of instrument watches that are ready to face any situation on land, under water or in the air. While remaining unswervingly loyal to its values, Blancpain regularly associates with partners that share its passion for excellence. Whether in the field of motorsports, sailing, scuba diving, or that of gastronomy and the art of living, the Manufacture is proud of its partnerships that represent far more than mere co-branding. On the contrary, Blancpain commits itself fully to such forms of cooperation by joining forces with its partners in a determination to excel and to foster both creativity and authenticity. www.blancpain.com