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2012
Blancpain Endurance Series Titles
clinched at Navarra
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Belgian Audi Club Team
WRT clinched both the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series drivers’ and
teams’ titles at Navarra in a dramatic and incident-filled afternoon, as the
usual Spanish sunshine turned to a torrential downpour.
The No.1 WRT Audi R8
LMS ultra of Christopher Mies (DEU), Christopher Haase, (DEU) and Stephane
Ortelli (MCO) finished the race in second place under safety car conditions
in the wet weather, bringing home the drivers’ championship, finishing on 114
points for the season.
An emotional Stephane
Ortelli explained his feelings: “I’m so happy for the team. I was already
happy when we were running in second place. I think both Christophers have
done a great job today. I didn’t do that much, but they both drove great
stints. They had the chance to pass some cars, before the safety car was
deployed.”
Ortelli thanked team
owner Vincent Vosse: “Every point counts in this championship. Vincent told
me at Monza, ‘If you continue like this we can win the championship at the
end of the season.’”
Their closest rivals in
the No.3 Marc VDS Racing Team BMW, Bas Leinders (BEL), Markus Palttala (FIN)
and Maxime Martin (BEL) finished second in the championship with 111 points.
The BMW took fourth in the race, behind the second Team WRT Audi of Filipe
Albuquerque (PRT), Frank Stippler (DEU) and Oliver Jarvis (GBR).
In the PRO Cup Teams’
Championship, Belgian Audi Club Team WRT finished with a total of 125 points,
after winning at Paul Ricard. Marc VDS was close behind with 119 points with
wins at Monza and Silverstone plus strong consistency throughout the season.
In third place was the Belgian Prospeed Competition team with 78 points.
Hexis Racing scored a
superb win in mixed conditions at Circuito Navarra today with its McLaren
MP14-12C in its first Blancpain Endurance Series race this year. The
French-based team of Alvaro Parente (PRT), Stef Dusseldorp (NDL) and Fred
Makiowecki (FRA) converted their pole position into victory to score their
third win at the Spanish venue in 2012. The team took two wins earlier this
season at the Spanish track in the FIA GT1 World Championship.
Alvaro Parente set the
team up well with the opening stint. “The start went well. I then defended my
position nicely into the first corner. Then we had a little bit of rain,
which slowed us down for three laps but then it was back to normal. The track
is really good for our McLaren which helped, and combined to our great pit
stops, I think was a good combination.”
In the PRO-AM class
Niek Hommerson (NLD) and Louis Machiels (BEL) won the drivers’ championship
with a total of 76 points. The duo was teamed with Alessandro PierGuidi for
the final round, and had a three-point lead from the Italian combination of
Eugenio Amos, Alessandro Bonacini and Giacomo Petrobelli in the No.57
Vita4one Team Italy Ferrari. Their race ended disappointingly with retirement
due to suspension damage.
The PRO-AM team fight
also had a narrow points margin with the AF Corse Ferrari team winning by a
slim four points. Second, also running a brace of Ferraris was SOFREV ASP
with 90 points. Third, with 67 points was the disappointed Italian Vita4one
team.
In today’s race the ART
Grand Prix McLaren MP4-12C of Grégoire Demoustier (FRA) and Duncan Tappy
(GBR) was victorious in the PRO-AM class, with an impressive win despite a
spin in the wet conditions. Tappy’s spectacular stint, including several
inspired overtaking manoeuvres, helped their route to victory. “It was a
really entertaining race for me. I couldn’t relax!” Tappy said. “I had Audis
coming from all sorts of directions. I actually had contact in one of the
corners, which we were both lucky to escape from. Once I got them out of the
way I managed to do a great overtaking manoeuvre on the Boutsen-Ginion Racing
McLaren. Then it started to rain,” he concluded.
Following today’s
dramatic race, the Gentlemen Trophy class produced an interesting finalé to
the teams’ championship. The French Sainteloc Racing Team only had to finish
the race to win the championship with its Audi R8. With less than an hour to
go, in treacherous conditions, Philippe Giauque spun and hit the No.9 Gulf
Racing UK McLaren damaging the front section of the car. With minutes to go,
the Sainteloc team repaired the car and finished champions.
The Gentlemen Trophy
drivers’ championship title also went to the Sainteloc Racing drivers Robert
Hissom (USA) and Pierre Hirschi (CHE), who after their second-in-class finish
at Navarra gave them a total of 94 points.
Hissom expressed his
championship winning thoughts: “This is the first championship I’ve ever won
and it feels amazing. I have to thank the drivers, thank Sainteloc and the
other teams, the competition in this series was simply fantastic.”
As the champions were
announced and the Blancpain Endurance Series drew to a close, Stephane Ratel,
Founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, expressed his thanks to the teams
and congratulated the winners. “This has been a great season in the Blancpain
Endurance Series. We have had different brands, teams and drivers scoring
wins in all over the classes through the events. I would like to congratulate
the three champion teams today: Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, AF Corse and
Sainteloc Racing on their successes.”
About Blancpain: Over 275 years of tradition in motion
Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the watch brand bearing is name is the oldest in the world. Blancpain is currently engaged in a long-term commitment to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking and to passing on exceptional expertise from one generation to the next through constant investment in human resources, production facilities and research. From the creation of components through to watch design, Blancpain is distinguished by its ability to develop exceptional movements. Over the past seven years, the Manufacture in Le Brassus has indeed developed no less than 22 new calibres. Through its various models, Blancpain preserves its heritage of precision and elegance, while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit. Its range encompasses the daring L-evolution line, the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, as well as the classic Villeret collection and the Blancpain Women models. The sports enthusiasts’ watch: Chronographe Flyback à Rattrapante Grande Date While remaining loyal to its fundamental values, Blancpain quite naturally associates with the world of fine automotive mechanical engineering, since the key values of precision, reliability and sturdiness are required and shared by both cars and watches. The bezel, caseback, dial and even the cap of the folding clasp are all made of carbon fibre and represent technical accomplishments vividly reflecting Blancpain’s innovative strength. To highlight the sporting nature of the new L-evolutionR, a digital font displays the large date as well as the 3 and 9 o’clock numerals, while the shape of the pushpiece at 8 o’clock resembles a fuel tank cap. When the chronograph is in action, the movement with its column wheel and vertical coupling-clutch ensures excellent precision. Two major horological complications offer additionally useful functions: the split-second chronograph enables a split-time read-off, while the flyback function serves to instantly reset and restart the chronograph. The black alcanatara strap is equipped with carbon fibre inserts evoking the latest technological evolutions in racing car design. |
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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.
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.
Sam Smith
Head of Communications
SRO Motorsports Group
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Results: 2012 Round 6 - Navarra
| Race Result | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Car | Class | Drivers | Car | Time | Laps | Gap | Avg speed |
| 1 | 7 | PRO | Stef Dusseldorp / Alvaro Parente / Frederic Makowiecki | McLaren MP4-12C | 2:50:53.849 | 89 | 68,34 | |
| 2 | 1 | PRO | Christopher Mies / Christopher Haase / Stephane Ortelli | Audi R8 LMS Ultra | 2:50:55.612 | 89 | 1.763 | 65,79 |
| 3 | 6 | PRO | Frank Stippler / Oliver Jarvis / Filippe Albuquerque | Audi R8 LMS Ultra | 2:50:57.230 | 89 | 3.381 | 66,37 |
| 4 | 3 | PRO | Bas Leinders / Markus Palttala / Maxime Martin | BMW Z4 | 2:51:03.115 | 89 | 9.266 | 65,93 |
| 5 | 75 | PRO | Marc Hennerici / Xavier Maassen / Marc Goossens | Porsche 997 GT3 R | 2:51:03.501 | 89 | 9.652 | 68,81 |
| 6 | 71 | PRO | Davide Rigone / Stefano Gattuso / Daniel Zampieri | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:51:04.827 | 89 | 10.978 | 67,11 |
| 7 | 66 | PRO | Gregory Franchi / Mathias Lauda / Frank Kechele | BMW Z4 | 2:51:08.918 | 89 | 15.069 | 65,36 |
| 8 | 5 | PRO | Zoel Amberg / Andy Soucek / Nico Verdonck | McLaren MP4-12C | 2:51:14.555 | 89 | 20.706 | 68,81 |
| 9 | 12 | PAM | Gregoire Demoustier / Duncan Tappy | McLaren MP4-12C | 2:51:16.348 | 89 | 22.499 | 68,81 |
| 10 | 37 | PAM | Jochen Habets / Andrew Danyliw / Simon Knap | BMW Z4 | 2:51:25.595 | 89 | 31.746 | 65,93 |
| 11 | 24 | PRO | Jos Menten / Stefan Rosina / Peter Kox | Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ | 2:51:25.894 | 89 | 32.045 | 67,57 |
| 12 | 4 | PRO | Bert Longin / Henri Moser / Nick Catsburg | BMW Z4 | 2:50:54.888 | 88 | 65,93 | |
| 13 | 19 | PAM | Oliver Morley / Steve Jans / Sean Edwards | Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 | 2:50:59.285 | 88 | 67,87 | |
| 14 | 51 | PAM | Gaetano Ardagna Perez / Daniel Brown / Giuseppe Ciro | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:51:00.285 | 88 | 66,67 | |
| 15 | 20 | PAM | Patrice Goueslard / Jean Luc Beaubelique / Ludovic Badey | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:51:06.876 | 88 | 65,79 | |
| 16 | 52 | PAM | Niek Hommerson / Louis Machiels / Alessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:51:09.768 | 88 | 66,37 | |
| 17 | 15 | PAM | Edouard Mondron / Fabien Thuner / Jerome Thiry | McLaren MP4-12C | 2:51:13.511 | 88 | 69,12 | |
| 18 | 17 | PAM | Dennis Andersen / Martin Jensen | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:51:15.162 | 88 | 65,79 | |
| 19 | 60 | PAM | Julien Draper / Matt Draper / Stephen Jelley | McLaren MP4-12C | 2:51:18.745 | 88 | 68,34 | |
| 20 | 34 | PAM | Henry Hassid / Roland Berville / Anthony Beltoise | Porsche 997 GT3 R | 2:51:21.794 | 88 | 67,72 | |
| 21 | 79 | PAM | Andrew Smith / Joe Twyman / Ollie Millroy | BMW Z4 | 2:50:58.277 | 87 | 65,50 | |
| 22 | 42 | PAM | Paul Lanchere / Emmet O Brien / Kevin Despinasse | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:51:12.547 | 87 | 66,96 | |
| 23 | 2 | PRO | Marco Bonanomi / Edward Sandstroem / Laurens Vanthoor | Audi R8 LMS Ultra | 2:51:36.840 | 87 | 66,23 | |
| 24 | 43 | PAM | Jerome Demay / Jean-Marc Quitois / Adrien Tambay | Audi R8 LMS Ultra | 2:51:11.987 | 86 | 65,22 | |
| 25 | 9 | PAM | Michael Wainwright / Robert Bell | McLaren MP4-12C | 2:51:34.194 | 86 | 69,12 | |
| 26 | 30 | PAM | Craig Wilkins / Aaron Scott | Audi R8 LMS | 2:51:52.742 | 86 | 65,36 | |
| 27 | 98 | GTR | Jan Brunstedt / Mikael Bender / Daniel Roos | Audi R8 LMS | 2:51:18.071 | 85 | 65,22 | |
| 28 | 49 | PAM | Yannick Mallegol / Howard Blank / Jean Marc Bachelier | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:51:22.878 | 83 | 65,65 | |
| 29 | 80 | PRO | Lorenz Frey / Gabriele Gardel / Fredy Barth | Emil Frey Jaguar XK | 2:51:10.757 | 82 | 65,93 | |
| 30 | 41 | GTR | Robert Hissom / Pierre Hirschi / Philippe Giauque | Audi R8 LMS | 2:51:35.985 | 81 | 64,66 | |
| 31 | 10 | PAM | Maurice Ricci / Gabriel Balthazard / Jerome Policand | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:35:40.592 | 79 | 65,65 | |
| 32 | 50 | PAM | Jack Gerber / Marco Cioci | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:17:31.497 | 74 | 66,23 | |
| 33 | 57 | PAM | Eugenio Amos / Alessandro Bonacini / Giacomo Petrobelli | Ferrari 458 Italia | 2:15:03.050 | 69 | 66,82 | |
| 34 | 36 | PAM | Michael Mallock / Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof / Jeroen den Boer | BMW Z4 | 1:47:45.800 | 61 | 65,50 | |
| 35 | 38 | PAM | Danny Candia / Jody Fannin / David McDonald | Ferrari 458 Italia | 1:04:01.187 | 35 | 66,37 | |
| 36 | 18 | PRO | Congfu Cheng / Dominik Baumann / Jereon Bleekemolen | Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 | 49:13.766 | 28 | 68,03 | |
| 37 | 88 | PAM | Leon Price / Jordan Groger / Robert Barff | McLaren MP4-12C | 40:07.186 | 22 | 67,42 | |
| 38 | 58 | GTR | Daniel Desbrueres / Christian Kelders | Porsche 997 GT3 R | 14:36.310 | 8 | 67,42 | |
| 39 | 33 | PAM | Eric Dermont / Antoine Leclerc | Porsche 997 GT3 R | 3:49.793 | 2 | 66,67 | |
| Session Notes | |
|---|---|
| Weather | dry, then extremely |
| Stewards Decisions | Provisional pending appeal |
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