Levente Révész has retaken the provisional lead in the standings of the International GT Open after winning Race 1 in a warm afternoon in Paul Ricard, signing his third success of the year, the second associated with Maxi Götz, at the wheel of the Team Motopark Mercedes AMG.
The Hungarian overtook in the final phases another AMG, the GetSpeed car of Anthony Bartone and Fabian Schiller , with the AF Corse Ferrari 296 of Carl Bennett-Tommaso Mosca finishing third.
With this success, Révész retakes the lead in the standings, nine points clear of the Eastalent Audi of Reicher-Haase, today very unlucky and left with no points.
Valentin Pierburg and Dominik Baumann (SPS Mercedes) imposed himself in Pro-Am, retaking the points lead, after beating the Saintéloc Racing Audi of Michaël Blanchemain-Marcus Paverud and the BDR Grupo Prom Mercedes of Luis Michaël Dörrbecker and Amaury Bonduel.
In Am, Gino Forgione and Michele Rugolo (AF Corse Ferrari) extended their lead, with a new success ahead Ameerh Naran (Vimana by GetSpeed Mercedes) and the Team Thor Porsche of the Icelandic duo Thorvaldur Gissurarson and Audunn Gudmunsson.
THE RACE – At the start, Fabian Schiller, in pole for the second time this year, keeps the advantage, while Basz passes Götz (but will have to give back the position acquired with the car out of the track), while in the middle of the group Jans touches Reicher, who spins and rejoins one before last. The Luxemburgish will get a 10-second penalty.
Schiller remains under pressure from Götz and Basz, with Pulcini fourth, resisting stoically to the attacks of Baumann, who leads a compact group including Lebbon, Kell, Bennett and Dunner, who has won a beautiful duel with Doquin. In lap 10, Lebbon takes fifth from Baumann, while at the top the advantage of Schiller drops to 1.5 seconds. In the meantime Reicher has climbed back to P13. Naran leads in Am.
As the window for driver change opens, Pulcini, after defending strenuously his fourth position, has to capitulate against Lebbon. After all changes, Bartone leads by 1.7 seconds on Revesz, while Marci Jedlinski, third, spins and drops out of the top ten. Third becomes Emson, but he is soon passed by Mosca.Madonald is fifth ahead of Pierburg (leading in Pro-Am), then Porter and the two Lambos od Rogalski and Petrov, who have passed Rumpfkeil. Rugolo leads in Am ahead of Naran and West.
Revesz catches Bartone and passes him in lap 30, right after a scary moment on the straight, when Aron, Paverud and Haase speed abreast. The two Audis collide and Haase is sent in a scary spin but somehow manages to avoid crashing into the wall. The last phases see Mosca closing the gap significantly but the Italian will remain in third position. The British trio Macdonald-Emson-Porter follow ahead of Pro-Am winner Pierburg, Aron, Petrov and Paverud. Rugolo wins in Am ahead of Naran and Gudmundsson.
