First Victory for a FORD GT

Once again, at the Bucharest ring, the second FIA GT3 European Championship race of the week-end was undecided until the chequered flag. To claim their first ever victory, Stefan van Campenhoudt and Romain Bera avoided all the potential traps, including difficult weather conditions, with heavy rain. After only four races, the Ford GT has taken its first victory, which was extremely satisfying for the whole Matech Racing team. As usual, the Porsche cars were competitive in the wet conditions. With the nr 5 Trackspeed car second; the nr 1 Tech9 third and the nr 4 Trackspeed fourth, the Porsches managed a great result.

A Great success for Matech Racing

After a first pole position in Silverstone, the Matech Racing Ford GT claimed its first race win in Bucharest, only a few months after the beginning of this project. At the end of another difficult race, Romain Bera and Stefan von Campenhoudt had a perfect strategy, both drivers did not make any mistakes, and even with a flat tyre they managed to cross the line in first place. "This project started four months ago, and we've won today, after only four races. It is fantastic, and we have to give a big thank you to Matech Racing. In a short time, they've done a great job! This victory is important for all of them" declared Stefan van Campenhoudt. After two Safety Car periods, Romain Bera was leading the race, and managed to keep the car on track, in spite of terrible weather conditions. "It was hard to use the power of the car, and I was really concentrating, I did not want to make any mistakes. I was really fighting with the car, and after the race the team told me that I had a flat tyre at the rear" he said.

Second in the first race with Martin Bartek and Thomas Mutsch, first today with Romain Bera and Stefan von Campenhoudt, Matech Racing had a perfect week end, on a track not really suited to this car, as Stefan von Campenhoudt explained: "Our car is longer than the others, and it is quite hard to manage the car around the corners and to keep the pace in this street track. It is really not that easy, so we are even more proud of our result." The team is now extremely motivated for the next round in Monza, and they will work hard in order to be ready to surprise everyone again.

Porsches are fast in the rain

As shown during the first qualifying session, when the conditions are tricky, the Porsches are always there. Back on the pace on this unusual track, three Porsches finished in the top 5. In the nr 5 Trackspeed Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, Richard Williams and James Pickford finished second, after a thrilling start from James Pickford and a great stint from Richard Williams. "I'm glad the Porsche is back on the pace here. This circuit really suits the Porsche" he said.

In the nr 31 Team Berlanga Ascari KZ1R GT3, Eric Zwart and Rory Bertram crossed the line in second place, but after the race they had  30 seconds added to their time for a pit lane infringement, so they finally finished in 5th position. Nevertheless; it is a great result for the team, after a difficult beginning of the weekend. "Ben Collins got the pole position, but unfortunately he had an accident and he is in hospital and we wish him all the best. We hope he will get well soon" declared Eric Zwart.

In sixth place, Stephane Daoudi and Ian Khan finished first of the Ferrari, and scored some important points. They finished just in front of Maxime Dubrulle and Nicolas Navarro, first of the Lamborghinis for the second time this week end.

In the nr 18 Martini Callaway Racing Corvette Z06R GT3, Luca Pirri and Jurgen von Gartzen were first of the Corvettes, while Clement Mateu and Julien Rodrigues, in nr 25 Hexis Racing Aston Martin, were the only Aston Martin drivers to cross the line.

Local Heroes, David Claudiu and Mihai Marinescu, in the nr 9 RPM Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, crossed the line in 9th position, but 30 seconds was added to their race time for a yellow flag infringement, so they were finally classified in 14th position, but remained the first of the Dodge cars.

No points for FIA GT3 Championship leaders

For the first time this season, Henri Moser and Gilles Vannelet, in the nr 38 Kessel Racing Ferrari did not score any points. They retired during the first Safety Car period, with a transmission problem. But they are still leading the FIA GT3 European Championship with 26 points, Stephane Daoudi and Ian Khan are following them with 16 points, three points ahead of Maxime Dubrulle and Nicolas Navarro.

The next round of the FIA GT3 European Championship takes place in one month’s time, in Monza. At this high speed circuit, it is going to be another story.

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