+ Result: Pre-Qualifying, Spa-Francorchamps
A Ginetta topped a GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club session for the first time in six years when Loris Cabirou put the British brand on top of Pre-Qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
You have to go back to qualifying at the Nürburgring in 2018 to find the last time a Ginetta led a GT4 Europe session, making Cabirou’s effort in the #56 G56 Evo that much more special. He also shares the car with Freddie Tomlinson, son of Ginetta head Lawrence this weekend.
An incredible effort from Laurent Hurgon and Pascal Huteau put the Am class Schumacher CLRT Alpine inside the top four, while Lestrup Racing BMW pair Victor Bouveng and Joakim Walde topped Pro-Am.
At the start of the session it looked like the BMWs would be strong as Gregory Guilvert (Chazel Technologie Course) traded the top time with the two Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport cars of Berkay Besler and Pedro Carvalho Ebrahim. Hugo Sasse briefly put the #99 PROsport Aston Martin top before Bouveng took a turn in the Lestrup Racing M4 before handing across to Walde.
Cabirou took over for the final half and, despite having one fastest lap deleted for track limits, his second effort put the Ginetta top, holding the 0.3s gap until red flags cut the session a few minutes short in order to recover a stranded Mustang that had stopped on track.
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Bouveng and Walde held second and the honour of being fastest Pro-Am runners, with Sasse and Raphael Rennhofer third. Then came the impressive Alpine as Hurgon’s best put he and Huteau a superb fourth overall. The twin Borusan BMWs were next with Ebrahim/Yagiz Gedik leading Besler/Gabriele Piana, while two Aston Martins completed the top eight in the hands of Josh Miller/Ruben del Sarte (Mirage Racing) and Fabio Rauer/Hendrik Still (PROsport) respectively.
Andy Cantu and series newcomer Guillermo Aso were second in the Am ranking aboard their NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG, albeit some way back from Hurgon and Huteau, while the #97 Lestrup Racing BMW shared by Mats Olsson and Stefan Nilsson were third in the category.
Next up is qualifying, which is scheduled for 11:15 on Friday, June 28.