+ Result, Qualifying 1
+ Result, Qualifying 2
Lluc Ibañez and Gabriele Piana secured a pole apiece for both NM Racing Team and Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport across two hard-fought Qualifying sessions at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Both sessions were run under bright sunshine, with both fastest drivers dipping close to the series Qualifying record – a 2:11.419s, set by Paul Petit in his Team Speedcar Audi R8 last year.
Piana got closest, with his Q2 best falling less than 0.2s shy, while Ibañez edged out Petit’s current team-mate Gregory Guilvert to get the job done in Q1. Six different brands filled the top seven places in both sessions, showing the variety on offer this season.
In Pro-Am, the poles were shared by Victor Bouveng (Schubert Motorsport BMW) and Thibaut Mogica (CMR Ginetta), while Nicco Ferrarin and Julien Briché took an Am top spot each in their JSB Competition Porsche.
Q1: Ibañez makes his experience count
Spanish ace Ibañez claimed his first GT4 Europe pole since Hockenheim in 2014 with a commanding performance in the opening session.
Benjamin Lariche set the initial pace in the #1 Team Speedcar Audi, before Enrico Förderer’s SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG passed him. But then came Ibañez, who pulled a 0.23s gap over his German rival to lead the pack. With times dropping off toward the end of the session as the tyre peak wilted in the sun, only Guilvert could come close, splitting the two Mercedes-AMGs to secure a front-row slot.
Förderer was third ahead of the impressive Victor Bouveng, who brought the #98 Schubert BMW into fourth overall to secure Pro-Am pole for himself and Joakim Walde. Roméo Leurs was fifth on his GT4 Europe debut in the #9 Mirage Racing GR Supra, with Stefano D’Aste rounding out the top six in the #26 PB Racing Lotus.
Having starred across both Free Practice sessions, the JSB Competition Porsche again led the way in the Am class with Nicco Ferrarin at the wheel. The Frenchman finished 29th overall, putting six places between himself and closest rival Christoffer Brunnhagen in the GR Racing Sweden Supra.
Q2: Piana turns Borusan’s luck around
Q1 may have been a quiet one for the Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport team with its twin BMW M4s in 25th and 26th, but GT4 veteran Piana gave the team something to cheer about after emerging on top of a great fight in the second half.
Cedric Fuchs led the session early on in the Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG, and would have been surpassed by Erik Evans had the American not been pinged for track limits in the #61 Academy Motorsport Mustang. That opened the door for Piana to set his first fastest time, which looked secure until Clément Seyler produced a clean sweep of purple sectors to surpass him in the Racing Spirit of Léman Vantage. Piana didn’t give up though, and on his final effort managed to go fastest in both sector 1 and 3 to snatch top spot back by 0.2s from Seyler and Fuchs.
Hudson Schwartz took fourth for CRT-Sport on an impressive qualifying debut for the team’s GR Supra, with Evans fifth ahead of Alexandre Papadopulos, who backed up Ibañez’s strong work in Q1 to ensure a top-six start in Race 2 for the #15 NM Mercedes-AMG.
Thibaut Mogica just held off GT4 Europe newcomer Chris Salkeld in the Pro-Am battle, the CMR Ginetta getting the better of the Razoon – more than racing BMW by just over 0.5s, with Sacha Bottemanne right behind in the #3 Team Speedcar Audi. Julien Briché continued JSB’s stranglehold in Am by grabbing a second pole for the #24 Porsche, well clear of Julien Ripert’s Team Speedcar Audi.
Both sessions proved difficult for defending champions Lariche and Robert Consani, with the #1 Audi starting and 20th and 18th respectively.
Race 1 is scheduled for 11:00 Sundaym with Race 2 following at 16:30.
