+ Result, Qualifying 1, Zandvoort
+ Result, Qualifying 2, Zandvoort
Both Team Speedcar and Elite Motorsport put themselves in position to tighten up the GT4 Europe title chase by grabbing a pole position each at Zandvoort.
Gregory Guilvert and Paul Petit claimed their second pole at Zandvoort in as many years in a mixed-conditions Q1, before Charlie Hart and McKenzy Cresswell grabbed top spot in Q2. Both are currently chasing down the points-leading SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG, which starts down the order in both races after tough sessions for Cedric Fuchs and Enrico Förderer.
Team Speedcar also doubled up in Pro-Am, with Viny Beltramelli and Sacha Bottemanne scoring a class pole each, while both Am contenders will take a turn out front across the two races.
Q1: Guilvert takes his chance
An incoming rain shower added some jeopardy to the first Qualifying run, and meant Guilvert had to get his one shot at a flying lap exactly right.
The session was stopped almost as soon as it began after a technical problem led to the #29 Gazoo Racing Sweden Supra colliding with the Turn 1 barriers. When things did get up and running, Yani Stevenheydens briefly put his Elite McLaren fastest before Guilvert lapped just 0.052s faster to steal the top time just as rain began to fall.
The changing conditions prevented anybody from fighting back and a red flag eventually stopped the session, sealing back-to-back Zandvoort poles for Guilvert and Team Speedcar. Stevenheydens held second ahead of Charlie Hart in the sister Elite McLaren. Benjamin Lariche was fourth in the #1 Audi ahead of Mees Houben’s Speedy Motorsport Supra. Gabriele Piana kept Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport in the mix with sixth in his BMW M4. Fuchs will start the points-leading Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG seventh.
The damp conditions for the Pro-Am runners meant none would be able to challenge for outright pole, but Beltramelli did the best in the circumstances to grab class pole in 21st ahead of Charlie Robertson’s McLaren, which endured a huge slide on slick tyres in the wettest part of the track. Victor Bouveng put the title-chasing Schubert BMW third on the grid. Christoffer Brunnhagen grabbed Am pole for Gazoo Racing Sweden ahead of Max Kronberg’s W&S Porsche.
Q2: Elite makes its mark
The rain shower passed before the start of Q2, with all cars choosing to stick with slicks on the greasy track. This led to ever-changing times as both the track and the Pirelli tyres came up to temperature.
Leon van Verseveld starred early on home ground putting the JW Raceservice Porsche into the mix before a track limits offence dropped it back. Petit looked to double up in the #8 by going top, before Robert Consani (Team Speedcar Audi), Erik Evans (Academy Motorsport Mustang) and Kiano Blum (TeamFloral Mustang) all rotated the fastest time before Cresswell struck, moving 0.060s clear and staying there.
An impressive GT4 Europe Qualifying debut for Blum netted second for the Mustang, with Petit third. Evans was fourth ahead of Consani and Michiel Haverans (Academy Mustang).
Bottemanne made it a Pro-am double for Team Speedcar, beating Ravi Ramyead’s early class benchmark in the #3 Audi as Chris Salkeld grabbed third in the Razoon – more than racing BMW. W&S fought back in Am, with Blickle beating Mikael Brunnhagen in the Supra.
Race 1 is set for lights out at 17:25.