Reports

Belgian GT Championship: Race 1 and 2 Report

© SRO Belgium

The Belgian GT Championship MVD began its season this weekend with the Belgian Race Kick Off at Zolder. Two one-hour races took place on Sunday with the Gravity Mosler MT900 of Ron Marchal and Vincent Radermecker on pole for both races. They would not be on the top step of the podium at the end though.

In race one on Sunday morning, on a wet track, it was the GPR Porsche of Maxim Soulet that had the best start and led the race for the first couple of laps. The Gravity Racing International Moslers were chasing the GPR Porsche and eventually managed to pass Soulet. The two Moslers were joined by Tim Verbergt in his Lamborghini Gallardo and later by Jeffrey van Hooydonk in the A+ Dodge Viper, both overtook Soulet and later on passed Marchal as his Mosler suffered clutch problems.

After the mandatory pit stops between the 23rd and 37th minute of the race it was the A+ Dodge Viper, now driven by Robert Dierick) that led the Moslers of Anthony Kumpen and Vincent Radermecker. The lead was shortlived however as the Viper got a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for pitting outside the limits. As a result the Kumpen-Longin Mosler took the lead of the race ahead of the NGT Porsche of Bart Couwberghs and the GPR Porsche driven by Greg Franchi.

As Kumpen cruised to victory the two Porsches behind him got into a fight and when Franchi made a mistake he took Couwberghs with him, both cars ended up in the gravel trap. Mikke van Hool and Bas Leinders took advantage of the situation and finished in second and third place.

The start of the second race was marred by bad weather again but the Moslers got away without any problems. Radermecker led Kumpen and after a couple of laps the gap between the two Gravity team mates was seven seconds, with the rest of the field further behind. By the time the pit stop window opened Franchi in the GPR Porsche had already been in with an oil leak.

All teams changed from rain tyres to slicks and when everyone had completed their pit stop and driver change the Moslers were still ahead. Kumpen had been quicker in his in-lap than Radermecker however and combined with a quicker pit stop team-mate Longin took the lead in race two, ahead of Marchal. The Gravity Racing International Moslers were on their way to a 1-2 cleansweep until disaster struck. Coming into the Jacky Ickx chicane the Mosler was hit by a Viper and the damage was too much to continue.

After thirty-five laps it was the Kumpen/Longin Mosler that won again, ahead of Leinders/Kuppens in the Gillet Vertigo and Haane/Van Hool in their Lamborghini Gallardo.

Belgian GT Championship - Race 1 - Zolder:

1. #24 - Kumpen/Longin (Mosler MT 900) - 34 laps - 1:01.17.289
2. #10 - Haane/Van Hool (Lamborghini Gallardo) +36.621
3. #312 - Leinders/Kuppens (Gillet Vertigo) +47.362

Belgian GT Championship - Race 2 - Zolder:

1. #24 - Kumpen/Longin (Mosler MT 900) - 35 laps - 1:01.10.544
3. #312 - Leinders/Kuppens (Gillet Vertigo) +18.805
2. #10 - Haane/Van Hool (Lamborghini Gallardo) +1:12.101