FIA GT Championship

Westbrook and Collard still GT2 leaders after Portugal FIA GT

© DPPI

Despite a very difficult and unpredictable race ProSpeed Competition duo Richard Westbrook and Manu Collard took the lead in the FIA GT2 championship again after a second place finish in the sixth meeting in Portugal. After a Ferrari had hit Collard’s car early in the race, the duo came back to the front and eventually finished in second place. The duo now leads with three points more than Ferrari drivers Vilander and Bruni.

The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with starting number #61 of Darryl O’Young and Marco Holzer also had a clean race, and was in the lead in GT2 just after the halfway point, but an engine problem made an end to their race. Depending on the decision of the FIA concerning the disqualification in Oschersleben, ProSpeed Competition is now first or second in the teams championship.

Qualifying session was one of two extremities for ProSpeed Competition. Marco Holzer drove to a very decent second place, later corrected to a third place. “Indeed,” explains Holzer. “I must have crossed the white line, but okay, my second fastest lap was also very good, so I will be at the front in third place.”

For Manu Collard everything was much more difficult. On his flying lap he was hampered by a Ferrari driver and was unable to get any further than eighth place; not a good starting position in the battle for the FIA GT2 title.

And it looked like the devil was involved, as after the start “there was again a Ferrari hitting me from behind,” says a clearly annoyed Collard mid race. “First Oschersleben, than qualifying here and now this. I do not want to start any controversy, but I cannot start looking in my rear view mirrors to avoid any opponents…This is no fun…’

After the incident Manu Collard had to start from the back again and catch up with the rest of the field. Meanwhile Darryl O’Young and Marco Holzer moved into the lead in GT2 “despite a nudge from a…Ferrari”, says Marco Holzer. But an engine problem ended their race. “I am obviously very disappointed”, says Darryl O’Young, “but I have shown that we really belong at the front and that with my important partner A-Ha Coffee present here. We’re going to Paul Ricard full of confidence.”

What Richard Westbrook and Manu Collard did in the meantime, was again amazing. They drove from position 11 all the way up into second place, with the championship lead being the cherry on the Portuguese cake. “It wasn’t easy, especially in the early stages, but we made it back again”, says Westbrook at the press conference. “The car was very good, thanks to the team, the strategy was right, despite our accident, this is an excellent result and I will not lie awake because of the success ballast…it’s the points that count now.”

The next race will take place on October 3 and 4 in Paul Ricard, France.