Other Series

GT Open: Autorlando, CRS Racing quick on Friday

© CRS Racing

Thirty-three out of thirty-six cars entered in this weekends round of the International GT Open championship at Spa-Francorchamps took to the track today on what could be described as perfect weather conditions.

The Scuderia 22 Corvette GT3 did not show up, Martin Short’s GT3 Rollcenter Racing Mosler did not take part, although Short is racing a Mosler in the Dutch Supercar Challenge this weekend, while the Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS is also a no show after the accident with Marcel Tiemann at Imola. Phoenix Racing manager Dirk Theimann confirmed that Tiemann’s recovery is going well and that the team will return later this season.

In the first free practice session it was the Porsche 997 GT3 RSR of Richard Lietz and Gianluca Roda that was fastest on the Belgian circuit. On its fourth lap Richard Lietz posted a 2:22.920, a lap time that was much quicker than any of his rivals. The CRS Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 of Tim Mullen and Chris Niarchos was second fastest in 2:24.061, while the third fastest car was the Manthey Racing Porsche 997 GT3 R, a new entry this weekend in the GTS (GT3) category.

Patrick Pilet and Raymond Narac completed the Super GT (GT2) top three in their IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche, while Christopher Bruck and Dirk Riebensahm’s Vulkan Racing Dodger Viper and the Kessel Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia of Lorenzo Bontempelli and Stefano Livio completed the GTS class.

Championship leader Alvaro Barba spun and hit the barrier, damaging his AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT2.

In the second free practice session Andrew Kirkaldy and Klaas Hummel were quickest on track, Kirkaldy posting a 2:23.950. IMSA Performance Matmut’s Pilet and Narac were second fastest, just 0.074s slower. Autorlando Sports’s Lietz and Roda completed the Super GT top three at 0.287s from the CRS Racing drivers.

Best of the GTS cars was the Ferrari F430 Scuderia of Jean-Philippe Dayraut and Fred Makowiecki.
Their Ferrari lapped the Spa circuit in 2:25.453. Kessel Racing’s Bontempelli and Livio were second fastest at just 0.029s, while the Vulkan Racing Viper of Bruck and Riebensahm was third quickest.

Tomorrow between 9.40 and 10.15 the GT Open teams will be back out on the track for their first qualifying session. Just over an hour later the teams will be on their second qualifying session and the day will end for GT Open with the first 70 minutes long race starting at 16.15.