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GT Open: CRS Racing wins chaotic second race

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

CRS Racing won the second race of the GT Open weekend at Spa-Francorchamps this afternoon. On a very hot circuit (the temperature was over 30°C at the end of the race) the Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen managed to stay out of trouble and finish in first place. GDL Racing’s De Lorenzi and Borghi won the GTS class.

With the two Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz and Marc Lieb on the front row of the grid it was expected the two would try to break away from the field at the start of the race. Respectively driving a Super GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and a GTS Porsche 911 GT3 R with only .2 seconds over the third placed Ferrari F430 GT2 of Enrico Toccacelo.

Andrew Kirkaldy was lined up perfectly but it was Toccacelo who took the lead in the first corner. Stefano Livio spun in the exit of Les Combes causing a yellow flag the first few laps.

The start of the race was close with Toccacelo, Kirkaldy and Lietz in front of the Super GT class with no more than a second between them. In GTS it was Lieb in between Super GT cars with Dimitris Deverikos and Alex Mortimer in second and third. Lietz overtook Kirkaldy at the entrance of Les Combes while Toccacelo was trying to pull a lead on the field.

In fourth and fifth Rui Aguas and Alvaro Barba closed the gap on Kirkaldy meaning the first 5 cars were within a second of each other. The leading group instantly pulled a lead on the second group being led by Lieb. Lietz who was in second place was putting pressure on Toccacelo.

On the same lap the safety car had to come out after a big crash in Blanchimont. Andrew Kirkaldy spun his CRS Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 on the apex, Aguas and Barba who where chasing stayed clear of the spinning car but then hit each other at the end of the asphalt run-off. The result was a heavy head-on collision with the wall and two badly damaged AF Corse Ferrari’s stranded on track.

Lieb who was first at the scene had to drive over the grass because of the debris and fluids spread all over the track. The rest of the field managed to drive trough the scene without problems. Alvaro Barba and Rui Aguas were taken to the nearby hospital for a medical check but the team confirmed both drivers were okay.

With almost 20 minutes to go the green flag was waved again and the race was restarted. Several cars came into the pits but the leading group of Super GT ans GTS kept driving. After the restart it was Lietz leading over the GTS cars of Lieb and Deverikos. Meanwhile the Aston Martin DBRS9 driven by Luis Silva was limping to the pits with what sounded like engine-related problems.

With the pit window almost closed a lot of drivers came in for the mandatory pit stop. Once the pit window was closed it was Gianuca Roda in the lead over Tim Mullen and Patrick Pilet close to each other. Mullen overtook Roda braking into La Source while Patrick Pilet closed the gap. In the following lap he overtook Roda taking second place. Shortly after Armand Fumal got a black flag and his car was excluded from the race.

On the last lap Tim Mullen maintained his lead and won the race, almost 3 seconds ahead of Patrick Pilet and another five ahead of Gianluca Roda. In GTS Gianluca de Lorenzi took first place ahead of Thomas Gruber and Gabrielle Lancieri.

UPDATE:Checks in hospital have revealed that Rui Aguas has suffered a broken vertebrae. As a result Aguas will not be able to race in the coming months.

(Text: Tom Haex / Image: Marcel ten Caat)