GT4 Championships

GT4 Nürburgring: Wins for BMW and Ginetta

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

The HTC Dutch GT4 and GT4 European Cup went head to head on Saturday afternoon for the first GT4 race on the Nürburgring. 34 cars faced difficult conditions with a wet track but the sun shining brightly. Most teams started on wets as a result.

At the start of the race the HTC Dutch GT4 cars were the quickest of the line, with Christiaan Frankenhout taking the lead into the first corner – despite having started from sixth on the grid. GT4 European Cup guest starter Ollie Hancock dropped a few places on the opening lap.

Frankenhout was unable to keep the Ekris BMW M3 GT4 of Ricard van der Ende behind him and after three laps the BMW was back ahead of the PS Autosport Porsche. Henry Zumbrink was third at that point after overtaking the European GT4 Astons of Michael Mallock and Paul Meijer.

While at the front the Ekris BMW was in a class of its own the battle for the GT4 European Cup lead was more interesting. Mallock and Meijer were in the lead they were hunted down by the IMS Ginetta of Matt Nicoll-Jones. Nicoll-Jones was able to close the gap to the two Aston Martin’s and by lap seven the blue Ginetta moved into the lead.

When the teams came in for their mandatory pit stop several teams went for slicks on the drying track where others stayed on wets. In the HTC Dutch GT4 Cup the Ekris team retained the lead, while Frankenhout had a slow pit stop, but nevertheless kept his second place. Zumbrink however lost his position to the Porsche of Phil Bastiaans.

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

In the remainder of the race the gaps between the teams in the Dutch GT4 were too big to see any changes and after 40 minutes the BMW took the win, finishing 18.792 seconds ahead of the Frankenhout Porsche and 28.705 seconds ahead of the Bastiaans Porsche. The new Camaro finished fourth in the HTC Dutch GT4 Cup and sixth overall.

The three HTC Dutch GT4 cars were followed by the Lotus Evora GT4 of Ollie Hancock, 31.105 seconds from the winning BMW and then it was Matt Nicoll-Jones, just three tenths of a second behind the new Lotus, which also set the fastest lap of the race.

Paul Meijer started the last lap in third place but at the chicane he was all over Mallock’s car. Meijer made an ‘all or nothing move’ and passed Mallock for second place in the last moments of the race.

Result:
1. Ricardo van der Ende, BMW M3 GT4, 16 laps in 40:06.530
2. Christiaan Frankenhout, Porsche 997 GT4, + 18.792
3. Phil Bastiaans, Porsche 997 GT4, + 28,705
4. Ollie Hancock, Lotus Evora GT4, + 31,105
5. Matt Nicoll-Jones Matt, Ginetta G50, + 31,444
6. Equipe Donald Molenaar / Ardi van der Hoek, Chevrolet Camaro GT4, + 31,571
7. Henry Zumbrink, Corvette C6, + 34,661
8. Simon Knap, BMW M3 GT4, + 41,464
9. Paul Meijer, Aston Martin GT4, + 44,036
10. Michael Mallock, Aston Martin GT4, + 45,036.