This weekend, all eyes were on the Hockenheimring as we took on another thrilling round of the GT Cup Europe. With our full line-up back on track, featuring Stienes Longin and Nicolas Saelens, Gonçalo Fernandes and Lars Zaenen, and Nicolas Vandierendonck and Nathan Brauns, it was time to go racing once again.
Friday – Building the Foundation
Friday was all about preparation. We had two free practice sessions, one in the early afternoon and another at the end of the day. The main focus was fine-tuning the cars for qualifying and the races ahead. Despite tricky track conditions, with the surface being half-wet and half-dry, our drivers managed to find a good setup and showed promising pace going into the weekend.
Saturday – Qualifying and Race 1
Saturday began with qualifying, where we showed strong pace. Nathan and Nicolas took pole in AM, Stienes and Nicolas were second in PRO-AM, and Gonçalo and Lars qualified fifth in SILVER. Overall, we started from P4, P6 and P9.
Race 1, however, didn’t go our way. Stienes and Nicolas were taken out in turn one after contact and had to retire. Later, Gonçalo was hit in the hairpin while fighting for the podium and also retired. Nicolas Vandierendonck finished the race but dropped to seventh in AM after some bad luck.
A tough day, but we were ready to bounce back.
Saturday night – Heroes behind the scenes
While the drivers rested, our mechanics worked through the night to repair the cars. With little to no sleep, they pushed themselves to the limit to make sure we would be ready for Sunday. Without their incredible dedication, we simply wouldn’t have made it to the start line. They were the true heroes of the weekend.
Sunday – Redemption
Sunday was all about bouncing back, and that mindset was clear from the first qualifying session. Nicolas, in the #11 car shared with Stienes, qualified fourth in the PRO-AM class. Gonçalo placed sixth in the SILVER class and Nicolas, together with Nathan, qualified fourth in AM.
With a clear focus on scoring points, we went into Race 2 determined to fight.
And fight we did. The team delivered across the board. Stienes and Nicolas finished third in their class, PRO-AM. Gonçalo and Lars secured third place both in their class and overall. Nicolas and Nathan brought it home in sixth place in the AM class.
It was a strong team result and a great way to repay the crew for their effort and commitment.
Now, we shift our focus to Round 4 at Paul Ricard as we continue the GT Cup Europe season.
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