GT Open - Reicher-Haase win Race 1 at the Hungaroring in a lively wet finale

Simon Reicher and Christopher Haase took their second win of the season in today’s Race 1 at the Hungaroring. The pair of the Eastalent Racing Audi emerged in a thrilling finale when rain reshuffled the cards at the top. In the treacherous conditions, the three cars then leading, the #20 SPS Mercedes, the #27 Spirit of Race Ferrari, and the #6 GetSpeed Mercedes, all made mistakes under the pressure of the Eastalent Audi and of the Spirit of Race Ferrari of Nicola Marinangeli-Vincent Abril who took their best seasonal result so far and finished ahead of the Motopark Mercedes of Diego Menchaca-Marcos Siebert, who retake the lead in the provisional standings.

“The first two-thirds of the race was pretty uneventful, as often in this track”, commented the winners, “but when the rain started, things changed and arrived a chance to put pressure on the guys ahead and hope they made mistakes, which happened”.

Marco Pulcini-Eddie Cheever (Spirit of Race Ferrari) salvaged the Pro-Am win, their third, to extend their lead in the class, finishing ahead Ernst Kirchmays-David Fumanelli (racing one Ferrari) and Marcelo Hahn-Allam Khodair (AF Corse Ferrari).

In Am, second success of the season for Kiki San Nana-Adam Osieka in the GetSpeed Mercedes ahead of standing leader Giuseppe Cipriani (Barone Rampante Lambo) and Heiko Neumann-Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Mercedes).

THE RACE – At the start (on a dry track after the storms of the morning), Dominik Baumann who took his second pole of the year on the wet, keeps the advantage on an inner line ahead of Cheever, challenged by Basz, followed by Schiller, Siebert, L.Pulcini, Marinangeli, Reicher, Khodair and Fontana. There are a few contacts in the first corners in lap 1, with the main victims being Aka, who has to pit, and Petrov, who spins.

The first part of the race is pretty uneventful, with Baumann keeping the lead but not able to pull away and keeping an advantage of one second. The group led by Basz is 7 seconds behind by the time the window for pit stops opens (lap 14).

After all driver changes, Pitamber leads with 3 seconds on M.Pulcini, who manages to hold second with no problem, then Bartone, Menchaca and Haase.

The battle between the three, soon joined by Abril, is intense but the element that will spice the end of the race is the rain, which reappears in the closing laps with increasing intensity.

Bartone, who had to let pass Haase and Abril, is the first to lose the car and lightly touches the wall, while Neumann (then leading in Am), Hahn and M.Jedlinski also incur in off-track excursions. Haase catches M.Pulcini and steals second, followed closely by Abril. The two are soon putting pressure on Pitamber who spins in the final lap, opening the way to the win to Haase, followed by Abril and Menchaca.

The confused final also sees rookie Primm taking and excellent fourth, head of Pitamber and M.Pulcini, who retains the Pro-Am win ahead of Fumanelli and Hahn. Osieka wins in Am ahead of Cipriani and Neumann.