Team MZR and Akkodis ASP clinch class victories in second Spa thriller

Reinhard Kofler and Martin Koch charged to a commanding second Fanatec GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli victory of 2024 for Team MZR in a thrilling second race at Spa-Francorchamps.

The #812 KTM X-BOW duo bided their time in a frenetic opening stint, before Koch took control of the race with a decisive pass on Eric de Doncker’s Motorsport 98 Mercedes-AMG. The Team MZR crew went on to clinch the outright win and the Pro-Am lead after a difficult race for LP Racing’s #1 Maserati GT2.

Second place went to Jean-Luc Beaubelique and Gilles Vannelet after an almighty charge from 11th on the grid, which was enough for the Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG GT2 pairing to claim the Am class spoils.

KTM completed the rest of the Pro-Am podium with Simon Birch and Thomas Andersen finishing second in class for Razoon - More Than Racing ahead of the X-BOW GT2 of RTR Projects, following an impressive debut weekend for Petr Lisa and team-mate Matej Homola.

In the battle to round out the Am class top three, the Akkodis ASP of Pascal Gibon and Christophe Bourret got the better of TFT Racing’s Alexandre Leroy in an entertaining duel between the respective Mercedes-AMG and Maserati crews.

Koch and Kofler take Pro-Am lead with second win of 2024

In a prelude to the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa centenary event on Saturday, race two was action-packed from the start. Pierre Kaffer led the field away from pole position after a record-setting lap on Friday, but was soon under pressure from the charging KTM of Birch. A great run put the #80 machine alongside Kaffer into Les Combes, but the latter rebuffed the efforts of his rival.

Behind them, Loris Hezemans carved his way past Carlo Tamburini’s #1 Maserati on the Kemmel Straight for third. The Dutch driver swiftly completed a move on Birch for second and set off after Kaffer, the top two arriving for their driver changes just four seconds apart.

Local driver De Doncker took control of the #98 Mercedes-AMG and immediately grabbed the race lead on his out-lap from Michael Doppelmayr, sweeping by the #18 LP Racing Audi heading into the Bus Stop.

Kofler meanwhile survived a clash with Tamburini to put Team MZR up to second spot after their stop, which soon became the race lead when Koch scythed his way past Doppelmayr and De Doncker in quick succession at the final chicane. These would prove to be decisive moments as Koch pulled clear for a convincing second victory this term, in turn earning the Pro-Am points lead as a further reward.

The Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG pairing of Vannelet and Beaubelique put in another star performance aboard the #87 car to climb from 11th to seize the Am class spoils and Iron Cup victory, while the pass on Andersen in the closing stages also earned an impressive second overall. Andersen and Birch followed for their third Fanatec GT2 podium this year, ahead of the #89 RTR Projects X-BOW of Lisa and Homola.

The #53 Akkodis ASP entry of Gibon and Bourret earned their best result so far in fifth after fending off the attacks of Leroy’s Maserati. Despite a positive start, the race unravelled for De Doncker and Hezemans as the Motorsport 98 car was hit with a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pits, dropping them to seventh ahead of Kaffer and Doppelmayr.

Alfredo Hernandez Ortega finished ninth in the #7 BDR Compétition by Grupo Prom Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 to cap off a competitive Invitational class debut, while Tamburini and Leonardo Gorini rounded out the top 10 after suffering a mid-race puncture in the #1 Maserati. That capped off a tough day at the office for LP Racing, as the sister #2 car of Philippe Prette cut a tyre following contact with the KTM of Dominik Olbert (Razoon - More Than Racing), forcing the Italian to retire.

Results are HERE