GT Open - Reicher-Haase (Eastalent Audi) reopen the games after thrilling win at Ricard

It was a fantastic Race 1 in torrid weather today at the Circuit Paul Ricard: following a great final charge and battle, Simon Reicher and Christopher Haase took their third win of the year. In their Audi R8 LMS, the Eastalent Racing duo beat in extremis the GetSpeed Mercedes of Fabian Schiller and Anthony Bartone, the other AMG of Motopark driven by Diego Menchaca and Marcos Siebert finished third ahead of Marinangeli-Abril (Spirit of Race Ferrari) and Deledda-Pepper (Oregon Lambo), the other drivers involved in the final battle.

With these results, Pitamber-Baumann (SPS Mercedes), today sixth, lead by only one point (65 to 64) ahead of Menchaca-Siebert, while Haase-Reicher are third with 60 points, re-launching their title bid.

“The team gave us a perfect car, which had been prepared to achieve maximum speed and that paid off”, said the German-Austrian duo after their spectacular win secured in the penultimate lap.

Valentin Pierburg and Aaron Walker (SPS Mercedes) clinched their maiden win of the season in Pro-Am, ahead of Hahn-Khodair (AF Corse Ferrari) and the Proctors father-and-son (Greystone GT McLaren).

In Am, Roberto Lacorte debuted in the series in the best possible way, netting a win in the AF Corse Ferrari, ahead of championship leader Giuseppe Cipriani (Il Barone Rampante Lambo) and S.Jedlinski-Korzenowski (Olimp Racing Ferrari).

THE RACE – At the start, poleman Fabian Schiller maintains the advantage while Abril loses the advantage of the first row to Pepper and Khodair. There is the usual spreading of cars at turn one, with many out-of-track limits on both sides. In the initial phases, it’s Schiller leading ahead of Abril, Khodair, Walker, Menchaca, Mettler, Reicher and Pitamber. At the back, Cipriani is sent into a spin, while also De Meeus is stranded out of the track.

In lap 3, Borodine spins and at the end of the Mistral straight there is a contact between Kirchmayr and Nana, with the Thai being sent to a long excursion off-track, luckily without hitting anything or anyone. In lap 10, Schille is still in the lead but under pressure from Pepper, followed y Abril, summoned to give back the position to Khodair, then Walker, Mettler, Menchaca, Bonduel, Reicher and Pitamber. Korzeniowski dominates among Am cars.

In lap 13, just before the opening of the driver change window, Pepper steals the lead from Schiller. After all changes (lap 20), Bartone leads with one second over Deledda, 4 on Marinangeli and 11 on Haase. Follow siebert, Hahn, Dunner, Baumann and Pierburg. Shortly after there is a contact between Petrov and Naran, who spins.

In the lead, the first four get closer and are covered by only 5 seconds with 17 minutes of race left. Starts then a fantastic battle, first with Marinangeli attempting in all manners to pass Deledda for several laps, but unsuccessfully. This gives, on one hand, a 4-second breathing space to Bartone in the lead, and allows Haase, on the other, to join the Italian duo. The German passes Marinangeli in lap 28 and Deledda one lap later to start a final charge on Bartone, whom he passes in the penultimate lap. The action is not over, with Siebert taking third at the end ahead of Marinangeli and Deledda, the other two drivers involved in the final battle.

Pierburg wins in Pro-Am ahead of Hahn and Proctor, and Lacorte imposes himself in Am ahead of Cipriani and S.Jedlinski.