Team MZR and LP Racing clinch crucial victories in first Fanatec GT2 contest at Hockenheim

Kofler inherited the #812 KTM X-BOW from Koch and completed a sterling charge from third to first by overtaking Prette in the final minutes to achieve a third overall win, extending their Pro-Am points lead in doing so. Second place on the road was still an important result for Prette in the #2 LP Racing Maserati GT2, as he finished best of the Am class runners to claim big points in his own title battle.

Loris Hezemans shone in the second stint of the 50-minute opener in Germany by climbing up to third overall, and second of the Pro-Am finishers for Motorsport 98 (Mercedes-AMG GT2) with Eric De Doncker. Gilles Vannelet led during his stint in the #87 Akkodis ASP entry before pitstop success seconds dropped he and Jean-Luc Beaubelique to second in the Am class, taking the chequered flag fourth overall.

The Pro-Am podium was rounded out by the #88 LP Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2 of series returnees Stéphane Ratel and Stefan Rosina who finished fifth overall, passing the NM Racing Mercedes-AMG of Stéphane Perrin and Jörg Viebahn which completed the Am class top three.

Koch and Kofler extend Pro-Am lead with win number three of 2024

With the front row locked out by Am class competitors, Vannelet wasted no time in powering by pole man Prette heading into the hairpin to assume a first-lap advantage. Drama behind hit Pro-Am title contenders Leonardo Gorini and Carlo Tamburini (#1 LP Racing, Maserati) however, as the former collided with Mauro Ricci's Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG at the same bend.

Vannelet kept the chasing Maserati of Prette at bay all the way until he handed over to fellow Frenchman Beaubelique later on, dropping them behind the Italian as a consequence of needing to serve 10 additional success seconds at their stop.

The Pro-Am entrants flexed their muscles in the second part of the race, and it was Kofler looking dangerous as he powered by Beaubelique into second overall. The KTM driver then quickly trimmed Prette's lead to nothing, and dispatched the Maserati at the hairpin with four minutes on the clock.

It proved the key moment as Kofler and Koch claimed their third respective overall and Pro-Am class spoils of the campaign, while Prette followed the KTM home closely to bag what would be his fourth Am class triumph.

An exciting Hezemans climbed from sixth to third overall after taking over from De Doncker, who were also rewarded with second in the Pro-Am classification.

Beaubelique lost out to the #98 crew at the stadium section, but fourth overall was still enough for he and Vannelet to take points for second place in the Am order.

Ratel and Rosina put togther a strong run to fifth overall to complete the Pro-Am top three, ahead of Perrin and Viebahn who rounded out the Am podium finishers with their best showing of the year, coming home in sixth overall.

The NM Racing duo had finished behind Alexandre Leroy (TFT Racing, Maserati) after a terrific fight between them, but the latter was given a 12-second time penalty for a short stop that bumped him down the order. Sehdi Sarmini and Klaus Angerhofer’s True Racing KTM took advantage to claim seventh outright, Leroy dropping points as he slotted in behind.

The #53 Mercedes-AMG of Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon (Akkodis ASP) took ninth place despite contact with Thomas Andersen and Simon Birch, who rounded out the top 10 in the #80 Razoon - More Than Racing KTM.

Results are HERE