Sultanov wins at Paul Ricard, Ferrari podium in the Iron Cup

With resounding success Russian driver Murod Sultanov cancels out the disappointment of Race-1 and stamps his authority on the final race of the Blancpain GT Sports Club weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit.

Sultanov without rivals. The Kessel Racing rider took the lead after slipping down the rankings to fourth place in the nervy early stages. Once in back in command, the Russian had to fend off the Ferrari attacks made by Luigi Lucchini, previously the winner in Race-1. With the race around the halfway mark, the Italian driver was appearing with more and more frequency in the rival’s mirrors until he sprang the decisive attack fifteen minutes from the end. BMS Scuderia Italia’s 458 Italia GT3 went wide on the Northern dogleg and stopped on the track, off the racing line, before resuming the race in tenth position. After the episode Sultanov was left without rivals and went on to cross the finish line undisturbed in first place. Lucchini, meanwhile, climbed up to eighth overall place - sixth in the class - just behind Frederic Fangio's 488 GT3. Mario Cordoni, after the morning podium, finished ninth ahead of Greek driver Kriton Lentoudis, the last of the drivers in the points.

Kogay on the podium. In the Titanium Cup, third place went to Vadim Kogay who for long stretches of the race had occupied the fifth outright position before being called to the pits for a drive-through due to contact which had happened in the initial stages of the race.

Red podium lock-out. In the Iron Cup, as had previously occurred in the opening round at Monza, there was a full Ferrari triple with Stephen Earle once again on the top step of the podium after the puncture that had ruled him out of the top positions in Race-1. Behind the Kessel Racing rider came Louis Philippe Soenen, winner in the morning but hampered by a spin in the opening laps of the race and team-mate Rick Peter Lovat, likewise bound for the podium.

Round 3. The Blancpain GT Sports Club will once again be the protagonist on June 29th and 30th at the Misano circuit.