The opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe - Endurance Cup ended with a one-two for the Ferrari 296 GT3s in the Bronze class, with victory clinched by the number 8 of the Kessel Racing team, ahead of the number 52 of AF Corse. Fourth in the class went to the 93 of Sky Tempesta Racing.
In the Pro class, the two AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors-run cars posted ninth and 15th respectively with Pier Guidi-Rigon-Rovera, Neubauer-Abril-Vidales.
After the race at Paul Ricard's Le Castellet circuit, we caught up with the drivers for their thoughts on the 3-hour event.
David Fumanelli, 296 GT3 Kessel Racing #8: “An unforgettable day and in some ways unexpected with this epilogue, considering that we started from seventeenth position on the grid. The result is the outcome of some great work done by the whole team. I want to thank everyone, starting with my teammates, who allowed me to 'manage' the position in the final stint. For us to win on our debut in such a competitive championship with the Ferrari 296 GT3 is an incredible joy.”
Niccolò Schirò, 296 GT3 Kessel Racing #8: “After Nicolò's good start, I tried to do my best in the second stint and managed to take the lead. All this is obviously not the result of chance, but of the incredible work done by the team since the early Friday sessions. This really is a collective victory.”
Nicolò Rosi, 296 GT3 Kessel Racing #8: “I would like to thank my teammates who have been following me in races for a few years and have allowed me to improve as a driver. Winning with the 296 GT3 has a special flavour for me, considering that my path with Ferrari began with Club Challenge and then developed in the Ferrari Challenge single-marque series (47 races and 2 victories, Ed): it has been a path that has allowed me to gradually grow as a driver, always being able to count on extraordinary support, especially from a technical point of view.”
Andrea Bertolini, 296 GT3 AF Corse #52: “How to describe this 3 Hours of Paul Ricard? As always in the GT WC, we see hard-fought races and this year the Bronze category is really competitive. We had fun and the final result fills us with pride. The team did not make any mistakes and set up a very good strategy, gaining positions at the pit stops. I am happy with this podium and congratulations to Louis and Jeff.”
Louis Machiels: 296 GT3 AF Corse #52: “We leave Paul Ricard with a smile at the end of a really hard-fought 3 Hours in our class. We started from fifteenth position on the grid so the first part of the race was not easy, but we did a great job as a team, without making mistakes, and got a great result that allowed us to make it onto the podium here at Le Castellet for the second year in a row.”
Jef Machiels: 296 GT3 AF Corse #52: “I'm thrilled with our performance in this race, especially considering that after qualifying, we weren't expecting to be contenders for a podium finish. We worked for a long time looking for solutions to optimise the car and we had a great race. After my father's great stint, when I got behind the wheel I tried to do my best and was in the middle of a very tight competition. I focused lap after lap on doing my best, and the team's result in the end was outstanding. Andrea (Bertolini, ed.) once again delivered, gaining several positions in the final stages.”
Alessio Rovera, 296 GT3 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors #51: “Off the starting line, I quickly executed five overtakes, moving up to sixth place by the end of the opening lap. This initiated a prolonged battle amidst a fiercely competitive front pack. Throughout, I pushed the limits of our vehicle to the brink, maximizing its capabilities here on the challenging circuit of Paul Ricard, where we suffered most in terms of top speed on the long straights.”
Davide Rigon, 296 GT3 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors #51: "We knew from Saturday that this 3 Hours of Paul Ricard would be a difficult race, where we didn't have much chance to be in the challenge for the top positions, and that’s the way it turned out to be."
Alessandro Pier Guidi, 296 GT3 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors #51: “The Paul Ricard weekend proved to be challenging for us, starting from practice, and unfortunately, the race didn't conclude as we had hoped. So let's look to the future and the next event, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, a legendary race celebrating its centenary this year.”
Thomas Neubauer, 296 GT3 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors #71: “I'm not too happy with the final result, obviously, nor with my stint: there are still aspects of the car that I need to understand better and I will work in this direction for the next race. Let's turn the page and look to the future. At the end of June we will go to Spa for the 24 Hours, the most highly-anticipated race of the entire season. I can't wait to race in Belgium and I am sure that the team will do everything possible to get us ready for that event.”
Vincent Abril, 296 GT3 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors #71: “I am back racing with AF Corse and with Ferrari, something I am really very happy about, and with this spirit I tackled the first race of a season in GT WC Europe that I expect to be very hard-fought. Here at Paul Ricard, I approached the first stint with full throttle, aiming to maintain a clean run and steer clear of any on-track incidents, despite grappling with a subpar qualifying performance that left us starting from the rear.”