In the class for professional drivers, Ferrari’s finished outside the top ten. At the wheel of a Fasttuning 488 GT3, Maksim Yefanov finished twelfth in an action packed race, which did not go that well for the Prancing Horse cars.
Fight-back. The official Ferrari Competizioni GT drivers again put on a great show, moving up the order but that all came to nothing because of some bad luck. That’s what befell Daniel Serra, who started from 24th on the grid and had to retire with a technical problem when it looked as though the Brazilian could finish in the top ten. “It was a good step forward compared to Silverstone,” commented Daniel, “but unfortunately, my steering wheel stopped working in the most critical point of the track and I had to retire. I’m disappointed but I will try and train even more now to be ready for the next race.” Miguel Molina did his best for the works team, finishing 18th having started from the 16th row. The Spaniard made clear progress which confirmed the Barcelona driver’s improvement at the wheel of the virtual 488 GT3. “My race pace wasn’t that good, but my lap times were consistent and I didn't make any mistakes,” commented Molina. “Maybe I could have made up a few more places but starting from the pack is always complicated, especially in the early stages. I hope to improve still further in Germany.” Niklas Nielsen qualified well on his debut but was caught up in a multiple pile up at Eau Rouge which pretty much put him out of the race, as he was a lap down after pitting for repairs. “This definitely wasn’t the result I wanted or had prepared for, but I still had fun,” said the Dane. “On the first lap a bit of everything happened but as this was my first race I tried to learn as much as possible to be more competitive starting at the Nürburgring.”
Penalties in the mid-field. Luck didn’t come the way of the other Ferraris in the race. After a great overtaking move at the start, Nicolas Hillebrand (Buttler-Pal Motorsport) was a solid second before his race ended in the barriers at the exit to Eau Rouge, but he managed to get going and finish 39th. Much was expected of David Perel (Rinaldi Racing) but he had a technical problem with a peripheral device similar to what happened to Serra, which cost him over a lap in the pits and he crossed the line in 21st place. Both David Fumanelli (Kessel Racing) and Chris Froggatt (Tempesta Racing) were penalised by the stewards which ruined their races. The Italian got a 30 second penalty following a collision in the early stages at Blanchimont, while the Englishman was hit with a drive through penalty for not respecting track limits and then he also got a stop & go. They finished in 14th and 19th places come the end of the one hour of racing, which did not reflect the competitive pace they clearly demonstrated at the Ardennes track. Jean-Eric Vergne was a guest driver and had a problem with the start procedure which meant he didn’t get off the line. The race was won by Marcucci in the LMS Evo Audi R8.
Plenty of points. In the Silver class, for pro sim drivers, there was a threat of rain, but it did not hit the 7 km long Belgian track. The FDA Hublot Esports Team finished with Bonito fifth and Tonizza eighth to bring home a good points haul.
Next round. The virtual SRO championship returns to the track next weekend, when the Pro and Silver class drivers will tackle Germany’s Nürburgring circuit.
Photos ©SRO/Xynamic Motorsport Photography