The main support races were for the Blancpain GT Sports Club competitors, also with two races on the
Sunday, but of shorter duration, the first one of 25mins and the second of 40mins. These races are for
amateur drivers only with bronze grading, whilst there is a Balance of Performance, so that all entries are
theoretically on an equal performance footing. A number of the drivers also compete in the main two
Blancpain series, Endurance and Sprint, but in those there are professional drivers, so the likelihood of a
podium finish is remote, thus this series gives them the opportunity to race on more equal terms with drivers
of the same standing. Like its “big brother” GT Sprint series, this was also inaugurated in 2015, and the entry
list has grown considerably since its maiden season. These races also feature an “Iron Class” for which
drivers over the age of 60 are eligible.
With 37 cars on the track for qualifying for the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup race, finding a clear lap was
paramount in setting a good time, and the car that managed it best was the ISR entered # 74 Audi R8 LMS of
Stockinger/Perera, followed by a pair of HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3s, in the order of the # 86 car
driven by Schneider/Szymkowiak and the # 85 example of Schmid/Jafaar. In the qualifying race on the
Sunday morning, it was the # 86 Mercedes-AMG GT3 that made the best start and thereafter dominated the
race, that is not to say that it was boring, as with a packed field chasing there were plenty of close battles
right through the field, with very little in the way of incidents, which was quite surprising given the demanding
nature of the track and the dense traffic.
The finishing order for the qualifying race determined the grid positions for the main race on Sunday afternoon,
and thus the # 86 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Schneider/Szymkowiak sat on pole ahead of the # 74 ISR Audi R8
LMS of Stockinger/Perera and the # 33 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT example of Ide/Mies. The # 86
Mercedes led away from pole position and maintained its position just ahead of the #33 Audi that had beaten
the # 74 example away from the line, until the mid race mandatory pit stop for a driver change, when the
lightning work by the Belgian Audi Club team saw their driver emerge at the head of the field. Despite massive
pressure from the # 86 Mercedes, and a brief late race safety car period, the # 33 Audi of Enzo Ide and
Christopher Mies took the victory, ahead of the #86 Mercedes of Bernd Schneider and Jules Szymkowiak.
After starting 10th on the grid, the # 8 Bentley Continental GT3 of Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet came
through to claim the final podium spot. In the Silver Class victory went to Michele Beretta and Luca Stolz in
their #19 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini, with the Pro-Am Cup going to the # 11 Kessel Racing entered
Ferrari 488 GT3 of Michal Broniszewski and Giacomo Puccini, whilst the AM Class win went to the # 55 AF
Corse entered Ferrari 458 GT3 of Stéphane Lemeret and Claudio Sdanewitsch.
The Blancpain GT Sports Club races were dominated by the # 11 Kessel Racing entered Ferrari 458 GT3 of
Michal Broniszewski, who took comfortable wins in both races, whilst having a busy and successful weekend,
also having taken a Pro-Am class win and a 2nd place in the main and qualifying Sprint race respectively. In
the “Iron Cup” division, Martin Lanting in his # 48 AF Corse entered Ferrari 458 GT2 was on target for class
wins in both races, until he found an affinity for the Brands Hatch gravel traps on both occasions, which gifted
the class wins to Steve Earle in the # 111 Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 GT3.
There were further support races for two British based race series, with three races for the GT Cup
Championship and two for the JCW Mini Challenge, the course of the weekend. In the GT Cup Championship,
it was the Bentley Continental GT3 of of Jordan Witt that dominated all three races, whilst the lurid orange # 5
Porsche 935 of Richard Chamberlain and the # 13 Ferrari 458 GT3 of Phil Dillon and Aaron Scott both had a
pair of podium finishes. In the JCW Mini Challenge races there was a Race 1 win for Jono Brown, and in Race
2 it was the reigning series champion Charlie Butler-Henderson who claimed victory.
There were also two 30mins demonstration runs for the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Cub participants each day,
giving spectators the chance to see some cars that they are unlikely to see on the road in action at high
speed, including an Aston Martin Vulcan, a Pagani Huayra, McLaren P1 and P1 GTR, and the Rimac
Concept_One electric supercar. These cars and others that were display only, formed a static exhibition in
the paddock area when not on the track. On the Sunday there was expansive display of exotica along the
roadway from the main entrance, adjacent to the start/finish straight and behind the main grandstand, which
was called Supercar Siege. Here there were a large number of cars, which, although not as rare as those in
the Ultracar display, are still rare everyday sights on the roads. These included a pair of Ferrari F40s, one of
which children could sit in for a small donation to charity, an example of the new Ferrari 488 Spider, together
with a wide range of other Ferrari models, a Jaguar XJR15, a pair of Mclaren 650S Spyders and a Koenigsegg
CCX, to name but a few.
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup
Qualifying Race Podium
1st – # 86, Mercedes-AMG GT3, B. Schneider / J. Szymowiak
2nd - # 74, Audi R8 LMS, M. Stockinger / F. Perera
3rd - # 33, Audi R8 LMS, Audi R8 LMS, E. Ide / C. Mies
Main Race Podium
1st - # 33, Audi R8 LMS, E. Ide / C. Mies
2nd - # 86, Mercedes-AMG GT3, B. Schneider / J. Szymowiak
3rd - # 8, Bentley Continental GT3, M. Soulet / A. Soucek
Blancpain GT Sports Club
Qualifying Race Podium
1st - # 11, Ferrari 458 GT3, M. Broniszewski
2nd - # 488, Ferrari 458 GT3, P. Van Glabeke
3rd - # 18, BMW M6 GT3, K. Ojjeh
Main Race Podium
1st - # 11, Ferrari 458 GT3, M. Broniszewski
2nd - # 18, BMW M6 GT3, K. Ojjeh
3rd - # 488, Ferrari 458 GT3, P. Van Glabeke
GT Cup Championship
Race 1 Podium
1st - # 10, Bentley Continental GT3, J. Witt
2nd - # 5, Porsche 935, R. Chamberlain
3rd - # 13, Ferrari 458 GT3, J. Dhillon / A. Scott
Race 2 Podium
1st - # 10, Bentley Continental GT3, J. Witt
2nd - # 18, Lamborghini Huracan GT3, D. Nelson / A. Carroll
3rd - # 5, Porsche 935, R. Chamberlain
Race 3 Podium
1st - # 10, Bentley Continental GT3, J. Witt
2nd - # 13, Ferrari 458 GT3, J. Dhillon / A. Scott
3rd - # 12, Audi R8 GT3, N. Hudson / A. Wilcox
Mini Challenge JCW
Race1 Podium
1st – # 79, J. Brown
2nd - # 10, C. Smith
3rd - # 27, N. Harrison
Race 2 Podium
1st - # 1, C. Butler-Henderson
2nd - #
3rd - #
Keith Bluemel
05/2016
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