CARGTBELGIAN GT

Bel GT: Audi and Dodge secure Spa wins

The Phoenix Racing Audi and KRK Racing Dodge Viper won the Belgian GT races at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend.

Jean-Francois Hemroulle and Tim Verbergt took the race 1 honours following a thrilling battle with the First Motorsport Porsche 911 of Francois Verbist and Bert Longin, but the KRK Racing duo of Koen Wauters and Jeffrey Van Hooydonk extended their championship lead by winning race 2 as the Phoenix Audi drivers retired.

The field was reduced in numbers even before race 1 had begun as the second KRK Viper of Raf Vanthoor and Kris Wauters crashed heavily in qualifying sustaining damage which ruled it out of the remainder of the weekend.

Verbergt put the Phoenix Audi on pole position, but Longin made the better getaway at the start to lead in the First Motorsport Porsche. He built up a small gap on Koen Wauters in second and Verbergt in third. Damien Coens in the Delahaye Ferrari 430 was the leading trio’s only other serious challenger, but a spin just before the mandatory pit stops stymied his challenge.

At the stops, in which each car must be stationary for a minimum of 65 seconds, the Audi, now driven by Jean-Francois Hemroulle, managed to jump from third to first and exited the pits in the lead as he charged up to Raidillon. Francois Verbist was second in the Porsche and pushed the Audi all the way to the line.

At the chequered flag just 0.6 seconds separated the pair after an hour of racing, but the Audi held on for its third win of the season.

Van Hooydonk was happy to collect points for third having suffered tyre and brake problems throughout his stint, with the Barwell Motorsport Aston Martin DBRS9 of Vincent Vosse and Eddy Renard closing in, but ultimately settling for fourth.

Duncan Huisman and Pertti Kuismanen claimed fifth in the Kuismanen Competition Ford GT3, with the Delahaye Ferrari that Coens shared with Frederic Bouvy recovering to finish some way off the pace in sixth.

Race 2 was held in wet conditions as the unpredictable Ardennes weather struck again.

Vosse took his third consecutive pole position in the Barwell Aston Martin and he started well to hold off Huisman’s Ford GT in the opening laps.

The Ford eventually found a way through ten minutes into the race, but case was about to reign as several cars hit problems at La Source. The Phoenix Audi was the biggest loser as Hemroulle careered off the circuit and into retirement on what appeared to be oil, while the First Motorsport Porsche also slid down the order after an off.

“There must have been a patch of oil because the entire leading pack had problems steering through it,” explained Verbist. “Not only the Aston, but the Ford, the Audi and myself had problems braking. The Audi flew off the track and I had to swerve like mad to avoid it and lost at least twenty seconds.”

Huisman and Vosse managed to hold the leading positions through the carnage, while Van Hooydonk climbed to third.

After the mandatory pit stops, that order remained until ten minutes to go when the heavens opened.

Kuismanen spun out of the first position in the Ford GT3, while Renard dropped down the order allowing Wauters to take over a lead he would never lose. Longin was the star as he battled back using all his wet-weather prowess to grab second at the chequered flag.

“With an additional lap I would have won,” claimed the former motocross rider. “I learned to adapt to ever changing surfaces in motocross and that came in handy today!”

The battle for third saw Kuismanen grab the final podium spot from Coens, with the Westend Porsche of Jorma Vanhanen and Niko Nurminen in fifth.

Belgian GT Championship results – Round 4, Spa-Francorchamps

Race 1

1 Phoenix Racing, Jean-Francois Hemroulle / Tim Verbergt, Audi R8 GT3, 24 laps

2 First Motorsport, Francois Verbist / Bert Longin, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S, +0.656

3 KRK Racing, Koen Wauters / Jeffrey Van Hooydonk, Dodge Viper Competition, +13.924

4 Barwell Motorsport, Eddy Renard / Vincent Vosse, Aston Martin DBRS9, +15.684

5 Kuismanen Competition, Duncan Huisman / Pertti Kuismanen, Ford GT3, +17.888

6 Delahaye Francorchamps, Frederic Bouvy / Damien Coens, Ferrari F430 GT3, +55.140

7 VDS Racing Adventures, Raphael Van Der Straten / Stephane Lemeret, Ford Mustang FR500 GT3, +1:33.100

8 Scuderia Monza, Frank Thiers / Hans Thiers, Ferrari F430 GT3, +2:14.544

9 Westend Racing, Jorma Vanhanen / Niko Nurminen, Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, +2:36.312

10 JD by KS Motorsport, Danny De Laet / Arjan Van Der Zwaan, Lamborghini Gallardo, +1 lap

11 VDS Racing Adventures, Christian Deridder / Jeremy Princen, Ford Mustang GT4, +3 laps

Not classified

JD by KS Motorsport, Joost Vollebergh / Robert Van der Zwaan, Lamborghini Gallardo, 9 laps

Race 2

1 KRK Racing, Koen Wauters / Jeffrey Van Hooydonk, Dodge Viper Competition, 24 laps

2 First Motorsport, Francois Verbist / Bert Longin, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S, +1.784

3 Kuismanen Competition, Duncan Huisman / Pertti Kuismanen, Ford GT3, +6.040

4 Delahaye Francorchamps, Frederic Bouvy / Damien Coens, Ferrari F430 GT3, +6.360

5 Westend Racing, Jorma Vanhanen / Niko Nurminen, Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, +1:21.544

6 Scuderia Monza, Frank Thiers / Hans Thiers, Ferrari F430 GT3, +1:49.696

7 JD by KS Motorsport, Danny De Laet / Arjan Van Der Zwaan, Lamborghini Gallardo, +1:58.992

8 JD by KS Motorsport, Joost Vollebergh / Robert Van der Zwaan, Lamborghini Gallardo, +2:05.992

9 VDS Racing Adventures, Raphael Van Der Straten / Stephane Lemeret, Ford Mustang FR500 GT3, +2:09.632

10 Barwell Motorsport, Eddy Renard / Vincent Vosse, Aston Martin DBRS9, +2:27.512

11 VDS Racing Adventures, Christian Deridder / Jeremy Princen, Ford Mustang GT4, +3 laps

Not classified

Phoenix Racing, Jean-Francois Hemroulle / Tim Verbergt, Audi R8 GT3, 3 laps

Championship Standings (after 4 rounds)

1 Koen Wauters – 126pts

= Jeffrey Van Hooydonk – 126

3 Jean-Francois Hemroulle – 115

= Tim Verbergt – 115

5 Pertti Kuismanen – 97

= Duncan Huisman – 97

7 Francois Verbist – 93

= Bert Longin – 93

9 Frederic Bouvy – 90

= Damien Coens – 90

Watch Belgian GT highlights on Motors TV.

Andy Wilkinson

Published 14/07/2009 11:38

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