GTO: Series Magny-Cours race 1 report

Narac-Pilet (IMSA), Kings At Home In Magny-Cours Frezza-Couceiro, Win And Leadership In GTS

The Marsellaise played today in Magny-Cours, as IMSA Performance and Raymond Narac-Patrick Pilet gave the Porsche camp their second of the year as the French outfit dominated their home round's first race.

The EdilCris Ferrari of Raffaele Giammaria-Enrico Toccacelo took second, confirming their good form, and championship leaders Alvaro Barba-Pierre Kaffer (AF Corse Ferrari) took heavy points with a third place.

In GTS, Kessel Racing scored a one-two, with Marco Frezza-Pedro Couceiro taking their second win of the year (and the lead in the GTS standings) ahead of team mates Livio- Bontempelli and the RPM Ford of Alex Mortimer-Peter Bamford, who visited the podium for the first time of the season after a brilliant performance.

Barba takes the best start ahead of Giammaria while Dayrault has a bad start but keeps third ahead of Frezza, Mullen, Gene, Narac and Griffin. The safety-car is out in lap 2 to allow the Aston of Wiser to be rescued from the sand. At the re-start, Barba and Giammaria fly away.

In lap 5, Frezza passes Dayraut for third (and first in GTS) while the Frenchman goes off-track soon after. The Italian holds off the pack behind him, with Narac, Mullen and Griffin able to pass the Italian on lap 7.

The attention moves on to the fight for seven involving Roda, Livio, Lancieri, Gene and Gruber. The Autorlando Porsche will attempt to overtake the Sunred in lap 12 and there will be a contact which ends with Gruber hitting the armco (Gene will later get a drive-through).

The driver change window opens with Barba 8 seconds ahead of Giammaria attacked by Narac and Mullen, who will take the lead from Giammaria before stopping. After changes and handicaps, it is Toccacelo ahead of Pilet, who will take the lead one lap later (lap 25). Niarchos follows as third, but he is attacked and passed by Kaffer and later Lietz, after two beautiful duels. Gerber is sixth ahead of Couceiro, a quiet first in GTS ahead of Bontempelli, Lancelotti, Salucci (penalised with 20" for not serving the entire handicap) and Mortimer. The Briton gives a good show in the final laps as the Ford GT strongly climbs up towards third in GTS, its first podium of the season, while Lancelotti stops with an electronics problem.

-source: gto