GTO: Series Spa race 2 report

Day of glory for Giammaria-Toccacelo (Edil Cris)

Edil Cris Racing Team's long quest for victory has come to an end: Raffaele Giammaria and Enrico Toccacelo won the Saturday race in Spa, giving the black Ferrari of the Italian team its first win since 2006. Like in Imola, it was again a dramatic finale and the roman duo had to capitulate against the AF Ferrari of Kaffer-Barba in the last corner but Barba had cut the chicane in overtaking Toccacelo and the inevitable post- race sanction (5 seconds) put the championship leaders in 2nd position, but leave them reinforced in the championship's leadership. Richard Lietz won the other great final duel of the race against Chris Niarchos for third.

In GTS, Marco Frezza and Pedro Couceiro (Kessel Ferrari) took a well-deserved first win this year, after three second places, ahead of GTS championship leader Jean- Philippe Dayraut (this time assisted by Frederic Mackowiecki in the Luxury Ferrari), with the other Kessel F430 of Livio-Bontempelli third.

Poleman Kaffer keeps the lead at the start, but without being able to get rid of Mullen, Pilet, Giammaria, Peter and Griffin, while at the back of the grid Hummel and Moro get in contact after La Source.

The group of six quickly flew away, with the GTS cars leading the rest of the group, with Dayraut, Frezza and Bruck in the top three. In lap 7, the safety car is out to allow taking out of the gravel the car of Moro, who has spun. At the restart, Pilet has to pit with a damaged tire while there is a contact at La Source between the CRS Ferrari of Hummel and the Manthay Porsche of Bullitt. Both cars are out, while a lot of debris and oil are left on the track.

Kaffer is the first of top guns to stop for the driver change, leaving Griffin and Mullen fight for first. After driver changes and handicaps, it is Toccacelo leading ahead of Niarchos, Gerber, Couceiro (leading in GTS), Barba and Lietz.

The fight in the final laps will be superb: Toccacelo, with a broken splitter, is obliged to slow the pace, while Barba and Lietz catch up on Niarchos; the AF Ferrari takes second in the penultimate lap and attacks Toccacelo in the very last chicane, passing him but cutting the bus stop. Lietz, on his part, takes fourth from Niarchos in the last corner as well, while there is a final spin of Broniszewski.

In GTS, Couceiro wins with no problem ahead of Makowiecki, while Livio is third few tenths ahead of the Ford of Alex Mortimer, whose final charge finishes with an excellent 4th position, a nice reward for a team that lost his owner and boss a few days ago.

-source: gtopen