Joel Camathias conquered another podium finish in the International GT Open, thanks to a 3rd position in Race 2 at Spa-Francorchamps, where took place the 6th round of the season. The result of the Swiss driver and his team mate Matteo Beretta, at the wheel of the Porsche 911 R of Autorlando Sport, is a nice reward after a not easy weekend on the difficult Belgian track.

Joel and Matteo proved competitive since free practice and qualifying, but in Race-1, where they had anyway a heavy handicap (30 seconds), they were penalized by the circumlstances, as the safety-car went into the track seconds before their planned pit-stop. Sixth place was the final result, which left some disappointment.

Race-2 began with Matteo Beretta taking an excellent start but being touched twice by rivals. Luckily, the Porsche wasn’t damaged and Joel could catch up during his stint, clinching a final third position which keeps the pair in third in the standings and allowed them to reduce the gap from the top to 13 points.

Joel Camathias:

“It hasn’t been a very simple weekend. We had a good pace since free practice and qualifying, but we were also confronted with tire problems, with excessive rubber consumption. That put us on the edge all the time, risking also a blow at any time, which was not very reassuring on such a fast track. In Race-1, with a high handicap, we weren’t expecting great results, but the safety-car ruined our race, as it got on track just seconds before our planned pit stop. That has favored greatly those who had pitted early. In Race-2, Matteo was very fast at the start but was soon sent off-track by a rival and then touched again. Luckily, the second part of the race was quieter and I could climb a few positions and take third, which is a good result and keeps us in the race for the title.”