Bentley Team HTP experienced an eventful weekend at the Blancpain Endurance Series at Nürburgring and the ADAC GT Masters, which took part at the same weekend in Zandvoort. Expectations were high with the Bentley Continental GT3, following the good results in the Blancpain Endurance Series, most recently at the 24h of Spa and also after a podium finish in the ADAC GT Masters in Sachsenring. Luca Stolz (D)/Tom Dillmann just missed a podium finish at Zandvoort, whilst Harold Primat (CH), Vincent Abril (F) and Mike Parisy (F) were forced to finish the race early at Nürburgring, following a collision with a Mercedes SLS AMG.
Non-fault accident means early finish at Nürburgring
The Bentley Team HTP had an early finish to the season finale of the Blancpain Endurance Series at the Nürburgring. At the team’s home race, Harold Primat (CH), Mike Parisy (F) and Vincent Abril (F) were involved in a collision. Primat was running in a promising position, when another competitor forced him into the wall, leading to the end of the race. Until this moment, the driver pairing shined with a great performance. Coming from P23 on the grid, the Bentley was already heading to the Top-10 half-way through the race.
The accident was extremely disappointing, especially since the Swiss announced his retirement from Motorsport racing and raced for the very last time at the Nürburgring. Following countless successes in various Formula Championships, Harold has focussed on long-distance races since 2004 and competed many times at the famous 24h of Le Mans. Primat raced for HTP Motorsport for the first time in 2014.
Bentley-Crew misses podium in Zandvoort
Stolz/Dillmann narrowly missed out on a podium in the first ADAC GT Masters race in Zandvoort. The second Bentley Continental GT3, driven by Hamprecht/Schmid retired with a technical failure following some great battles for positions half-way through the race.
The Bentley Continental GT3 went into the second race, which took place on Sunday, from P13 and P8. Schmid was involved in a collision, but was able to continue the race. Following a difficult race, Stolz/Dillmann crossed the finishing line in tenth place, with Hamprecht/Schmid three positions behind in thirteenth.
“The performance was good at both Nürburgring and Zandvoort, which is a positive thing after this weekend”, concludes Bentley Team HTP-Team Principal Norbert Brückner. “Unfortunately, our competitors did not play the game, therefore we missed out on good results on both race tracks. Tom Dillmann showed a good pace and was fighting for a podium with Luca Stolz. Both Fabian Hamprecht and Clemens Schmid had contact in the races, which were none of their faults. It is very disappointing, that we were not able to send Harold Primat off with a good result. Harold is becoming a father and will focus on his family in the future and we congratulate him on that and wish him all the best. He will remain close to the team and will guide our young driver talents, who will benefit from his vast experience. We look forward to continue working with him in the pitlane. He will be missed, but since he is a real racer, we are sure to see him at some race track in the near future.”
The Bentley Team HTP has welcomed a new partner during this eventful weekend. The tools manufacturer “KS Tools” is now supporting the team in the fight for points and trophies.
Driver Quotes:
Harold Primat: „It was not the race I had hoped for to finish my career. Another driver raced into the back of me and there was nothing I could do. It was not an easy season. But at the big races like the 24h at Spa and Nürburgring, when it counted, we were strong. I think the first year with a new car is never easy, but the Bentley Team HTP did a great job. We often suffered problems none of our faults, but we proofed that we have the speed.”
Tom Dillmann: „The team did a great job on Saturday and we were very close to the podium. We were able to collect points in both races, which was nice for my debut and also important for Luca, who I would like help to finish in fourth place in the championship at Hockenheim.”
Luca Stolz: „Sunday was not a day for Bentley. We changed the pitstop strategy from Saturday to Sunday and pitted earlier, but unfortunately it did not work. I had a lot of traffic on my outlap and lost valid time, which in the end cost us the race, we would have finished in the middle of the field. But other than that, the car had a great set-up, but once you are so far behind it is difficult to overtake, especially at a track like Zandvoort. But I am still happy to have got some points and we will attack once more at Hockenheim.”
Fabian Hamprecht: „We had a good speed, but once you drive in the field following the start, overtaking is always risky. I had small contact with a Corvette, but that damaged the aerodynamics. I had no problem to keep up with my competitors, but we were missing a bit of luck at the right timing to make up more positions.”
Clemens Schmid: „What a frustrating weekend. On Saturday, we got penalised for nothing, and in both races we were hit by the same Audi. Very annoying.”