For Maxime Martin, like for so many other drivers the 2012 edition of the Total 24 Hours of Spa, it was one of the season’s top meetings. With no less than 66 GT cars lined up on the starting grid, in front of some 50,000 spectators, the twice-around-the-clock race in the Belgian Ardennes, the high point of the Blancpain Endurance Series, kept to all its promises, with an enthralling duel between the best Audi and BMW cars, one being the Marc VDS Racing Z4 GT3 #3 of course!
A race that kicked off from the front row of the grid, having clocked up 2nd best lap time on Thursday evening, during the qualifying sessions. Enough to give Maxime Martin a boost with a view to the Friday’s Super Pole session … that was not going to be held, due to ever deteriorating climatic conditions! ” That cancellation is a great pity, Maxime explained. “Motorsport involves a fair amount of taking risks, and if one needs to cancel a session or neutralise a race as from the moment it starts raining, then one might as well opt for another discipline or merely stay at home! We know that the BMW handles well under wet conditions, which means that the pole was achievable … »
In the race not only was the Marc VDS Racing Z4 GT3 #3 to prove its top speed as also its reliability, but Maxime was once more to excel, going so far as to clock up the best race lap time, with a 2’19”758. At the end of the race it was in an excellent 4th place that the Martin-Leinders-Palttala trio took the chequered flag … “A small starter worry, an unjustified penalty incurred during the free practice sessions, and two or three minor problems stopped us from getting on to the final podium of this edition of the 24 Hours, the young Brussels based driver continued. It’s somewhat frustrating, but at the same time we knew that we would have to fight like lions up against the Audi armada, with no less than four official cars entered. Once again the team were perfect during the various pit stops, and all in all we have come out well in the Blancpain Endurance Series… »
Not only does the Marc VDS Racing team retain a solid lead in the championship, but Maxime and his teammates have scored precious points as from the 6th hour of the race, when the first points are awarded … « It all boiled down to the sprint, just prior to the neutralisation, when the track was full of water … I floored the accelerator, got passed the two Audi ahead of me, and I was leading in the 6th hour of the race! I must admit that I don’t know what happened to my rivals. It seemed as though they were driving GT4 cars and I was in a GT3! At the halfway mark we scored points for being in 3rd place, as also those for having finished in 4th. It was a race where we could have lost everything. And so finally we came out pretty well. Audi has come back somewhat, but we remain in an ideal position to take on the two last rounds of the season. Our quest for the title in the Blancpain Endurance Series can continue in the best possible conditions … “
Source : Maxime Martin