It was a very positive week-end in the South of France for the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, as Grégory Franchi and Enzo Ide took a brilliant third position in Race 2 at the Paul Ricard. This podium finish brought heavy points to the Belgian pair, which is now second in the overall standings of the European FIA GT3, only 4 points from the lead, and more determined than ever to fight for the title. The other Audi R8 LMS of the team, with Frenchmen Didier André and Gary Chalandon, also had a positive weekend, finishing both races not far from the point zone.
The French weekend had started on a lower note for the Belgian squad, as Ide and Franchi could not qualify better than 5th and 14th, respectively, probably paying their lack of experience on the French track, which requires a clever use of off-track zones. Race 1 on Saturday was, as expected, conditioned by the 15-second handicap the pair had to serve during the driver change as a consequence of their win in Navarra, and the final position (13th) brought no points. In Race 2, though, Greg and Enzo went for it and despite their 14th position on the grid, could climb up through the field to finish third and on the podium. “It was a tough but exciting race”, says Greg, “The team told us to be aggressive and to attack and that’s exactly what we did since the very start. Despite the modest position on the grid, I could pass a number of cars during my stint and gave the wheel to Enzo in sixth position. He completed the job with more overtakes and we got rewarded with the third position. Given also that some of our direct rivals for the title finished behind, it is a very good result! It’s a pity we couldn’t score a couple of points in Race 1 but the 15-second handicap and a spin during my stint were too much of a hurdle to overcome.”
“We are very satisfied with the results”, confirms Team Manager Vincent Vosse. “We have made a big step forward in the overall standings and will definitely be in a position to fight for the title. This is a very competitive series, where scoring heavy points in both races of each round is quite difficult. Our best chances here were in Race 2 and Greg and Enzo, with a faultless race, made the best of it. I am also very happy with the progress shown by the other car, Didier André and Gary Chalandon have shown they are getting closer to the front- runners.”
The French pair, indeed, finished 16th in Race 1 and 12th in Race 2, close to scoring points. While Didier André is now completely at ease with the Audi R8 LMS (he qualified 12th for Race 2 and was in front of the sister car for a while during the race), Gary Chalandon, who was driving the Audi R8 for the second time only, is quickly getting familiarized with the car, the team and GT racing.
The FIA-GT3 will not resume until end of August, but the team is already preparing the title bid, as underlined by Enzo Ide: “We have very good chances and it will be crucial to score points everywhere in the four remaining races. Bratislava will be new for everybody, but Zandvoort, where the last round will take place, is a circuit Greg and I know very well.” In the meantime, the focus of the team will entirely be on the forthcoming 24 Hours of Spa- Francorchamps, the most important rendez-vous (and at home!) of the season in GT racing.
Source : Belgian Audi Club Team WRT