Close on the heels of the Portuguese round in Portimao, the FIA GT1 World Championship was on German soil this weekend, on the Sachsenring circuit. A track lay-out which in the first instance favoured the Ford GTs of the Marc VDS Racing team, which was confirmed twice on Friday by Maxime Martin and his French team mate Fred Makowiecki, clocking up the best lap times during the free practice sessions, prior to repeating same during the pre-qualifying sessions.
This bode well for the rest of the meeting, all the more so seeing the Ford #41 was still up top at the end of the Q1, the first segment of the official session. « Domination which unfortunately came to an abrupt end in Q2, when I went off track having committed what I could only call a true beginners error, Maxime Martin humbly admitted. Outcome: a 14th place which would turn into a 12th spot on the starting grid. Obviously highly frustrating, however even though overtaking isn’t simple on this circuit I reckon that together with Fred we should be capable of climbing back up through the pack during the Qualifying Race this Saturday afternoon. »
And the young Belgian was true to his word. Once unleashed, Fred Makowiecki performed perfectly during his first stint, calling into the pit lane in 5th place. « And once again the team put in a brilliant job during the pit-stop, allowing me to head back on track … as race leader, Maxime continued. I found myself just ahead of the Aston Martin of Dusseldorp, who tried everything to get the better of me as my tyres weren’t up to temperature. But I was able to hold him off, and we clinched our second win of the season. A well deserved success, which confirmed the competitive level of our car on this circuit. A first place giving us the pole position for Sunday’s Championship Race. But I’m fully aware that it won’t be easy, especially at the start, in as much that the straight is on a slight incline on this track, which doesn’t advantage the Ford, as the engine still isn’t the most powerful of the grid … »
Indeed, as from the start Maxime Martin found himself flanked by two Aston Martin. And what has often been the case in these FIA GT1 World Championship races, incidents were forthcoming. « I first experienced a serious blow at the back, which put me off-balance and sent me flying into the Aston that was next to me, is how Maxime Martin described the incident. Outcome: not only a flat tyre, but also a broken suspension ball and socket joint. There hasn’t been a single start without either an incident or an accident in FIA GT1, which is highly frustrating. And once again we won the race on Saturday, the least interesting when it comes to scoring points, prior to becoming the victims of the aggressiveness of certain drivers on the Sunday, and not being able to score a single point. I know that we are amongst professional drivers, and that the level of this world competition is extremely high, but I find it difficult to accept that the tactlessness or excessiveness of some of the attacks by some individuals should undermine a full weekend’s work … »
Nevertheless Maxime Martin enjoyed a second success at a world level this weekend, enough to increase his motivation tenfold with a view to the next meeting, to be held on the Spanish Navarra circuit, where in a week’s time the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series, the championship of the Total 24 Hours of Spa. And as was the case in Monza, where the Ford GT Marc VDS Racing of Martin, Leinders and Palttala had kicked off this competition with a resounding top 3, it will be hopeful wishing …
Source : Maxime Martin