Brazilian trios were involved in an accident at the start of the race at Silverstone. Bueno, Jimenez and Fraga recovered, taking more than 30 positions throughout the race. The teammates Brito, Abreu and Stumpf were not so lucky and retired
It was a tumultuous start of the race and an accident at the start of the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Series on Sunday (24th) at Silverstone (England) damaged both cars of the BMW Team Brasil. Starting in the middle of the grid, which featured 61 cars, the drivers of the Brazilian team were involved in an accident, which affected the team’s performance on the round.
Atila Abreu, who races alongside Valdeno Brito and Matheus Stumpf in the BMW Z4 # 77, started in the 30th place and failed to dodge other cars, after a crash in front, and hit the BMW Z4 # 0, which at the time was drived by Sergio Jimenez (who started from 26th position).
The accident damaged both cars. Abreu, with a broken suspension, went to the pits and collected. The team also did a great job to try to recover the car, but they felt better save the equipment. Jimenez already had a flat tire, changed and returned to race in the 58th position in search of positions. Little by little, the BMW Z4 # 0 was climbing the peloton and maintaining a strong pace also with Caca Bueno and Felipe Fraga. The trio finished the race in 26th overall and 17th in the Pro class.
Rob Bell, Shane van Gisbergen, Kevin Estre, who run with McLaren 650 S GT3, took the victory after three hours of dispute. The trio Jean-Karl Vernay, Robin Frijns, Laurens Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS Ultra) finished second and leads the endurance series, which will have its next round on 20th of June in Paul Ricard (Fra). First, however, the BMW Team Brasil will race in Zolder (Bel), the third round of the Sprint Series, on 7th of June. The Brazilian team – led by Antonio Hermann and Washington Bezerra – is the runner up in the series and has already gotten a victory and podiums.
Quotes
Sergio Jimenez – BMW Z4 # 0
“Our pace was good, but the accident at the start took out our chances. I came to the box with a flat tire and we lost a lap, which compromised the entire race. Still, we recovered a lot in just three hours. Now it is to think of Zolder, our next round in the Sprint Series, and then work for the endurance races, which have been more complicated for us at the moment”
Felipe Fraga – BMW Z4 # 0
“A pity that accident with the two cars of the team, but we could recover very well and had a good pace. Without the accident, we could fight to finish in the top 10 or top 15. But I’m happy with my performance. My pace was good and I’m feeling of accomplishment, but it was a shame. Let’s focus for the next race and try to improve our car more and more”
Atila Abreu – BMW Z4 # 77
“Starting in the 30th place is very tumultuous, in the middle of the field, where you have experienced drivers, others a bit less, due to the division of categories, and it is a little complicated. Unfortunately, a car spun and other cars began to brake. I pulled to grass, to swerve and avoid a crash, but could not and ended up touching the Jimenez´s car. It broke our suspension and they had a flat tire. But it was a racing incident. The team tried to fix the car, we tried to take some laps, but the car still had some problems and we decided not continue. But, after all, the team has evolved enough, and we need to highlight all the dedication of mechanics, engineers and the atmosphere in the team is very good, so I believe we will fight for better results this year”
Valdeno Brito – BMW Z4 # 77
“It was a pity the accident on the first lap, but races have these things. The focus now is the next step in Sprint at Zolder”
Matheus Stumpf – BMW Z4 # 77
“Sixty-one cars dividing the first part of the circuit are always very complicated and we had the bad luck of the accident. We try to fix the car in the pits, the team worked as quickly as possible and very well, but we decided to save the equipment. I hope the next round gives us a better result. All the team works very hard and they deserve it”.