HAAS RT Audi Wins 12H Mugello
Antigua-based HAAS RT scored its first 24H Series win after just three attempts in this weekend’s 12H Mugello, leading home first-time podium finisher Sainteloc Junior Team in the process.
The #21 HAAS RT Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, driven by Mathieu Detry, Stéphane Perrin and Frédéric Vervisch, made an immediate impact on its 24H Series debut in Dubai, finishing fifth overall from 43rd on the grid and leading the race outright at numerous stages. This weekend the team made further progress, having won this weekend’s race at Mugello from seventh on the grid, taking the lead before half distance yesterday and controlling Part 2.
Saintéloc Junior Team’s #26 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II of Erwan Bastard and Paul Evrard was the closest challenger, but Haas RT led a combined 178 of the 341 total laps completed at the 5.245km Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello and finished two laps ahead of the Saintéloc R8.
“This is incredible! This is fantastic!” Stéphane Perrin explained to radiolemans.com’s Joe Bradley. “I don’t know if I believe this is just my second race in GT3!”
“It’s amazing!” teammate, and Audi factory driver, Frédéric Vervisch continued. “It’s the team’s first win in only their third race, the whole team is new, and it’s all very emotional. Mathieu [Detry] and Stéphane did a great job. We were pushing a lot at some points, but here in Mugello, it’s more important to manage traffic and fuel, and to be a bit lucky of course! But we definitely had the pace this weekend.
“I’m very happy to be a part of this, and hopefully there will be many wins to follow.”
Second overall marks the best result to-date in the 24H Series for the Saintéloc Junior Team, this despite the French team losing big chunks of time by pitting moments before a Code 60 caution period was thrown twice.
Third on the road was the #27 Heart of Racing by SPS Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Ian James, Gray Newell and Roman De Angelis, which completed a comback drive to finish on the overall podium and a victory in the GT3-AM class.
The American team, which collaborated with Germany’s SPS automotive performance once again this weekend, had dropped well into the midfield after a moment in the gravel during the opening hour, but was brought back into contention after an iron-man double stint from Gray Newell. A radio glitch meant the young American mistakenly stayed onboard the Mercedes midway, on old tyres, during his second stint at the wheel on Sunday!
Fourth overall and first in the 992 class was the #955 Ebimotors Porsche, followed by the other two podium finishers in GT3 Am, both Mercedes AMG GT3s, from Hofor Racing (#11) and AKKODIS ASP (#88) that came home fifth and sixth. Despite a brief on-track brush with 992 rival Centri Porsche Ticino shortly after the Part 2 restart, the #955 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup led the class throughout the remaining six hours en-route to fourth, passing the Hofor Racing Mercedes while it was on a fuel-save run on the final lap. The Centri Porsche went on to win the 992-Am class, despite a late-race puncture.
It was a dramatic finish in GT3-AM. The #34 Land Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II of Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff, Ingo Vogler and Tim Vogler looked on course to finish second in-class, and fourth overall, only to suffer a left-rear puncture 12 minutes from home. In a heartbreaking moment, a broken driveshaft meant the Audi was forced into retirement within sight of the flag.
The German team’s demise subsequently propelled AKKODIS ASP Team onto the final step of the GT3-AM class rostrum on the latter’s series debut.
This finish came after an already tricky afternoon for Land Motorsport, when the sister #55 Audi, which led most of the opening hour of the race yesterday, was found to have a water leak during the overnight intervention. The car, which ended the first half of the race fourth overall, was then handed a 10-lap penalty when repairs were affected in parc fermé without prior permission from the event’s scrutineers. An issue with the Audi’s camshaft meant the early pacesetter eventually finished 18th overall.
Elsehwere, in the field there were two other notable dramas that knocked two front-running GT3 teams out of contention. The #85 CP Racing Mercedes suffered a heavy shunt, but after being repaired in time for the second half of the race, the car went on to score valuable points, finishing 29th overall. Kessel Racing’s #8 Ferrari 488 GT3 has also hit the tyre barriers yesterday, and required a spirited effort to rise back up to 14th overall.
A surprisingly close fight in GT4 eventually went to the #403 Atlas BX Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4. This despite the South Korean team losing a wheel on the cusp of the overnight intervention and earning a five-lap penalty while repairs were made before the restart. AtlasBX was kept honest throughout Sunday afternoon by the #416 Buggyra Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4, despite the Emirati team being forced to pit with a puncture just moments after the restart, though Buggyra eventually fell four laps behind when the Mercedes lost drive in the closing 15 minutes.
The podium was completed by the #438 Simpson Motorsport BMW M4 GT4, a fitting reward for the British team which had to replace the BMW’s broken rear subframe during the night.
The fan-favourite Vortex V8 has secured a 1-2 finish in GTX, the first win for the Vortex 1.0 in 24H Series competition and the French outfit’s first since winning the SP3 category in the 2019 Dubai 24 Hours.
In the TCE ranks, Primus Racing’s #251 BMW M2 C2 Racing of Peter Larsen, Johan Rosen and Hampus Hedin completed a flawless run to take overall TCE victory on its first 24 Series start since the 2016 Dubai 24. The Swedish team’s BMW M2 CS Racing collected the chequered flag two laps clear of TC-class winner, Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport’s #331 BMW.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” Johan Rosen explained to radiolemans.com’s Joe Bradley after the race. “12 hours in a little car is not so easy. You are always busy and it’s tough, but it’s been a lot of fun. You get a couple of laps here and there to really push it, and we’ve been doing, I think, everything right in this team. It’s been amazing!”
Next up on the 2023 24H Series schedule is the second European round: the Hankook 12H Spa-Francorchamps, on May 6th and 7th.
Featured image courtesy of 24H Series
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