Porsche and Prospeed Competition back in the top 5 at Paul Ricard 02.07.2012: Blancpain Endurance Series – Paul Ricard (Le Castellet - F) June 30th & July 1st 2012

Blancpain Endurance Series – Paul Ricard (Le Castellet - F)
June 30th & July 1st 2012



That the first Porsche ranked should be a 911 GT3-R, straight out of the ProSpeed Competition workshops has become an excellent habit in the Blancpain Endurance Series. But that this first Porsche should finish in the Top-5 is in fact a reality that has now converted into a constant.


On a circuit where the qualities of the Porsche 911 GT3-R can be expressed Marc Goossens, Xavier Maassen and Marc Hennerici clocked up a first class performance. The Belgian teams overall race, with their two cars classified fifth and sixth right from the start of the race was perfect.


It remained like this until the #74 driven by Paul Van Splunteren, Maxime Soulet and Dylan Derdaele came across a disorganised trajectory created by a backmarker.


Qualified in sixth and eighth place, the ProSpeed Competition Porsches enjoyed an excellent start. Marc Hennerici and Dylan Derdaele were up amongst the top players when whilst carrying out an overtaking manoeuvre of a backmarker, the 74 is seriously hit. This finally results in the car being retired several minutes later.


Not having been able to benefit from an initial “refuelling” pit stop, Xavier Maassen and Marc Goossens as from then were obliged to taken on an alternate strategy. This resulted in the Alcra Flash-CMF-UBS Porsche finishing in fifth place.



Rudi Penders (Team Principal): “Bringing the two ProSpeed cars up into the Top-10 in qualifying – two cars split by a mere two thousandths of a second … - is an incredible performance. It proves the entire team’s capabilities in all pulling in the same direction, all with a view to achieving a common goal.


We deserved that the entire team’s work should be rewarded with a double result and not merely by this excellent fifth place registered by Goossens, Maassen and Hennerici. Throughout the weekend their performance kept on increasing and was perfect. At the finish, the first Porsche ranked... is once again a ProSpeed car.”


Luc Goris (Technical Director): “To anticipate the first refuelling to take advantage of the “safety car” procedure? It was possible… but not for our car. It was just down to a matter of one lap but our calculations were definite, we would risk running out of fuel by the end of the race!


 Facing up to this uncertainty we opted for a conservative strategy. And we were proved correct. It guarantees us the result. I must admit that I can’t wait to count the actual drops of fuel left in the fuel tank!”


Paul Van Splunteren (Porsche 911 GT3-R #74 – “Pro-Am Cup”): “Maxime, during qualifying, and Dylan, at the beginning of the race put in a remarkable job. Indeed at that pace we would have been on the podium! The strategy chosen at the beginning of the race was the right one.


The two ProSpeed Porsches were running beautifully in fifth a sixth place. Dylan was progressing in an intelligent manner. He heads adopted his teammates rhythm… without in any way risking to compromise the rest of our race. But then there was this contact with the backmarker. The outcome was the car’s unavoidable retirement.”



Crews

#74 Paul Van Splunteren – Maxime Soulet – Dylan Derdaele (NL/B/B)
#75 Marc Goossens – Xavier Maassen – Marc Hennerici (B/NL/D)

Partners #74 NEC – Remeha - HTC – Porsche Groep Zuid - Soleco
#75 Alcra Flash – CMF – CIS – Janus Vaten - MoWeKo – UBS

Team partners Alcra Flash – CPL Trans – Penders Porsche Centre Liège - Spike




Results

1. Haase-Mies-Ortelli Audi R8 LMS 85 laps Pro
2. Palttala-Leinders-Martin BMW Z4 GT3 + 0.05” Pro
3. Gattuso-Rigon-Zampieri Ferrari 458 Italia + 0.17” Pro
4. Hommerson-Machiels-Bertolini Ferrari 458 Italia + 0.30” Pro
5. Goossens-Maassen-Hennerici Porsche 911 GT3-R + 0.38” Pro-Am
…
DNF Van Splunteren-Soulet-Derdaele Porsche 911 GT3-R + 2 laps Pro-Am


Calendar Round 1 April 15th Monza (Italy)


Round 2 June 3rd Silverstone (UK)
Round 3 July 1st Paul Ricard HTTT (France)
Round 4 July 28th & 29th Spa 24H (Belgium)
Round 5 September 23rd Nürburgring (Germany)
Round 6 October 14th Navarra (Spain)

- Paul Rouard, photos SRO Markus Berns