GT4 South starts with Bullitt Racing domination 16.12.2020: • Pattrick/Monti in Mercedes AMG on the Pole-Position for race 1 • Jemma Moore/Aubrey Hall in the Ginetta G50 were the best at GTC

•     Pattrick/Monti in Mercedes AMG on the Pole-Position for race 1

•    Jemma Moore/Aubrey Hall in the Ginetta G50 were the best at GTC

•    Victories shared between Ian Loggie and the duo Pattrick/Monti, both on Mercedes AMG





The start of the second season of the GT4 South European Series took place this weekend at Jerez de La Frontera, with three very disputed races and accompanied by the Andalusian Touring Championship.



The duo Pattrick/Monti, in an impressive Mercedes AMG from Bullitt Racing, got the pole position, while the Spanish team's second car, with Ian Loggie behind the wheel, was second on the grid.




Alvaro Huertas, from Plemar, made the best time with the Ginetta G50 in the GTC category, with Jemma Moore/Aubrey Hall from Tockwith Team, also in Ginetta G50, in second place, followed by the Porsche Cayman of Andrius Zemantis, representing the Pro Rallye, with less than one second difference.





Race 1



The first race of the competition, which must be driven by a Bronze Driver and was backed by Ventilações Moura, was held in the morning. Spanish-British Pattrick's Mercedes AMG had a good start, taking the lead. He made a mistake on the second lap, being overtaken by the rest of the competition. Bullitt's other Mercedes AMG took the opportunity, and driver Ian Loggie, just crowned British GT3 champion, moved to the lead and won easily, collecting the first points of the mini cup.



Further back, Jemma Moore, also in Ginetta G50, rose to second place despite her GTC car. The rookie driver Andrius Zemantis, in a also new Porsche Cayman 981, did a more cautious first race and finished third, thus getting his first GT4 South podium.




Race 2


After the crash of the first race, it was the Pro's turn. Romain Monti wanted to impose his Bullitt Racing’s Mercedes AMG. Right from the start, he gained a significant distance for Ian Loggie in nearly an identical car which, however, had to worry about a KTM X-BOW to avoid losing a position on the track. Leader Romain Monti kept up a good pace on his Mercedes AMG until the end and won the second race of the weekend.




Alvaro Huertas, in a Ginetta G50, followed, interestingly also with a KTM X-BOW on his tail, but the one he really had to worry about was Andrius, the rookie who, in this second race, was gaining ground with his Porsche Cayman 981. Zemaitis, who was leading the AM category, seemed a threat to Huertas' position but Huertas defended until the end. The British Aubrey Hall, with the Ginetta G50 of the Tockwith team, made a good race without incidents and won the GTC category.




Race 3


The last race of the weekend was the longest of this Jerez leg. Unlike the first two, which one only lasted 20 minutes, this one is called endurance race and lasted for 40 minutes.



The beginning brought no big surprises, with Bullitt Racing's two Mercedes AMG taking the lead, with Ian Loggie leading and Romain Monti in second. Despite being an endurance race it witnessed were some of the best performances of the weekend, with both Mercedes fighting for victory! Aubrey Hall/Jemma Moore at Ginetta G50 were third and GTC led the category.



With the mandatory visit to the pits, Romain Monti changed places with Stephen Pattrick, who took the lead, as Ian Loggie took longer on his pit stop with his Mercedes AMG. Pattrick gained a little over two seconds advantage over Loggie, while, further behind, Zemantis continued to struggle to reach Hall's Ginetta, without success.



Pattrick's advantage did not last long, as Ian Loggie managed to get behind him and take the lead. The day was not good for Bullitt Racing’s car # 33, as another error allowed the British Jemma Moore/Aubrey Hall to move up to second place in yet another fantastic result for Tockwith Motorsport.



 Meanwhile, Zemaitis came in third but, in a test of resilience, Bullitt's Mercedes AMG was now glued to the rear of his Porsche Cayman 981 in some exciting final moments of racing. In the very last lap, in the last curve of the circuit, Pattrick began to overtake the Pro-Rally Porsche for a photo-finish finish in favor of the Mercedes driver. What an finale!



The GT4 South European return on 23 and 24 January 2021, at the Portimão Circuit, for the second and final round of the competition in this difficult year of 2020.




Bruno Silva 2019 Race Ready, photos