FFSA GT – Nogaro: Joulié and Chevalier win in the last lap

At the end of a very lively race, Hugo Chevalier and Enzo Joulié (Mercedes-AMG GT4 n°87) won after starting from pole position. First victory for the young Akkodis ASP Team tandem during this second race on the Nogaro track.

Published on 18/04/2022 à 15:59

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FFSA GT – Nogaro: Joulié and Chevalier win in Race 2

The young French tandem of Akkodis ASP Team wins for the first time in their young career - @ Julien Delfosse / DPPI

Youth imposes itself during this second event of the FFSAGT in Nogaro! Hugo Chevalier and Enzo Joulié (Akkodis ASP Team), only 20 and 17 years old and on pole at the start of the race, signed the duo's first victory at the wheel of Mercedes-AMG GT4 n°87. The young tandem even took the lead in the championship at the end of this Easter Cup.

However, the two men did not have the smoothest race. From the start, the No. 87 car was several steps ahead of its predecessors, enough to raise a few questions. The young Frenchman Enzo Joulié would have somewhat anticipated the start, a potential offense which will be studied in the coming minutes. But the Mercedes driver does not know how to be messy, achieving a very good first stint.

Behind, it was the #17 BMW of Ricardo Van Der Ende which made a strong impression, overtaking these opponents one by one as the laps went by. The duo he forms with Benjamin Lessennes (L'Espace Bienvenue) even took fourth place in the Silver Cup category at the time of refueling – after starting from thirteenth place on the grid – thanks to a flag yellow out after incident involving multiple cars.

It was during this same refueling that the No. 8 Full Motorsport Audi R4 LMS GT6 of Sacha Bottemanne and Lonni Martins took the lead in the race, ahead of the race's pole-sitters. But the relay of the second city quickly took a complicated turn due to intense tire degradation, preventing him from defending his leading position at the time when Hugo Chevalier was carrying out rapid laps of the track. The race was decided in the very last minutes, when the Akkodis driver gained the upper hand over his opponent, before quickly distancing himself and winning for the first time in FFSA GT, at Nogaro. The No. 6 Audi, although second on the finish line, was immediately downgraded for not having applied a Drive-Thru (a compulsory passage through the pits).

The podium of this second race is therefore completed by BMW M4 GT4 n°17 of Ricardo Van Der Ende and Benjamin Lessennes (L'Espace Bienvue), author of a superb comeback, and the Toyota GR Supra GT4 n°30 of Stéphane Lemeret and Tribaudini, for the second podium in two CMR races.

In the Pro-Am category, victory went to Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport No. 10 from AVR-AVVATAR, which finished the race in sixth position. While in Am, it is about theAlpine A110 GT4 n°76 from Bodemer Auto which wins.