Mercedes opens its GT4 counter with Pla-Beaubelique

For its first appearance on French soil, the Mercedes-AMG GT4 is already one of the benchmarks in the category! After two years of absence in the French Championship, the Akka-ASP team progressed to victory on Monday in Nogaro (Gers) thanks to the duo Jim Pla-Jean-Luc Beaubelique.

Starting from second place on the starting grid, the Mercedes-AMG put its V8 engine to work to get rid of Soheil Ayari's Ginetta G55 after a quarter of an hour of racing. The duo from the team based in Tarn then managed their lead despite the thunderous return of Robert Consani (Team Speed ​​Car) at the very end of the effort. Stéphane Tribaudini (Ginetta) completes the podium.

“It was very tense and complicated when I came back to the retarded people. They had different rhythms”, explains Jean-Luc Beaubelique. However, his teammate Jim Pla was less enthusiastic at the start of the day: “We didn't know how our Mercedes would behave in a racing situation. Now we are very happy! »

Starting from 5th row, the Ginetta G55 of the winners of the Sunday event, Benjamin Lariche and Robert Consani excited the spectators of the Easter Cups by carrying out numerous overtaking maneuvers in the last quarter of an hour, before coming up against latecomers. “I'm a little frustrated, recognizes Robert Consani, because I had the impression yesterday and today that the stewards were not always waving the blue flag. But we are having a good operation in the championship. »

In the general classification, Lariche-Consani and Pla-Beaubelique are perfectly equal in points. The reigning French champion, Mike Parisy (CD Sport) tried to get back to the top of the rankings, but failed at the points gate (11th).

Find the report from our special correspondent for the Easter Cups in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, on sale from Monday evening in digital version and on Wednesday on newsstands.