Resumption in Magny-Cours for the Porsche Sprint Challenge

For logistical reasons, the Teams of Porsche Sprint Challenge wanted the Cup Series qualifying practices to be postponed to Saturday morning, which means that only the Sport Cup Series qualified on Friday evening. Jean-Christophe Dos Santos (JC Garage) was twice the fastest and best of the Porsche 997 phase II while Lucas Glinche (Glinche Racing) in Q1 and Rodolphe Gabrion (Rempp Racing) in Q2 set the second fastest time which put them placed at the head of the 718. On the side of the 996, Olivier Ornielli (MCG Propulsion) stood out for race 1 while it was Mickaël Drougard (2M Compétition) who was the fastest for race 2.

Saturday morning began with the Cup Series tests which took to the track to chase the clock from 8:30 a.m. Sylvain Noël (992 – Racing Technology) was the fastest in Q1 ahead of Arnaud Pierre (R – IMSA LS Group Performance) and Sébastien Lajoux (992 – Lajoux Racing Team) but the latter gave up starting the race because he was unable to equip his car with the regulatory exhaust within the very short time limits imposed by the postponement of qualifying. With an excellent fourth time, Yves Godard (Team 52) was the fastest of the phase 991 Porsche 2s and we had to go down to twentieth position to find the first 991-1, that of Pierre Vassallo (IMSA LS Group Performance). In Q2, Arnaud Pierre took pole position ahead of Marco Gerarduzzi (DBG Motorsport) who hoisted his 991 phase II onto the first row ahead of Denis Papin (Racing Technology) who was the fastest of the 992 GT3 Cups while Pierre Vassallo achieved the double in 991 phase I.

Porsche Sprint Challenge France in Nevers Magny-Cours © Alexis GOURE

At the start of the first Cup Series race, if Arnaud Pierre managed to get ahead of Sylvain Noël when crossing the line, the latter immediately regained the lead only to leave it while the race was interrupted on the first lap, a car being immobilized on the track following a collision at the first corner. At the restart, Olivier Baharian (CLRT) took third place and never left it. Sixth, Yves Godard won group 991-2 while in nineteenth place, Pierre Vassallo won group 991-1. The feat of the race was to the credit of Cyril Caillo (Racing technology) who finished fifth after moving up twenty-two places while Grégory Rasse (Team Rasse) who started from the back of the grid finished eighth.

The progress of the second Cup Series race was crystal clear, without the slightest interruption or the slightest incident which did not prevent Arnaud Pierre from taking victory ahead of Marco Gerarduzzi who demonstrated that he was going as fast in the race as in qualifying, ahead of all Porsche 992 GT3 Cups with his 991 phase II, Maxence Sevin (Racing Technology) placing third and first of the 992s. As for Pierre Vassallo, he achieved the double in 991 phase I.

This race was also the scene of a spectacular comeback, that of Emil Caumes (CLRT) who ranked fifth after starting from twenty-fifth position.

In the Sport Cup Series, apart from the first lap collision in Adelaide which caused Mickaël Drougard (2M Compétition) to retire, the race was clear, with Jean-Christophe Dos Santos leading from start to finish ahead of Rodolphe Gabrion who won the category 718, Cédric Toison (NAD Systems) finishing fifth and first in the 997-1 while Olivier Ornielli, eleventh, won in the 996 GT3 Cup.

At the start of the second Sport Cup Series race, a collision at the first corner between Jérôme Daniel (Riviera Motorsport) and Laurent Nuss (911 Impact) caused the race to be stopped while the cars were cleared from the track. During the restart, while Jean-Christophe Dos Santos dominated the debates head and shoulders, Cédric Toison, who started sixth, nibbled place after place to finally finish second in front of Rodolphe Gabrion who achieved a double in 718 ahead of Charles Didier this time ( Riviera Motorsport) while it was Clément Ghielmini (MCG Propulsion) who won group 996.

After Magny-Cours, the Sport Cup Series standings tightened up at the top, with Jean-Charles Carminati only 7 points ahead of Rodolphe Gabrion while Charles Didier is 19 lengths behind.

It is just as undecided in the Cup Series since Cyril Caillo is 5 points ahead of Yves Godard who precedes Laurent Cochard by 13 points.

Standings Porsche Sprint Challenge France – Magny-Cours

Cup Series – race 1

1. NOEL Sylvain (RACING TECHNOLOGY – 992): 16 laps in 24:52.714

2. PIERRE Arnaud (IMSA LS GROUP PERFORMANCE – R) at 22.533

3. BAHARIAN Olivier (CLRT – 992) at 34.239

4. ISAVARD Vincent (BERTO MOTEURS – 992) at 39.165

5. CAILLO Cyril (RACING TECHNOLOGY – 992) at 39.971

6. GODARD Yves (TEAM 52 – 991-2) at 42.920

7. MURER Pierre (RSR – 991-2) at 48.312

8. RASSE Grégory (TEAM RASSE – 992) at 48.684

9. SEVESTRE Marc (IMSA LS GROUP PERFORMANCE – 992) at 55.144

10. THENIER Eric (RACING TECHNOLOGY – 992) at 59.659

11. FORGET Yoan (REMPP RACING – 991-2) at 1:01.573

12. RABOT Olivier (911 IMPACT – R) at 1:02.146

13. COCHARD Laurent (BERTO MOTEURS – 991-2) at 1:11.065

14. SARNY David (BERTO MOTEURS – 991-2) at 1:17.806

15. RASSE Alexandre (TEAM RASSE – 991-2) at 1:21.452

16. RIAS Florian (RACETIVITY – 991-2) at 1:21.699

17. CHALICE Christophe (CLRT – 992) at 1:22.490

18. BELARD Franck (DBG MOTORSPORT – 991-2) at 1:23.247

19. VASSALLO Pierre (IMSA LS GROUP PERFORMANCE – 991-1) at 1:27.340

20. CAUMES Jacques (BOURGOIN RACING – R) at 1:30.622

21. CHOTARD Roland (CHOTARD TEAM – 991-2) at 1:30.959

22. MARTIN Vincent (JMP TEAM – 992) at 1:46.460

23. LESAGE Jean-Marc (BERTO MOTEURS – 991-1) at 1 turn

24. MAYEUR Christophe (BERTO MOTEURS – 991-1) at 1 lap

25. THEVENET François (911 IMPACT – 991-2) at 2 rounds

Cup Series – race 2

1. PIERRE Arnaud (IMSA LS GROUP PERFORMANCE – R): 18 laps in 31:11.983

2. GERARDUZZI Marco (DBG MOTORSPORT – 991-2) at 14.513

3. SEVIN Maxence (RACING TECHNOLOGY – 992) at 16.821

4. RASSE Grégory (TEAM RASSE – 992) at 17.144

5. CAUMES Emil (CLRT – 992) at 17.328

6. GAMBARO Jean-Philippe (CLRT – 992) at 18.096

7. GODARD Yves (TEAM 52 – 991-2) at 33.401

8. RABOT Olivier (911 IMPACT – R) at 38.015

9. MURER Pierre (RSR – 991-2) at 39.997

10. ETTOUATI Michel (IMSA LS GROUP PERFORMANCE – R) at 41.165

11. COCHARD Laurent (BERTO MOTEURS – 991-2) at 46.281

12. SEVESTRE Marc (IMSA LS GROUP PERFORMANCE – 992) at 47.701

13. RASSE Alexandre (TEAM RASSE – 991-2) at 48.839

14. DEBLANGEY Jean-Luc (RACING TECHNOLOGY – 992) at 51.597

15. BOSC Antoine (RACING TECHNOLOGY – 992) at 52.013

16. CHALICE Christophe (CLRT – 992) at 54.767

17. CHOTARD Roland (CHOTARD TEAM – 991-2) at 1:23.776

18. FORGET Yoan (REMPP RACING – 991-2) at 1:25.895

19. VASSALLO Pierre (IMSA LS GROUP PERFORMANCE – 991-1) at 1:31.450

20. MARTIN Vincent (JMP TEAM – 992) at 1:32.294

21. CAUMES Jacques (BOURGOIN RACING – R) at 1:33.320

22. THEVENET François (911 IMPACT – 991-2) at 1 round

23. LABE Cyril (RACETIVITY – 991-2) at 1 round

24. LESAGE Jean-Marc (BERTO MOTEURS – 991-1) at 1 turn

25. SARNY David (BERTO MOTEURS – 991-2) at 2 laps

Sport Cup Series – race 1

1. DOS SANTOS Jean-Christophe (JC GARAGE – 997-2): 17 laps in 30:35.874

2. GABRION Rodolphe (REMPP RACING – 718) at 23.333

3. CARMINATI Jean-Charles (RIVIERA MOTORSPORT – 718) at 25.778

4. GLINCHE Lucas (GLINCHE RACING – 718) at 32.796

5. TOISON Cédric (NAD SYSTEMS – 997-1) at 39.468

6. VERZA Dimitri (CG MOTORSPORT – 718) at 42.444

7. ROUSSELIN Johann (CG MOTORSPORT – 718) at 1:00.860

8. DANIEL Jérôme (RIVIERA MOTORSPORT – 718) at 1:03.246

9. BOUCHE Fabian (REMPP RACING – 718) at 1:04.481

10. NUSS Julien (911 IMPACT – 718) at 1:04.702

11. ORNIELLI Olivier (MCG PROPULSION – 996) at 1:27.489

12. DUMARCET Bertrand (CG MOTORSPORT – 718) at 1:37.794

13. TREVALINET Anthony (MCG PROPULSION – 996) at 1 turn

14. LAUBER Patrick (SOEDP VINTAGE CARS – 996) at 1 lap

15. AUCH-HISIGER Claude (GAUTIER EBEL MOTORSPORT – 981) at 1 lap

16. PEINETTI Serge (SOEDP VINTAGE CARS – 996) at 3 laps

Sport Cup Series – race 2

1. DOS SANTOS Jean-Christophe (JC GARAGE – 997-2): 15 laps in 46:17.118

2. TOISON Cédric (NAD SYSTEMS – 997-1) at 2.245

3. GABRION Rodolphe (REMPP RACING – 718) at 3.248

4. DIDIER Charles (RIVIERA MOTORSPORT – 718) at 4.487

5. ROUSSELIN Johann (CG MOTORSPORT – 718) at 19.667

6. DIOP Aboulaye (CG MOTORSPORT – 718) at 20.029

7. BOUCHE Fabian (REMPP RACING – 718) at 24.909

8. GLINCHE Hervé (GLINCHE RACING – 718) at 28.723

9. GHIELMINI Clément (MCG PROPULSION – 996) at 1:36.962

10. PEINETTI Serge (SOEDP VINTAGE CARS – 996) at 1:37.721

11. TREVALINET Anthony (MCG PROPULSION – 996) at 1:58.061

12. AUCH-HISIGER Claude (GAUTIER EBEL MOTORSPORT – 981) at 1 lap

13. VERZA Dimitri (CG MOTORSPORT – 718) at 2 laps

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