The leaders of the Porsche Sprint Challenge France stumble in Val-de-Vienne!

The weather is always a question that drivers ask themselves when going to Val de Vienne as conditions can be changeable on this circuit located between Limoges and Poitiers. This year, the conditions were perfect with just a downpour between two races to make the drivers hesitate about the choice of tires on a track which was going to gradually dry out.

But let's go back to the start of the events with the Sport Cup Series qualifiers who were the first to take to the track. Johann Rousselin (CG Motorsport), who took two pole positions, seemed to have understood “something” in the instructions for the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport that his opponents do not yet have at their disposal since he relegated Lucas Glinche (Glinche Racing ) at 7 tenths for the first race and Emmanuel Orgeval (Glinche Racing) at 3 tenths for the second event. Fabian Bouche (Rempp Racing), twice the fastest of the 718 GT4 Clubsport cars, was pushed back by more than 4 seconds.

In the Cup Series, qualifying was much more competitive since Yann Didry (Driving&Performance/DBG) was only ahead of Clément Loeul (Ancel Motors by Porsche Lorient) by only 5 hundredths. Behind five 992 GT3 Cups, Yves Godard (Driving&Performance) was the fastest of the 991 phase II cars by setting the sixth fastest time, with Marc Boithot (BPS Racing) winning on the 991 phase I side in sixteenth position on the grid. It's Louis Perrot (IMSA Performance) who took pole position in the second race ahead of Sylvain Noël (Racing Technology) while Yves Godard was again the fastest of the 991 phase II with the tenth time, just like Marc Boithot in the 991 phase I with the fourteenth time .

With his pole position, Johann Rousselin took the lead in the first Sport Cup Series race and was no longer going to be caught. On the other hand, for the other two places on the podium, the fight was lively between three drivers who regularly exchanged positions and finished in this order: Stéphane Brémard (Racing technology), Lucas Glinche and Jean-Charles Carminati (Riviera Motorsport) while Margaux Verza (CG Motorsport) finished fifth and the best progress was to be put to the credit of Bernard Coisne (Tinseau Racing), who started eleventh to finish sixth while Fabian Bouche confirmed his best qualifying time by easily winning the 718 GT4 group.

The second Sport Cup Series race promised to be just as clear until the eighth lap when Emmanuel Orgeval went sideways on his own and hit the rail. He managed to return to the pits slowly, but the incident would lead to the Safety Car entering the track to clean the track. When the race restarted, Johann Rousselin rushed into the pits because of vibrations making him fear a puncture. It wasn't, but he lost a turn and any chance of victory. A victory which went to Frédéric Perriat (Racing Technology) followed by Stéphane Girardot (CG Motorsport) and Vincent Vevres (Racing Technology) while Julien Nuss (Rempp Racing) won in 718 GT4.

The competitors in the first Cup Series race did not complete a lap before the Safety Car came out following an error by Clément Loeul which dragged Yann Didry into the gravel trap at the Buisson corner, both drivers being forced to retire . When the race restarted, Olivier Baharian (Racing Technology) took the lead under pressure from Victor Blugeon (AMB) who managed to pass on the tenth lap before being caught two laps later and finishing only 4 tenths behind of the winner. Third, François Chotard (Chotard Team) had been the privileged observer of this duel throughout the race. Ninth, Pierre Murer (RSR) won in 991 phase II while Marc Boithiot logically won the category reserved for 991 phase I. Starting last due to a technical problem during testing, Alexandre Rasse (MRS) made one of the comebacks which he is now used to finishing tenth after overtaking 14 competitors.

The start of the second Cup Series race was given on a track wet by a heavy downpour and the competitors hesitated until the last second over the choice of tires. They ultimately all opted for rain tires, but at the end of the second lap, Louis Perrot rushed into the pits. We imagined that he was going to try the gamble of putting on slicks on a drying track, but he had in fact suffered a puncture, and had no other choice than to return to the pits. His chances of victory were over, even if he made a good comeback within the peloton. In the lead, Sylvain Noël managed his lead ahead of François Chotard, but behind the two men, Marco Gerarduzzi (Racing&Performance/DBG) and Victor Blugeon were having fun like crazy, swapping positions several times before finishing in that order. Alexandre Rasse, once again starting last, made another great comeback to win group 991 phase II and finish in eleventh place, just ahead of Marc Boithiot who won again in 991 phase I.

The drivers of the Porsche Sprint Challenge France will return to Dijon on July 19 and 20 for the last meeting of the first half of the 2024 season.

Porsche Sprint Challenge France – Sport Cup Series – Race 1

Porsche Sprint Challenge France – Sport Cup Series – Race 2

Porsche Sprint Challenge France – Cup Series – Race 1

Porsche Sprint Challenge France – Cup Series – Race 2