Porsche Sprint Challenge France – A photo finish finish in Dijon

For the first time, the twenty-one 718 GT4 RS delivered at the end of April to Magny-Cours took to the track in qualifying led by Jonathan Hirschi (Gemo Motorsport) who came to “freelance” outside the rankings, as is always the case. case for notoriety pilots in Porsche Sprint Challenge France.

He naturally set the best time in qualifying practice, whether for the first or the second race, establishing the reference time at 1'20”118. For the first race, he was followed by Rémi van Straaten (VS Compétition by Orhes) and Johann Rousselin (CG Motorsport), both also on 718 GT4 RS Clubsport. For the qualification of the second race, it was Johann Rousselin who set the second time followed by Axel van Straaten (VS Compétition by Orhes).

The Cup Series qualifications which immediately followed those of the Sport Cup Series were dominated by the 992 GT3 Cups and by Louis Perrot (IMSA Performances) with a reference time of 1'17”862 followed by Victor Blugeon (ABM) and Ludovic Loeul (Ancel Motors by Porsche Lorient Racing). The first 991 GT3 Cup phase II, that of Yves Godard (Driving&Performance) ranked ninth with a time of 1'19”642 and we had to go down to seventeenth place to find the fastest of the 991 GT3 Cup phase I with Marc Boithiot (BPS Racing). For the second race, Victor Blugeon was the fastest followed by Hugo Giraud (ABM) and Clément Loeul (Ancel Motors by Porsche Lorient Racing), all three in 992 GT3 Cup., Ninth again, Yves Godard did it again in 991-2 just like Marc Boithot, sixteenth, in 991-1.

If the qualifying practices had taken place on a dry track, rain arrived on Saturday morning and the four races of the day took place on a wet, even very wet, track. It was once again the Sport Cup Series which opened the ball, but the safety car was quickly out after a spin in the Pouas curve and a car stopped in the middle of the track, but without any material damage. The rest of the race was clear and the podium was consistent with qualifying with Jonathan Hirschi ahead of Johann Rousselin and Rémi van Straaten.

© Alexis Goure

The second Sport Cup Series race was just as clear, but it had to be interrupted just minutes from the end when a car lost coolant at the end of the straight, making it too risky to continue the race. This did not prevent Jonathan Hirschi from winning another victory ahead of Johan Rousselin and Emmanuel Orgeval (Glinche Racing).

In the Cup Series, the first race was marked by a magnificent battle at the front between Louis Perrot, Victor Blugeon and Clément Loeul who finished in that order, not without having exchanged positions several times. It was even necessary to use the photo finish to decide between the first two since the gap on the line was only 2 thousandths of a second, with the third finishing 17 hundredths behind! In 991-2, Alexandre Rasse (MRS), twelfth, was ahead of Yves Godard and Yoan Forget (KMI) while in 991-1, it was Pierre Vassallo (IMSA Performances) who won with a sixteenth place in the general classification. , followed by Mickael Drougard (2M Competition) and Alain Carniero (Team 267).

The second Cup Series race was dominated by Ancel Motors by Porsche Lorient Racing which placed its first two cars in the lead with Clément Loeul ahead of Ludovic Loeul, Victor Blugeon placing third, 3 tenths behind the second. IN 991-2, Alexandre Rasse, starting from last place on the grid, won again, finishing twelfth after a magnificent comeback, followed by Yves Godard and Yoan Forget. Finally, in 991-1, Marc Boithiot, seventeenth, won ahead of Pierre Vassallo and Alain Carniero.

See you on June 28 at the Val de Vienne circuit for the second meeting of the Porsche Sprint Challenge France 2024.

Porsche Sprint Challenge France, Dijon – Rankings