The drivers of CRT-Sport, Lucas Cartelle and Hudson Schwartz, have achieved an impressive victory in the last race of the GT4 Europe at Circuit Paul Ricard, placing their new GR Supra at the front in their first participation.
This victory adds to the triumph of SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm, obtained earlier in the day, a noteworthy variant, as both new entries in the championship finished the first round of the season with a victorious taste.
Despite initial expectations about the dominance of the BMW from Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport, the race turned drastically with a safety car, which grouped the driving and allowed Cartelle to take the lead at the decisive moments of the competition.
Money from strategy and bravery
With only a few minutes remaining, it seemed that Thomas Rackl and his BMW would be the obvious winners, but a final incident changed the outcome. The Borusan driver, who was clearly in the lead, saw his advantage dissipate with the deployment of the safety car.
In the first laps, the race had stood out for an exciting battle among multiple vehicles, with Gabriele Piana starting from pole. Battles among him, Clément Seyler with the Aston Martin, Schwartz with the Supra, and Erik Evans with the Mustang established an intense competitive atmosphere, with multiple position changes.
Finally, Cartelle seized his opportunity with a strong start after the safety car, leaving the Borusan driver behind and taking the lead. Accompanied by Pedro Garcia, who quickly fought to defend his position, Cartelle achieved an emotional victory, while Garcia maintained his second position under constant pressure.
Pro-Am and JSB’s double victory
In the Pro-Am category, the competition was equally intense. A collision in the final minutes complicated matters. The team Razoon – more than racing, with Chris Salkeld, achieved a significant victory despite an unfortunate incident that affected his teammate Daniel Drexel.
The state of the race shifted to an exciting battle as the Porsche, Audi, and BMW cars fought simultaneously. After the incident, even though Alon Gabbay crossed the finish line first, a penalty sent him back to tenth position, leaving victory to Salkeld and Drexel.
Meanwhile, JSB Compétition concluded its performance with another victory in the Am category. Julien Briché drove strongly, maintaining a clear advantage over his rivals, while Nicco Ferrarin successfully completed the race.
Thus, the inaugural day of the GT4 Europe has left a flavor of success for new and veteran teams, with a spectacular balance of victories that has created anticipation for the upcoming competitions of the season.