As of free practice, the heat was suffocating at the Hockenheimring. The drivers were dehydrating as fast as the tyres were degrading. For Gilles Vannelet and Jean-Luc Beaubelique (#87), as well as Christophe Bourret and Pascal Gibon (#53), they took a gentle start to the track. For Mauro and Benjamin Ricci (#61), the session was cut short following a problem with a hose.
The following day, it was the opposite in pre-qualifying, which were spectacular for the father-son duo. Benjamin Ricci (#61) dominated the track and set the best time, improving by almost two seconds with 1:41.093s. It was also an excellent performance in AM where Jean-Luc Beaubelique (#87) went fastest. Akkodis ASP Team was on the ball.
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The two qualifying sessions were marked by an all-out battle. In Q1, Gilles Vannelet (#87) took fourth place, second in Am. Behind him, Mauro Ricci (#61) was fifth (P2 Pro-AM), just ahead of the sister car with Christophe Bourret (#53).
In Q2, Benjamin Ricci (#61) was strongly on the offensive, and was close to the top, but finish third. Pascal Gibon (#51) completed the Top 10 in the #53 Mercedes-AMG, and Jean-Luc Beaubelique (#87) finished the session P12 (P6 Am).
Race 1 – An AM podium to start with…
On Sunday morning, it was an acceptable 25°C for the first 50 minute race. The three Akkodis ASP Team crews were grouped up in the 4th, 5th and 6th places on the grid.
From P4, Gilles Vannelet managed an excellent start and took second place, before taking the lead two turns later. Christophe Bourret was overwhelmed and slipped to P9, while Mauro Ricci was hit and headed into a spin. Rejoining the track, the driver of the #61 headed to the pits, with a damaged rear wheel. Their race ended prematurely.
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Meanwhile, the safety car came out on track. Gilles Vannelet was not surprised at the restart and kept hold of his advantage, aiming to widen the gap on his pursuers. Christophe Bourret set an excellent pace and overtook for 8th place. At the refuelling and driver change, he was the first to join the pits, while Gilles Vannelet stayed out for as long as possible.
In the second stint, Jean-Luc Beaubelique came out in P2, while Pascal Gibon was P9. The laps went by and Jean-Luc was under menace from the #812 which ended up overtaking him, but didn’t affect his 2nd position in AM.
The #87 crossed the line in P4 overall and P2 AM, a new podium for the Beaubelique-Vannelet duo. Pascal Gibon and Christophe Bourret (#53) finished P6 AM.
Race 2 – Second 1-2 finish in AM for the Team and third victory for the #87
The final race of the weekend started in the middle of the afternoon. The weather was a bit cloudier but still just as warm.
From the third place on the grid, Benjamin Ricci (#61) executed a perfect start and took P2. Pascal Gibon (#53) was P9 (P3 AM), just ahead of Jean-Luc Beaubelique (#87).
At the front, it was a frantic pace. The #61 and the #98 had a good battle, but Benjamin Ricci kept the advantage. The fight was just as tough in the pack where Pascal Gibon took two positions.
For the driver change, Jean-Luc Beaubelique was the first to hand over his car with a minimum refuelling time extended by 7s, due to the morning’s podium. He was followed by Pascal Gibon and in last place, Benjamin Ricci.
After the changes, Mauro Ricci was P2, Christophe Bourret P7 (P3 AM), and Gilles Vannelet P8 (P4 AM). But the pace accelerated for the driver of the #87, and with 10 minutes to go, he was leading the category, ahead of Christophe Bourret. Attacked by the #89, still P2, Mauro Ricci resisted remarkably. But a safety car came to stop the fun. Shortly after the restart, Mauro was overtaken by two cars, before spinning, pushed to P10 (P5 AM).
Now P3 overall, Gilles Vannelet passed the chequered flag in first place in AM and took a third victory in this season. Christophe Bourret, P2 AM, allowed the team to score their second 1-2 finish.
In the championship classification of the AM drivers, the crew of Beaubelique-Vannelet took the lead, and the duo of Bourret-Gibon was fourth. In the AM team classification there was no change, with Akkodis ASP Team still leading the points.
The next round of the GT2 European Series will be on the 21st and 22nd of September at the Monza circuit in Italy.