Hot weekend and podium in Misano - W&S Motorsport celebrates another success in the GT4 European Series
Ofterdingen/Misano (ITA): W&S Motorsport celebrated another podium finish at the third round of the GT4 European Series in Misano this weekend. In the #37 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, Andrey Solukovtsev and Mikhail Loboda claimed second place in the Am class. Max Kronberg and Hendrik Still in the #38 Cayman finished the two hard-fought races in solid positions after incidents.
Scorching heat lay over the 4.2-kilometre race track on the Adriatic Sea on all days. For the first race on Saturday, Solukovtsev/Loboda in the Cayman GT4 #37 qualified for third on the grid in the Am class. Thanks to clever team tactics and consistent pace from both drivers in the race, the duo finished Saturday's race in a remarkable twelfth place overall and second in class.
On Sunday, Solukovtsev also started the race from third position in the Am class and defended the position in his stint. Loboda managed to work his way up to second place in the second half, then had a contact in the fight for the class win shortly before the end of the race and was given a 45-second time penalty for it. In the end, eighth place in the Am class was the result, but the duo Solukovtsev/Loboda still has a good chance of winning the Am championship.
Still started the first race on Saturday from a promising sixth place on the grid and was able to defend the position until the driver change and sniffed the podium places at times. Kronberg, running in the top 20, sorted himself into the field during a full-course yellow phase and began a chase to catch up. In the process, he had a contact with an opponent, which race control subsequently sanctioned with a 45-second time penalty. The German crossed the finish line in 14th place, but due to the penalty the duo was ultimately classified 23rd overall.
In the #38 Porsche, Max Kronberg took the start in Sunday's race. After only a few laps, he suffered a puncture and came to the pits. In the further course of the one-hour race, both Kronberg and Still were able to keep up with the pace of the field and gain places but had no chance of a better result than 34th position.
The season highlight of the GT4 European Series at the 24h Spa-Francorchamps will take place from 28 to 30 July 2022. Two races will then be held on the legendary Formula 1 circuit in the Ardennes.
Quotes after the race
Daniel Schellhaas, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "We had a strong pace in both races. If the material, in this case the tyres, play along in temperatures above 30°C and the drivers don't make any mistakes, we will be on the podium. Unfortunately, it is always very close in the field, where there is also contact during the battles. We have to accept the two penalties, even though they denied us a second podium on Sunday. The pace for the class win was definitely there. We are now looking forward to Spa-Francorchamps, which will certainly be a fantastic event with an impressive backdrop!"
Andrey Solukovtsev, Driver #37: "The first race was very good for us, and we finished in second position - again on the podium after Imola. We collected many points for the championship in Am category and we had a strong pace over the weekend. In the second race, we went all in and were fighting for the victory in Am class. Unfortunately, we made a mistake which resulted in a penalty for us. But we will continue to fight for the championship in the next races."
Max Kronberg, Driver #38: "We were fast and the team did a great job, but unfortunately the results do not reflect that. With so many competitors, contacts can happen, and we have to accept that we were punished for it. We don't know why the tyre went flat, but it took away all our chances of a good result on Sunday. I am curious to see how we can hold our own in the Ardennes, but it will definitely be the highlight of the season."
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