The International GT Open gathered at Circuit Paul Ricard last weekend for its second round of the season. Two races of 70 and 60 minutes were on the schedule for the 14-car field.
Race 1: TF Sport returns in style
TF Sport and Salih Yoluç returned to the International GT Open in force as the British squad and the Turkish driver alongside Irishman Charlie Eastwood took a pole-to-flag win aboard the #34 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the first race held on a very hot afternoon in Southern France. The TF Sport-Yoluç combination picked up where they had left off in 2016 when they took two overall race wins that year.
Charlie Eastwood, starting the TF Sport Aston Martin from pole position, stayed ahead of the two Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3s of Joe Osborne and Ollie Millroy at the green flag, both drivers having gotten passed the JP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Christian Klien.
While Osborne and co-driver Nick Moss held on to finish second, their teammates Millroy and Brendan Iribe were relegated to fifth place in the second stint after the Teo Martín Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 of Miguel Ramos and Henrique Chaves and AF Corse/APM Monaco Ferrari 488 GT3 of Vincent Abril and Louis Prette came charging through the field.
Race 2: Second win of the season for AF Corse/APM Monaco Ferrari
Vincent Abril and Louis Prette continued their charge on Sunday as they took their second win of the season, keeping their #17 AF Corse/APM Monaco Ferrari 488 GT3 in the front after taking off from pole position. Abril had put the car on pole in what he described a lap as close to perfect as it gets and fended off first Chaves and then Yoluç until handing over the car to Louis Prette. The Italian went on to completed the job in the second stint, managing a minimal gap.
Chaves crossed the finish line three seconds behind Prette, having tried to pressure the Turk into a mistake but ultimately failing to do so. Saturday’s race winner Yoluç took third place.
Photos by Erwan Seite.
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