@Daimler: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport scores overall and class win in GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup

With two strong qualifying sessions on Saturday, the Mercedes-AMG Teams AKKA ASP and Toksport WRT got themselves into promising positions for the fourth round of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup. In the first session, Timur Boguslavskiy initially moved up into second place with the #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3, but then was promoted to pole position after race control had investigated proceedings during qualifying. Teammate Raffaele Marciello put in a considerable performance. With his first flying lap in qualifying for the second race, the Italian posted the fastest time that none of his rivals was able to match while the rain set in. At the 3.916 kilometres long track, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel secured starting grid positions four and six respectively for the two one-hour races with the Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT entry with starting number 6.

In the first race on Sunday, there were multiple position changes in the early stage. The starting driver in the #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Boguslavskiy initially had to give up first place on the opening lap. Until the driver change, however, the 21-year-old then successfully defended second place against his fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Luca Stolz, who had already moved up from fourth to third place in the first corner. After 18 laps, both drivers completed their mandatory pit stops after which Maro Engel, now behind the wheel of the Toksport WRT car with starting number 6 initially found himself in fourth place. Raffaele Marciello, who was driving the AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3 after taking over from Boguslavskiy, continued the race in second place and started a furious pursuit.

The Italian reduced the erstwhile comfortable margin of the leader lap after lap. With 15 minutes remaining, the gap was down to a few tenths of a second only. On lap 38, there was a situation that decided the race: while lapping an opponent, there was contact with the race leader after which the latter came off the track, but thankfully remained unscathed. In the subsequent safety car intervention, the race ended after 40 laps. After investigating the situation, race control decided to impose a 40-second time penalty on Marciello, who ended up in 17^th place as a result. In the process, Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT with Stolz and Engel was promoted to second place. Only a few places further down, Rik Breukers (NED) und Ezequiel Pérez Companc (ARG) for Madpanda Motorsport finished the first race on Sunday. Fourth place overall equalled second place in the Silver Cup classification. The final podium slot in this category went to Juuso Puhakka (FIN) and Oscar Tunjo (COL) with the #7 Toksport WRT Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Race 2: overall win for Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT

For the second time this weekend,  Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP started from pole position with the #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The starting driver in the second race, Marciello succeeded in extending the gap over his nearest rivals from the outset. Behind him, Engel with the #6 Toksport car skilfully turned down attacks in the opening stages and put himself firmly in second place after a brief safety car intervention. Later on, the 36-year-old used the earliest opportunity to hand the Mercedes-AMG GT3 to his teammate Luca Stolz. Out in front, meanwhile, Marciello stayed on track until just before the end of the pit stop window in order to send Boguslavskiy into the race with the biggest possible advantage.

The latter saw his fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Stolz getting closer lap after lap, but aptly defended first place until he suffered from massive bad racing luck with just a few corners remaining until the chequered flag. A puncture forced Boguslavskiy to let several opponents past. Eventually, sixth place was his result. Subsequently, the Engel/Stolz duo brought home the first win of the season for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. After a faultless race, Jules Gounon (FRA) and Petru Razvan Umbrarescu (ROM) finished in third place for the AKKA ASP Team (#89).

Toksport WRT had double reason to celebrate after the second race: Juuso Puhakka and Oscar Tunjo finished fourth with their car with starting number 7, securing victory in the Silver Cup. In the championship classification, this result put team and drivers into third place of the category. In the second race, the AKKA ASP Team’s #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Jim Pla (FRA) and Konstantin Tereschenko (RUS) finished in second place of the Silver Cup.

In the overall standings, Engel and Stolz moved up into second place while Boguslavskiy and Marciello are in third position. However, neither of the duos still have chances of winning the Sprint Cup title. The fifth and final GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup event will be held at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia, 25-26 September.

Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT (#6): “We know what it feels like when you still have to drop back just before the end. A real pity for the AKKA ASP Team that had a strong weekend. Eventually, luck was on our side, we are happy with the victory. Thanks also to Luca and the entire team. Of course, we extend our congratulations on the Sprint Cup title for Team WRT, Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts.”

Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT (#6): “All in all, it was a very good weekend for us. Second place in the first race and victory in the second race is the reward for hard work by the team in the past weeks. This season, we had a lot of bad luck. However, this success today makes us go into the remaining races this year with a lot of confidence.”

Result GT World Challenge Europe, Brands Hatch, race 1*:

* excerpt subject to confirmation by the organiser

Result GT World Challenge Europe, Brands Hatch, race 2*:

* excerpt subject to confirmation by the organiser

¹ subject to confirmation by the organiser