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    29 Aug 2021GT World Challenge Europe

    Second place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch

    A runner-up spot in the Pro-Am class for Andrea Bertolini and Louis Machiels brought an end to the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS weekend at Brands Hatch, the two races part of the Sprint Cup.

    Brands Hatch 29 August 2021

    A runner-up spot in the Pro-Am class for Andrea Bertolini and Louis Machiels brought an end to the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS weekend at Brands Hatch, the two races part of the Sprint Cup. The result rewarded the Italo-Belgian crew at the end of Race 1, while the second race proved less fortunate for the three Maranello cars on the British track.

    Race 1. As the race got underway, Kujala’s Ferrari, starting from the fourth row, managed to move up into seventh position behind Feller, while Froggatt, starting thirteenth, after having slipped slightly down the order, pulled back to retake fourteenth place on the heels of Roussel. Machiels, meanwhile, took the lead in the Pro-Am standings, fending off Ramos and opting for an early stop, some 34 minutes prior to the chequered flag. Kujala, in the Rinaldi Racing 488 GT3 Evo 2020, also opted for an undercut but the strategy failed to pay off and Hites found himself back in sixth. With Bertolini second and Hites sixth in Pro-Am and Silver classes, the third Sky Tempesta Racing-fielded Ferrari, became involuntarily involved in a collision that resulted in a Full Course Yellow, freezing the positions until the finish.

    Race 2. In contrast to the morning race, the second competition had a few unexpected twists in store at the start, unfortunately involving the Ferrari crews. In an attempt to gain a few positions, Bertolini - who had produced a fine qualifying session - damaged the nose of his 488 GT3 Evo 2020 on Paddock Hill, clipping Hites' Ferrari, which spun off-track. The Rinaldi Racing machine managed to get back into the race, albeit at the rear of the field. The manoeuvre was punished by race stewards with a further fifteen-second sanction for the Italian driver. When the mandatory pit window opened, Roda was among the first to enter, leaving room for Chris Froggatt in the Sky Tempesta Racing 488 GT3 Evo 2020. Bertolini, meanwhile, waited until the dying moments before handing over to his partner, Machiels. At this point, the reds were effectively out of the running for podium places in both the Silver Cup, with Kujala eighth and Froggatt eleventh, and Pro-Am with Machiels in fourth.