Jelle Beelen and Marcel Nooren have become the new champions in the PRO division of the Competition102 GT4 European Series. The Dutch Camaro GT4 drivers clinched the title on Saturday evening at Misano World Circuit after being classified third (PRO). They finished the second race in style by securing a podium position. Thanks to these results V8 Racing won the teams’ championship. The first race was dominantly won by British Chevron GT4 drivers Marcus Clutton and Jordan Witt, while AM driver Pavel Lefterov (BGR) mastered the wet Misano track in race two on Sunday. AM victory in race one went to Patrick Zamparini (ITA) / Barry Baxter (CAN) racing the Maserati GranTurismo MC. Ricardo van der Ende (NED) / Bernhard van Oranje (NED) showed the performance of the brand new Ekris BMW M4 by finishing fourth in the PRO division in race two. The well-fought victory in this class went to Peter Ebner (AUT) and Sascha Halek (AUT).
All eyes were on championship leaders Beelen and Nooren as they were able to clinch the title in the penultimate race. Only team mate Duncan Huisman (NED) formed a threat and seemed to have a chance until an incident destroyed his opportunities. Beelen and Nooren were classified third (PRO), while Huisman was ranked sixth in the PRO division. That was enough for Beelen and Nooren to secure the title. In Sunday’s race the drivers fought their way up to third. “This is a great way to become champion. We’ve been consistent, took no damage and stepped onto the podium almost after every race,” Nooren summed up. Beelen added: “This feels very special. In the beginning I didn’t expect that we would perform so well in my first year in the championship.”
Clutton and Witt impressed with their performance as they were often seen at the front, especially in race one when they managed to take their first victory. “The track suits the car very well and we’ve been working hard all year to get near the front,” said Clutton. The driver pair finished seventh in the second race after starting at the back of the grid. Despite finishing behind Lefterov in race two, Ebner / Halek took victory with the KTM X-BOW GT4 in the PRO division. That wasn’t easy. “It was intense but really fun to be part of a great fight with the Sin R1 GT4,” said Halek.
Zamparani and Baxter made a first appearance in the championship and directly won a race in the AM category. Lefterov dominated the second race in wet conditions. “We weren’t lucky on Saturday, but this is the perfect place to finish the season,” he said.
Liesette Braams (NED) made a comeback with her BMW M3 GT4, sharing it with Frans Verschuur on this occasion. Both stepped onto the podium after race one. The AM title was already awarded to Daniel Uckermann (GER) at the Nürburgring, racing ZaWotec’s KTM X-BOW GT4.
Racing Team Holland by Ekris Motorsport experienced a promising race debut of the Ekris M4 GT4 race car. Dutch drivers Ricardo van der Ende and Bernhard van Oranje showed the car’s potential in mixed track conditions. The lap times of both races were always comparable with the frontrunners. A well-fought fourth place finish (PRO) in race two was their highlight of the weekend.
Details of the 2016 calendar and another major announcement will be made public on short notice. Stay tuned at www.gt4series.com