Lucas Auer and Maro Engel claimed victory in the second Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup race of the weekend at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Sunday).
It was a dominant display from the duo who started from pole in the Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER Mercedes-AMG, with both drivers appearing to be in control throughout the one hour race. Auer started from the pole he earned on a Saturday on which the car was frequently at the top of the timesheets.
Auer was sublime throughout the first half of the race before handing over to Engel to finish the job. The nearest challenger by the time the chequered flag fell was the Ferrari 296 GT3 of Thierry Vermeulen and Giacomo Altoe. That was the second time in as many races that an Emil Frey Racing Ferrari finished second, but the Prancing Horses didn’t quite have the edge required to win in Kent today.
The podium was completed by the Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG of Maxi Götz and Jules Gounon which was the closest, albeit distant challenger to Auer in Gounon’s hands early on. That car crossed the line at the head of a tight field of runners chasing the final podium spot, albeit a considerable distance behind the top two cars.
Alex Aka and Ricardo Feller finished fourh, just under a second behind Götz and Gounon, one place ahead of Ben Green and Konsta Lappalainen who showed strongly in both races to complete the top-five in race two after a starring second earlier on. Tom Gamble and Benjamin Goethe were another duo to enjoy a strong day all round with sixth in race two to follow their earlier recovery to fourth.
Behind that, the stars of earlier on Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts had their work cut out. After their imperious display in the Sprint Cup opener this morning, Weerts piloted the car from a relatively lowly 10th on the grid in the afternoon contest. The all Belgian duo put on a charge, overcoming the challenges of overtaking to secure seventh.
Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup, Race 2, Brands Hatch
- Auer/Engel, Winward Racing Team MANN FILTER, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO
- Altoe/Vermeulen, Emil Frey Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3, +2.563s
- Götz/Gounon, Boutsen VDS, Merdedes-AMG GT3 EVO, +11.946s
- Aka/Feller, Tresor Attempto Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, +12.784s
- Green/Lappalainen, Emil Frey Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3, +13.133s
- Gamble/Goethe, Garage 59, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, +13.369s
- Vanthoor/Weerts, Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3, +22.547s
- Niederhauser/Muller, Rutronik Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), +40.600s
- Evrard/Magnus, Sainteloc Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, +41.133s
- Hofer/Engstler, LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler by OneGroup, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, +46.207s
Click here for full results from this race event.