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Engstler Motorsport Dominates Valencia GT Winter Series

Engstler Motorsport Lamborghini achieved a remarkable feat by winning both races during the Valencia leg of the GT Winter Series. The event was marked by thrilling competition and dramatic incidents that shaped the outcome of the races.

The weekend kicked off with an intense sprint race on Saturday, which was abruptly halted due to a significant incident involving AF Corse Cup 1 driver Talal Shair. Shair was involved in a collision with Oscar Ryndziewicz from Mertel Motorsport shortly after the start, sending him crashing into the wall and subsequently colliding with Sven Schomer, another competitor from AF Corse. The severity of the damage forced Shair to withdraw from the remainder of the weekend’s events.

Following the restart, Juliano Holzem showcased his skills by leading the pack in an Evo-spec BMW that is still awaiting homologation. His performance drew close attention from Matisse Lismont of Comtoyou Racing, who raced in an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo. Despite the pressure, Holzem managed to control the race from the front and ultimately secured victory, marking his inaugural win behind the wheel of a GT3 BMW.

Finishing just behind Holzem, Lismont claimed second place, thereby taking the top spot in the GT3 class, while Jonas Karklys triumphed in the GT3 Pro class, earning a commendable third overall in the Engstler Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II.

The excitement continued into Sunday’s second sprint race, where Luca Engstler returned to the track for the first time since his injuries sustained in Macau last November. Yet again, the race began chaotically as early on, multiple cars were involved in a collision. Moritz Wiskirchen, driving the SR Motorsport Mercedes, collided with Rafael Suzuki at Turn 1, leading to further incidents involving Alberto Duran’s AF Corse Ferrari and Joachim Bolting from the Plusline Racing Team.

After the deployment of the safety car, Engstler maintained his lead and effectively pulled away from the competition upon the resumption of racing, ultimately clinching victory ahead of Holzem and Goncalo Araujo, who drove the Araujo Competicao Ferrari to a win in the Cup 1 category.

As the weekend progressed, the third and final race saw Jonas Karklys start from pole position in the Engstler Lamborghini, flanked by Holzem and Comtoyou Aston Martin’s Kobe Pauwels. Early in the race, Karklys made his mandatory pit stop, while Holzem delayed his stop, handing over the Schubert BMW to his twin brother, Sandro, who exited the pit lane in first place. Engstler, in hot pursuit, was close behind, trailing just under four seconds.

With seven and a half minutes left, Engstler capitalized on a moment of traffic, gaining ground on Holzem, who had a slight misstep at Turn 2, allowing Engstler to progress. After a side-by-side battle through various corners, Engstler seized the lead, managing to create a comfortable gap to secure both overall and GT3 Pro class victory alongside Karklys. Holzem’s family BMW captured second place, while Comtoyou Racing’s Kobe Pauwels and Matisse Lismont triumphed in the GT3 category.

In the GT4 class, SR Motorsport’s Jay Mo Hartling started strong, winning the opening race before handing off to Enrico Forderer, who continued the momentum into race two. The duo further showcased their prowess by winning the third race, finishing 9.6 seconds ahead of Tom Lebbon and McKenzy Cresswell from Elite Motorsport.

Source
www.autosport.com