Walkenhorst Motorsport staged a spectacular comeback in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup – but a post-race penalty meant that the Pro car dropped out of the points.
It was a battle against the heat at Monza on the second race weekend of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup. Temperatures around 30°C and track temperatures of around 55°C made life difficult for the drivers on the Italian high-speed circuit. Walkenhorst Motorsport lined up at the start with two Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in front of over 40,000 spectators.
‘At times, there was a holiday atmosphere at the Monza circuit: warm temperatures, bright sunshine and lots of enthusiastic Italians are a great mix for a fantastic race weekend,’ said team founder Henry Walkenhorst.
The starting position of the three factory drivers Christian Krognes, David Pittard and Henrique Chaves ahead of the three-hour race was difficult. After a less than ideal qualifying session, the car with start number #34 started from 26th on the grid. But in a turbulent race – which was marked by eight neutralisations – the trio of drivers stayed out of all the skirmishes. Thanks to strong driving and a perfect team strategy, the car fought its way up to sixth place.
In the final stages, Henrique Chaves put up a spectacular defensive battle against pressing competition from behind. The Portuguese driver defended himself fiercely against his opponents and saw the chequered flag in seventh position. However, the joy at the points finish did not last long for Walkenhorst Motorsport, as the car was handed a 10-second time penalty. In a duel between Chavez and a rival, the latter had to swerve slightly into the gravel trap, which the race directors subsequently penalised. The penalty meant that the trio were classified in twelfth place and dropped out of the points.
The Silver Cup car driven by Romain Leroux, Oliver Söderström and Mateo Villagomez had an unfortunate race. Contact in the chaos at the start caused front-end damage to the car, which led to two repair stops. This dropped the driver trio to the back of the field and, after three hours, they finished twelfth in the Silver Cup, three laps down.
“After a disappointing qualifying session, we put in a very strong comeback drive in the race and Henrique’s defence in the final laps was phenomenal. In my opinion, the time penalty imposed on us is highly debatable, as it was hard but fair racing. Even though we have unfortunately missed out on points for the championship, we were once again able to prove our speed. The Silver Cup car fell far behind in the early stages, but all three drivers were able to gain important experience,” summarised Managing Director Jörg Breuer.
The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS continues on the last weekend in June with the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the world’s largest GT race. 76 cars are on the provisional entry list, promising a spectacular race. Walkenhorst Motorsport is working hard to fight for the top positions, just like last year.