The Marc VDS Racing Team had cause for a double celebration at Magny-Cours today, with a superb performance by Bas Leinders, Markus Palttala and Maxime Martin securing a debut victory in the hotly contested Blancpain Endurance Series for both the team and the BMW Z4 GT3.
While the free practice and pre-qualifying sessions were run in wet conditions, blue skies and a dry track greeted the Marc VDS Racing Team's trio of drivers as they arrived this afternoon for qualifying. Palttala and Leinders used their qualifying runs to refine the set-up of the BMW Z4 GT3 on slick tyres, leaving Martin to secure fourth place on the grid during the final 15-minute session.
A good start saw Leinders immediately involved in the battle for the race lead with the Audi of Stephane Ortelli and the Ferrari of Filip Salaquarda. The leading trio quickly pulled a gap on the chasing field, with Leinders capitalising on a mistake by his two rivals to take the lead on lap 10, just 15 minutes into the race.
A collision between Ortelli and Salaquarda allowed Leinders to pull away at the front, with the Marc VDS driver then scything his way through traffic to build up a lead of more than six seconds before handing over to Palttala at the first pit stop.
Palttala rejoined from the pit stop in the lead, but came under pressure from Nico Verdonck in the #1 Ferrari as his stint drew to a close. Both cars entered the pits together but it was the #40 BMW Z4 GT3 that exited first, with Martin at the wheel, after a near perfect stop by the Marc VDS Racing Team pit crew.
Martin rejoined the race in third place, but retook the lead as the two cars in front pitted for their final stop. Three fast laps, including the fastest lap of the race, saw the Marc VDS driver pull out a gap once again at the front, an advantage he retained to the chequered flag, despite the deployment of the safety car as the race entered the closing stages.
Bas Leinders: Driver #1
"I got a good start and managed to move up to third behind Ortelli and Salaquarda, who were having a real battle at the front. I didn't want to get too close, but I didn't want to hang back and let them think that I'd back off if they tried to block either. I pushed and that meant I was close enough to capitalise on mistakes from both of them to take the lead. Battling for the lead at the start of the race was good fun, as was fighting my way through the traffic; I like traffic! I'm happy to have handed over the race lead to Markus, and that he and Max were able to defend the lead until the end, to give the team and BMW Motorsport a first win in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Let's hope it's the first of many!"
Markus Palttala: Driver #2
"This was my first race in the BMW, so at the beginning of my stint I was still trying to learn the car, which allowed the Ferrari to close on me. At the end I was able to hold him off and hand over the lead to Max, so I'm relatively happy about that. I have to say a big thank you to Bas, to Max, to BMW and to the whole team who did a great job today. As for still being in with a chance of winning the championship, well, it's nice to know, but it's not something I'm going to be thinking about ahead of the final round at Silverstone."
Maxime Martin: Driver #3
"My two teammates did a great job before I jumped in the car, which made it much easier for me. When I joined the race I didn't really know where we were in terms of position, so I pushed hard for a few laps just to be safe. After that I just tried to keep a good pace, stay consistent with the lap time, and try and maintain position. After the safety car I pushed again, just to make sure, but anyway, there were quite a few cars between me and the car in second place. I'm happy; this was only our second race with the BMW and we took our first win in the series. It doesn't get much better than that!"
Marc van der Straten: President, Marc VDS Racing Team
"Everyone in the team has worked hard for this victory, so I must say a big thanks to them all. Today's win was also important for the future of the Marc VDS Racing Team. With our pole position at Spa and the win today, we have shown that we, as a team, are more than capable of securing success for BMW. In turn, we have seen that the BMW Z4 is competitive and reliable, both of which are critical factors in GT and endurance racing. The support we've received from BMW Motorsport has been excellent. I hope that what we've forged together this season will develop into a long-term relationship, because I am confident it would be a very successful partnership."
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