International GT Open Won BY CRS Racing Ferrari Today

From the GT Open Website:

Spectacular accident between Aguas and Barba

The CRS Racing took its second win in the International GT Open, this time with Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen, in another dramatic finale, ahead of the Porsches of Raymond Narac-Patrick Pilet (IMSA) and Richard Lietz-Gianluca Roda (Autorlando).

The race was marked by a spectacular accident in lap 5 involving the two AF Corse Ferraris of Rui Aguas and Alvaro Barba. The Portuguese and the Spaniard, whose cars were destroyed, where brought to the Verviers hospital for checks but both are OK, although a little bit shaken by the shunt.

Porsche made a one-two in GTS with De Lorenzi Racing taking its maiden victory with Gianluca De Lorenzi and Stefano Borghi, ahead of the Autorlando car of Gruber-Deverikos and the Villois Aston of Lancieri-Lancelotti.

The bad day had by the championship leaders has partly re-open the situation in the standings of both the overall and GTS championships: Barba-Kaffer now have a 12-points over Roda-Lietz, while in GTS, Dayraut is only 2 points ahead of Frezza-Couceiro.

It was interesting grid, with Lietz and Lieb (usually team-mates in the LMS) in first row, but both were beaten at the start by Toccacelo and Kirkaldy. At the end of the first lap, the two Ferraris lead ahead of Lietz, Aguas, Barba, Lieb, Narac, Broniszewski, Deverikos and Mortimer, while Livio has remained trapped in the gravel.

The fight is fierce at the top and in lap 4 Lietz passes Kirkaldy for second and Barba passes Aguas. In lap 5, the incident that marks the race: at the exit of Blanchimont, Kirkaldy loses his car, spins and hits the armco; Barba who followed the Scot very closely, lifts up for a second, and Aguas attempts to pass his team-mate from off the track. The two collide at the entrance of the bus-stop, hitting hardly the wall.

After the inevitable period of safety-car and the driver changes (the window has been extended 10 minutes), it is Roda leading, ahead of Mullen, Pilet, Peter, Giammaria and Borghi, who leads in GTS ahead of Bullitt and Gruber.

With very short gaps, the battle is intense. Mullen passes Roda and so does Pilet and the French attacks the Scot, but the CRS Ferrari keeps the advantage and wins, while Peter takes fourth having resisted the attacks of Giammaria. The De Lorenzi Porsche wins in GTS, ahead of the sister car of Gruber-Deverikos and the Aston of Lancelotti.