27 October 2009Final Belgian GT in Zolder: Hemroulle-Verbergt (Audi) and First Motorsport 2009 champion!
Once again we had to wait until the last few meters of the championship to discover the Belgian GT champions, because similar to previous years it was a brilliant closing round of the Belgian GT Championship Mediagroep Van Dyck.
On a soaking track the Belgian GT competitors took the start on Sunday morning for the first race of this final weekend. Koen Wauters did in fact start from pole, with in his mirrors the Audi R8 of Tim Verbergt, the two Porsches of Bert Longin and Franz Lamot, Eddy Renard’s Aston Martin and the Ferrari of Damien Coens. These positions were not to alter up until the change over. The entire field then switched to slicks and after the stops the situation looked entirely different. The Audi took over the lead, ahead of Verbist’s Porsche and the Aston Martin of Maxime Soulet, who later was to be penalised with a Drive Through as the result of a too fast driver change-over.
But matters were worse for Jeff Van Hooydonk, who was hit hard by a competitor exiting the pit lane. The championship leader was urgently forced to call in the pits with a damaged rear end and a flat tyre. This also meant that the lead in the Belgian GT Championship Mediagroep Van Dyck was lost.
“A Rosberg Audi came out of the pits and hit me at the back”, the former F3000 driver explained. The Phoenix Audi R8 LMS of Verbergt and Hemroulle were now in the winning camp, even though the Audi-duo did have to leave victory to the First Motorsport Porsche. In the penultimate lap François Verbist managed to overtake the Audi and won the first race of the season for the Limburg based team.
“Jean-François made a small mistake coming out of the first chicane and I slotted in under his bumper, getting passed him under braking at the Villeneuve chicane. We nudged each other, but it remained sporting”, Verbist commented. The outcome of all this: Verbist and Longin clinching victory and Jo Jamers together with his team taking the lead in the team championship, whilst the Audi drivers, similar to their European make counterparts Haase and Mies, stormed to the top place in the drivers’ championship. Wauters-Van Hooydonk still managed to finish thirteenth, scoring a few points.
For the final place on the podium we enjoyed an excellent battle between the Ferrari of Fred Bouvy, the Porsche of Richard Westbrook and Maxime Soulet’s Aston Martin, whereby Westbrook finally left the Belgians behind him.
The start of the second race started as dusk fell and the best night drivers in the beginning phase were Duncan Huisman, Richard Westbrook, Jeffrey Van Hooydonk, Maxime Soulet, Verbist, Jean-François Hemroulle, Van der Zwaan and Frédéric Bouvy.
For twenty minutes the positions remained unchanged, until it suddenly began to rain. Here and there a few skids, amongst them the Lamborghini of Van der Zwaan, resulting in a safety-car outing. Following the interruption the order changed entirely, with the KRK Viper of Koen Wauters ahead of Pertti Kuismanen’s Ford, the Audi of Tim Verbergt, Damien Coen’s Ferrari and the Aston Martin of Eddy Renard. The latter together with the Finn Kuismanen were soon back on slicks but later went off.
Up front the leaders remained on rain tyres, resulting in Koen Wauters and Tim Verbergt crossing the line in that order, ahead of Bert Longin and Francois Verbist’s Porsche, who safeguarded the title for First Motorsport. A second place for Jean-François Hemroulle and Tim Verbergt was enough for them to win the drivers’ title.
Race 1: 1. Longin-Verbist (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S) in 1h01.47.863 ; 2. Verbergt-Hemroulle (Audi R8 LMS) + 1.296 ; 3. Lamot-Westbrook (Bel-GB/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S) + 1 lap ; 4. Bouvy-Coens (Ferrari F430) + 1 lap; 5. Renard-Soulet (Aston Martin) + 1 lap; 6. Van Moerkerke-Maes (Dodge Viper) + 1lap; 7. Thiers-Thiers (Ferrari F430) + 1 lap ; 8. De Laet-Van der Zwaan (Lamborghini Gallardo) + 2 laps ; 9. Kuismanen-Huisman (Fin-NL /Ford GT) + 2 laps ; 10. Vollebergh-Van der Zwaan (Bel-NL /Lamborghini Gallardo) + 2 laps
Race 2: 1. Wauters-Van Hooydonk (Dodge Viper); 2. Hemroulle-Verbergt (Audi R8 LMS); 3. Longin-Verbist (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S); 4. Lamot-Westbrook (Bel-GB/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S); 5. Van Moerkerke-Maes (Dodge Viper); 6. De Laet-Vanderzwaan (Bel-NL/Lamborghini Gallardo)
Championships:
Divers: 1. Hemroulle-Verbergt 166; 2. Wauters-Van Hooydonk 164; 3. Verbist-Longin 148
Teams: 1. Porsche First Motorsport 89; 2. Dodge Viper KRK 84; 3. Audi Phoenix 68
