Caldarelli and Mapelli lead Orange1 FFF Racing and Lamborghini to history-making Blancpain GT Series

The success means that Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli have become the first drivers to hold three championships at once, having wrapped up Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe honours earlier this month in Hungary. The Chinese outfit also complete a stunning 2019 campaign – its first in European competition – with both the Blancpain GT Series and Endurance Cup teams’ titles under its belt, in doing so also ensuring that 12 different squads have triumphed from the past 12 races.

The Italian duo were joined at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya by local ace Albert Costa, who substituted for the unwell Dennis Lind at the wheel of the #563 Lamborghini. Costa made an instant impression taking to the grass on the initial run to turn one as he dived past both the pole-sitting #98 ROWE Porsche and the #4 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG. The race was neutralised on the first lap following a number of incidents, including the Dinamic Motorsport Porsche making heavy contact with the barriers. The Porsche would end the race on its roof, though driver Zaid Ashkanani was able to emerge from his 911 GT3 R unharmed.

Costa was instructed to hand back the positions he gained at the start, having run with all four wheels off the circuit to complete the move. FFF’s hopes had nevertheless been given a major boost in its pursuit of the Endurance Cup title as the rival #72 SMP Racing Ferrari limped into the pits with a puncture. The Russian-backed squad led the drivers’ standings comfortably ahead of the finale, but their chances began to fade as they slipped to the rear of the field.

The #563 FFF Lamborghini still needed to win the race, however, with the #4 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG now in the lead and perfectly placed to capture both the Blancpain GT Series and Endurance Cup crowns. Maro Engel looked comfortable out front once the action resumed and the #4 Mercedes-AMG retained its advantage when Luca Stolz took the wheel during the first round of pits stops,.

There was however a crucial change during the pit window with the #563 Lamborghini emerging in second spot ahead of the #98 ROWE Porsche. This meant Mapelli was placed a few seconds behind Stolz, which then became a few tenths of a second when another safety car was deployed.

With the battle for the race lead now the deciding factor in both championships, Mapelli got an excellent run on Stolz at the restart and went to the outside as they headed for turn one. Stolz defended robustly and the pair went side by side through the opening sequence of corners. Mapelli was able to hold things together and the Italian immediately showed better pace than Stolz which enabled him to build a gap at the front. The German was soon under pressure from Raffaele Marciello (#88 AKKA ASP) who closed on to the rear of his fellow Mercedes-AMG driver but did not make a serious attempt to pass.

The final round of stops saw Mapelli hand over to Caldarelli for what was potentially a one-hour run to glory. Another safety car meant that the #4 Mercedes-AMG, now being driven by Yelmer Buurman, was right on the Italian’s tail at the beginning of the last stint and the experienced Dutchman made a serious charge into turn one, only to be repelled by Caldarelli.

The Italian ace built a gap of more than five seconds over the closing laps. A final safety car period put him under pressure from Buurman once again with just four minutes on the clock, but the Italian judged the restart perfectly. He was unchallenged over the final few kilometres, completing an incredible season for FFF Racing that puts the Lamborghini brand on top for the second time in three seasons.

A frenetic closing phase saw the order behind Caldarelli change rapidly. Buurman was eliminated from contention by a collision with Dries Vanthoor (#2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT), which also cost the youngster his place at the front. This allowed Jake Dennis to take second in the #76 R-Motorsport Aston Martin he shares with Alex Lynn and Marvin Kirchhoefer. Third place went to the #107 Bentley Team M-Sport crew of Jules Gounon, Jordan Pepper and Steven Kane who finished the season with a flourish after rising from 12th on the grid.

The Silver Cup titles had been decided before the race, but the battle for class honours was still to be decided. The title-winning #90 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG started from pole with Nico Bastian at the wheel but slipped back during the middle stages of the race as Timur Boguslavskiy hit problems, allowing the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini to take control at the head of the field.
A late charge by Felipe Fraga at the wheel of the #90 Mercedes-AMG set up the prospect of a thrilling late battle with Sandy Mitchell in the leading Lamborghini. It did not come to that, however, as the pit infringement penalty demoted the Barwell machine to the rear of the field. Fraga was able to bring the AKKA ASP machine home to complete the win, ensuring a third victory from five Endurance Cup races for the season’s standout Silver team and crew. The #90 Mercedes-AMG was classified fifth overall, while Bastian also scoops the Blancpain GT Series title for his class. The #6 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG and #333 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari rounded out the podium.

The Blancpain GT Series and Endurance Cup Pro-Am drivers’ championships were on the line at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with both ultimately going to the crews that led ahead of the weekend. The race was won by the #26 Sainteloc Racing Audi, which featured a revised line-up of Pierre Alexandre Jean and Edouard Cauhaupe alongside regular driver Pierre-Yves Paque. This represented a superb debut for Jean and Cauhaupe, as well as the ideal way for the French squad to close the 2019 campaign.

Second on the road was more than enough to secure the class Endurance Cup crown for Oman Racing by TF Sport, whose #97 Aston Martin finished the job it had begun at the Total 24 Hours of Spa. A dominant class win there ensured a 16-point advantage heading into the finale and the crew of Ahmad Al Harthy, Salih Yoluc and Charlie Eastwood drove a measured race on this occasion that was rewarded with the drivers’ and teams’ titles.

The Blancpain GT Series crown went to AF Corse duo Louis Machiels and Andrea Bertolini after what proved to be a challenging race for their #52 Ferrari. Endurance co-driver Niek Hommerson was in the gravel on lap one, but was able to return to the track during the safety car period. With the #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG hitting problems during the thee-hour race the Ferrari was able to capture the title with a sixth-in-class finish, concluding a season that brought victories in the Endurance Cup and Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe. The AF Corse crew had sewn up the teams’ championship ahead of the finale.

The titles were settled in the Am Cup class with Sunday’s race honours also looking set to go to Endurance Cup champions Barwell Motorsport. The #77 Lamborghini led for much of the event only to hit problems during the latter stages. This was to the benefit of the #29 Raton Racing by Target Lamborghini which had been pushing the Barwell car hard for class honours. The crew of Christoph Lenz, Stefano Constantini and Antonio Forne Tomas ultimately took the win ahead of the #188 Garage 59 Aston Martin which sealed the Am Cup runner-up spot for the Endurance championship. The podium was completed by the #33 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari.