Neil Garner Motorsport pairing Javier Morcillo and Manuel Cintrano swept to a dominant victory in the first of the two 120 minute races scheduled for the Britcar Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend.
The Spanish pair won the race by over a lap in the Mosler MT900 GT3, with Jake Camilleri drove single handed to second in his V8 engined MARC Focus, winning Class Two in the process by over a minute from Simpson Motorsports’ pairing of Franck Pelle and Peter Cook.
Starting the Mosler from pole position Cintrano slipped back to third on the opening lap as the lead passed to Mike Millard with Calum Lockie moving his FF Corse Ferrari into second as the Delahaye Racing Team Porsche went off on the opening lap triggering a brief safety car period.
Cintrano would tumble to fifth at his lowest ebb, losing ground to the BAMD Ferrari and the Team Tiger Marcos, though he regained a spot when Chris Beighton and Jon Finnemore’s Mantis exited the race half an hour into proceedings.
Another half hour into the race and Millard would also retire from the race having led all but two laps in his Rapier SR2 LMPX to that point – those two laps headed by Lockie in the 458 Challenge he would hand over to David Mason.
Through the second half of the race the battle for the lead became one between Mason and Morcillo, a mismatch favouring the Spaniard allowing him to reel in the Ferrari man from over a minute back to only a handful of seconds before a second pitstop for the FF Corse squad, to remedy a puncture, handed Morcillo the lead.
Camilleri picked up second place, Pelle and Cook not only benefitting from FF Corse’s late problems but also those of the BAMD team, Nigel Greensall controlling a lurid slide through Eau Rouge before having to limp round a majority of the 7km lap with a punctured tyre. The combined delay of the slow lap and the pitstop resulted in a near 10 minute lap time, plunging the duo down to 13th overall.
In their absence it was left to Mason and Lockie to complete the Class Two podium holding on to finish fourth overall.
Cor Euser and Os Yusef took Class Three honours in their Lotus Evora beating Intersport stable mates Andrew Donaldson and John Stack (Ginetta G50) and Adam Hayes and Mark Radcliffe (BMW M3) by over a lap.
Peter and Mark Cunningham completed the overall top ten in their Class Four winning SEAT.
