The Atlantic Racing team’s Chevron B16 Bi-Rotor wins the first round of the VHC Endurance season!
At the end of a fiercely contested 6-hour race in the different categories, the Chevron B16 Bi-Rotor, which had already set pole position in the hands of Romain Belleteste and Christophe Gadais (Atlantic Racing), claimed a narrow victory from the Chateaux Sport Auto Chevron B16 driven by Matthieu Chateaux /Pascal Gerbout.
At 3:30 p.m on Sunday after six hours racing, the Six Hours of Navarra ended behind the safety car as the Chevron B16 Bi-Rotor driven by the duo Belleteste/Gadais (Atlantic Racing) took the chequered flag to win the first round of the VHC Endurance season organised by V de V Sports. Twenty seconds later, the same flag saluted the second place of the Chevron of Matthieu Chateaux /Pascal Gerbout (Chateaux Sport Auto). The small gap between the two Chevrons illustrated how close the race was between them with constant leadership changes during the drivers' stints, race neutralisations and penalties.
In the end, the Atlantic Racing Chevron Bi-Rotor driven by Gadais took the lead of the race for the last time 39 laps from the finish and went on to win after completing a total of 172 laps, as well as setting the two fastest lap times. As the the race ended under the safety car regime, the Chevron of Chateaux/Gerbout (Chateaux Sport Auto) was prevented from fighting for victory right to the very end!
Fifth on the starting grid, the Porsche 911 3.0 RS run by Team BERSI for Damien Kohler/José Da Rocha finished third in the general classification, a position that they occupied for most of the race in addition to winning the scratch GT classification. It was followed in the general classification, as well as in the GT scratch category, by the Net'Cuv Racing team’s Porsche 964 entrusted to Mickaël Desmaele/Grégory Lecaude/Ulric Amado and the Shelby Cobra Daytona crewed by Olivier Muytjens/Brice Pineau (Hyracing) which ran out of petrol in sight of the chequered flag obliging Muytjens to push it over the finishing line! For the record, his team-mate Brice Pineau had started the race and compl
eted his first stint at the wheel of the Hyracing team’s Porche 911 3.0 RS before doing his second stint in a row, this time in the Shelby Cobra Daytona!
Sixth in the general classification and first in the Saloon Car scratch classification, the BMW 323i entrusted to Eric Wassermann/Olivier Huez won its category ahead of the Atlantic Racing BMW 635 Super Production (Jean-Marie Belleteste/Pierre Aviron-Violet/José Oliveira).
A special mention for the team managed by Alain Cudini, former French Touring Car champion with 13 participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, whose Porsche 944 S2 driven by Arnold and Christian Noret/Jacques Colibet took seventh place in the overall classification, and won the 944 class ahead of the Turbo Cup and the Turbo of the CAS Racing team entrusted respectively to Dimitri and Boris Bouic and Benjamin and Maeva Moussion. Ranked 8th in the general classification, the Porsche 964 of Pierre Le Flem/Bruno Vieren/Marc Chatellier also finished 2nd in the 964 class.
Another Porsche, the GT Classic 911 3.0 SC driven by Philippe Baert/Stéphane Moreau finished ninth in the general classification and second in the GTS 3 class ahead of the Hyracing 911 3.0 RS driven by Jean-Paul Petit/Jacques Roucolle /Brice Pineau.
Completing the Top 10 in the general classification was the Wassermann Racing BMW M3 E30 crewed by Guy Burnichon/Romain Rocher. It also finished first in the touring car scratch category ahead of the Chateaux Sport Auto BMW 635 CSI of Paul Chateaux/Axel De Ferran and the Team WKMR’s Ford Mustang in the hands of Stéphane and Baptiste Guyot-Sionnest/Kilian Noël.
Unfortunately, the WKMR-entered Elva MK8 of Marc Alloend-Bessand/Yann Le Calvez that qualified in third place had to retire at the end of the 110th lap due to broken transmission after getting up to fifth in the race. Another retirement was that of the GBF Racing TVR Tuscan Challenge entrusted to Christophe Laberty/Sébastien Mathieu due to engine failure on the 5th lap after propelling itself into second position right from the start. Another TVR, the Griffith 200 run by the V de V team of Eric Van de Vyver/Patrick Brossard, was the victim of a faulty ball joint on the 32nd lap. Finally, the Le Duigou Racing Porsche 911 3.0 RS with Philippe Burel/Victor Fernandes/Rudy Burot at the helm was forced to stop on the 127th lap due to a broken gearbox.
The second 6-hour round of the VHC Endurance season, will take place on the famous historic Paul Ricard circuit on 5 - 6 July 2024.
Image: (c) Tchaul photographies
