Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff
The 2019 FIA-approved Pure McLaren GT Series season headed to the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium on May 31-June 2 with a field of McLaren 570S GT4 cars competing at the Ardennes venue.
Following two practice sessions on the 7.004 km circuit, reigning Pure McLaren GT Series champion Mia Flewitt topped the 20-minute qualifying session for Saturday’s opening race. Flewitt headed motor racing journalist Ben Anderson, who was making a guest appearance in the series, by just over three tenths of a second.
In the opening race, Anderson battled Flewitt, eventually taking the lead, but received a post-race 10 second penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him to third place. Flewitt therefore took the victory ahead of 2018 Bruce McLaren Cup champion Sultan Ojjeh, who had fought from fourth place on the grid to finish just seconds behind the winner.
Honours in the Bruce McLaren Cup class for rookie drivers fell to Brendan Iribe, who finished in fourth place overall following an intense fight with Patrice Gautier and Nick Moss.
Flewitt carried her strong form into Sunday, taking pole position for race two by a couple of tenths from an inspired Iribe. Having later converted pole into the race lead, Flewitt was kept under pressure from Iribe for much of the race, the gap never more than two seconds. With just a few laps to go the rookie sensed an opportunity to mount a challenge, but contact between the pair ended Iribe’s race, whilst Flewitt held on to take the win together with fastest lap of the weekend.
The final podium places were contested by Issam Charrouf and Ojjeh, and the latter claimed second after outfoxing his rival at the La Source hairpin. Behind them, Moss took the Bruce McLaren Cup victory, having fought from seventh on the grid to fourth overall, with Christian Buechel also impressing by finishing in seventh place after starting 14th.
The next Pure McLaren GT Series rounds will take place at the Hungaroring, home of the Hungarian Grand Prix, on June 28 to July 1.
