NEWS
FERNANDEZ TAKES PODIUM ON DEBUT AS BASZ AND LEWANDOWSKI WIN AGAIN
Oct 11, 2020
.jpg)
Barcelona hosted the third round of the European Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship this weekend and Pro-Am Championship leaders Karol Basz and Andrzej Lewandowski were joined by Spanish-Venezuelan driver Sebastian Fernandez Wahbeh who was getting his first taste of GT racing. He was quick to get up to speed and set the fourth fastest time in Q1 on Saturday morning whilst Lewandowski qualified on row six, the second-best Pro-Am car.
The track was wet for the start of race one which began behind the safety car due to the tricky conditions. Racing got underway on lap five after the safety car period was extended whilst Dvoracek was recovered after spinning into the gravel. Fernandez, having his first experience of a Huracan in the wet, slipped down to thirteenth after running wide but was rapidly one of the fastest men on track, making up seven places before the pit window opened. Lewandowski stopped almost immediately from third in Pro-Am and Basz took over with the team opting to extend his pit-stop to switch to slick tyres. On lap thirteen Fernandez was tagged by Balthasar who he had just passed for fifth and ran into the gravel from where it was impossible to restart. The Safety Car came out once again but missed the leader and picked up instead the train of cars which included Basz. They were waved through but the track went green before they had caught up to the leading group, costing the VSR driver fifty seconds that were impossible to re-coup in the remaining five laps. Basz instead had to be satisfied with setting the fastest lap of the race on his final tour and claiming third in Pro-Am for himself and Lewandowski.
Basz lined up for Sunday’s race on row three after qualifying fifth fastest, quickest in Pro-Am, with Fernandez right behind him on row four. With the track still damp in places after heavy overnight rain the race was started behind the safety car. When racing started Basz and Fernandez ran comfortably in fourth and sixth before a drive through for Watt promoted them to third and fifth. With Watt out of the way Basz was immediately the fastest man on track and in his stint closed the gap to Di Folco in first to under three seconds. The pit window opened on lap eleven and one lap later Fernandez pitted for his obligatory stop. Basz stayed out until the very end of the pit window, handing over the Pro-Am lead to Lewandowski on lap sixteen. Fernandez meanwhile was flying and on lap eighteen passed Lewandowski for fourth. A drive through for Kujala moved him up into third and as the race drew to a close he reeled in second-placed Rossel, passing him easily under braking into turn one as behind him the challenge from Cecotto fell away. Fernandez took the chequered flag in second place, an extraordinary result for the GT debutant. Lewandowski finished sixth overall and claimed the fifth Pro-A victory of the season for himself and Basz who now lead the Championship by twenty-three points.
The penultimate round of Super Trofeo Championship will take place at Spa-Francorchamps in a fortnight’s time.
Photos by Fotospeedy
