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Team Bilderberg Porsche Eindhoven still aiming for championship
Two fourth place finishes at Circuit Park Zandvoort have kept Team Bilderberg Porsche Eindhoven in the race for the title in the Dutch GT4 Championship. “During the last race weekend of the Dutch GT4 we won two races with our Porsche 997 GT4. But this meant that we were given 40kg’s of success ballast for this weekend and that certainly made a difference”, says Paul van Splunteren (Vught). “The most important is that with one event left on the calendar we are still fighting for the championship.”
In the first race of the Wijzonol Trophy at Circuit Park Zandvoort Paul van Splunteren finished his Porsche 997 GT4 in fifth place. But after the race he received a three place penalty due to not correctly handling a red flag situation. “Shortly after the start of the race there was a big accident and the race director decided to red flag the race. I only noticed these flags when I was at the end of my lap so I decided to very slowly complete one more lap instead of slamming on the brakes immediately”, explains Paul. “I fully accept the fact that this is not according to regulations but I am disappointed at the penalty given to me. This penalty is of great influence to my championship aspirations and I feel that the way I safely handled the situation after I made the error should have resulted in a lower penalty.”
During the second race it was Bas Schothorst who traded a sixth starting position for a fourth place at the finish line. He kept the top three in sights for the entire race but saw no opportunity to close the gap. Schothorst: “I was slightly down on top speed. That meant there was no way I could attack the guys in front of me. But I am happy with my fourth place and the resulting points, they are very important in my race for the championship.”
A fourth place was also the result of the third race, the 50 minute long feature race including a driver change. “We had problems with our brakes”, says Van Splunteren. “If that wouldn’t have been the case I might have been able to finish third. One of the reasons for our performance is the 40kg’s of success ballast we are carrying with us after our two victories last time. The other leading teams have well sorted cars too and it is getting closer and closer at the top, meaning our weight penalty did make quite a difference.”
With three more races to go on the 10th and 11th of October at Circuit Park Zandvoort it is still possible for both Paul and Bas to win the championship. Christiaan Frankenhout (also in a Porsche 997 GT4) is currently leading the standings with 105 points, Bas and Paul currently have respectively 90 (3rd) and 84 (4th) points. Jeroen Bleekemolen, second in the championship, will not be driving during the final race weekend due to other racing commitments and will therefore not be able to win the title. A total of 30 points can be won during a weekend so anything is still possible!
The Porsche 997 GT4 has been developed especially for the Dutch GT4 and European GT4 Cup by GT3.nl, the motorsport department of Porsche Centrum Eindhoven. Interested drivers and teams can purchase a complete, Porsche AG approved, conversion kit for a Porsche 997 GT3. GT3.nl can also assist with the construction of a ‘ready to race’ Porsche 997 GT4 and with the search to find a suitable second hand 997 GT3 for conversion.
Results race 1: 1. Henry Zumbrink, Corvette C6, 14 laps in 26:06.758; 2. Christiaan Frankenhout, Porsche 997 GT4; 3. Ricardo van der Ende, BMW M3 GT4; 8. Paul van Splunteren, Porsche 997 GT4.
Results race 2: 1. Jeroen Bleekemolen, Corvette C6, 14 laps in 25:59.256; 2. Duncan Huisman, BMW M3 GT4, at 1,677; 3. Ferdinand Kool, BMW Z4 GT4, at 2.486; 4. Bas Schothorst, Porsche 997 GT4, at 3.620.
Results race 3: 1. Duncan Huisman and Ricardo van der Ende, BMW M3 GT4, 26 laps in 50:28.086; 2. Simon Knap, BMW M3 GT4, at 0.447; 3. Jeroen Bleekemolen and Peter van der Kolk, Corvette C6, at 5.681; 4. Bas Schothorst and Paul van Splunteren, Porsche 997 GT4, at 7.230.
Championship standings after 17 races: 1. Christiaan Frankenhout 105; 2. Jeroen Bleekemolen 92; 3. Bas Schothorst 90; 4. Paul van Splunteren 84.
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