BLANCPAIN: FIRST RACE, FIRST VICTORY
After a long winter break, working on several different cars, engines, and preparing for the 2015 racing seasons, KENNOL is back in the game: 1st race in Blancpain Endurance Series, and 1st victory, with a double podium! The week-end has been pretty interesting, and the opening of the season sounds just perfect for the brand, who is also engaged in FIA GP2, FIA WEC, Euro NASCAR, 24H of Le Mans…
It’s a great result for the team, claiming a 1-2 in the first race in which they entered 2 cars!
Christophe BOUCHUT, driver
▌ KENNOL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN BLANCPAIN SERIES
Since the FIA GT1 World Championship was based on a sprint format, there was a need for an international GT endurance championship. The Blancpain Endurance Series is launched in 2011 and meets instant success with a strong level of entries for the five-race series centred around the Total 24 Hours of Spa. The Blancpain Endurance Series is the result of twenty years of motorsport experience built by the SRO Motorsports Group.
The recipe: to bring GT3 cars to endurance racing, by setting up a convivial championship which met the requirements and expectations of teams and drivers alike. The Blancpain Endurance Series quickly becomesthe new reference point in GT racing. In 2014, by bringing the Blancpain Sprint Series and Blancpain Endurance Series under a common banner, the growth of GT racing in Europe continues. Both promotion and TV coverage enjoy increasing figures. And in 2015, encouraged by the success of the inaugural season, the development of the Blancpain GT Series continues, with new venues like Misano and Moscow. The introduction of prize money in the Blancpain Endurance Series sees a growing number of teams participating in both Endurance and Sprint Series.
▌ BOUCHUT BACK IN A GT AFTER 3 WORLD CHAMPION TITLES
After an absence of four years, Christophe BOUCHUT will return to an SRO-organized series this year. The Frenchman will share one of the GT Russian Team Mercedes SLS AMG GT3s with Alexei Vasiliev in the Pro-Am Cup, who was originally scheduled to compete with Marko Asmer. BOUCHUT already tested for the team at Paul Ricard a couple of weeks ago. And of course he is also well known for being the official FIA test-driver for every GT cars in the highest FIA world-class championships. He earned this position by winning 3 times the World Champion title, something nobody else could achieve before him.
Christophe BOUCHUT, driver and official FIA tester:
“When I took over from Alexey, I knew we were quite far, which was a consequence of our lack of speed during the Qualifying Race. We had managed to re-set-up the car for the better though, and at first I just wanted to gain as many places as possible. Then I saw the leading car in our class, and I quickly realised that we could go for the win.”
BOUCHUT made a wonderful job in tweaking and setting the 2 cars (strangely one yellow and one blue/white/red, both KENNOL-sponsored), and even if the first race already saw one KENNOL car on the podium, the main event race was long enough to let the frenchman develop its talent. And when he took the wheel after his co-driver stint, in a pretty low position, he proved that his drive was still the same. One by one he overtook each of his opponents, and finished 1st. Bringing in his wake the sister car.
First race, first victory, first double-podium.
Welcome in 2015, by KENNOL.
