Even in qualifying, 24-year-old Perez Companc was the man to beat, securing his maiden pole position in the Super Sports Car League. He remained in front at the start of the race but collided a short time later with team-mate Mirko Bortolotti, who had overtaken him in the meantime. While the Italian span off the track, Perez Companc retook first place which he defended until the compulsory pit stop with driver changeover. GRT Grasser partner Marco Mapelli went on to secure the win at the finish line with a lead of 0.7 seconds. This was Perez Companc’s second overall victory and second triumph in the Pirelli Junior class after the Lausitzring 2017.

“I am very happy about this victory,” he told us. “The race was very tough, as our pursuers put us under constant pressure. The fans saw a lot of wheel-to-wheel action today. I had a good stint, after which Marco brought the victory home in an assured manner despite pressure from behind. The collision with Mirko was unfortunate and is something that should not happen between team-mates. We will sort this out within the team.”

Audi driver Sheldon van der Linde was the second-best Junior on Saturday after coming home second in the R8 LMS from Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, taking the chequered flag before fellow Audi driver Mike David Ortmann (BWT Mücke Motorsport).

Victory in the Pirelli Trophy classification also went to one of GRT Grasser Racing’s drivers. Rolf Ineichen moved up four positions in the race along with partner Christian Engelhart and was the best amateur driver, finishing ninth overall. “Qualifying was pretty good, even though I had some bad luck with the red flag towards the end. I did well at the start and was tenth when I pitted. Christian was involved in plenty of scraps out there, but it wasn’t possible to do better than P9 in the end.”