Motorsport: Kessel shines at the end of the year
The last major endurance race of the year ended with another Swiss triumph. As in the previous year, the Ferrari team from Kessel Racing in Grancia won the 12 Hours of Abu Dhabi. What a year for Ronnie Kessel and his Ferrari customers. In the Blancpain GT Series, they had already won the Pro-Am classifications (mixed teams with professionals [...])
What a year for Ronnie Kessel and his Ferrari customers. In the Blancpain GT Series, they took practically all the titles in the Pro-Am (mixed teams with professionals and amateurs) and Amateur (amateurs) classifications. To crown the Ticino-based team's most successful GT3 season to date, Italian professionals Giacomo Piccini and Davide Rigon, together with Poland's Michal Broniszewski, have now also claimed overall victory in the Gulf 12h of Abu Dhabi in a Ferrari 488 GT3 from Kessel.
However, the half marathon on the GP Circuit, which was held for the sixth time, no longer counted as an international championship. 24 teams took part in the six-hour race in five classes. After a number of lead changes among several cars, the overall winners relegated the brand colleagues of a local team with three European professionals to second place by 80 seconds. Following the retirement of the long-time leading Porsche driven by Daniel Allemann from Solothurn, the Kessel team also took first and third place in the Gentleman class.
Other Swiss drivers had reason to celebrate. St. Moritz aircraft entrepreneur Thomas Flohr drove two Italians to fourth place overall and first place in the Pro-Am class. Christoph Lenz and Mauro Calamia brought the Lamborghini Huracan from Sportec Motorsport in Höri over the distance in tenth place and P3 in the Pro-Am classification. Only two of the 24 teams failed to do so.
2017 season starts in January with the Dubai 24 Hours
This race marked the end of the 2016 international circuit racing season. The 24 Hours of Dubai, the first major race of the 2017 season, will take place from January 12 to 14. Once again with strong Swiss participation, led by the Hofor-Mercedes with starting number 1, two Porsche from Fach Auto Tech and the Belgian WRT-Audi with Marcel Fässler. Following Audi's withdrawal from the World Endurance Championship, the three-time Le Mans winner will begin a new chapter in his career there.
www.gulf12hours.com
Photos: Archive
