The halfway race of the International GT Open took place from 21 to 23 June at the Hungaroring. With a victory—but also a lot of frustration—the Kirchberg-based Eastalent Racing team headed home.

Already in the two free practice sessions on Friday, it became clear that the Austrians would be among the top contenders this weekend with their Audi R8 LMS evo II. In Saturday morning qualifying, Simon Reicher placed the GT3 car in seventh. Up to the halfway point of the race, the driver duo Reicher/Haase was able to hold their position. Christopher Haase then gained fourth place thanks to a strategically timed pit stop. Nine minutes before the end of the race, rain began to fall. The amount of rain did not allow for another pit stop and tyre change to wets. Christopher Haase delivered a brilliant performance on the last slippery laps and secured victory.

“The Saturday race was world-class. In the rain, on slick tyres, driving the car with so much feeling to finish in first place is truly a cinematic moment. Having someone like Christopher Haase in the car, who shows what he can do in such adverse conditions, is simply fantastic. Both drivers and the entire team did an outstanding job,” said team manager Peter Reicher.

The Sunday race proved more difficult. More than fourth place was not possible in qualifying. In the first right-hand turn after the start, a number of cars collided. Christopher Haase, who started the race, barely avoided the chaos but still didn’t come out of it unscathed. “Unfortunately, I hit the Ferrari in front of me at the race start, which damaged our front end and cost us a few positions.”

After an overzealous competitor spun the Eastalent Audi with Simon Reicher behind the wheel just minutes before the end of the race, the team was forced to retire. Team owner Peter Reicher described the events as follows: “Unfortunately, Sunday’s race was a disappointment. If you’re competing in motorsport, you should know what you’re doing—namely, assess situations correctly and not treat a GT3 car like a bumper car.”

Christopher Haase added his view: “We came to the Hungaroring with a good feeling—also because of our strong performance there last year. I think we did a very good job. In free practice, we could see that we were somewhat disadvantaged by the Balance of Performance (BoP). In Saturday’s race we were on the limit the whole time. In the end, the rain and our experience made the difference, and we were able to clinch first place. We knew we’d have to cope with a 10-second handicap during the driver change on Sunday. Sunday’s qualifying was already more difficult. The spin at the end was not a nice way to finish the weekend. But in the end, that’s motorsport.”

Simon Reicher shared his perspective: “On Friday, we got off to a good start. On Saturday, we scored a fantastic victory—though we had a bit of luck. The rain helped us prove our performance. And what happened in Sunday’s race—I honestly have no idea. In any case, it was far from fun. And then the accident, where a competitor tried to overtake us in a corner where it simply isn’t possible. We’ll have to live with the DNF.”

The second half of the season continues from 19 to 21 July at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Marseille, southern France.

Text: kartpress.de/Michael Schulz
Photos: kartnet.de/Michael Schulz.

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