Carla Debard enjoyed her best weekend to date in the FFSA GT Championship, where she collected her maiden overall podium - and a second place in the ProAm class - following a very solid weekend in mixed conditions in Nogaro.
French racer Carla Debard enjoyed her best weekend to date in the FFSA GT Championship, where she collected her maiden overall podium - a third place overall that also placed her second among the ProAm entries following a very solid weekend in mixed conditions at Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro.
Debard, who made her debut in car racing in 2021 in the FFSA TC championship at the wheel of a BMW M2 CS Racing, made significant progress in 2022, scoring her first podiums in touring cars. She in fact finished fifth in the overall drivers standings, and subsequently graduated to the GT4 platform in 2023.
In her rookie season in FFSA GT, Debard teamed up with her father Eric, aboard the BMW M4 GT4 operated by Debard Automobiles By Racetivity in the AM class.
While it was a learning oriented season for Carla, she showed potential and with remarkably consistent performances that allowed her to achieve two AM class podiums - a third place at Dijon and a second at Val de Vienne.
A new step up was planned for the 2024 campaign: Debard would move to the ProAm class, partnering her long time coach Simon Gachet, again at the wheel of the Debard Automobiles BMW M4 GT4.
The duo kicked off their season at the Easter Cup in Nogaro, which traditionally opens the FFSA season on the Easter weekend.
Despite limited running in the winter, Debard/Gachet immediately proved to belong to the top five in class straight from practice on Friday. Qualifying put Gachet in P8 in class and P13 overall for the opening race, having set a 1:30.904 in Q1, while Debard had a solid run in Q2 to claim P7 in class and P15 overall - which set the stage for a positive first round at the 3.636 km circuit in the Southwest of France.
On Sunday morning, drivers found a damp track with moderate rain at the start of the first race of the weekend. Simon Gachet lined up in P13 for the first stint; the whole pack survived the first corners in tricky grip conditions - and soon Gachet gained two places in class over the first lap, as everyone wrestled their cars in very limited grip conditions on mostly slick tyres.
Gachet charged through the field and, at the start of the second lap, he was already up to fourth overall - then grabbed third once he overtook Trémoulet to take second in ProAm. Several teams opted to pit as early as on lap 1 to change tyres - then followed by most of the field on lap 3, when the safety car was deployed for the accident of Del Sarte in the #5 Aston Martin.
Gachet pitted and bolted on wet tyres; after the round of pit stops, Gachet found himself in P5 overall and fourth in class - but the safety car timing meant that a few cars were trapped one lap down. The neutralization was therefore extended to let the field rearrange in the correct order; racing thus resumed with 41 minutes to go, leaving limited driving time to the starting drivers.
Weyrich's Aston Martin led the pack from Trémoulet - on top of the ProAm class - and Jim Pla. Holding on to fifth overall, Gachet chased the #111 Audi of Castelli, although on the wet tyres the top four could open a small gap and Gachet tried to find the wet line to cool his tyres, as the rain eased.
The pit window opened and Gachet stayed out - just like his ProAm rivals - for a few more laps, ultimately pitting to hand over to Carla Debard from fifth overall. A good stop promoted Debard to fourth overall and second in class - but a safety car in the early stages of her stint made for a chaotic start to the second half of the race. The #46 Porsche of Navarro was in fact beached in the gravel, as some teams had decided to go back on the slick tyres after the driver change.
The green flag waved again for the final 13 minutes and Carla Debard now had the chance to run at the top end of the field. The young Frenchwoman held her own but lost second in class to Noam Abramczyk after he forced his way past by making contact. A great car control for Carla still avoided the #21 BMW to be spun around and she retained seventh overall, ahead of class rival Hurgon.
The #55 Alpine eventually found a way past, as Debard struggled for grip and fell behind Huteau as well. Now fifth in class, Carla settled in her rhythm and, with a safe margin to Vaintrub, she was about to cross the finish line in fifth. With three minutes to go, though, Abramczyk dropped down the order and Carla picked up fourth in class on the penultimate lap. Abramczyk would also receive a 10 second time penalty for his contact with Debard earlier in the race.
Carla therefore collected a solid P4 in the first race of the season, with a clean run in what was also her first wet race. With no mistakes and consistent pace, she maximised the team's tyre strategy, despite receiving contact.
Having held on masterfully until the chequered flag, the AM duo of Salomone/Servol took overall victory in the #99 AV Racing Porsche, ahead of Silver class leaders Lecertua/Herrero and Briché/Beltramelli.
Drivers found very different conditions on Monday afternoon, when the sun was shining for the second and final race of the weekend.
Several contacts at the start in the front-running pack took Vaintrub, Hurgon and Jouffret out of contention at turn 1, as most of the field also had to take to the grass to take evasive action. From P15 overall, seventh in class, Carla Debard had a great reaction and got through the pileup unscathed, moving up to fifth in class and P13 overall before the safety car was deployed. The very battered cars meant for a complex cleanup, but the race could get back underway with 40 minutes left on the clock.
At the green flag, Debard chased Noam Abramczyk's Porsche - although she had to defend from the recovering Silver class #29 Ginetta of Bac, who had dropped down the order on the first lap.
Debard pitted midway through the race and handed over to Simon Gachet from fifth in class. In the pit cycle, Gachet gained a few positions overall as well as in class: once the pit window closed, the driver of the #21 BMW M4 GT4 had managed to break into the overall top ten and was firmly in contention for a ProAm podium.
The solid laps by Carla Debard put Gachet in a premium position for a class podium - and her teammate was about to attack the #18 BMW driven by Natan Bihel for sixth overall and second in class when another safety car was deployed for the stricken #41 BMW.
The green flag waved again for the final 18 minutes and Gachet was soon on the hunt for the runner up spot: he cleared Bihel on lap 23 and soon opened a gap, in a quest to catch the overall top five - which he did reach soon after. Gachet was on a mission and made a brilliant pass stick to snatch P4 overall - but now had to defend from Jim Pla, right behind, for second in class.
In the final tense minutes, Gachet held on masterfully and Debard/Gachet emerged as the second placed duo in class, as well as claiming an overall podium. It was Carla's first ever outright top three in the highly competitive FFSA GT championship, topping two podiums in the AM class in 2023.
By keeping up with the leading pack, Debard built momentum and an excellent recovery from her teammate completed a brilliant weekend - that also highlights the potential of this driver pairing in the ProAm class.
The second round is scheduled for May 10-12 at Circuit de Lédenon.