French sportscar racer Solenn Amrouche secured a class podium at Motorland Aragon during the third round of the Spanish GT Championship (GT-CER), where she drove the Vortex 2.0 to second place in the GPX class in race 1, collecting important points for the championship.
French sportscar racer Solenn Amrouche secured a class podium finish at Motorland Aragon during the third round of the Spanish GT Championship (GT-CER). Solenn, along with her father Lionel, drove the Vortex 2.0 to second place in the GPX class.
Solenn is competing in the GT-CER series for her second full season, as well as the Ultimate Series and select rounds of the 24H Series, driving the new Vortex 2.0. In her debut season in the Spanish-based championship, she was vice-champion of the GPX category, claiming eight podiums, four class wins, and an outright victory in 2023.
It was therefore a clear target for the 2024 season to return to GT-CER and aim for the title, having proved her outright pace. The first rounds, however, would prove to be more challenging than expected, with reliability issues preventing the driver from starting both races at the season opener at Portimao, Portugal.
Determined to bounce back, Solenn returned to the series in Navarra, partnering Philippe Bonnel in the #121 Vortex. The duo qualified on the fourth row, but the streak of bad luck wasn't over, as a mechanical problem took them out of contention after 11 laps in the first race of the weekend.
Nevertheless, Solenn never gave up and was eager to make up for it in race 2; from eighth overall on the grid, they climbed their way up and secured class victory - in the first race she completed in the GT-CER season, almost 30 seconds clear of the closest GPX competitor.
The win brought Solenn back into the fight for the top positions in the GPX standings ahead of the third round at Motorland Aragon.
Back in the #101 Vortex with her father Lionel, Solenn had a strong start to the weekend with promising practice pace, consistently ranking among the frontrunners in class as well as overall. Lionel qualified P4 overall and second in class in Q1, setting a solid foundation for the first race. Solenn took over for Q2, qualifying eighth overall and again second in GPX.
In race 1, Lionel started from the second row of the grid and, despite dropping to sixth overall, he always maintained second in class, trailing the Audi R8 driven by Carretero Ortega. Lionel improved his times consistently, lapping on a 1:55 pace on par with the cars just ahead.
As the pit window opened, Lionel Amrouche moved up to fifth place overall before pitting with 25 minutes to go, handing over to his daughter Solenn.
Carretero Ortega continued to lead both overall and in the GPX class, while the KTM GTX driven by Aizpurua Saenz went a few laps longer. Solenn rejoined in tenth overall, then picked up a couple of positions before the end of the pit cycle, retaining second in GPX.
In the final minutes, she had to hold off the recovering #118 Escuderia Faraon Ferrari 488 Challenge, who closed in on the Vortex and tried to attack Solenn for second in GPX. Solenn defended well, but the Ferrari eventually found a way past on lap 18, following contact.
Despite being hit by the Ferrari and sent into a spin, Solenn maintained a healthy margin to the car behind and managed the gap until the end, finishing P3 in the GPX class and ninth overall with a solid run. Post-race, the Ferrari received a penalty for causing the collision, reinstating Solenn to second in GPX. This podium was crucial for her points tally.
In race 2, Solenn Amrouche started from eighth overall and had a great getaway off the line, immediately making up positions before turn one. Unfortunately, her race ended soon after as she was involved in a contact, forcing her out of the race prematurely. The safety car was deployed to recover the Vortex, marking a disappointing end to an otherwise promising weekend.
Despite the unfortunate end, the third round of the GT-CER championship added another podium finish to Solenn Amrouche's season, who now sits tied for fourth in the GPX championship standings with 36 points as the series reached its midway point.
"We had a great weekend with two excellent qualifications in P4 and P8", Solenn commented. "A very well managed first race where we finished P2, followed by a second race full of ambition which unfortunately ended in a collision which did not allow us to finish the race."
"But what we will remember from this weekend is our performance, our work, without forgetting the time spent with family".
The next round will be at the Andalusian circuit of Monteblanco, replacing Jerez, from August 31 to September 1.
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