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GT4 Winter Series Estoril: Day, Pichler and Mesch split the race wins

After four years as part of the GT Winter Series, the GT4 cars finally got the track to themselves as the new GT4 Winter Series kicked off at Estoril in Portugal this weekend. An entry of 15 cars turned up for three races at the tough, historic circuit not far outside Lisbon.

The freshly created standalone championship divides entries into Pro, Am and Pro-Am categories, with drivers scoring points according to the number of rivals they beat within their category. There’s also flexibility on the technical side, with a special class created for SR Motorsport’s pair of ‘sub-GT4’ Porsche Caymans.

The format for the six-round series sees the teams tackle two 30-minute sprint races and an hour-long enduro featuring a pitstop.

Race 1

The Saturday sprint was the highlight of that day’s programme. The weather was more cooperative than it was in some of the other races, with the track merely damp at the start. It was dry enough for slick tyres, but only marginally so, which is exactly what made it an entertaining 30 minutes.

Polesitter Leo Pichler (Razoon Porsche Cayman) roared into an early lead, and looked too strong for his rivals either side of a first-lap safety car caused by spins behind him. Indeed, he had a lead of over three seconds when another stricken driver meant a second safety car intervention.

Source: Autosport

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