Epperstone’s Tom Gamble in Hockenheim for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
Epperstone’s Tom Gamble encountered a tough weekend at Hockenheim in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, writes Paul Horton.
The 23-year-old and his teammate Benjamin Goethe were in Germany for two sprint races.
They finished sixth in the Pro-Cup class and eighth overall in the second race of the weekend after a ninth finish overall in race one in the Garage 59 Motorsport #159 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO.
The team started the weekend struggling in 21st position during the free practice session with a time of 1m 40.200secs and only1.178seconds off the pole setter. They bettered that slightly in Pre-Qualifying to finish 19th.
Saturdays qualifying session for race one, saw Gamble take command and a seventh spot in an even faster time of 1:37.955s – only 0.606seconds off pole.
Race one was a one-hour sprint race, they completed 36 laps and a time of 1:39.887secs, 27.8 seconds off the top spot to see them take the flag in sixth in the Pro Cup and ninth overall.
Sunday saw a second qualifying session to see where they started on the grid and turned out to be virtually a carbon copy of Saturday’s session, seeing them take seventh fastest on Hockenheim’s 17-turn Grand Prix circuit.
Race two saw drama from the word go.
They started from seventh on the grid but were tipped into a spin during the opening stages of race, which put them all the way to the back of the field.
It was tough for them to come back from that in a one-hour sprint race but kudos to Tom and Ben, they fought back with some great driving, which, coupled with a slick pit stop, hauled the McLaren supercar all the way back up to eighth overall and sixth in Pro Cup – robbed of a possible podium by that spin.