It was a great Sunday for the Ferraris involved in GT racing, with Nick Cassidy taking victory in Race 2 of the DTM at Spa-Francorchamps.
An amazing performance by the AF Corse driver, who with the 488 in AlphaTauri livery hits the first success in the German series with a final thrill and many battles.
In Qualifying 2 the New Zealander had managed to get the third time and at the start he maintained his position, then struggling with René Rast’s Audi until he managed to pass it on lap 7, also taking a door from team rival ABT .
There it was the Piacenza team that adopted an excellent strategy in delaying the pit stop compared to its rivals, but Cassidy pushed like a damn and at the exit from the pits he found himself in front of Sheldon Van Der Linde.
The BMW rider tried to take advantage of the warmer tires and the increased speed in some sections, but the white-blue Ferrari didn’t give up an inch.
Nick Cassidy, AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo, Rene Rast, Team ABT Sportsline Audi R8 LMS GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
“In the race I had a good pace and I fought hard with Rast and Van Der Linde. With Sheldon it was special because they didn’t tell me he was coming”, comments Cassidy.
“When I got out of the pits I suddenly found him in the mirrors, at the ‘Eau Rouge’ he caught up with me quickly using the hot tires and for two laps it was really hard to resist him”.
“Honestly I don’t know how I managed to keep him behind. I took some risks going to the limit, we also found ourselves side by side, then my tires warmed up faster than expected, so I stretched afterwards. correct fight, but I had nothing to lose and it went well, I’m happy “.
Nick Cassidy, AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo, Sheldon van der Linde, Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
In the final, a neutralization with the Safety Car risked sending everything upside down, as the Race Direction decreed the restart launched side by side. But even there Cassidy made a masterpiece keeping the internal trajectory very well in defense of the primacy and flying towards a deserved higher step of the podium.
“The last lap you can imagine how hard and tight it was for me, but from the start I felt good with the car and I was very strong in the first sector, the result of a great work by the team who believed in me giving me a hand to improve some things on balance over the course of the night. “
“Even in qualifying in the wet it was clear that we had made some improvements, so I can only thank the team.”
Race winner Nick Cassidy, AF Corse
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Cassidy doesn’t have a full schedule in the DTM, but he’s always done pretty well when he’s there, so winning is a bit like breaking the ice for him. And the next round will be held right on the home track of its main sponsor and financier of the season with AF Corse’s Ferrari, the Red Bull Ring.
“We will attack to the maximum, I imagine that the Red Bull men will come to see us on purpose so it is up to us to do well. I will go there a week before, so I can prepare well”.
“I am in a somewhat particular situation because having lost some events I have to concentrate on getting the most out of what I am racing. At Imola I was doing very well in Race 2, then the Safety Car reversed the situation.”
“In general, things change quickly here and that’s why I fully enjoy success, which means a lot to me. series, but only to do some races “
“I know how tough this championship is, full of world-class riders. But it’s one thing to be part of the group fighting in the middle of the grid, it’s another to be in contention to win, which makes everything much more special.”
#DTM #Cassidy #enjoys #Ferrari #triumph #special