GT3 Masters VIII Round 3 Race Report: Zandvoort Showdown Delivers Drama and Dominance
The challenging circuit of Zandvoort hosted another thrilling round of the championship, with a 30-minute sprint race and a 60-minute feature race testing the drivers to their limits. Michael Thomas cemented his status as a top contender, sweeping both races with a masterclass of pace and precision. While his performance at the front was commanding, the story of the weekend was defined by chaotic starts, strategic blunders, and a host of personal battles that left drivers frustrated and hungry for redemption.
Sprint Race: A Misjudged Gamble and a Perfect Launch
From the outset, the sprint race delivered drama. Thomas beat Marvin Mackenberg into Turn 1 and never looked back, building a gap that left the rest of the field in his wake. For Bram Depraitere, however, the race began on a confusing note. The Belgian mistakenly filled his car with enough fuel for a 60-minute run rather than the 30-minute sprint, causing a massive weight disadvantage. This error turned his car into a mobile chicane, as he struggled to keep pace.
“I’m so dumb,” Depraitere admitted afterwards, humorously referring to his heavy car as the cause of the “Alonso train” he created—a reference to the famous defensive drives of Fernando Alonso. Despite this handicap, he managed to maintain P3 through sheer defensive tenacity, only losing one position before finishing fourth. His struggle to keep the likes of Sven Mackenberg and Ralf Arella at bay, while dragging around twice the necessary fuel, provided some of the race’s most intense battles.
Meanwhile, the mid-pack was a cauldron of frustration and collisions. Ian Paskin was left fuming after being caught up in a lap one incident that destroyed his race, while Radek Pawlaczek’s weekend started in the worst possible way as he lost his connection during qualifying and was forced to start from the back. “I was reaching to turn my fan on and my Quest disconnected,” Pawlaczek explained, summarizing the comedy of errors that plagued his race.
Further back, Si Fillingham’s weekend went awry before he even crossed the starting line. A minor technical mishap caused his PC to restart during the formation lap, relegating him to a pitlane start. Though his pace was solid, it was a long, arduous recovery drive to P15—far from what he had hoped.
Feature Race: Redemption and Frustration in Equal Measure
The longer 60-minute feature race was an opportunity for redemption for many, but once again, Thomas took the lead into Turn 1, beating Mackenberg off the line. Behind him, Depraitere’s car was back to a more manageable weight, and he finally had a shot at fighting for position on an even footing. His P3 result mirrored his qualifying position, and he crossed the line without incident, a stark contrast to the struggles of his earlier race.
Sven Mackenberg’s feature race was less straightforward. A poor start left him mired in the midfield, and after a few scrappy laps battling with Ralf, Max and Kevin Rowlands, he could only manage P5. “Being stuck in the Bram train was very fun but also incredibly frustrating,” Sven noted. His inability to make progress once again highlighted just how difficult overtaking can be around the tight confines of Zandvoort.
Others experienced more mixed fortunes. Rob Taplin, hoping for a stronger showing, was left ruing three unforced errors that dropped him from a potential top-five finish to a disappointing P8. A brush with the inside kerb at the final corner proved particularly costly, sending him into the barriers and out of contention.
Radek Pawlaczek, still nursing frustrations from his earlier technical issues, managed to claw his way back into the top ten. However, his recovery drive was marred by continued equipment woes, with intermittent headset disconnects hindering his focus.
Unpredictable Conditions and the Search for Rain
Marvin Mackenberg, tipped to be a major challenger to Thomas, was left cursing the lack of rain that could have shaken up the order. “Very disappointed to not have any relevant rain. It’s so annoying to practice it all the time, and in the end, it’s all for nothing,” he lamented. The team had gambled on wet weather setups, anticipating at least a few drops to fall, but were ultimately left high and dry, both figuratively and literally.
Bram Depraitere also would have welcomed a bit of rain, feeling that the car lacked the stability and grip he needed on a dry track. “The car felt difficult to drive, especially on heavy fuel, and the extra bop didn’t make it any easier. Would have preferred if some rain hit the asphalt,” he noted, echoing Marvin’s sentiments.
A Weekend of Mixed Fortunes for Mid-Pack Runners
For some, Zandvoort was a weekend to forget. Cliff Bulcke, recovering from illness, found himself struggling with his car’s setup and a lack of preparation time. “The focus was primarily on driving in the rain, and an optimal track condition was never seen,” he reported. His struggles culminated in a tough P10 finish in the sprint, and a gruelling feature race marred by severe FPS drops that made it almost undrivable. “It was a long, frustrating experience with a total disconnect from the car,” Bulcke summarized.
Sven De Wulf’s weekend was a classic tale of “heaven and hell.” A strong second-place finish in the sprint was followed by disaster in the feature, as a misjudged braking point in lap one turned into a chain-reaction incident that ended his hopes. “Race 1 to remember and race 2 to forget as quickly as possible,” he reflected.
For others, perseverance paid off. Si Fillingham, despite a damaged car and an uphill battle from the back of the grid, managed to gain a few positions in the feature race, capitalizing on the misfortunes of others. “Always try and finish as something usually happens, and it kinda did tonight,” he said after the race, his eyes already set on the next challenge.
Moving Forward: Mount Panorama Awaits
With Zandvoort’s tight confines and strategic headaches now behind them, the drivers turn their attention to one of the most daunting tracks on the calendar: Mount Panorama. Bathurst’s high-speed straights and unforgiving walls will present a completely different set of challenges, and for those left frustrated this weekend, the chance for redemption cannot come soon enough. After a weekend of mixed fortunes, the grid is eager to hit the reset button and take on the mountain.
Expect fireworks as the championship battle heats up at one of the most iconic circuits in motorsport.