The race was the first in the new 2022 format, which will see three separate five-round continental sprint championships and a five-race intercontinental endurance series. Each race will see 24 “Pro” and 24 “Silver” class cars taking part, with the same field of 48 drivers across each championship.
For this curtain-raiser it was actually Ferrari’s factory driver, and 2021 Endurance Series champion, David Tonizza who took pole position in a tight qualifying session that saw the top 30 cars covered by half a second, with McCormack’s Bentley alongside him on the front row. Top silver driver was Blajer in another Bentley, in eighth overall.
It was McCormack who hit the front when the green flag dropped, beating Tonizza around the outside of turn one to take the inside line for the second turn. Despite the closeness of the cars in qualifying, that was the last overtake in the podium spots in the hour-long race.
With the straight-line advantage of the Bentley, McCormack was able to keep control at the head of the field, pulling away steady rate of a tenth of a second per lap and eventually winning by five and a half seconds. Tonizza, himself a model of consistency, couldn’t keep up but would take second by more than 14 seconds from Tobias Gronewald, who just pipped Nils Naujoks for the final podium place.
There was plenty of action further down the field though, including an intense battle for sixth. Following the mandatory pit stop it was Luca Losio in the BMW who held the position, keeping a train of pro cars behind him for close to 15 minutes.
His resolve was finally broken by reigning champion James Baldwin, who’d crept up from a poor 18th in qualifying with a number of neat moves – one of which bizarrely drew a five-second penalty from the stewards.
The Italian driver then found himself facing the wrong way as a mob of cars including Arthur Kammerer, Tinko van der Velde, and Kamil Pawlowski fought to be next in line. Ferrari Esports champion Pawlowski tagged the BMW, taking a post-race penalty which dropped him to 17th.
Silver class leader Blajer had a similarly routine race, eventually coming home seventh on the road having somehow coming through the Pro melee unscathed. While Robbie Stapleford was able to close in after the stops, he found himself held up by pro driver Kevin Siclari, with silver rival Egor Ogorodnikov snapping at his heels.