Albert Costa and Giacomo Altoè took their third win of the season in Saturday’s 70 minute Race 1 at Silverstone in their #63 Emil Frey Lamborghini to retake the Championship lead in the 2019 International GT Open.

The Italian-Spanish duo finished ahead of teammates Mikaël Grenier-Norbert Siedler in a race that had two safety-car periods, the first coming almost immediately as the #16 Teo Martín Motorsport McLaren of Marcello Hahn was off and into the wall at Maggots after contact with further mayhem moments later at Stowe.

Frederik Schandorff spun in the #66 Vincenzo Sospiri Lamborghini and was collected by Najiy Razak (Ombra Lamborghini) and Ollie Wilkinson (Optimum Aston Martin). The Ombra car into the wall and out of the race, the Aston suffering damage including a lost rear wing but making it back to the pits for repairs, but the Vantage would eventually retire just after Darren Turner climbed aboard.

The recovery of the Lamborghini and McLaren saw the Safety Car on track for a full 20 minutes with the pit stop window opening just a couple of laps later.

At the restart, Altoè was leading ahead of Saravia, Siedler, Kodric, Ramos, Spinelli and Gonda, but after only one lap, Altoè, Saravia and Kodric were in for their driver change, leaving Seidler in the lead.

After all driver changes, Costa led by less than second over Grenier.

A further 8 seconds back, Chaves led a group with Crestani, Rueda, Visser and Zampieri. Before the race could find its rhythm though the safety car was deployed again on lap 18 to rescue Roda’s Mercedes, which had stopped on the Wellington Straight in a cloud of smoke after the driver had heavily clattered the kerbs leaving a trail of oil on the track in turns 5 and 6.

At the restart, Costa still led Grenier, with Chaves and Crestani fighting fiercely for third (with the Mercedes passing in lap 21), then Rueda, Visser, Giammaria and Tujula.

There were battles further down the order with Matt Griffin (Spirit of Race Ferrari), Ollie Hancock (Kessel Ferrari) and Tom Onslow Cole (SPS AMG) going head to head, the AMG man getting by and heading off in pursuit of the Pro-Am leading Ráton Lamborghini – He’d close to within 2 seconds by the flag.

Behind Sardinha took the Am lead, due to a drive-through inflicted on Cipriani for excessive speed in the pit lane.

Jiatong Liang and Raffaele Giammaria (Ratón Racing by Target Lamborghini) took their second Pro-Am win of the year, with Portuguese duo Manuel Da Costa-Miguel Sardinha taking their first Am win at the wheel of the Sports&You Mercedes AMG.

The overall podium was a 1, 2 for the Emil Frey Huracans, joined by the Ramos-Crestani SPS Automotive Mercedes pairing, the AMG closing for second at the flag.

The result saw the Championship lead change hands, the Chaves-Kodrić #17 Teo Martín Motorsport McLaren pairing finished fourth overall and now sit 7 points behind in the overall standings.

RACE 1 RESULT >>