Nikita Mazepin celebrates two victories on his GT3 racing debut

At the fifth race weekend of the German amateur motorsport series STT (Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy) at Spa-Francorchamps, Nikita Mazepin of Team Motopark was unbeatable in his Mercedes-AMG GT3. The former Formula 1 driver won both races comfortably ahead of Thomas Ambiel in a Duqueine LMP3 and the duo Rolf Ludwig Becker and Klaus Niesen in another Mercedes-AMG GT3.

For Mazepin, this marked his GT3 debut with the Oschersleben-based team. The Russian had previously tested with the team at the Lausitzring and Spa-Francorchamps. Although it has not yet been confirmed, it is considered certain that Nikita Mazepin will compete with the team in the International GT Open in future. Mazepin already has a personalised team racing suit featuring the logo of the GT Sport organisation’s racing series.

In the first race, Mazepin quickly built up a lead over the rest of the field. This allowed the Mercedes driver to ease off the pace in the second stint. Nevertheless, the clock showed a lead of 16.660 seconds over second place at the finish. In contrast, Thomas Ambiel stayed closer to the GT3 car for longer in the second stint. Mazepin was not quite able to shake off the runner-up entirely, but ultimately secured victory with a 7.140-second lead at the end of the 40-minute race.

Thomas Ambiel was pleased with his debut in the Special Touring Car Trophy. On Saturday, the LMP3 driver had initially fallen behind Henry Walkenhorst at the start, but was quickly able to move back into second place. Mazepin, on the other hand, was simply out of reach, even though Ambiel made significant ground towards the end. Whilst Mazepin was once again the clear leader on Sunday, this time Ambiel refused to be shaken off. In the end, he secured a commanding second place overall.

“The race went well. It worked out fine even with the traffic from the various cars. It wasn’t possible to move any further up the field, and there was actually no danger from behind either,” reported Ambiel.

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