Hennings Cordes takes the fourth win of the season and proves that winning in GPO Challenge is very reminiscent of the old party game “pass the parcel”

As the challenge drivers pulled onto the grid for round 4 of the GPO Challenge league, Jan Moritz Kammann must have been saying sweet prayers that once again rivals capable of putting up a major challenge to his current title lead had yet again not materialised the next round. The driver merry-go-round had bought pole to the all new Eagle Motorsport team with Dirk Baldung taking the honours from teammate Hennings Cordes, Kammann was third with his arch rival from Sepang Michael Folcher alongside. It was the closest qualifying to date with the field seperated by less than three seconds, showing much improvement in particular from Ben Ross and Rizwan Sarwar.

However at the lights neither Eagle Motorsports car could keep the lead as Kammann pulled some amazing moves to take the lead. Cordes had jumped Baldung for second while Folcher kept a watching brief in fourth. Behind Sarwar made an excellent start to end lap 1 a GPO best 5th, ahead of the similarly great starting Drazen Cokor, Heniz Vanderhoydonck, Mihaljo Vincentijevic, Benajmin Chong, Brian Oates, Keith Doherty, a slow starting Ari Kesseli and Ben Ross.

However with the close laps times we finally had an almighty scrap for the lead of a race. For the first four laps Kammann defended heavily before Cordes dived passed for a single lap before Kammann forced his way back through again! In forcing himself through, Dirk Baldung snuck through into second and then attacked Jan for the lead, which he superbly took on lap 10. He wasn’t getting away though, as teammate Henning Cordes found his way passed Kammann two laps later and then set upon his teammate rival sliding passed on lap 15 as the pitstops commenced. This then allowed Michael Folcher, who’d sat watching the trio ahead going at it like hammers and tongs and was quite prepared to take advantage.

What the pitstops had done was keep Baldung in the lead, but moved Jan Moritz Kammann into second ahead of Cordes, Folcher and Drazen Cokor who’d negociated several drivers to find himself an ever increasingly distant fifth. Cordes hadn’t given up, just a few seconds shy of the leader and set about Kammann. He passed him after a great battle, as they’d been doing all race, on lap 22. Four laps later he performed another stunning move on his teammate Baldung for the lead. Cordes had gone from third to first to third to first again, like a yo-yo!

By the time we reached the second round of stops there were a couple of seconds between the trio and so they all came in and left in the same order, although they momentarily handed the lead back to Michael Folcher who had kept the trio in his sights all race but had not been close enough to get stuck in with the nitty gritty. The attention then focused to what was going on behind. That’s the order they would finish in too.

Henning Cordes took his first win of GPO in what was a dogged and amazingly composed drive under so much pressure from other drivers. Dirk Baldung will no doubt be delighted with second, although one senses he’ll be looking for revenge in Spain! Jan Moritz Kammann notches up another podium after a drive of fireworks and fun – one he’d not been so involved with since the season opener, and he capitalises on his points advantage. Michael Folcher’s fourth tells of a man that could seriously be a real championship threat. While he lacked the ultimate pace at Shanghai to challenge the top three, his race was mistake free and in sim racing, consistancy is key.

Drazen Cokor had a lonely 5th pretty much under control but Ari Kesseli had been busy disposing of the Rothmans duo of Doherty and Oates to take a well deserved 6th for the final stint, the Rothmans duo then giving themselves a tete-a-tete over the remaining positions, eventually winning out in Keith Doherty’s favour, however it was the closest Brian Oates had been to his teammate so far in 2010 and he showed real fighting spirit. Heniz Vanderhoydonck was two laps adfrift on his way to collect two points for ninth after slipping to last after recieveing damage. A lengthy battle with Ben Ross for the first 20 laps would ensue but Heniz would emerge on top. Ben Ross would however continue on his constant improvement to come home a delighted 10th and claim another world championship point for OrangeTech.

The retirements were few and far between. Mihaljo Vincentijevic retired after various bumps and knocks while Benajmin Chong and Rizwan Sarwar retired with technical issues, particularly sobering for Rizwan who had the pace for a top 6 finish.

And so the Pacific tour comes to a close… here comes the European leg – who do you fancy?