September 2011: Following closely on the heels of his two victories on the Ordos circuit in China, Maxime Martin travelled on to the Olympic site in Peking to compete, this time with Bertrand Baguette as co-driver, in the penultimate meeting of the FIA GT1 World Championship. The Ford GT #41 found itself on a highly technical circuit, favouring its power, notwithstanding the 40 kilos of ballast as the result of the two wins clinched at Ordos. The event saw an incredible climb-up by Maxime Martin in the Championship Race, where the young Belgian took off from a distant 14th place under Safety Car conditions, prior to moving up into 10th place, patiently waiting behind the Safety Car, which had reappeared, and then attacking flat out for 6 laps, climbing up from 10th place to 1st place when he handed over the relay to Baguette. Less at ease in these difficult conditions, Bertrand preferred to play it safe, leaving him in 4th place overall. Next up is the final round, at San Luis in Argentina.
Photo courtesy Vincent Franssen and www.gt1world.com