Intro:

Mercedes-duo Maxi Buhk and Maxi Götz won the opening Main Race of the Blancpain Sprint Series at Nogaro, south-west France, on Monday.

Script:

Mercedes-duo Maxi Buhk and Maxi Götz won the opening Main Race of the Blancpain Sprint Series at Nogaro, in south-west France on Monday.

Buhk took the lead six minutes into the one-hour race with a sublime move around the outside of Sérgio Jimenez in the Team Brasil BMW at the first corner.

Jimenez took full advantage of the front bonnet flying off Niki Mayr-Melnhof's Phoenix R8. The Austrian driver's struggles with front bodywork damage caused him to retire halfway through the race.

But as the pit window opened and Buhk came in to hand over to Götz, Grégory Guilvert left it until the last moment to give the Audi to Stéphane Ortelli, bringing the gap down to 1.7 seconds behind Götz at the flag.

Another Audi pairing, Mateusz Lisowski and Vincent Abril claimed the third podium position.

The event is sponsored by a watch manufacturer but it remains to be seen if Buhk and Götz can record the winning time in the next race in Brands Hatch, England, next month.