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Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS - Circuit Paul Ricard

5th - 7th April 2024

Event report and photos by Raymond Bonnello

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One month after the prologue of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, we find ourselves on the Circuit Paul Ricard for round 1.

Traditionally run in the summer, the Paul Ricard round will launch the 2024 season with a 3-hour race as in 2014 and not 6 hours since.

It is with a planned field of 55 cars, the maximum number accepted in Endurance, representing nine manufacturers divided into 4 categories (Pro Cup, Gold Cup, Silver Cup and Bronze Cup), that this 14th Edition of the toughest championships reserved for GT3s began

It should be noted that the Castellet circuit has continuously hosted a championship event since 2012 (only Spa, the flagship event of the championship, does better with a continuous presence since its creation in 2011).

A little history

On March 6th 1994, on this same circuit, the revival of GT began with a 4-hour race between 38 competitors.

The first meeting of the BPR Global GT Series laid the first stone of a building which 30 years later, successively named BPR (Barth, Peter, Ratel), FIA GT, Blancpain GT or Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe, dominates the world of GT.

Even though the names have changed, the model created 30 years ago has endured.

Indeed, every series that SRO oversees today in the world can be traced back to this first event.

For the anecdote I was already present, as a spectator, on March 6th 1994 on the Paul Ricard circuit, the proof in photos.

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Let's come to the present

The forces present by manufacturers

7 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO

7 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II

6 BMW M4 GT3

7 Ferrari 296 GT3

1 Ford Mustang GT3

4 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO

5 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2

10 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO

8 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

Friday 5th

Bronze Test

Twenty drivers took to the track during the session.

Dustin Blattner, Porsche 911 GT3 R #97 - Rutronik Racing, in 1:55.139 moved to the top of the timesheet, ahead of Jonathan Hui, Ferrari 296 GT3 #93 - SKY - Tempesta Racing.

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Saturday 6th

Free Practice

The first opportunity for the entire field to sample the track proved to be fiercely competitive, with the top 36 cars falling within less than a second of the checkered flag.

Jules Gounon, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #2 - M-AMG Team GetSpeed, set the best time in 1:53.912, ahead of Series 2 newcomer Seas Motorsport who entered the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #60 driven, during of his 28th lap in 1:54.026, by the Croatian Martin Kodrić.

2 BMW M4s follow, respectively #32 from WRT and #98 from ROWE Racing.

Fifth place in the general classification went to the No. 188 McLaren Garage 59 thanks to a remarkable lap by Louis Prette.

A time of 1:54.113 was enough to put the car at the top of the Bronze Cup class, while Boutsen VDS placed 10th overall and led the Silver Cup, Roee Meyuhas was at the controls of the #10 Mercedes-AMG.

The only notable incident was the #21 ComToYou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO going off the track on its first lap.

This resulted in the only red flag of the session being shown.

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Pre-Qualifying

A BMW M4 or nothing, the Bavarians took the first three places in pre-qualifying.

Dan Harper, #998 of Rowe Racing, posted a time of 1:54.003, beating Charles Weerts, #32 Team WRT, by 0:089 seconds, while Marco Wittmann completed the top three in the #98 second Rowe Racing car.

The #188 Garage 59 McLaren maintains its place at the top of the Bronze Cup standings with Adam Smalley clocking 1:54.357 to place an excellent sixth overall.

12th place in the general classification at the wheel of Mercedes-AMG #777 - AlManar Racing by GetSpeed, Mikael Grenier takes the top time in the Gold Cup.

The Silver Cup went to Patrick Assenheimer in the #90 Madpanda Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.

The session ended prematurely when Nicolas Baert Aston Martin #11 - Comtoyou Racing, hit the barriers heavily 10 minutes from time.

It was a particularly difficult day for the Belgian team, which only put its #21 machine on track during the final pre-qualifying phases, after going off the track early in free practice.

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Sunday 7th

Qualifying

With an average of 1:53.027, Mirko Bortolotti/ Matteo Cairoli/ Andrea Caldarelli, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO 2 #63 - Iron Lynx - took the first pole position of the 2024 season.

Ayhancan Güven/Laurin Heinrich/Dorian Boccolacci, Porsche 911 GT3 R(992) #22 - Schumacher CLRT- took second place on the starting grid.

The second row consisted of the #2 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO - M-AMG Team GetSpeed - with Luca Stolz/Fabian Schiler/Jules Gounon at the wheel.

The GRT Grasser Racing Team completed the top four with the #163 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO 2 driven by Franck Perera/Marco Mapelli/Christian Engelhart.

The Bronze Cup pole went to the #188 McLaren - Garage 59 - of Adam Smalley/James Cottingham/Louis Prette.

The Gold Cup pole went to the trio of Al Faisal Al Zubair/Dominik Baumann/Mikaël Grenier #777 of AlManar Racing by GetSpeed.

The Madpanada Motorsport team's #90 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO took the Silver Cup pole thanks to its two-man crew of Ezequiel Perez Companc and Patrick Assenheimer.

The 54 cars took part in qualifying out of the 55 initially planned on the entry list.

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Main Race

Augusto Farfus, Dan Harper and Max Hesse led the #998 Rowe Racing BMW M4 to victory at Circuit Paul Ricard after a thrilling 3-hour race in front of 23.100 fans who attended the show.

The race began with the #63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx on pole position maintaining its advantage with Mirko Bortolotti at the controls, followed by the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche and the #2 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed machine.

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Iron Lynx briefly lost the lead when the Schumacher CLRT Porsche took the lead on the first pass to the pits.

However, the earth cable remained connected when Dorian Boccolacci returned to the track, forcing him to return to the pits and destroying the French team's chances of victory at home.

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As the second hour progressed, the #998 ROWE Racing BMW – driven by Dan Harper, who took over from Augusto Farfus, was the fastest car on the circuit, taking the lead at the halfway point.

The final series of pit stops went smoothly for the two leading cars, with even Matteo Cairoli on the Iron Lynx making up some time, raising the possibility of a fight until the finish.

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Max Hesse quickly dispelled the Italian driver's hopes by setting another fastest lap of the race. Both cars will take the checkered flag in that order.

The podium was completed by the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #2 - M-AMG Team GetSpeed - of the trio Luca Stolz/Fabian Schiler/Jules Gounon.

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A final lightning stint from Raffaele Marciello allowed Team WRT and teammates Maxime Martin/Valentino Rossi to place fourth with the #46 BMW.

At home, Saintéloc Racing won the Gold Cup honors with its #25 Audi driven by Paul Evrard/Gilles Magus/Jim Pla ahead of the #777 AlManar Racing by GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. CSA Racing Audi R8 LMS GTS EVO II #111 of Arthur Rougier/Romain Carton/Adam Eteki places a second French team on the podium.

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The Silver Cup victory went to Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #57 driven by Tanart Sathienthirakul/Daan Arrow/Colin Caresani. Followed by the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #10 of César Gazeau/Roee Meyuhas/Aurélien Panis and the pole men in the category Ezequiel Perez Companc/Patrick Assenheimer, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #90 - Madpanada Motorsport.

The Bronze Cup sees the triumphant return of Kessel Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3 #8 driven by David Fumanelli/ Nicolò Rosi/ Niccolò Schiro, the second step of the podium going to another Ferrari 296 GT3, the #52 from AF Corse of Louis Machiels/Jef Machiels/Andrea Bertolini, third place in the box being taken by the #11 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO of Job Van Uitert/John De Wilde/Michael Pauwels.

The race was neutralized four times, twice for debris on the track, once for a problem with the light on the bridge and once for the start of a fire in the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO #34 - Walkenhorst Motorsport of David Pittard (while driving during the incident)/Henrique Chaves/Ross Gunn.

Based on Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS press report.