GT World Challenge Europe will begin its 2024 season next weekend (5-7 April) with a three-hour Endurance Cup race at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The French facility moves from its traditional summer date to become the new home of the season opener, hosting a 55-car grid featuring GT3 machines from nine manufacturers. Each will be represented by at least one Pro car, while a strong fight is expected in the Gold Cup, Silver Cup and Bronze Cup classes.
#88 Tresor Attempto Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EvoII: Lorenzo Ferrari, Lorenzo Patrese, Leonardo Moncini
Photo by: SRO
PRO stronger than ever, with nine brands and talented drivers
The entry list for the season opener is led by 20 Pro cars, the majority of which feature factory drivers from the nine competing brands.
The moment is favorable for Mercedes-AMG, which could win its third consecutive Endurance Cup crown after winning the overall team and driver titles in 2022 and 2023. The German brand can count on strong lineups of HRT, Boutsen VDS, Mercedes -AMG Team MANN-Filter and Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed, the latter including reigning drivers' champion Jules Gounon.
BMW focuses on four PRO cars. ROWE Racing will field a pair of M4s, with its #98 flagship driven by three-time Spa 24 Hours winner Philipp Eng. New factory driver Raffaele Marciello joins Team WRT to share the #46 car with Valentino Rossi and Maxime Martin, while sister #32 should be a top contender.
Ferrari is represented by a pair of cars from AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors. The #51 boasts an impressive all-Italian crew led by two-time Endurance Cup champion Alessandro Pier Guidi. The Italian brand Lamborghini also has a two-car program split between Iron Lynx and Grasser Racing, which can count on the brand's best drivers.
Porsche will have a PRO trio on the grid at Circuit Paul Ricard. Rutronik Racing embarks on its second adventure in the Endurance Cup, while Schumacher CLRT and reigning Bronze Cup champion Pure Rxcing both move up to the next level.
Garage 59 will represent McLaren with an all-British line-up, while Audi will be able to count on Tresor Attempto Racing.
The PRO teams are very stable, but the starting grid also features further variety thanks to new cars from Aston Martin and Ford. The British brand will be represented by two cars: Comtoyou Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport will both debut the Vantage AMR GT3 EVO.
In the Ford line-up, Proton Competition will show off the Mustang with an impressive driver line-up led by veteran Chris Mies, who will make his 50th Endurance Cup appearance next weekend.
#46 Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3: Valentino Rossi
Photo by: SRO
All wide open in Gold, Silver and Bronze
In addition to the PRO contingent, another 35 cars will participate in the Gold Cup, Silver Cup and Bronze Cup classes. The former includes a trio of Audis from Saintéloc Racing, CSA Racing and Tresor Attempto Racing. There will also be Mercedes-AMG crews from AlManar Racing by GetSpeed and 2 Seas Motorsport, the latter making their debut in the series after a winning season in British GT.
The Silver Cup remains competitive for what will be its seventh season as part of the GTWC Endurance Cup. Nine cars will participate in the debut, four of which will come from Mercedes-AMG. Boutsen VDS is a new addition to the Affalterbach stable, while GetSpeed, Madpanda Motorsport and Winward Racing are all long-standing AMG outfits.
Aston Martin also has a strong representation in the Silver Cup, with two cars from Comtoyou Racing and another from Walkenhorst Motorsport.
Dinamic GT adds a Porsche, while Grasser Racing returns to defend its 2023 Endurance Cup title, albeit with an entirely new driver lineup sharing the #19 Lamborghini.
In its second season, the Bronze Cup boasts an extraordinarily strong starting grid of 20 cars, led by five Ferraris. Kessel Racing has two, while Rinaldi Racing and AF Corse have one each, the latter with an unchanged line-up of Louis Machiels, Andrea Bertolini and Jef Machiels. Sky Tempesta Racing returns to Ferrari after taking the class title last year with McLaren.
Porsche can count on four cars divided between Dinamic GT, Herberth Motorsport, Rutronik Racing and the newcomer Lionspeed GP. There will then be a trio of McLaren crews, two from Garage 59 and a third from Optimum Motorsport, while Barwell Motorsport has a pair of Lamborghinis at its disposal.
Century Motorsport debuts with a BMW crew including reigning British GT champion Darren Leung. OQ By Oman Racing will also field an M4 GT3, with further competition in the Bronze Cup from teams Aston Martin, Comtoyou Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport, as well as a pair of Audis from Tresor Attempto Racing.
Saintéloc Racing will add a 55th and final entry to the grid, fielding its #26 Audi in a class to be determined.
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