One more before the summer break: a fortnight after the very successful 300th race round at the Hungaroring, inaugurating the new premises in front of an enthusiastic crowd, the International GT Open is heading to Southern France for the other of its traditional summer stops. The Circuit Paul Ricard is hosting the fifth round, which marks the beginning of the second half of the season.
The fast and technical track near the medieval village of Le Castellet is always a challenging test, especially given the warm temperatures of this period of the year, but also one of the most appreciated rounds, as the region has much to offer to visitors. Thirty cars are again entered in France and this year again, a lot of fans and holiday-makers are expected, especially on Saturday, as Race 1 is scheduled in the late afternoon, with spectators able to join the summer roof party organized by the circuit after the race.
Teams and drivers, of course, will have other priorities, and the close situation on top of all standings promises great fights and a weekend as hot as the weather will be.
OVERALL: NEW LEADERS BUT NARROW GAP AT THE TOP
The weekend in Hungary saw a change of leader in the overall standings, but the situation remains tight. Reigning champions Simon Reicher and Christopher Haase, in the Eastalent Racing Audi R8 LMS, finally clinched the much-awaited first success of the year, precisely in what was the 300th race in the series’ history, allowing them to take the lead in the standings. By a small gap, though, only four points, on Levente Révész, who continues his consistent trend at the wheel of the Team Motopark Mercedes. In France, the Hungarian will be associated with Maximilian Götz.
Behind the top two, plenty of young, talented pairs are shining. In the Prancing Horse camp, Tom Emson and Tom Lebbon took their maiden win with the Elite Motorsport Ferrari 296 and are now third in the standings, with Carl Bennett and Tommaso Mosca, who clinched their first podium finish in the AF Corse Ferrari 296, in fifth.
The two British pairs defending the McLaren colours are doing extremely well, with Michael Porter and Zac Meakin fourth in the standings with Optimum Motorsport’s 720S and James Kell and Dean Macdonald in the Greystone GT car back to the podium after a couple of unlucky outings.
Mercedes is the brand best-represented in the class, as GetSpeed fields two cars for Anthony Bartone-Fabian Schiller and Marcelo Ramírez-Ralf Aron, both always candidates to the podium, Team Motopark enters a second car for Niklas Krütten-Robert Visoiu, and BDR Grupo Prom entrusts its AMG to Luis M. Dörrbecker-Amaury Bonduel.
Last but not least, the Oregon Team Lamborghini Huracans are looking forward to the fast Paul Ricard, with Artem Petrov and local hero Antoine Doquin in one of its cars, and Robin Rogalski and a teammate to be designated in the other.
PRO-AM: TWO MERCEDES FIGHTING FOR THE LEAD
The disputed Pro-Am class sees two Mercedes AMG fighting at the very top at the moment. In the lead is the GetSpeed pair composed of Steve Jans and Aaron Walker, who have won three races and have a 4-point advantage on the SPS car of Valentin Pierburg and Dominik Baumann.
The Star camp can also count on the other SPS car of Swiss pair Dexter Müller-Yannick Mettler and the Team Motopark unit entrusted to Heiko Neumann and Lukas Dunner.
Audi is very well represented in the class. Czechia’s ISR Racing is performing a very consistent season, with Libor Milota and Filip Salaquarda currently third in the standings, while Olimp Racing is always a potential winner with former class champions Marcin Jedlinski and Karol Basz. Still, the cheers on home soil will mostly be for Saintéloc Racing and its R8 entrusted to Michaël Blanchemain and Marcus Paverud.
Two fast Porsche 911 R compete in the class, with ‘Hash’ and Alex Fontana having already known the joy of class victory in the Car Collection car, and Johannes Zelger and Fabio Babini driving the car of Tsunami RT.
After joining the series at the Hungaroring, Racing Trevor is back for a second outing with its BMW M4 GT3 for Antal Zsigo and Max Hesse, while Ferrari will have two 296 in the class. Alongside series regulars Laurent De Meeus-Vincent Abril (AF Corse), the Ricard will see the debut of a new entry, the 296 of Into Africa Racing by Dragon, which associates the well-known Dubai-based squad and one of the many initiatives to promote motorsport in Africa by Xolile Latlaka, who will share the wheel with Axcil Jefferies.
AM: A TIE AT THE TOP
The situation is even closer in the Am class, as there is a tie at the top of the standings. With their double win in Hungary, Gino Forgione and Michele Rugolo in the AF Corse Ferrari now have the same points (68) as Mark Sansom, at the wheel of the Garage 59 McLaren. The Brit is now stably paired with Alexander West.
Third in contention is the Olimp Racing Ferrari of the Polish pair Stanislaw Jedlinski-Krystian Korzeniowski. Two solo drivers are present in the class, and both drive a Mercedes. Ameerh Naran is back with the Vimana by GetSpeed car, and Mexico’s Alfredo Hernandez is at the wheel of the BDR Grupo Prom unit.
Last but not least, the Icelandic outfit Team Thor is back for a second appearance, with Audunn Gudmunsson and Thorvaldur Gissurarson.