The International GT Open weekend at Circuit de Catalunya saw thrilling races and a shake-up in the championship standings, with Porsche and Ferrari taking center stage in their respective classes.
In Race 1 on Saturday, the Swedish-German duo of Gustaf Bergström and Nico Menzel secured a maiden win for Car Collection Motorsport in their Porsche 911. After starting from pole, Menzel held the lead during the first stint but faced fierce competition from Fabian Schiller in the GetSpeed Mercedes. However, a crucial move by Bergström in the second half of the race reclaimed the lead from Anthony Bartone, who had taken over from Schiller after the pit stops. Bergström’s decisive pass on lap 30 sealed a much-deserved victory, marking Car Collection’s first overall win in the series.
Anthony Bartone and Fabian Schiller ultimately finished second for GetSpeed, while Mikaeel Pitamber and Dominik Baumann brought the SPS automotive performance Mercedes home in third, returning to the podium after several rounds. The Pro-Am category saw Valentin Pierburg and Aaron Walker take their second class win of the season, followed by Marco Pulcini and Eddie Cheever in the Spirit of Race Ferrari. Meanwhile, the ISR Racing Audi pairing of Filip Salaquarda and Libor Milota celebrated their first-ever podium.
In the Am class, Heiko Neumann and Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Mercedes) clinched their fourth win of the season, edging out the GetSpeed Mercedes of Kiki San Nana and Adam Osieka, and Giuseppe Cipriani (Barone Rampante Lamborghini), who now inches closer to securing the Am title.
Race 2 on Sunday brought another standout performance, this time from Vincent Abril and Nicola Marinangeli in the Spirit of Race Ferrari 296, who led from start to finish after securing pole position. Their second win of the season not only showcased the pair’s improving form but also put them in the thick of the overall championship battle. Abril and Marinangeli now sit third in the standings, just 12 points behind the newly tied leaders, Simon Reicher and Christopher Haase (Eastalent Racing Audi) and Alessio Deledda and Jordan Pepper (Oregon Team Lamborghini), both tied at 100 points after finishing third and fourth respectively in Race 2.
Abril set the pace from the beginning, maintaining a gap over his competitors, while Lukas Dunner and Julian Hanses (Motopark Mercedes) kept the pressure on and eventually finished second. The race ended under the safety car after a crash by Cozzi’s Ferrari, which brought an early conclusion to the on-track action.
The Pro-Am category also witnessed a maiden win for Hash and Alex Fontana in their Car Collection Porsche, marking a successful weekend for the team. In Am, San Nana and Osieka added their fourth win of the season in the GetSpeed Mercedes, further cementing their standing in the championship.
With only a handful of races left in the season, the championship picture is heating up. The battle for the overall title remains tight, while Marco Pulcini has secured the Pro-Am title. In the Am category, Giuseppe Cipriani is within touching distance of being crowned champion. The series heads next to Monza, where the final rounds will decide the champions across all classes.
Provisional Standings (After Race 13 of 17):
- Overall: Reicher-Haase, Deledda-Pepper (100 points); Marinangeli-Abril (88 points)
- Pro-Am: Pulcini (95 points); Cheever (82 points)
- Am: Cipriani (114 points); San Nana-Osieka (84 points)
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