Debut winners highlight Super Sunday for the GT4 European Series at Circuit Paul Ricard

Huge crowds, debut winners and two thrilling GT4 European Series races characterised the opening GT World event at Circuit Paul Ricard this weekend.

The twin hour-long GT4 European Series races headlined Sunday’s action, after a record 37,892 spectators flocked to Le Castellet to witness a capacity GT World Challenge Europe field race into the night on Saturday.

The fireworks didn’t just end with the GT3 race, with the 40-car GT4 Europe field putting on a stunning display on the closing day with two hard-fought races which featured debut victories for both new Silver teams and breakthrough successes in the classes.

SCHNITZELALM AND CRT-SPORT TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT
SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm and CRT-Sport were the two newest teams to join the field coming into this season, yet both leave the opening event with winner’s trophies.

GT4 Germany stars Enrico Förderer and Cedric Fuchs took no time to adapt to life in GT4 Europe, scoring a controlled victory in Sunday’s opening race after a brilliant opening stint from Förderer, who jumped into the lead from second on the grid to hand a decisive lead to Fuchs in the second half.

Race 2 was undoubtedly the highlight though, with intense competition up and down the field and one of the most intriguing lead battles in recent memory. The leading pack of four cars – made up of Gabriele Piana (Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW), Clément Seyler (Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin), Hudson Schwartz (CRT Supra) and Erik Evans (Academy Motorsport Mustang) – swapped places repeatedly with Piana having to pull off a stunning move on the brakes to hold the lead as the cars ran four-wide at one point.

A late safety car bunched the pack and set up a grandstand finish, with Lucas Cartelle taking over the CRT Supra from Schwartz and diving for the lead past Piana’s team-mate Thomas Rackl in a breathless finish.

Förderer and Fuchs hold the points lead at the end of it all, 10 ahead of both Ibañez and Alex Papadopulos (NM Racing Team) and Schwartz/Cartelle.

In the classes, Schubert Motorsport drivers Joakim Walde and Victor Bouveng finally scored their breakthrough Pro-Am win in their third season together, while Chris Salkeld made a winning debut alongside Daniel Drexel in the Razoon – more than racing BMW in Race 2. JSB Compétition was flawless all weekend, with Nicco Ferrarin and Julien Briché topping every session in the Am class.

FAN EXPERIENCE SUPERSIZED
Much of the weekend took place under stunning blue skies, which helped to draw a record crowd for the GT World season opener.

With over 150 GT cars in action across the two days with the GT4 European Series, GT3 Revival Series and Lamborghini Super Trofeo supporting the GT World Challenge, packed grandstands were a regular feature.

The fan zone attracted huge crowds across both days, with DJ Sibe soundtracking the GT3 action on Saturday night before it made for a popular destination to take in the GT4 contests on Sunday thanks to the multiple bars and food trucks on offer. With open paddocks allowing fans to get up-close to the cars and drivers, plus busy autograph sessions and a display of Lamborghini supercars celebrating 30 years of the Super Trofeo, Circuit Paul Ricard again proved why it is such a popular destination for the start of the GT World season.

The GT4 European Series is next in action at Monza across the weekend of May 29-31.

L’evento inaugurale del GT World Challenge sul circuito Paul Ricard ha visto un grande afflusso di pubblico, vittorie al debutto e due emozionanti gare della GT4 European Series. Un record di 37.892 spettatori ha assistito all’evento, che ha visto il completo schieramento del GT World Challenge Europe gareggiare fino a notte fonda sabato. Le gare della GT4 European Series hanno offerto una conclusione entusiasmante al weekend, con vittorie al debutto per i nuovi team Silver e successi significativi in ​​diverse classi.

SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm e CRT-Sport sono stati i nuovi arrivati ​​che si sono distinti conquistando dei trofei. Enrico Förderer e Cedric Fuchs del team GT4 Germany hanno ottenuto una solida vittoria nella prima gara, dopo che Förderer aveva preso il comando nelle prime fasi. La seconda gara è stata particolarmente intensa, con un’avvincente battaglia per la testa della corsa tra quattro piloti: Gabriele Piana, Clément Seyler, Hudson Schwartz ed Erik Evans, che si sono scambiati continuamente le posizioni. L’ingresso della safety car nelle fasi finali ha creato un finale drammatico, con Lucas Cartelle che ha superato gli avversari conquistando la leadership con la sua Supra del team CRT.

Al termine delle gare, Förderer e Fuchs erano in testa alla classifica, con dieci punti di vantaggio su Ibañez e Alex Papadopulos, e Schwartz/Cartelle. Per quanto riguarda le singole categorie, Joakim Walde e Victor Bouveng del team Schubert Motorsport hanno conquistato la loro prima vittoria nella Pro-Am, mentre Chris Salkeld ha debuttato con successo al fianco di Daniel Drexel in Gara 2. Il team JSB Compétition si è distinto nella categoria Am.

L’evento si è svolto in condizioni meteorologiche eccellenti e ha registrato un’affluenza record. Oltre 150 vetture GT hanno partecipato, con numerose attività per gli appassionati, tra cui una vivace fan zone, DJ set, stand gastronomici e la possibilità di incontrare i piloti. Il prossimo appuntamento della GT4 European Series si terrà a Monza dal 29 al 31 maggio.