Fanatec GT2 Valencia bound for pivotal penultimate round of the season

The Fanatec GT2 European Series heads to Spain fresh from its summer break, for the penultimate battles of the season in Valencia next weekend, 15-17 September. 

So close is the competition between the world-class manufacturers of Audi, KTM, Porsche and Mercedes-AMG in the series’ third season that neither the Pro-Am nor Am class titles can be decided at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. However, points scored in Spain will prove a crucial factor in deciding the respective 2023 champions.

After the first four outings, the Pro-Am title fight couldn’t be much closer with only three points separating first and second and nine points covering the top-three – the equivalent of a single third-place finish. It’s a similar story in the Am category, with only eight points between the top two KTM crews and only 18 points spanning first to third.

There’s more star talent joining the grid in Valencia too. MotoGP™️ legend Dani Pedrosa will make his GT racing debut aboard the True Racing KTM X-BOW GT2 to the delight of his home crowd, partnered with KTM Executive Board member Hubert Trunkenpolz.

Another new entry also joins Pro-Am, with Trunkenpolz’s usual teammate Reinhard Kofler joining forces with Martin Koch to debut the MZR KTM X-BOW. 

Pro-Am: Title fight intensifies as newcomers join the grid

The Pro-Am title fight has been a closely fought affair all season, with no driver pairing able to pull out more than a seven-point lead since the second round. 

LP Racing’s Henry Hassid and Anthony Beltoise head the class after a near-perfect performance in Portimão. An outright win and second-place finish puts them three points clear heading to Valencia – the circuit where Hassid won the Am title last year.

Nicolas Saelens and Stefan Rosina held that seven-point advantage heading into round four, but a tricky weekend dropped them to second by the smallest of margins. Considering both drivers earned a win apiece (with their respective teammates) in Spain last year, the True Racing duo must rank among the favourites. 

PK Carsport also had a mixed last outing, with a puncture and electrical issues hampering Peter Guelinckx and Stienes Longin’s race one efforts. A stellar comeback to take their third win of the season in race two means the #1 Audi duo sit nine points adrift of the leaders. 

Lying fourth in the standings, Reinhard Kofler switches from True Racing to debut the MZR KTM X-BOW GT2 alongside Martin Koch. The pair already boast a winning pedigree having claimed race victory on Koch’s stand-in for Trunkenpolz at the Red Bull Ring in May. 

Trunkenpolz is also in action, supporting Pedrosa on his Fanatec GT2 debut in the #17 True Racing KTM. The 37-year-old has claimed an array of MotoGP victories over the years at the Valencian circuit, where he is also featured in the MotoGP™️ Legends Hall of Fame.

Heading the charge for the new Mercedes-AMG GT2 after joining the series in round two, Akkodis ASP’s Mauro and Benjamin Ricci may be out of the title running but could well upset the podium order. 

The same is true for LP Racing’s Stéphane Ratel and Mattia di Giusto in the #88 Audi, who claimed a sensational second-place finish in Portimão.

Akkodis ASP Team adds another Pro-Am entry to its roster too, with 2022 GT4 European Series Pro-Am Champion Jean Luc Beaubelique teaming up with Ludovic Badey in the #87 Mercedes-AMG GT2.

Am: Three-way fight for class title  

The Am class lead twice changed hands at Portimão, as the RTR Projects and True Racing KTMs battled for supremacy, while the Ebimotors Porsche honed in.

RTR Projects’ Jan Krabec emerged top of that leg of the title fight despite losing his 20-point class lead to Klaus Angerhofer and Sehdi Sarmini halfway through the weekend. Bouncing back from retirement to win race two, Krabec holds an eight-point lead over the #16 True Racing crew heading to Valencia.

Just 10 points further back in third lies Ebimotors’ Leonardo Gorini, who has rapidly climbed the order with an impressive haul of results which include a class win and five second places so far. 

The sister Ebimotors Porsche is also back in action for this round. With two podiums already on the board, Aurelijus Rusteika and Mantas Janavicius will be looking for an equally strong end to their season.  

Round five will play out in style in Spain, supporting the penultimate round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup. 

Fanatec GT2 track action in Valencia begins with a pair of free practice sessions at 09:00 and 14:00 on Friday. Qualifying takes place at 10:35 on Saturday, ahead of the first 50-minute race of the weekend at 17:00. The penultimate round of the season concludes with race two at 10:00 on Sunday.