GT Open - Bartone-Schiller give the GetSpeed Mercedes the win in the season-opening race

Get Speed won the opening race of the 2024 International GT Open at Portimão, like last year, again with Fabian Schiller, associated this time with Anthony Bartone. For the American, it is the maiden success in the series and a nice birthday present.

The duo conducted a perfect race, beating Pro-Am winners Marco Pulcini-Eddie Cheever (Spirit of Race Ferrari), who secured P2 overall and the class win in the last lap when they passed the Olimp Racing Audi of Marcin Jedlinski-Karol Basz, which also put a great performance today.

In Am, Heiko Neumann and Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Mercedes) took a clear win. With 34 cars at the start, the race was extremely lively in the central stages, with plenty of action and battles.

THE RACE – On a track still wet after a violent storm, Karol Basz (Olimp Racing Audi R8 LMS) took a brilliant pole ahead of Fabian Schiller (GetSpeed Mercedes).

The Pole kept the advantage at the start, followed by Fontana, Dunner, Rumpfkeil, Cheever and Rugolo. With 34 cars on track, there were contacts and rubbing in the group, the Mercedes of Al Zubair (Al Manar) an Pitamber (SPS) dropping positions while Diego Menchaca (Motopark Mercedes) had to retire because of the same engine problems encountered at the end of qualifying. Still, the main incident involved the two Lambos of Moretti and Ineichen, as the Italian was left with no brakes in turn 5 and T-boned his teammate Ineichen, with the latter being forced to retire.

In the top tier of the race, not much changed, with Basz keeping the lead up to pit stops but with a marginal gap (1.5 seconds) ahead of Schiller, Fontana, Dunner, Cheever, Rumpfkeil and Rugolo. Right behind those, there was a great fight, with some rubbing, between Stanley, Pepper and Marinangeli, while Kirchmayr and Hahn had a real contact.

After the pit stops and driver changes, Bartone took the lead from Jedlinski followed by Marco Pulcini, Hash, Bateman, Abril, Neumann, Baumann, Deledda, Menzel and Grenier. The last five will be animating a lively fight, from which emerges Grenier, while Menzel gets a 5-second penalty for a contact.

Bartone holds the lead with no problems, while Jedlinski will only lose P2 (and P1 in Pro-Am) in the last lap, as he is passed by Marco Pulcini. Grenier, Bateman, A ril, Menzel, Baumann, Leo Pulcini and Haase complete the overall top 10 while, Stromsted-Ikin take P3 in Pro-Am. In Am, behind Neumann, Cipriani and Osieka cross the line as second and third.