GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS back in action as Sprint Cup heads to Hockenheim

The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS season resumes next weekend (19–21 July) when the Sprint Cup tackles its third round of the campaign at Hockenheim. 

The trip to southwest Germany comes three weeks after the centenary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and will represent a very different challenge from the Ardennes enduro, with a pair of 60-minute races set to play out on the 4.6km circuit. A field of 33 cars will tackle the event, with eight brands represented across four highly competitive classes.  

PRO: Team WRT leads the way after sensational showing at Misano

Team WRT dominated the previous Sprint Cup contest at Misano, sweeping both races with its pair of BMW entries. The #32 crew of Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts top the standings, a familiar scenario for the three-time series champions. The question now is whether they can be caught. 

Their most consistent rival thus far has been the #48 Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter crew. Misano was a challenging event for the Mercedes-AMG contingent, but Lucas Auer and Maro Engel finished fifth in Race 1 and runner-up in Race 2 to stay well within striking distance at the top of the standings.

Ferrari squad Emil Frey Racing has also made a fine start to the season with both of its Pro cars, notching up three podiums and currently sitting third in the teams' standings. Such has been the parity of performance, the #14 crew of Ben Green and Konsta Lappalainen is just half a point ahead of the sister #69 of Giacomo Altoè and Thierry Vermeulen. 

Benjamin Goethe and Tom Gamble have made a strong start for Garage 59. Indeed, with 17 points on the board the #159 McLaren has already bettered its tally from last term. More of the same – and perhaps a breakthrough podium – would make for a successful Hockenheim weekend. 

Rutronik Racing scored a season-best finish of P5 in Race 2 at Misano, though Porsche factory drivers Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller will have ambitions of fighting even further up the order. Based less than an hour from the circuit, the team will be chasing home glory at Hockenheim.

Comtoyou Racing will head to Germany in high spirits after clinching overall victory at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. In terms of pace, the #7 Aston Martin has started the Sprint Cup campaign in good form, though it is yet to secure a strong result. Turning qualifying speed into silverware will be the objective for Mattia Drudi and Nicolas Baert. 

Boutsen VDS bagged its maiden Fanatec GT Europe podium in the Sprint opener at Brands Hatch but was not among the front-runners at Misano. Local ace Maximilian Götz and fellow Mercedes-AMG factory driver Jules Gounon will look to bounce back at Hockenheim. Madpanda Motorsport will field the same car for its pairing of Ezequiel Perez Companc and Phil Keen, who will hope to once again benefit from the Argentine team’s superb pit work. 

Tresor Attempto Racing endured a very tough Misano meeting, with both of its Pro crews failing to score points at the Italian track. Should it wish to defend its Sprint Cup title, the Audi squad needs a strong weekend at Hockenheim, something it accomplished last year with Race 1 victory. Ricardo Feller and Alex Aka will share the #99 machine, completing the Pro field for the German event.  

GOLD CUP & SILVER CUP: Saintéloc tops Gold standings, Team WRT BMW ahead in Silver

Saintéloc Racing leads the Gold Cup battle thanks to a pair of wins for the #25 Audi crew of Paul Evrard and Gilles Magnus, who head Luca Engstler and Max Hofer (#6 Liqui Moly Team Engstler by OneGroup) by 5.5 points. The latter will field a Lamborghini for the remainder of the campaign having previously competed with Audi machinery. 

CSA Racing continues with the German marque’s R8 model and sits a further three points back after a strong start to the season for Simon Gachet and Lucas Légeret.

While these squads have monopolised the wins, Racing Team Turkey banked a maiden class podium last time out with Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood aboard the #51 Ferrari. The #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin of James Jakes and Matisse Lismont will continue to chase a breakthrough result, while the #88 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi moves to the Gold Cup with the all-Italian pairing of Lorenzo Patrese and Lorenzo Ferrari. 

In the Silver Cup, the momentum swung considerably towards Team WRT at Misano as the #30 BMW of Sam De Haan and Calan Williams scored a double victory – and a pair of overall top-10 finishes. They enjoy a 20-point cushion over the #71 AF Corse Ferrari, which withdrew from the Misano round following a crash in testing. Happily, Thomas Fleming is able to return alongside Eliseo Donno. There are also high hopes for the sister #52 Ferrari of Jef Machiels and Sean Hudspeth, which scored a maiden podium at Misano. 

Mercedes-AMG is represented by a pair of Silver Cup crews. The #10 Boutsen VDS line-up of César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis opened the season with a win and will hope to recapture that form at Hockenheim, while Reece Barr and Magnus Gustavsen will chase victory aboard the #57 Winward Racing entry. Saintéloc Racing retains Ivan Klymenko, who is joined by Marcus Paverud in the #26 Audi.

Comtoyou Racing will field Lorens Lecertua and Dante Rappange in the #12 Aston Martin, while Eurodent GSM Team is yet to finalise the line-up for its #18 Lamborghini. 

BRONZE CUP: All to play for hotly contested class

The Bronze Cup kicked off its Sprint campaign at Misano and will now be present at each of the remaining events. Sky Tempesta Racing tops the early standings with Jonathan Hui and Eddie Cheever after the #93 Ferrari crew earned Race 2 honours at the Italian venue. Their nearest challengers are comparatively new to Fanatec GT Europe, a brace of podiums having capped a fine weekend at Misano for the Imperiale Racing Lamborghini duo of Dmitry Gvazava and Ugo De Wilde.  

German squad Rutronik Racing will chase victory on home soil with Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall sharing its #97 Porsche, while Schumacher CLRT will also field a 911 GT3 R for the French duo of Stephane Denoual and Steven Palette. Barwell Motorsport has a pair of Lamborghini entries, with Patrick Kujala and Gabriel Rindone sharing the #72 machine and Rob Collard paired with Sandy Mitchell in the #78. 

Tresor Attempto Racing impressed at Hockenheim last term and will aim for a repeat performance in 2024. After helping the team to secure class honours at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, Dylan Pereira and Andrey Mukovoz will be back at the controls of the #66 Audi. Garage 59 will field the #188 McLaren, which will see Miguel Ramos make his first Sprint Cup appearance of the season alongside Louis Prette. 

Century Motorsport is new to the series this year, though with reigning British GT champions Darren Leung and Dan Harper aboard its #991 BMW the team can certainly challenge for class honours. They complete a 33-car field as the Sprint Cup campaign gets set to cross the halfway mark at Hockenheim.