GT4 Europe - Consani and Lariche complete dominant double at Monza

The #3 Audi – Team Speedcar emerged on top following a close-fought duel with their chief championship rivals, matching the result they scored on Saturday. Finn Zulauf and Max Kronberg (#30 Porsche 718 Cayman RS CS – W&S Motorsport) won Pro-Am to snatch the lead in their title fight, while Pascal Huteau and Laurent Hurgon secured the Am class crown an event early despite not finishing the race. Charles Dawson and Andy Cantu (#16 Mercedes-AMG GT4 – NM Racing Team) clinched the Am win in their absence.

Silver: Speedcar Audi wins high-stakes duel with Elite McLaren

Riding high after yesterday’s win, Consani started from pole and kept his cool throughout the opening stint, though he was unable to break away from title rival Tom Lebbon (#78 McLaren Artura GT4 – Elite Motorsport). The British driver stayed within a second of the Audi, albeit without making a serious move for the lead.

With so little to choose between the pair, the pit stops proved crucial. The Audi and the McLaren pitted together, but a slight delay for the Team Speedcar crew saw the positions reversed. As such it was Josh Rattican who emerged ahead in the #78 McLaren, closely followed by Lariche.

The Frenchman then unleashed the full potential of his Audi, posting a new fastest lap as he chased down Rattican. An initial overtaking attempt into the first chicane was rebuffed, but on the following tour he could not be stopped. Lariche got a better run off Parabolica and had more than enough speed to blast past before the braking zone.

After initially slipping back Rattican found his rhythm once more, beating Lariche's best time and closing to within a second of the Audi. But before he could make a move the Safety Car was deployed to remove a car from the gravel. With a little over two minutes left on the clock the race was set to resume, only for a significant crash on the pit straight to neutralise proceedings once again, this time until the chequered flag.

The title rivals were joined on the Silver class podium by Matéo Villagomez and Jamie Day (#82 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO – Racing Spirit of Léman), who matched the result they scored in yesterday's race. Fourth went to Berkay Besler and Gabriele Piana (#12 BMW M4 GT4 G82 – Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport), who climbed from 19th on the grid to bank a good haul of points. Alex Denning and Tom Emson (#77 McLaren – Elite Motorsport) completed the top five, though their car had run third throughout the opening stint.

Pro-Am: W&S strikes as Mirage punctures

Finn Zulauf and Max Kronberg took the lead of the Pro-Am championship with their fourth win of the year in the #30 Porsche. The result was made all the more important by a puncture for the #7 Aston Martin, which cost Mirage Racing drivers Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandr Vaintrub badly.

Kronberg started and ran a comfortable second, gradually gaining on early leader Noam Abramczyk (#75 Porsche – AV Racing) before a well-timed pit stop helped Zulauf jump ahead. From then, Zulauf was never headed. The result became even better when Vaintrub had to bring the rival Aston Martin back to the pits with a puncture, having previously been in the podium fight.

Second should have gone to Elias Niskanen and Mark Kastelic (#119 Mercedes-AMG – LEMA Racing) but a front-left puncture put them out. That left Abramczyk and team-mate Paul Petit to secure second ahead of Max Wimmer and Eric Scalvini (#71 Porsche – WimmerWerk Motorsport) on their championship debut.

By sweeping both races, Consani and Lariche leave Monza with a reduced 32-point deficit to championship leaders Rattican and Lebbon. These two crews will dispute the Silver class title when the season concludes in Saudi Arabia.

Am: Dawson and Cantu take the win, Huteau and Hurgon crowned champions,

Schumacher CLRT drivers Pascal Huteau and Laurent Hurgon did just enough to secure the Am class championship with a round to spare, despite not finishing today’s race.

The #55 Alpine A110 GT4 Evo was comfortably leading the class when Huteau was caught in a clash that broke the car’s steering. That left the way clear for Charles Dawson and Andy Cantu to take the race win in the #16 Mercedes-AMG from NM Racing Team.

Both drivers picked up places from fourth on the grid, and Cantu inherited the lead when Saturday’s winner Jean-Mathieu Leandri (#33 Alpine – Chazel Technologie Course) was forced to pull out of the race lead with a technical issue.

Julien Ripert and Philippe Thalamy (#444 Audi – Team Speedcar) were second for their best result of the year, with Florent Grizaud and Kevin Jimenez (#72 Aston Martin – GPA Racing) taking third. That result was not enough to keep the title fight alive, with Hurgon and Huteau sealing the crown with a 60-point lead after Monza.

The 2024 GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club season will conclude with a first-ever trip to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia on 29/30 November.

Results are HERE