Monza’s Endurance race to decide the 2024 GT Open title

The moment of truth has come! The final round of the 2025 International GT Open, which will decide the Overall Champion, is around the corner and will take place in the legendary Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. There could barely be a more prestigious venue for a title decider than the glorious Temple of Speed, the same track where the series held its inaugural event in 2006.

Monza has recently undergone a full re-surfacing and modifications to the kerbs of its 5.793- km layout and this will add a further element to be dealt with by the 33 cars that will be in action and form once again a very strong field.

There is one other reason why this race will be special: this will be the second GT Open 500 of the season after Spa, with one single endurance race of 500 km.

THE GT OPEN 500 – HOW IT WORKS

The GT Open 500 format entails special rules and some differences, which can be summarized as follows:

• Race length will be 500 km (or maximum duration of 2hours 55 minutes + 1 lap);
• The two qualifying sessions will take place on Saturday and, as usual, will see each of the two drivers contesting one session;
• The starting grid will be determined by the average lap time of every car resulting from the best lap time of each of its two drivers;
• In the race, each driver will have to perform two stints but no double stints are allowed;
• Therefore, there will be three mandatory pit stops (windows will be between minutes 37- 60, 81-95, and 125-139), with the relevant handicap to be served in the third stop;
• The GT Open 500 will award double points based on the final result.

THE TITLE FIGHT: A CLEAR SCENARIO ... UP TO A POINT

For the 18th time in 19 editions of the International GT Open, the fight for the Overall title will go down the wire to the very last race. This time though the situation at the very top is clearer and does not require many calculations: the two main contenders arrive in Italy tied in points (100). These are Simon Reicher and Christopher Haase in the Audi R8 LMS entered by Eastalent Racing and Alessio Deledda in the Oregon Team Lamborghini Huracan that he has shared in all rounds but one with Jordan Pepper. With both outfits on net points (the 2 worst results have to be dropped) and one single race left (awarding a maximum of 30 points), the one that will be in front of the other will be crowned.

Still, more complicated calculations apply if we consider that there are, mathematically speaking, four other cars in contention. Third-placed Nicola Marinangeli and Vincent Abril in the Spirit of Race Ferrari are 12 points behind (they would need a win and rivals ahead of them not finishing on the podium to secure the title), while the other potential bidders, all driving Mercedes, would need more complicated scenarios to prevail. Mikael Pitamber- Dominik Baumann (SPS) are 14 points behind the top (and 17 in net points), Anthony Bartone- Fabian Schiller (GetSpeed) 18 and Diego Menchaca-Marcos Siebert (Motopark) 27. At Monza, Siebert, taken by other commitments, will be replaced by a driver to be named.

PRO – MANY WILLING TO FINISH ON A HIGH

Besides those fighting for the title, there is a full bunch of outfits in the top class eager to fight for race victory. Racing on home soil will be the two other Huracans of Oregon Team with Rolf Ineichen-Leonardo Pulcini and Marzio Moretti-Artëm Petrov, while the Car Collection Porsche is expected to shine on this track and Gustaf Bergström-Nico Menzel arrive boosted by their maiden win in Barcelona. Motopark is entering its second AMG in the class for Lukas Dunner-Julian Hanses, while James Kell-Dean Macdonald are ready to continue their good form in the Greystone GT McLaren.

Another McLaren, with another pair of British young guns, is joining for the Italian race: long- time GT Open contender and race and tile winners Optimum Motorsport are back, fielding in their GT3 debut two of the British GT4 protagonists of this year, Zak Meakin and Mikey Porter.

PRO-AM: THE SILVER MEDAL AT STAKE

With Marco Pulcini already crowned class champion for the second time, in the Spirit of Race Ferrari mostly shared with Eddie Cheever, the attention will focus on the efforts of Marcin Jedlinski-Karol Basz, the pair of the Olimp Racing Audi to secure the runner-up honours. They will have to fight against the other top contenders of the most competitive class.

These include the Mercedes of Valentin Pierburg-Aaron Walker and Ameerh Naran-Tom Jackson (GetSpeed), and of Morten Strömsted-Thomas Ikin (Motopark), while Villorba Corse is fielding for the occasion a new pair to be announced.

The Ferrari camp is led by the 296 of Brazilian stars Marcelo Hahn-Allam Khodair (AF Corse) and also includes Gino Forgione-Michele Rugolo (Spirit of Race) and AF Corse’s Laurent de Meeus-Jamie Stanley. Also on track at home will be the 488 of Pellin Racing with Thor Haugen-Paolo Ruberti.

Porsche will be represented as usual by the two Car Collection entries, with Hash-Alex Fontana fresh of their maiden class win in Barcelona, and Bashar Mardini-Tijmen, while Greystone GT will defend the colours of McLaren with its 720S in the hands of regular contenders Andrey Borodin-Ollie Webb and Lewis Proctor-Stewart Proctor.

There will be three Audis R8 LMS at the start, as the cars of Tresor Attempto with Florian Scholze-Alex Aka and ISR Racing with Filip Salaquarda-Libor Milota are joined by a new entry.

This is no less than French squad Saintéloc Racing, one of the top teams in GT3 racing which will be making its debut in the GT Open, with plans to join full-time in 2025, with an R8 entrusted to Mikaël Blanchemain-Jim Pla, so far seen in a Mercedes.

There will be another interesting novelty in Italy, as the Lambo of Il Barone Rampante is switching classes for the occasion. With Giuseppe Cipriani having already netted the Am crown for the third time, the Italian outfit will be present in its home race in Pro-Am, with a motorsport hero joining as Cipriani’s teammate: Rubens Barrichello, the former F.1 and Ferrari driver. The Brazilian has already been present in GT Sport events this year to follow his son Fernando in the Euroformula, but he will now go back to business driving for the team with which he made his F.3000 debut in 1992!

AM: A FINAL PODIUM TO BE COMPLETED

In the Am class too, the champion is already known, Giuseppe Cipriani, as said, but the battle for the other two spots in the final podium will be fierce.

In contention are the three pairs that have dominated the 2024 scene together Cipriani: Kiki San Nana-Adam Osieka (GetSpeed Mercedes), Heiko Neumann-Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Mercedes) and Stanislaw Jedlinski-Krystian Korzeniowski (Olimp Racing Ferrari), covered by only 13 points with still 20 at stake.