Team Speedcar makes it four as Elite takes the crown in Jeddah

The #3 Team Speedcar Audi had to win if the French duo was to stand a chance of taking the title and did exactly that thanks to another inch-perfect performance. The #78 Elite Motorsport McLaren required a finish of eighth or better secure the crown, ultimately surviving a nervy race to take fifth at the Saudi venue.

NM Racing Team bagged the Pro-Am win, while a third-place result was enough to seal the class crown for Finn Zulauf and Max Kronberg (#30 W&S Motorsport Porsche). Am honours went to Kévin Jimenez and Florent Grizaud (#72 GPA Racing Aston Martin), who triumphed for a second time this term.

SILVER: Consani and Lariche win again, but Lebbon and Rattican crowned champions

The #3 Speedcar Audi had qualified on pole but started fourth on the grid following a penalty for Consani blocking a rival car during qualifying. But the Frenchman wasted no time in returning to the front, immediately jumping to third before passing both the pole-sitting #77 Elite Motorsport McLaren and the #17 L'Espace Bienvenue BMW on successive laps.

As the race settled down the #3 Audi established an advantage at the head of the field and remained in control following a Full-Course Yellow and Safety Car intervention. Behind, the #17 BMW held on to second ahead of the #77 McLaren, the #62 Academy Motorsport Ford and the #78 McLaren.

The front two remained unchanged after the pit window, while the Ford leapfrogged the #77 for third spot. Now in the hands of Lariche, the Audi stretched its advantage significantly during the second half. Indeed, by the time the chequered flag fell the Frenchman was more than 11 seconds clear of the #17 BMW. The Team Speedcar crew had done everything they could to snatch the title.

With the Audi disappearing up the road, attention switched to the progress of the #78 McLaren, which was driven by Rattican during the second stint. He lost a place to the #82 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin of Jamie Day, who also overhauled the #77 McLaren a few laps later. The #78 then passed the sister car, which had been handed a five-second track limits penalty.

Rattican could have cruised to the finish, but instead spent the closing minutes in a close-fought battle for the final spot on the podium, which ultimately went to the #82 Aston Martin after a last-lap pass on the #62 Ford. There were nervous faces in the Elite garage, but the McLaren squad could breathe an enormous sigh of relief when Rattican crossed the line in fifth to seal the Silver title.

PRO-AM: Cantu and Dawson grab the win, title glory for Zulauf and Kronberg

Andy Cantu and Charles Dawson (#16 NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG) took a breakthrough Pro-Am victory in the finale, but the real story of the weekend was the turnaround for W&S Motorsport, with drivers Finn Zulauf and Max Kronberg bouncing back from their Race 1 retirement to secure the class crown.

Having moved into Pro-Am for the Jeddah event, Cantu and Dawson put in a flawless performance to emerge victorious after a pit infringement penalty prevented the AVR-Avvatar Porsche from completing the double. Dawson had kept the #16 Mercedes-AMG in the hunt during the first half, and Cantu’s pace meant he did just enough to sneak past Alban Varutti on corrected time and score the win.

The real drama centred on the title contenders, however, and the championship order was dramatically shuffled when the points-leading #7 Mirage Racing Aston Martin hit the wall following what looked like a technical issue. With their main contenders out, the door was open for Zulauf and Kronberg, and a controlled drive to third meant they leapfrogged Aleksandr Vaintrub and Stanislav Safronov for title honours in a breathless finale.

AM: GPA Racing signs off with a second victory

Kevin Jimenez and Florent Grizaud fought back from a tough qualifying to earn a second victory of the season aboard their GPA Racing Aston Martin, securing runner-up spot in the championship as a result.

Starting fifth, Grizaud made steady progress toward the front before handing across to Jimenez. A slick driver change helped Jimenez emerge firmly in the podium fight and from then the Aston worked its way to the front for a hard-earned victory.

Antoni de Barn and Jean-Mathieu Leandri were second aboard their Chazel Technologie Course BMW, with Saudi Racing drivers Reema Juffali and Ahmed Bin-Khanen impressing aboard their Aston Martin. The local favourites completed the podium, capping a fantastic weekend in Jeddah.

The GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club will return on 11-13 April 2025 when Circuit Paul Ricard launches another season of action-packed multi-class racing.