Daily Notebook: Ferrari honours endurance champions
Last week Ferrari honoured its 2023 GT and endurance champions at an awards ceremony at the headquarters of Endurance and Corse Clienti at Fiorano.
The event offered a chance to celebrate the 22 titles won in various series. Special awards also went to the Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, who steered the 499P to an unforgettable Le Mans win.
The achievements of Frikadelli Racing’s drivers (David Pittard, Felipe Laser, Nick Catsburg and Earl Bamber) who won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with the 296 GT3 were recognised too.
Leonard Weiss, Jochen Krumbach, Daniel Keilwitz and Indy Dontje were also rewarded after finishing first in the N24 SP9 Pro-Am class in the WTM by Rinaldi Racing 296.
Awards also went the way of national champions and standout performers on te international GT scene for the ‘Prancing Horse’.
SRO awards take place in London
The annual SRO awards took place in London last week too, with every champion from the SRO’s world of GT racing honoured after their successes during the 2023 season.
DSC passes on congratulations to all the winners, and the SRO, after another remarkable season of GT2, GT3 and GT4 racing around the world.
Congratulations must be also extended to David Addison. The broadcast veteran received an award to mark 20 years of work as a commentator for the British GT championship during SRO’s tenure as its organiser. A total professional on and off the air, recognition for Addison’s service to the sport is richly deserved.
ABT XGT Launched
ABT has revealed an astonishing road legal version of the track-only Audi R8 LMS GT2, named the “XGT”.
The XGT, which is limited to 99 units, is powered by a V10 engine with 640bhp, and weighs just 1,400kg. ABT, which spent two years developing the car, claims the car’s maximum speed is a head-turning 192 mph.
Repco becomes title sponsor of Bathurst 12 Hour
Australian automotive engineering and retailer Repco is set to become the title-sponsor of the Bathurst 12 Hour from 2024, taking over from Liqui Moly which ended its partnership with the event after this year’s race.
This new level of support builds on Repco’s other partnerships within Australian motorsport, which includes Bathurst’s crown jewel, the Bathurst 1000, and the Supercars Championship itself.
Next year the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour will launch a spectacular 10-day Bathurst SuperFest event at the spiritual home of Australian motorsport, the GT3 endurance classic to be followed by the opening round of the Repco Supercars Championship the following weekend.
Repco celebrated its 100th birthday in 2022 and has been authentically linked to Motorsport since the 1940s, famously contributing to Sir Jack Brabham’s Formula 1 World Championships in 1966 by building the V8 Repco engine that powered him to win his third and final F1 World Championship.
“Repco is proud to build on its association with the Bathurst community and become the major partner of the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour in 2024,” said Wayne Bryant the CEO of Repco.
“Mount Panorama is a circuit steeped in history. The Repco Bathurst 1000 is famous all over the world, and in a very short time, The 12 Hour event has also earned its place as a global motorsport ‘must watch’ event.
“The Bathurst 12 Hour has become the unofficial start of the circuit racing calendar in Australia and established itself as a must-win event for drivers and teams from around the world.
“Given the Repco Supercars Championship kicks off the following weekend at Mount Panorama, it was an obvious fit for us.”
