Race 1
Team Speedcar duo Benjamin Lariche and Robert Consani secured an impressive victory in Friday night’s GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club contest in Jeddah, ensuring that the battle for the Silver class title will go to the wire in tomorrow’s finale.
The #3 Audi charged from fourth on the grid to capture a third successive win, edging closer to long-time leaders Josh Rattican and Tom Lebbon. The #78 Elite Motorsport McLaren pairing came home third, behind the sister #77 McLaren of Alex Denning and Tom Emson
The Pro-Am crown would go the the wire, with Aleksandr Vaintrub and Stanislav Safronov (#7 Mirage Racing Aston Martin) in front after their closest rivals hit trouble. Alban Varutti and Julien Piguet bagged the win aboard their #110 AVR-Avvatar Porsche, while Am champions Laurent Hurgon and Pascal Huteau (#55 Schumacher CLRT Alpine) picked up a seventh triumph of the season.
SILVER: Team Speedcar maintains title push with victory
The #78 McLaren made a slow start from pole with Rattican at the wheel, allowing the sister #77 car of Denning to assume the lead while Lariche guided the #3 Audi from fourth on the grid to second at Turn 1. The Frenchman then snatched the lead at the end of the opening tour, diving up the inside of Denning at the last corner.
The race was neutralised by an early Safety Car following contact between the #12 Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW and the #30 W&S Motorsport Porsche. When the green flag was shown the McLaren pair began to rediscover their pace, only for their progress to be halted by another neutralisation.
This delayed the pit window, which opened with 33 minutes on the clock. The #77 was the first of the lead trio to box, allowing Lariche some breathing space out front, while the #78 stopped next and returned to the track behind the sister car. When the Team Speedcar crew pitted one lap later, Consani was able to take over from Lariche and remain at the head of the order.
Initially the #77 McLaren, now driven by Tom Emson, appeared to have a slight pace advantage, but after a handful of laps Consani was able to assert himself at the head of the field. Indeed, by the closing stages his lead had grown to three seconds. There was no change in position between the #77 and #78 cars, with Emson taking the chequered flag as runner-up ahead of Lebbon.
Ahead of them, Consani crossed the line to secure the win, his third of the season alongside Lariche following their double victory last time out at Monza. This reduces the gap at the top of the Silver standings to 22 points in favour of Rattican and Lebbon, who would be assured of the title with a finish of eighth or better tomorrow.
Pro-Am: AVR-Avvatar makes glorious return as title battle reaches boiling point
Varutti and Piguet made a victorious return to the championship, guiding their AVR-Avvatar Porsche to the Pro-Am victory. The 2023 Am class dominators controlled the class from the front, with Varutti being a constant within the overall top 10 before Piguet continued his good work until the finish.
What unfolded behind them mixed up the championship fight. The points-leading #30 W&S Motorsport Porsche was eliminated by its early tangle with the #12 BMW, opening the door for Finn Zulauf and Max Kronberg’s title rivals to make significant gains.
Safronov and Vaintrub did just that. The #7 Mirage Racing Aston Martin was in the podium fight throughout and finished third on the road, but earned P2 points due to the AVR-Avvatar car being a non-scoring guest entry. This moves Safronov and Vaintrub into a narrow championship lead. Second overall, and maximum points, went to Gustavo Xavier and Richard Wolf in their Razoon – More Than Racing Porsche.
Am: Huteau and Hurgon turn it around for another win
Already crowned Am champions at Monza, Pascal Huteau and Laurent Hurgon celebrated a seventh class victory of the season despite their Schumacher CLRT Alpine facing the wrong way at Turn 1. Contact at the start tipped Huteau into a spin, but he had worked his way back into the podium places by the time he handed over to Hurgon.
A well-timed stop and Hurgon’s pace did the rest, with the Alpine soon resuming its familiar position out front. Antoni de Barn and Jean-Mathieu Leandri put in a great drive on their first outing together in the Chazel Technologie Course BMW to claim second, with solo driver Romain Vozniak taking third in the #4 AV Racing Porsche.
Race 2
Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche secured a fourth successive GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club victory by triumphing in today’s season finale in Jeddah, but it was not enough to prevent Tom Lebbon and Josh Rattican being crowned 2024 Silver class champions.
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.
