RNW Staff

International GT3 racing driver Ahmad Al Harthy returns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend, 9th/10th October, for the final race of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup season – an event in which the Oman Racing driver is setting his sights high.

Two 488 GT3 Evo 2020s will line up for AF Corse, with the support of Garage Francorchamps, in the remaining two rounds of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. They will aim to secure the Prancing Horse a title still missing from its rich list of triumphs.

DXDT Racing added two more podium finishes to the 2021 results tally this weekend at Sebring International Raceway. Racing in both the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by aws and the TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School, the team celebrated two second-place finishes with drivers Erin Vogel and Michael Cooper in the No. 19 Mercedes AMG GT3 R.

Taylor Hagler charged to the lead on her first full green-flag lap of competition Sunday at Sebring International Raceway, taking her third Pro-Am victory of the season in Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS competition.

Dundee racing driver Finlay Hutchison will make a little piece of motorsport history just days from now when he becomes the first competitor in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Endurance Cup to race the brand-new Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II car – during the season finale.

United Autosports are excited to head to the final round of 2021 GT4 European Series after having already won the Teams Championship last time out at the Nürburgring. 

Another strong drive from Daniel Juncadella enabled Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing to earn more DTM championship points in the second race of the weekend at Hockenheim.

Thanks to his fourth win, Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing) has kept the fight for the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland crown open. At round 14 at the Sachsenring on Sunday, the Porsche Junior beat Christopher Zöchling (Austria/Fach Auto Tech) and Larry ten Voorde (Netherlands/Team GP Elite) to the flag. Heading to the season finale at Hockenheim (22 to 24 October), Saturday’s winner ten Voorde sits at the top of the leaderboard, 24 points ahead of Güven. Fifty points are still up for grabs. “I knew that I had to win to improve my chances in the race for the title. And I used it. Now I have to repeat this result at the final event,” said Güven. The team classification decision has already been made: With two races remaining before the end of the season, GP Elite has secured overall victory here at the Sachsenring.

The title race in the German GT Championship is moving towards a thrilling climax: four races before the end of the season, championship leaders Ricardo Feller (21/CH) and Christopher Mies (31/Düsseldorf, both Montaplast by Land-Motorsport) have seen their advantage cut to just two points after finishing fifth in their Audi R8 in the Sunday race at the Sachsenring. Whilst they may not have won the race, the real winners on Sunday were Luca Stolz (26/Brachbach) and Maro Engel (36/Monte Carlo, both Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT), who thrilled the many spectators with an impressive manoeuvre in the final corner, which earned them second place in the race and the championship standings. With their fourth runner-up finish in a row, the two Mercedes-AMG works drivers completed a one-two for their employers, as fellow Mercedes men Igor Waliłko (24/PL) and Jules Gounon (26/F, both Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing team) converted pole position into a commanding victory. Third place went to the Porsche duo of Thomas Preining (23/A) and Christian Engelhart (34/Starnberg, both Küs Team Bernhard). “A really great day,” celebrated the victorious Gounon. “I just love this circuit. It was here that I claimed my maiden GT3 victory in 2016. That kick-started my career. To win here again is fantastic. Everything came together. Pole, fastest lap and victory – it doesn’t get any better. We are now the outsiders in the title race!”

With a consistent yet determined showing, Liam Lawson (Red Bull AF Corse) claimed an excellent runner-up spot in the second race of the DTM weekend at Hockenheim to edge further away at the head of the overall standings. The driver now holds a 14-point advantage over the nearest second-placed rival in the countdown to the final round of the season. Alex Albon in the other Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 (AlphaTauri AF Corse) posted sixth place.

The ADAC GT Masters will line up at a strong mix of seven attractive circuits in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands in 2022, and will also feature a new highlight. Next year’s calendar is based on stability: the 16th season of the series will, as has become tradition, kick off at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben from 21st to 24th April. An exciting new feature is the Family & Friends Festival at the Lausitzring in August. The ADAC GT Masters is providing early planning certainty – not only through next year’s calendar, but also the television package for 2022. Next year’s entertaining support programme will again include ADAC GT4 Germany, ADAC TCR Germany and ADAC Formula 4, while the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland will also feature on the same bill as the ADAC GT Masters on six occasions.

Taylor Hagler and co-driver Dakota Dickerson finished a thrilling second in the Pro-Am class at Saturday’s opening Fanatec World Challenge America powered by AWS race at Sebring International Raceway, the final doubleheader weekend of the season.

A lively Saturday DTM race at Hockenheim ended with Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing banking eight championship points courtesy of a sixth-place finish for Daniel Juncadella.

A first at the Sachsenring: Porsche drivers Mathieu Jaminet (26/F) and Michael Ammermüller (35/Rotthalmünster, both SSR Performance) not only claimed their third win of the season in Saturday’s race in the German GT Championship at the Sachsenring, but also presented Porsche with its first victory at the challenging and undulating circuit in the ADAC GT Masters. Luca Stolz (26/Brachbach) and Maro Engel (36/Monte Carlo, both Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT) worked their way closer to the top of the table after their third second place in a row, while Audi drivers and championship leaders Ricardo Feller (21/CH) and Christopher Mies (31/Düsseldorf, both Montaplast by Land-Motorsport) finished third and continue to look good in the title race. “It is great that we claimed the first victory for Porsche here,” said Jaminet. “It was a perfect day: thanks to pole position and the win, we picked up 28 points. They are very important in the title race, as it is very close with several cars in with a shout again this year.”

Mark Patterson and Anders Fjordbach put in a champion’s drive to wrap up the Fanatec GT2 European Series Pro-Am title to round out the series’ inaugural season at Circuit Paul Ricard.

The opening race of the DTM Hockenheim weekend served up a feast of a show with the Ferraris of Red Bull AlphaTauri AF Corse protagonists in a thrilling race with Albon second and Lawson fourth.

Larry ten Voorde (Team GP Elite) has won race 13 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Thanks to his seventh victory so far this season, the Dutchman has extended his championship lead over Porsche Junior Ayhancan Güven (Turkey/Phoenix Racing) by 33 points. “In terms of the overall standings, this was a great success. I didn’t manage to get past Ayhancan Güven at the start, but I found a gap shortly afterwards and I grabbed my chance,” said ten Voorde. Güven finished the race run as support to the ADAC GT Masters in second place. Scoring third place, Julian Hanses (Germany/HRT Performance) celebrated his first podium result in the German one-make cup.

The third season of the Ferrari Challenge UK came to a close with the fifth round of the Prancing Horse national series, held this weekend at Oulton Park. It was an exciting year that saw James Swift’s (Dick Lovett Swindon) Trofeo Pirelli and Graham de Zille’s (Meridien Modena) Coppa Shell titles go to the wire, with an intense and hard-fought finale that saw Swift and de Zille win their respective categories in Race 1. In Race 2, H.Sikkens (H.R. Owen London) and de Zille took the wins in their classes.

Christoph Ulrich and Anders Fjordbach ensured it would be a pole position apiece for the recently crowned Am champion, and the current Pro-Am points leaders, under the floodlights at Circuit Paul Ricard.

Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing made a promising start to the penultimate round of the DTM season as Daniel Juncadella posted the second-fastest Free Practice lap at Hockenheim.