The 2021 GT4 European Series season will reach its halfway mark next weekend (18-20 June) with two one-hour races at the 4.2km Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Both races are scheduled for Sunday.
The popular Dutch venue is one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar and previous visits to the ‘old-school’ circuit in the sand dunes of Zandvoort made it clear that weather always plays it part. Fast-changing conditions could affect the outcome of a race and this uncertainty will force teams to be prepared for everything.
Single point separates CMR Toyota and United Autosports McLaren in Silver Cup
The entry list for the third round of the season features 41 cars, 16 of which are set to compete in the Silver Cup. After two rounds, Stephane Lémeret and Antoine Potty (CMR, Toyota) top the standings with 79 points. Bailey Voisin and Charlie Fagg (United Autosports, McLaren) rank second, just one point behind the leaders. Back in 2017 Fagg won both GT4 European Series races at Zandvoort.
CMR and United Autosports have more irons in the fire at Zandvoort. Loris Cabirou and Vincent Beltoise in the #30 CMR Alpine scored a second-place finish at Circuit Paul Ricard and are currently fourth in the standings, one place ahead of the second United Autosports McLaren crew of Dean Macdonald and Gus Bowers.
Five Mercedes-AMG teams will battle for Silver Cup honours at the Dutch venue. NM Racing Team’s Xavier Lloveras and Lluc Ibanez scored a win in France and will hope to deliver the German brand more silverware at Zandvoort. AKKA ASP’s crew of Paul Evrard and Timothé Buret in the #88 Mercedes-AMG, as well as CD Sport’s Enzo Joulie and Sébastien Baud in the #74 machine, will also target their first podium finishes of the season at Zandvoort. Italian squad Trivellato Racing by Villorba Corse completes the Mercedes-AMG contingent with its #70 entry for Jamie Caroline and Jean-Luc D’Auria and the #90 machine of Francesco Guerra and Jody Vullo.
Aston Martin squad AGS Events will once again field two cars in the Silver Cup. Konstantin Lachenauer and César Gazeau will share the #27, while Hugo Condé and Akhil Rabindra are back in the #45 Vantage and will chase their first points of the season. Mirage Racing secured a fourth-place finish at Monza, but left Circuit Paul Ricard with just a single point. At Zandvoort, Tom Canning and Ruben del Sarte will aim for more points in the #55 machine.
Team Speedcar and Saintéloc Racing will represent Audi in the Silver Cup next weekend. Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche once again share the #4 Audi, while Clement Seyler and Roee Meyuhas will race the #14 Saintéloc Racing car.
The #17 V8 Racing Chevrolet scored its first Silver Cup podium of the season at Circuit Paul Ricard. Jop Rappange and Thijmen Nabuurs will hope to maintain this form at their home track and fight for victory. German squad Allied Racing completes the Silver Cup field, with 2019 winner Nicolaj Møller-Madsen sharing the #22 Porsche with Joel Sturm.
Saintéloc Racing Audi leads Pro-Am Cup ahead of Zandvoort
At Zandvoort 16 cars will compete in the Pro-Am Cup. Saintéloc Racing (#42 Audi) and Centri Porsche Ticino (#718 Porsche) took the wins at Monza and Circuit Paul Ricard, which has resulted in the Saintéloc Racing crew of Fabien Michal and Gregory Guilvert leading the standings ahead of the Zandvoort round. Centri Porsche Ticino drivers Max Busnelli and Ivan Jacoma are in second place, ahead of Jean-Luc Beaubelique and Jim Pla in the AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG.
Audi has five cars aiming for class honours at Zandvoort. Saintéloc Racing will enter the #42 of Michal and Guilvert, as well as the #21 machine for Gregory Faessel and Nyls Stievenart. Eric Clement and Romain Iannetta share the #77 Team Fullmotorsport Audi, while Thomas Hodier and Pierre Couroye (#5 Team Speedcar) and Christian Gisy and Ralf Kelleners (#9 Hella Pagid – racing one) are also in action at Zandvoort.
Porsche is represented by four cars in Pro-Am. Christian de Kant and Antonio Spavone join Busnelli and Jacoma to complete the two-car Centri Porsche Ticino entry. Allied Racing will have Constantin Dressler and Dennis Fetzer at the wheel of the #20 and Alexander Hartvig and Joel Camathias in the #26 car.
Pla and Beaubelique (#87 AKKA ASP) will not be the only Mercedes-AMG drivers in Pro-Am at Zandvoort. They are joined by Jean-Ludovic Foubert and Hugo Chevalier (#2 CD Sport), Luca Bosco and O’Neill Muth (#35 Selleslagh Racing Team) and Filip Vava-Atanackovic and Rafael Villanueva (#126 NM Racing Team).
Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport was forced to miss the two races at Circuit Paul Ricard, but the Turkish team’s two BMW’s should be back in action at Zandvoort. Hasan Tansu and Yagiz Gedik are set to return to the cockpit of the #11 BMW alongside Cem Bolukbasi and Berkey Besler in the #12 car. Arkadia Racing complete the Pro-Am Cup with the #36 Alpine for Antoine Leclerc and Stephan Guerin.
Battle for Am Cup honours continues at Zandvoort
A smaller but still highly competitive nine-car field is set to fight for Am Cup honours at Zandvoort. After four races in 2021, Michael Blanchemain and Christophe Hamon in the #69 Team Fullmotorsport Audi lead the way, followed by the #50 W&D Racing Team BMW of Paolo Meloni and Massimiliano Tresoldi.
Three Aston Martin crews will fight them at Zandvoort, including the Circuit Paul Ricard race-winning #89 AGS Events Aston Martin of Nicolas Gomar and Eric Herr. Street Art Racing’s Pascal Bachmann and Paul Theysgens and Hella Pagid – racing one’s Markus Lungstrass and Henrik Lyngbye Pedersen are the other Aston Martin crews ready to race at Zandvoort.
Andrea Benezet and Wilfried Cazalbon in the #3 CMR Toyota already scored a win this season and will target the podium at Zandvoort. Mercedes-AMG has two crews aiming for Am Cup honours, with the #35 Selleslagh Racing Team entry of Johan Vannerum and Sven Van Laere and the #61 AKKA ASP car of Mauro Ricci and Benjamin Ricci. The #230 United Autosports McLaren of Zak Brown and Richard Dean completes the entry list for the Zandvoort round of the 2021 GT4 European Series.
Pit window adjusted for Zandvoort round
For safety reasons the pit window for the two GT4 European Series races at Zandvoort will be different from usual. Due to the number of cars entered for the third round of the 2021 season and the limited space in the pit lane at the Dutch track, three different pit windows have been defined.
For the Silver Cup the mandatory pit stop must be carried out between the 23rd and 30th minute of the race, while the pit window for the Pro-Am Cup will be open between the 30th and 37th minute. The Am Cup entrants will have to come in between the 25th and 35th minute.
Busy weekend schedule at Zandvoort
The GT4 European Series will be part of a weekend full of action. Track activity begins on Thursday with two paid test sessions. Free practice gets underway at 17:20 CET on Friday, followed by a second practice session at 11:45 on Saturday. Qualifying for Sunday’s races is scheduled to take place at 18:05 on Saturday. The start of the first race is set for 10:20 on Sunday, followed by the second race at 17:05.
More action comes from the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, TCR Europe and the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.
Source. SRO Motorsports Group
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