The Paul Ricard circuit in France hosted two days of pre-season testing for the GT World Challenge Europe, with nine Ferrari 296 GT3s taking part. These cars will compete in the 2024 season of the Endurance and Sprint Cup series.
At the 5.791-kilometre Le Castellet circuit, teams and drivers prepared for the first round of the Endurance Cup on 7 April – a three-hour race – racking up laps and collecting crucial information ahead of an intense year held at some of Europe’s most prestigious venues. For the first time, the closing event will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 23 November.
The cars. The two Ferrari 296 GT3s of AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors took to the track in the Prologue. On the first day, official drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi and Alessio Rovera (Davide Rigon is the third member of the Italian crew) completed 50 laps in car number 51. The day after, Thomas Neubauer shared the wheel with AF Corse drivers Vincent Abril and David Vidales in Ferrari number 71, completing 120 laps.
A further seven Ferrari 296 GT3s took part in the tests: AF Corse’s number 52, Emil Frey Racing’s 14 and 69, Kessel Racing’s 8 and 74, Sky Tempesta Racing’s 93 and Rinaldi Racing’s 333.
Alessio Rovera, #51 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors: “The results from the Prologue were undoubtedly positive. We focused on setting up the car and not on the quest for performance, collecting a lot of data. Looking ahead to the start of the championship, we are optimistic and aware that we have an outstanding car at our disposal, along with a high-level line-up completed by Ale and Davide (Pier Guidi and Rigon, ed). After finishing 2023 with a victory in Barcelona, our aspiration for this year is to re-enter the fray with the 296 GT3, consistently vying for the top positions.”
Thomas Neubauer, #71 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors: “My new adventure as an official Ferrari driver began at the Paul Ricard. I am delighted with the two days of testing. The team provided us with a 296 GT3, in which I felt immediately comfortable. I received excellent feedback from the car from the first laps on the track. Along with my teammates Vincent Abril, whom I have known for many years, and David Vidales, we gathered many valuable pointers ahead of the official race debut, which will take place right here at the Paul Ricard. I can’t wait to return to Le Castellet in what I consider my ‘home’ race at the beginning of April to prove ourselves competitive right away.”