The weekend’s highlights came from the GT WC Asia and the Japan Cup at Suzuka, with class wins and key podium place finishes. In Germany, at Hockenheim, Ferrari achieved their third consecutive success in the Endurance GT Cup within the Ultimate Cup Series, while in the GT Sprint Cup, they secured two overall victories and multiple podiums.
GT WC Asia. At the Suzuka Circuit, the fourth round of the GT World Challenge Asia saw Ferrari in the spotlight. In Race-1, the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 296 of Absolute Corse, handled by drivers Andre Canard and Finn Gehrsitz, finished fourth place overall, securing second place in the Silver Am class. Meanwhile, the number 75 296 GT3 of Garage 75, driven by David Tjiptobiantoro and Christian Colombo, won the Am class but had to settle for runner-up spot in Race-2. The Harmony Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 number 77, handled by Kailuo Luo and Jiatong Liang, claimed second place in the Silver class in Race-2.
Simultaneously, the third round of the Japan Cup was contested at the Suzuka track. In Race-1, the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 98 of K-Tunes Racing, with Daisuke Yamawaki and Shinichi Takagi, finished second, ahead of Comet Racing’s number 7, driven by Yorikatsu Tsujiko and Yusuke Yamasaki, who clinched the Am class victory. Abssa Motorsport’s 488 Challenge number 16, with Kiwamu Katayama and Masataka Inoue, secured third in the Pro Am category, finishing sixth overall.
In the second race, K-Tunes’ number 98 claimed an overall victory, while Comet Racing’s number 7 secured third place overall and first in the Am class. Abssa Motorsport’s number 16 triumphed in the Pro Am class.
Yamawaki and Takagi now lead the overall standings with 129 points.
The fifth round of the series is scheduled at the Okayama International Circuit from 23 to 25 August.
Ultimate Cup Series. In Germany, Ferrari continued their dominance with the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 1 of team Visiom, which achieved its third consecutive win in the GT Endurance Cup at the third round of the Ultimate Cup Series in Hockenheim. After victories at Paul Ricard and Portimão, Jean-Paul Pagny, Jean Bernard Bouvet, and David Hallyday clinched another triumph in the 4 Hours of Hockenheim.
Ferrari also enjoyed success in the GT Sprint Cup. Lourenço Monteiro, driving the 488 Challenge Evo number 333 of SR&R, won the UCS3 class in Race-1, ahead of Francesco Coassin. In Race-2, Lyle Schofield, in the 353 of SR&R, took the overall win. The UCS3 podium was rounded out by Frédéric Lacore in the number 91 of Racing Spirit of Leman and Harrison Walker in the number 333 of SR&R.
Race-3 saw an overall victory for Kévin Parsa in the 488 Challenge Evo number 91 of Racing Spirit of Leman. Lourenço Monteiro finished third overall, with third place on the UCS3 podium completed by Jeremy Faligand in the Maranello car number 415 of SR&R.
In the fourth race, Lyle Schofield of SR&R achieved second place overall and a class victory. Frédéric Lacore secured second in class.
The fourth round of the season will take place in Italy, from 6 to 8 September, at the Mugello Circuit.
ELMS. The Imola circuit hosted the third round of the European Le Mans Series championship. The Ferrari 296 LMGT3 number 57 of Kessel Racing, with official driver Daniel Serra, alongside Takeshi Kimura and Esteban Masson, was initially third to cross the line. However, they were handed a 35-second penalty for overtaking under double yellow flags, narrowly falling short of the podium. For number 57, therefore, the race ended with a fourth place finish.
The AF Corse Ferrari number 51, driven by Charles-Henri Samani, Emmanuel Collard, and Nicolas Varrone, finished sixth, ahead of GR Racing’s number 86, driven by Michael Wainwright, Riccardo Pera, and official Ferrari driver Davide Rigon. Eighth place went to the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 number 55 trio of Spirit of Race, Duncan Cameron, David Perel, and Matthew Griffin. The Formula Racing number 50, driven by Johnny and Conrad Laursen and Ferrari’s official driver Nicklas Nielsen, took ninth place. Tenth place was secured by the JMW Motorsport 296 LMGT3 number 66, driven by John Hartshorne, Ben Tuck, and Phil Keen.
The ELMS championship will return on the track on 25 August at Spa-Francorchamps for the fourth round of the season.
DTM. The weekend at the Norisring, marking the fourth round of the DTM, started well for the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 14 of Emil Frey Racing. Jack Aitken clocked the fastest lap in qualifying, earning pole position. Race-1, which began under sunny skies, was dramatically altered by rain, while the strategic choice of drivers who continued on slick tyres paid off. Aitken’s decision, unfortunately, to switch to wets saw him slip down the order of the standings, finishing in ninth place. Thierry Vermeulen, in the team’s other Ferrari, number 69, ended seventeenth. In Race-2, Aitken finished adrift following contact with another car, ending up out of contention, while Vermeulen secured fifteenth place.
The next DTM engagement is scheduled for 16-18 August at the Nürburgring.
24H Series. It was a challenging race for the Ferrari 296 GT3 number 8 of Boem by Kessel Racing, forced to retire in the fifth round of the 24H Series during the 12 Hours of Misano. Alessandro Cutrera, L.M.D.V., Marco Frezza, and David Fumanelli, who started from second in the Pro Am class (fifth overall) after a strong qualifying performance, had to withdraw after just three hours. The next round is scheduled for 13-15 September with the 24 Hours of Barcelona.