It will be the no.71 Iron Lynx-run Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 that will head off first in the final Endurance Cup showdown of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. Antonio Fuoco, partnered in this round by reigning champion Alessandro Pier Guidi and Alessio Rovera, posted the best combined performance, setting up the ideal conditions for an attacking race. Pole position also for the Iron Dames in the Gold Cup.
Pro. At the end of a session marked by the usual minimal gaps on the Catalan track, the Italian crew stopped the clock on 1'44"558 with a three-millisecond advantage over the no. 54 Dinamic Motorsport Porsche. Pier Guidi, the first to take to the track with the asphalt still cold, produced a 1'44"721 marker, bettered by Rovera during his stint - 1'44"553 - and whittled down a tenth-of-a-second more by partner Fuoco, with a 1'44"402 fastest lap. This marks a second pole of the season for Fuoco after the one taken alongside Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra at Paul Ricard. Qualifying proved more troublesome for the second Iron Lynx crew, made up of Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina and Giancarlo Fisichella. The driver from Rome was forced to return to the pits prematurely after contact with Lind's McLaren, without having set a valid time, thus relegating the no. 51 to the back row of the grid.
Gold Cup. The Iron Dames kept up their excellent form in the Barcelona qualifying session. Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy produced the best performance in their class with a 1'45"520 time, 31 milliseconds ahead of Winward Racing’s Mercedes. This was a first pole of the season for the female trio, currently leaders in the general standings. Sixth place went to the AF Corse Ferrari, who kept the gap from pole position down to three tenths-of-a-second thanks to a fine session from Alessandro Balzan, Cedric Sbirrazzuoli and Hugo Delacour.
Pro-Am Cup. Second row, with the fourth fastest time, for Andrea Bertolini, Louis Machiels and Stefano Costantini, winners of the Spa 24 Hours. The AF Corse trio missed out on the front row by five tenths but kept alive their chances of securing the title at the end of the race, scheduled to get underway today at 15:00 local time before concluding three hours later.