Ferrari in Barcelona for GT WC Europe titles

The last act of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya over the weekend of 1-2 October. It will be decisive for the destination of many overall and Endurance Cup titles. Only after this three-hour race, featuring five Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020s vying for ten titles, will we know the winners of various categories and standings. 

The race. The 4,655-kilometre Montmeló circuit, which includes sixteen corners, hosts the tenth round of the season, the fifth for endurance racing. Due to the concurrent American IMSA Championship round at the Petit Le Mans, where James Calado and Davide Rigon compete with Daniel Serra, the line-ups of two Prancing Horse crews change in the Endurance Cup. In Barcelona, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Alessio Rovera in the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 71 of Iron Lynx will join Antonio Fuoco, in contention for the Drivers’ title, eleven points behind Marciello-Gounon-Juncadella. Reigning double champion Pier Guidi thus returns to the continental GT3 series for the season’s final round. 

Giancarlo Fisichella will take turns with Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen in the second car of the same team, number 51. Iron Lynx, second in the team standings sixteen points behind, can still achieve a result that would yield the top step of the podium. However, this isn’t an easy mission considering the technical characteristics of the Spanish track. In the past few years, it has often proved a tough one for the Maranello factory’s factory drivers. 

The other classes. The Iron Dames crew will line up in the Gold Cup with Rahel Frey, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting in the number 83 488 GT3 Evo 2020. In the same class, AF Corse fields the number 21 Ferrari crewed by Hugo Delacour, Cedric Sbirrazzuoli and Alessandro Balzan. The Piacenza-based team will deploy Stefano Costantini, Louis Machiels and Andrea Bertolini in the number 52 car in the Pro-Am Cup. 

Programme. Track activities kick off on Friday, 30 September, with testing for Bronze drivers from 4.40pm to 5.40pm. Then on Saturday, free practice runs from 9am to 10.30am, and pre-qualifying from 1.40pm to 3.10pm. On Sunday, qualifying is from 9am to 10am, and the race is from 3pm to 6pm.