The 3 Hours of Paul Ricard, the opening act of the GT World Challenge Europe - Endurance Cup 2024, ended with victory in the Bronze class for the number 8 Kessel Racing-run Ferrari 296 GT3, shared by David Fumanelli, Niccolò Schirò and Nicolò Rosi, ahead of AF Corse’s number 52 driven by Andrea Bertolini, Louis and Jef Machiels.
In the Pro class, the 296 GT3s of AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors finished ninth, with Alessandro Pier Guidi-Davide Rigon-Alessio Rovera, and fifteenth for Thomas Neubauer-Vincent Abril-David Vidales.
Pro Class. On the 5.771-kilometre historic Le Castellet circuit, in the class reserved for professional drivers, the number 51 296 GT3 will go into the archives for its top performance. Rovera's exceptional stint saw him surge up the ranks, gaining six positions in the opening lap and securing a spot in the top five. Despite anticipating a challenging weekend from the onset of practice sessions, Rigon and Pier Guidi demonstrated unwavering commitment throughout the race. The "sister" car of the AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors team, despite a fine second stint from Neubauer – making his debut as a Prancing Horse official driver – that allowed him to recuperate several positions, was unable to go beyond a top-15 finish.
Bronze Class. The Maranello manufacturer’s cars continued to assert themselves as frontrunners among the field of professional and gentleman drivers. Fumanelli, Schirò, and Rosi celebrated their victory on the top step of the podium after starting from 17th position aboard the number 8 296 GT3 of Kessel Racing, marking a historic debut triumph in the GT WC Europe
The crew comprises drivers with extensive experience and multiple victories in the Ferrari Challenge. In 2018, Fumanelli clinched the title’s runner-up spot in the Trofeo Pirelli at the Finali Mondiali Ferrari, an event where Nicklas Nielsen emerged as the champion. Meanwhile, Schirò has participated in 25 races, securing 10 victories, while Rosi boasts an impressive record of 47 races with 2 wins.
Second in France was the 296 GT3 of AF Corse, driven in the third round by the official Prancing Horse driver Andrea Bertolini who, after the excellent stints of his companions, climbed up to second position allowing the trio to celebrate on the Paul Ricard podium for a second consecutive year.
The 3 Hours also saw the number 93 Ferrari of Sky Tempesta Racing and the number 74 of Kessel Racing fourth and fifth respectively, while in eleventh position was the number 333 296 GT3 of Rinaldi Racing.
The calendar. The series organised by SRO will be back in the spotlight with the second round of the Endurance Cup, the Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours (the centenary of which is being celebrated this year), scheduled on the historic Belgian track on 29-30 June.