Today, on the 5.771-kilometre Le Castellet circuit in southern France, qualifying was held for the 3 Hours of Paul Ricard, marking the season opener of the GT World Challenge Europe - Endurance Cup 2024. Seven Ferrari 296 GT3s participated in the event. The fastest Maranello car was the number 51 of AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors which will start from eleventh on the grid, while in the Bronze class the 296 GT3 of Sky Tempesta Racing qualified second. The green flag is expected at 3 p.m. (local time).
The session. In line with the SRO-mandated regulations, the championship format sees all three crew members engage in a 15-minute driving stint, with the collective time determined by the average of each driver's top lap. The qualifying session commenced at 9.45 a.m. under dry track conditions, accompanied by partly cloudy skies. The air temperature hovered around 15.6°C, while the asphalt recorded a temperature of 19.5°C.
Pro Class. The two Ferraris of the AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors team set the 11th and 27th fastest times overall. Claiming the top spot was the car driven by Pier Guidi-Rigon-Rovera, posting a time of 1'53''707. (This placed them just 0''680 behind the pole-sitting Lamborghini number 63.) Meanwhile, the Ferrari number 71, handled by Neubauer-Vidales-Abril, registered a time of 1'54''320.
Bronze Class. In the competitive category that includes professional and gentlemen drivers – boasting a 54-strong field of cars at Le Castellet – the fastest Ferrari was the number 93 of Sky Tempesta Racing, driven by Froggatt-Hui-Cheever III, with a time of 1'54''088, earning runner-up spot in the class.
Next up were the 296 GT3 number 333 of Rinaldi Racing, the 52 of AF Corse, and the number 8 and 74, both belonging to Kessel Racing, in 9th, 15th, 17th and 19th respectively.