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04 JulEndurance, ELMS, GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA, 24H SERIES, ULTIMATE CUP SERIES, DTM

Weekend preview: Ferrari looking for wins in Europe and Asia

Maranello 04 July 2024

Many Ferraris will compete this weekend in some of the most famous and competitive series for production-derived cars. Europe hosts the DTM, the Ultimate Cup Series, and the 24H Series, while the GT World Challenge comes to Asia.

DTM. The DTM championship reaches its halfway mark at the Norisring, the only street circuit on the calendar, from 5 to 7 July for the 40th time in the series’ history. The entry list includes two Ferrari 296 GT3s fielded by Emil Frey Racing. Jack Aitken, driving car number 14, is seventh in the standings with 59 points, having triumphed in the last round at Zandvoort, where the British driver also took pole position with a record lap. Thierry Vermeulen drives the second Ferrari. In his last appearance, he achieved a season-best fourth-place finish, after an impressive comeback from 16th position.

The programme. Free practice takes place on Friday, 5 July, followed by Qualifying 1 on Saturday, 6 July, from 10 to 10:20 a.m. Race-1 will run from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, 7 July, qualifying is scheduled from 9:20 to 9:40 a.m., with Race-2 from 1:30 to 2:50 p.m.

ELMS. Six Ferrari 296 LMGT3s are entered in the third round of the European Le Mans Series championship to be hosted over the weekend at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Among the participants will be Ferrari official driver Nicklas Nielsen, who clinched victory at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Ferrari 499P number 50 in the FIA WEC championship, alongside Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina. Joining the Danish driver on the Italian track in the ELMS championship will be compatriots Johnny and Conrad Laursen in the Formula Racing Ferrari 296 LMGT3 number 50, victors of the year's first race in Barcelona. Rounding out the entry list are: the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 number 57 from Kessel Racing with official driver Daniel Serra, alongside Takeshi Kimura and Esteban Masson; the number 51 from AF Corse with Charles-Henri Samani, Emmanuel Collard, and Nicolas Varrone; and the number 86 from GR Racing driven by Michael Wainwright, Riccardo Pera, and fellow official driver Davide Rigon. Spirit of Race's Ferrari 296 LMGT3 number 55 will feature Duncan Cameron, David Perel and Matthew Griffin, while JMW Motorsport's number 66 will see John Hartshorne, Ben Tuck, and Pheel Keen take turns at the wheel. Following Friday's free practice sessions, Saturday will include FP2 and qualifying, with the 4-hour race scheduled to start on Sunday at 11.30 a.m.

GT WC Asia. This weekend, the fourth round of the GT World Challenge Asia will be held at the Suzuka International Circuit, alongside round three of the Japan Cup. Four Ferrari 296 GT3s will compete across the various classes. LMcorsa’s number 60, crewed by Kei Nakanishi and Shigekazu Wakisaka, features in the Pro-Am class. Garage 75’s number 75 will race in the Am class with Christian Colombo and David Tjiptobiantoro. The latter leads the standings with three wins. In the Silver class, Harmony Racing’s number 77, driven by Liang Jiatong and Luo Kailuo, will line up at the start. Absolute Corse’s number 296, driven by Andre Canard and Finn Gehrsitz, currently third in the ranking, will feature in the Silver Am class.

In the Japan Cup, two Ferrari 296 GT3s will participate in the Suzuka event. In the Am class, Comet Racing’s number 7, with drivers Yorikatsu Tsujiko and Yusuke Yamasaki, lies second in the standings. In the Pro-Am class, K-tunes Racing’s number 98, driven by Daisuke Yamawaki and Shinichi Takagi, leads the championship following two victories at Fuji, with 86 points and a 23-point lead over their closest rivals.

The programme. After free practice on Friday, 5 July, the GT World Challenge Asia will hold Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 on Saturday, 6 July, between 9 and 9:37 a.m., with Race-1 from 12:25 to 1:25 p.m. Japan Cup qualifying is scheduled for Saturday from 10:20 to 10:35 a.m., followed by Race-1 from 2:55 to 3:55 p.m. On Sunday, the GT World Challenge Asia race will start at 11:35 a.m., while the second round of the Japan Cup will take the green flag at 2:10 p.m.

Ultimate Cup Series. Hockenheim hosts the third round of the season. A great contest is expected in the four-hour GT Endurance Cup round, where the Visiom team’s reigning champions are the favourites in the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 number 1. Jean-Paul Pagny, Jean Bernard Bouvet, and David Hallyday top the standings after winning the two previous races at Paul Ricard and Portimão. A second Prancing Horse car, the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 – bearing the number 29 of XP Racing and driven by Philippe Papin, Xavier Pompidou and Roland Marchix – will also be at the start.

Four Ferrari 488 Challenge cars will appear in the UCS3/UTC class of the Trofeo GT Sprint: CMR’s number 73 with Patrick Michellier, the Racing Spirit of Leman’s number 91 with Kevin Parsa and Frédéric Lacore, while SR&R comes with the number 333 driven by Lourenço Monteiro and Harrison Walker, and the 353 with Lyle Schofield and Francesco Coassin.

The programme. Qualifying for the Ultimate GT Endurance Cup starts at 5:25 p.m. on Saturday, 6 July, and the race runs from 2:25 p.m. on Sunday, 7 July. The Ultimate GT Sprint Cup starts on Friday with qualifying, then Race-1 at 5:05 p.m. The other three races will take place on Saturday at 12 p.m., 3.35 p.m. and 7.20 p.m.

24H Series. The endurance series reaches its fifth round, following Portimão, with the 12 Hours of Misano in the Romagna Riviera. The Ferrari 296 GT3, the number 8 of Boem by Kessel Racing, which secured pole position at Mugello and finished in fifth place overall with a victory in the Pro-Am class, makes its return to the track for this race. The Italian quintet of Alessandro Cutrera, Marco Talarico, LMDV, Marco Frezza and Pro David Fumanelli, will share the wheel. The Romagna event will feature qualifying sessions on Friday, 5 July, from 4:20 p.m., while the race will kick off on Saturday, 6 July, at 10 a.m.

All times are local.

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