• Götz/Gounon earn breakthrough victory for Mercedes-AMG squad
• Boutsen VDS doubles up with Silver Cup triumph for Panis/Gazeau
• CSA Racing wins Gold and grabs narrow points advantage
• Garage 59 earns first victory of 2024 with Ramos/Prette
Jules Gounon and Maximilian Götz combined to give Boutsen VDS its maiden Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS victory in today's rain-affected Sprint Cup contest at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The 60-minute race began with a dramatic accident and featured a lengthy intervention from the Safety Car, after which the #9 Mercedes-AMG prevailed in a final dash to the chequered flag. It ensured a popular win for the Belgian squad, while the advantage shifted in the battle for the overall Sprint Cup crown as Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter took a vital podium finish.
On the run to turn 1, the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG made contact with the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Both speared towards the inside retaining wall, the contact causing the latter to burst into flames before coming to a halt roughly 100 metres from the initial point of impact. Despite the severity of the incident, Dylan Pereira was able to exit the Audi without assistance.
That was not the only drama. Light rain had fallen before the start, prompting some teams to roll off on slicks while others put their faith in wet-compound Pirelli tyres. This resulted in several position changes during the opening sequence of corners before the Safety Car was deployed to clear up the accident.
Those that started on wets did so in the belief that heavier rain would arrive during the early phase of the race. This was proven to be the correct decision when the heavens opened above the Barcelona track, drenching the circuit and bringing the slick runners in for a much-needed tyre change.
Just as the race was about to resume, the rain intensified further. With cars spinning into the gravel at turn 1 and marshals on the scene to recover them, there was no option but for the Safety Car to continue. Indeed, by the time the weather had abated and the track was safe for racing, there was less than 10 minutes to run.
Gounon was at the head of the pack for the restart, followed by the sister #10 Mercedes-AMG of César Gazeau. The leader immediately broke away, while Gazeau was passed by the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche of Patric Niederhauser on the run to turn 1. Gounon appeared serene at the head of the field, though he subsequently revealed that the car's engine had been taking on water, causing it to intermittently shut off.
A little further back, Maro Engel (#48 Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG) looked to have the fastest car on the circuit during the final phase, rapidly moving up to third before launching an ambitious move on Niederhauser. But the German had misjudged his ability to slow down in time for the corner and was forced to pass through the gravel, dropping him back several places.
Despite his engine worries, there were no such problems for Gounon. He calmy brought the #9 Mercedes-AMG home to give Boutsen VDS its first overall victory ahead of the #96 Porsche, leaving only the final step on the podium to be settled. Having survived his brush with disaster, Engel quickly re-passed the #111 CSA Racing Audi, the #10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG and finally the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari to secure third.
This was a hugely important result. Engel and teammate Lucas Auer have returned to the top of the standings ahead of tomorrow's finale, with the rival #32 Team WRT BMW coming home ninth in today's race. The #48 crew hold a lead of 6.5 points with 17.5 left to score on Sunday.
The #10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG finished fifth overall and secured a vital Silver Cup win. Having started the weekend with an outside chance of taking the class title, the result has edged Gazeau and Aurélien Panis closer to leader Calan Williams (#30 Team WRT BMW), who came home fifth. The gap in this case is 9.5 points in the Team WRT man's favour.
The #111 CSA Racing Audi finished sixth overall, winning the Gold Cup and taking a narrow lead in the class standings. Lucas Légeret and Simon Gachet combined to secure the victory, one place ahead of the #6 Liqui-Moly Team Engstler by OneGroup Audi. The gap heading into the decider is just half a point in the CSA crew's favour.
Garage 59 triumphed in the Bronze Cup with its #188 McLaren. Miguel Ramos made a late move for the win, his first of the year alongside Louis Prette. Paradine Competition finished second after Darren Leung won a drag race to the chequered flag, finishing just one tenth of a second clear of Rob Collard (#78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini). This gives Leung and Dan Harper a 12-point advantage over Collard and Sandy Mitchell ahead of the deciding race.
The 10th and final race of the 2024 Fanatec GT Europe Sprint Cup takes place tomorrow (Sunday 12 October). Qualifying will run at 09:00 CEST, setting the grid for the deciding 60-minute contest at 14:00. All of the action will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.
