The big moment has arrived: next weekend the Circuit Paul Ricard in Southern France will see the kick-off of the inaugural season of the GT Open Cup Europe, the new series launched by GT Sport aimed at providing the thrill of GT racing to teams and drivers, mostly Pro-Am and Am, wishing to enjoy high performance and close racing on the most beautiful European tracks at an affordable cost.
Since the project was publicly launched last October in Monza, a lot of work has been done: on one hand, to find the right Balance of Performance to ensure that all cars eligible (i.e. all cars ‘one ladder below GT3’, including cars coming from the top mono-brand trophies), and on the other hand, to provide participants with an attractive package that includes dedicated activities and areas in the paddock, thanks also to the support of series partner Michelin, and TV webstreaming and coverage.
All is set for the big debut and Jesús Pareja, CEO of GT Sport, comments: “The first objective for us was to come up with a good BoP, and we are happy with the result achieved, which sees all cars in a bracket of 5 tenths per lap. Our project is raising a lot of interest and I believe we have put together an attractive package. The Paul Ricard is only the starting point and we are convinced that our proposition will attract more and more entries as the season unfolds.”
The field is divided in three classes: Silver (pair of Silver drivers), Pro-Am (one Am driver and one Silver or Gold) and Am (two Am drivers). They will compete on 3-day format weekends, with two races of 55 minutes each, one on Saturday, one on Sunday.
The season starts at the Paul Ricard with an excellent base of 18 confirmed entries, and five brands represented (Audi, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes and Porsche), represented by teams coming from Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, San Mario, Spain and Portugal. More brands and entrants are expected to join as from next rounds.
Vincenzo Sospiri Racing (VSR) enters two Lamborghini Huracán SuperTrofeo, one entrusted to Switzerland’s Hans-Peter Koller and Italy’s Edoardo Liberati, one to the Brazilian pair formed by JP Mauro and Rodrigo Toni. Another Lamborghini is fielded by Antonelli Motorsport for Glauco Solieri, also with great experience in GT racing.
Spanish squad Teo Martín Motorsport is entering two units of the new McLaren 570S and betting for young guns, in cooperation with the British brand’s Driver Development Program. The four members of the quartet are of ages comprised between 18 and 22 years, with Spaniards Faust Salom-Guillem Pujeu on one car and Sapin’s Marc De Fulgencio associated with Brazil’s Thiago Vivacqua on the other.
Also from Spain, the recently-created Three Sixty Gentleman Racing Team, directed by Victor Colomé is fielding two Mercedes AMG R and has confirmed Brazil’s Fernando Fontes- Julio Carlos Martini as one of its pairs, with another AMG R entered by well-known Portuguese squad Sports&You for a Brazilian pair that has been shining in the GT Open, Márcio Basso-Guilherme Salas.
Catalonia-based Baporo Motorsport, known for its activities in many disciplines, comes with a two-brand entry, as it will field an Audi R8 LMS for Andorra’s Manel Cerqueda, back to racing after a break of a few years, and Spain’s Daniel Díaz-Varela. Another Andorran-Spanish duo, formed by Joan Vinyes and Jaume Font, will be at the wheel of a Porsche 911 Cup.
The German car is proving the most popular pick-up in this initial phase of the GT Cup Open Europe, with five other teams relying on the 911 Cup. Two cars are prepared in Belgium by EMG Motorsport, with 30 years of experience, for the pair formed by Nicolas Vandierendonck, well known on the GT scene, and Filip Teunkens, the reigning Belgian Endurance Champion, and for John De Wilde, who will drive alone the other car.
French team TFT Racing, reputed thanks to its successes in VdV and Euro NASCAR, is preparing the car for Switzerland’s Niki Leutwiler, whose career spans over 30 years and is the reigning Am GT4 European champion.
Other 911 prepared in France, by the legendary Porsche Alméras organization, are entered for Pierre Martinet and Gérard Tremblay, two evergreen drivers with long curriculae, and Cédric Mezard-Steeve Hiesse.
Tsunami Racing Team, based in San Marino, is entering a 911 for the Curti brothers, Lino and Carlo, and a pair of expert Italian drivers, Michele Merendino and Eugenio Pisani, are crewing the car entered by Duell Racing, which fields another car for former GT Open regular Mino Caccia and a team mate to be announced.
