+ 51-car field ready to fight it out at the historic Temple of Speed
+ Two of three drivers’ titles could be decided in Italy
+ Elite Motorsport eyes early Silver success, Schumacher CLRT on the cusp in Am
+ Thriller in Pro-Am, with one point between W&S Motorsport and Mirage Racing
+ Provisional entry list, Monza
Champions could be crowned in Italy next weekend as the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club rolls into Monza.
A huge 51-car field will travel to the world-famous Temple of Speed looking to master the fastest track on the calendar, with two crews in particular hoping to secure major silverware from this year’s final round in mainland Europe.
With just four races remaining, the twin sprints in Monza could prove pivotal in the title chase. Indeed, there is a strong chance that the Silver and Am categories will be decided ahead of November’s finale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Elite Motorsport McLaren pair Josh Rattican and Tom Lebbon need only maintain their current points advantage to be crowned Silver drivers’ champions, while the Schumacher CLRT Alpine combination of Laurent Hurgon and Pascal Huteau stands on the threshold of taking the Am class crown.
In contrast, the Pro-Am title fight is almost guaranteed to run into Jeddah, with just a single point separating Aleksandr Vaintrub/Stanislav Safronov (Mirage Racing Aston Martin) from Finn Zulauf/Max Kronberg (W&S Motorsport Porsche).
Silver: Can Elite make it over the line?
There can be no doubting how impressive the season so far has been for Elite Motorsport drivers Rattican and Lebbon. The British pair are the only crew to score points in every outing and have yet to finish lower than fifth. They are also the only repeat outright race winners thanks to their dominant double victory at Spa.
As a result, Rattican and Lebbon hold a comfortable 56-point advantage in the championship. With a maximum of 52 points available at Jeddah for securing both pole positions and both race wins, they must either maintain or extend that cushion through the Monza weekend to be crowned champions an event early.
The crew most likely to stop that happening is Benjamin Lessennes and Ricardo van der Ende. Though the L’Espace Bienvenue BMW drivers have sometimes flown under the radar, they have racked up some big scores when it mattered. Victory at Misano, a second place at Spa and solid points from Hockenheim has helped them to ghost into second in the standings.
It is far from a two-horse race, however, as the pack is very tight behind. Team Speedcar Audi pair Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche have been standout performers recently, with three second places from the last six races. However, in that time they have also suffered two costly non-scores, leaving them third in the chase, just two points behind the BMW.
Berkay Besler and Gabriele Piana are mounting something of a late-season charge in their Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport M4. After some early season difficulties, the pair scorched to a first win at Hockenheim and left Germany as the weekend’s top scorers, moving them to fourth in the points. NM Racing Team duo Lluc Ibañez and Alexandre Papadopulos were winners at Misano and have twice been podium finishers. They run 68 points behind the Elite McLaren, so will need a big result and some luck to stay in the title picture.
Others to watch out for include the Code Racing Alpine of Antoine Leclerc/Nelson Panciatici, which took its breakthrough win at Hockenheim; the Academy Motorsport Ford Mustang of Erik Evans/Marco Signoretti, which could excel on Monza’s straights; and the Matmut Évolution Toyota GR Supra GT4, shared by Enzo Joulié/Etienne Cheli, which will be looking to bounce back after a tough run of events.
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Pro-Am: Too tight to call between W&S and Mirage
One title almost guaranteed to roll on to the finale is Pro-Am, where the leading Mirage Racing Aston Martin and W&S Motorsport Porsche are separated by a single point.
This has been a tale of consistency versus speed. Mirage Racing pair Vaintrub and Safronov have only taken a single win thus far, but their tally of four second places gives them the smallest of advantages heading to Monza. They could have been far more comfortable had it not been for the post-race penalty that cost them victory last time out, playing right into the hands of their rivals.
In contrast, Zulauf and Kronberg have mounted the top step three times in their W&S Porsche 718 Cayman RS CS GT4, scoring four pole positions to the Aston’s one. Only twin tyre troubles at Misano set them back during what has otherwise been a highly impressive and consistent campaign.
The AV Racing Porsche shared by Noam Abramczyk and Paul Petit is not out of the title picture. But, with 32 points to make up to the leaders, this crew will need to get back to the winning form it showed at Misano if it is to close the gap.
Gregory Guilvert/Antoni de Barn have also been winners in their Chazel Technologie Course BMW, while Julien Briché/Jean-Laurent Navarro remain the last crew with a realistic shot at the class title in their JSB Competition Porsche.
Am: Huteau and Hurgon look to run away with it
With six wins from the eight races so far, it is not surprising that Huteau and Hurgon are hot favourites to wrap up the Am class crown in Monza. With a commanding 68-point lead, it will take nothing short of a miracle to stop the Schumacher CLRT Alpine, which has been the class of the field all season.
Only a suspension failure in Misano and damage at Hockenheim kept them off the top step and allowed two other crews to celebrate success. GPA Racing Aston Martin drivers Florent Grizaud and Kevin Jimenez are second in the points, picking up the glory at Misano. NM Racing Team driver Andy Cantu was the beneficiary of the Alpine’s drama in Germany, he and new team-mate Charles Dawson getting their partnership off to a winning start. Due to the driver changes in this car, Cantu alone runs third in the points.
Keep an eye on Toyota Gazoo Racing Sweden drivers Mikael and Christoffer Brunnhagen, with the father-and-son duo looking to add a win to their five podium finishes so far. The Team Speedcar Audi of Adrien Paviot and Nicolas Markiewicz also holds the impressive record of finishing on the podium in all four races it has contested during a limited programme this year.
The penultimate round of the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club gets started with pre-event testing on Thursday 19 September before Free Practice (11:20 CEST) and Pre-Qualifying (15:20) on Friday. Qualifying (12:00) and Race 1 (17:00) follow on Saturday ahead of Race 2 (12:35) on Sunday. All sessions will feature live timing via while Qualifying and both races will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube Channel.