+ 35-car field for GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club decider in Saudi Arabia
+ Elite v Team Speedcar in two-horse race for Silver crown
+ W&S Motorsport leads three-way Pro-Am battle
+ Provisional entry list: Jeddah
Two sets of champions will be crowned in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia next weekend when the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club makes its first-ever visit to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The ultra-fast street track on the Red Sea coast promises to be a thrilling addition to the calendar and a fitting setting for the finale. Featuring average speeds matched only by Monza, the 6.2km venue will demand bravery and precision in equal measure, while the fact that it is brand-new to almost the entire grid adds further intrigue to the title fights.
A total of 35 cars will take part in the season-closing event. They include a guest entry from GT3 powerhouse Comtoyou Racing, which will field twin Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4s for a quartet of Saudi Arabian drivers. CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa class winner Reema Juffali will share the #28 Am entry with Ahmed Bin-Khanen, while Fahad Algosaibi and Bandar Alesayi will share the #26 car in Pro-Am.
Silver: Duel of the twin winners as Elite and Team Speedcar square up
Elite Motorsport’s Josh Rattican and Tom Lebbon have led the Silver standings since round two at Misano, and the #78 McLaren duo’s dominant weekend at Spa-Francorchamps confirmed their status as champions in waiting.
However, the resurgence of Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche during the previous event at Monza has narrowed their advantage. The Team Speedcar Audi pair mirrored what the Elite line-up managed in Belgium, becoming the second crew to double up on both pole positions and victories across a single round. This monster points haul means that Consani and Lariche trail Rattican and Lebbon by 32 points, with a total of 52 on offer at Jeddah.
Berkay Besler and Gabriele Piana’s strong late-season form has moved the Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport pair up to third in the standings. While they are out of title contention, the BMW drivers can still be counted on to make life difficult for the top two.
They also head an ultra-tight fight for the third step on the championship podium, with Lluc Ibañez/Alexandre Papadopulos just four points behind in their NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG. The L’Espace Bienvenue BMW of Ricardo van der Ende/Benjamin Lessennes and Matmut Évolution Toyota GR Supra of Enzo Joulié/Etienne Cheli are also well within striking distance.
Pro-Am: W&S holds narrow lead ahead of decider
For much of the season, Pro-Am has been a two-way contest between W&S Motorsport Porsche crew Finn Zulauf and Max Kronberg and Mirage Racing Aston Martin drivers Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandr Vaintrub. With the title on the line, this battle must be settled in Jeddah.
Safronov and Vaintrub have led the way for the majority of the year thanks to their consistency of scoring two race wins and four podium finishes. However, a damaging puncture at Monza cost them dearly, opening the door for Zulauf and Kronberg to secure their fourth victory of the campaign and open a 15-point gap heading to the finale.
Nevertheless, things can turn around quickly in a championship this tight. Zulauf and Kronberg were once 35 points behind the Aston Martin after their own tyre dramas at Misano, so one tough round can change everything.
The AV Racing Porsche shared by Noam Abramczyk and Paul Petit is the final crew still in contention. Winners at Misano, they will need misfortune to strike the top two if they are to have a realistic chance of snatching the crown.
Others to watch include Julien Briché/Jean Laurent Navarro in the JSB Compétition Porsche; Cindy Gudet/Gabriela Jílková in the Matmut Évolution Toyota, which began the year as a podium finisher; and Rick Bouthoorn/Önder Erdem, who have recently emerged as top-three challengers in the Razoon xAutomotive Racing BMW M4.
Paolo and Davide Meloni will also look to bounce back in their W&D Motorsport BMW after a bruising outing at Monza. Another interesting entry is the return of the AVR-Avvatar Porsche crewed by 2023 Am class dominators Alban Varutti and Julien Piguet, who step into Pro-Am for a one-off appearance.
Am: Schumacher CLRT champions, but more honours available
Despite being crowned Am class champions with a round to spare, there is still plenty for Schumacher CLRT drivers Pascal Huteau and Laurent Hurgon to fight for in Jeddah.
Damage dampened their celebrations by causing a second retirement of the year last time out at Monza, so the Alpine crew will be keen to go out on a high. Having achieved perfect weekends at both Circuit Paul Ricard and Spa-Francorchamps, they could take their victory tally to an impressive eight from 12 races if they manage another sweep in Saudi Arabia.
Among those looking to stop them are GPA Racing Aston Martin pairing Florent Grizaud and Kevin Jimenez, and NM Racing Team driver Andy Cantu, who runs third in the points solo after changing team-mates to now partner Charles Dawson in the #16 Mercedes-AMG.
Driver changes at Chazel Technologie Course means Antoni De Barn moves into the Am class from Pro-Am and now shares the #317 BMW with Jean-Mathieu Leandri, while the team’s Alpine will be raced by Jean-Paul Dominici and Xavier Follenfant. The arrival of the Comtoyou Vantage AMR means seven cars will contest the class.
Action for the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club at Jeddah gets underway with testing and Free Practice (22:15 local time, 20:15 CET) on Thursday 28 November. Pre-Qualifying (14:15/12:15), Qualifying (18:00/16:00) and Race 1 (22:05/20:05) take place on Friday, before the final race of the year at 14:15/12:15 on Saturday.
