+ 40-car field ready to return to the iconic Nürburgring after four years away
+ Consani and Lariche bidding to become earliest-ever Silver champions
+ Could Bölting and Still wrap up the Pro-Am crown on home ground?
+ Chazel Technologie Course heads tight Am class battle
+ Provisional Entry List: Nürburgring
The GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club will roar back into Germany next weekend (August 29-31), returning to the world famous Nürburgring for the first time in four years.
The series last competed at the iconic Eifel circuit back in 2021, when the Nürburgring also hosted the penultimate event of the season. Both the Pro-Am and Am titles were decided that weekend, and there could be more seasonal silverware handed out this time around with all three class title fights hanging in the balance.
The GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club will again join forces with the GT World powered by AWS, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and McLaren Trophy Europe to create a packed weekend of world-class GT racing, with around 150 cars in total taking part in the action.
SILVER: CONSANI & LARICHE EYEING A PIECE OF HISTORY
Team Speedcar Audi drivers Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche head to the Nürburgring on the verge of securing the Silver crown, and even have a shot at becoming the earliest champions in the category’s history.
Only once since the class was introduced back in 2017 has the title fight not gone to the final weekend, with Ricardo van der Ende and Max Koebolt holding the current record having wrapped the honours up with two races to spare in that inaugural season.
Consani and Lariche have proved the cream of the crop this year with four wins from eight races and therefore have the chance to secure the crown in Race 1 in Germany, with three races still to run. They hold a huge 79-point advantage meaning the title will be theirs if they can outscore their rivals in the first outing.
Standing in their way will be both the Academy Motorsport Ford Mustang shared by Erik Evans and Marco Signoretti, and Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport’s BMW pairing Gabriele Piana and Berkay Besler. Twice winners already this season, Evans and Signoretti’s challenge has been set back by two tough events. Retirement in a multi-car collision at Spa and then an off-colour weekend at Misano means they have their work cut out to close the gap. In contrast Piana and Besler have come on strong in recent races, with a win in Belgium and a podium last time out putting them just two points behind the Ford.
NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG drivers Alex Papadopulos and Lluc Ibañez are just a further point behind in fourth, with the season’s only other race winners, Paul Petit and Gregory Guilvert (Team Speedcar Audi), rounding out the top five.
PRO-AM: STILL & BÖLTING TO BOUNCE BACK AT HOME?
There was a point in the year when Hendrik Still and Joachim Bölting looked untouchable aboard their W&S Motorsport Porsche, having won four of the opening six races. However, misfortune at Misano opened the door for their rivals to strike back.
The German duo struggled for pace in Italy, leaving the way clear for Mirage Racing Aston Martin drivers Aleksandr Vaintrub and Stanislav Safronov to score a double victory and ignite their title challenge. They trail Still and Bölting by 27 points, with the W&S crew set to enjoy home advantage at the Nürburgring.
Joakim Walde and Victor Bouveng have enjoyed a consistent campaign aboard their Schubert Motorsport BMW, with three podium finishes helping them to third in the points, even if they are still hunting their breakthrough victory. Alberto Naska and Stefano D’Aste endured a difficult last round in the Misano heat, but the PB Racing Lotus pair will be keen to add to their sole victory at Spa in the cooler temperatures expected next weekend.
AM: CHAZEL EDGING CLEAR OF W&S
The Am class this season is a two-horse race between Chazel Technologie Course BMW drivers Antoni de Barn and Jean-Mathieu Leandri, and the W&S Motorsport Porsche crew of Max Kronberg and Daniel Blickle.
No other team has won a race in the category this season, with Chazel leading the way courtesy of five wins to the three for W&S. The two teams were separated by just a single point ahead of the last round at Misano, but a double win for De Barn and Leandri has stretched that gap as Kronberg and Blickle struggled with damaged suspension. There’s now 21 points between them, leaving W&S with work to do.
Mikael and Christoffer Brunnhagen have become regular podium finishers recently in their Toyota Gazoo Racing Sweden Supra to move up to third in the standings, ahead of Keith Gatehouse and Igor Sorokin in NM Racing Team’s second Mercedes-AMG.
The GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club weekend at the Nürburgring gets underway with testing on Thursday, August 28 ahead of Free Practice (11:20) and Pre-Qualifying (14:50) on Friday. Saturday stages Qualifying (12:10) and Race 1 (17:20) before Race 2 at midday on Sunday (11:55). All sessions will feature live timing on the official website, with both races streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.
