GT4 Series Northern Cup Title Battles Heat Up at Zandvoort

Zandvoort hosts round five of the 2017 GT4 European Series Northern Cup this weekend and the drivers’ title in the Silver Cup as well as the team title could be decided in the Dutch dunes.

Ekris Motorsport and its drivers lead the standings heading into the penultimate round of the season in the Netherlands although the battle in Pro-Am and Am is still wide open, with several teams fighting for the top positions.

ENTRY LIST: Zandvoort

Ekris drivers Ricardo van der Ende and Max Koebolt won three of the last four races and can clinch the 2017 GT4 European Series Northern Cup Silver Cup title in front of their home fans at Circuit Zandvoort.

After eight races van der Ende and Koebolt have scored 162 points, 92 more than Lennart Marioneck and 100 more than Street Art Racing driver Jerome Demay.

Marioneck, who did not race at the Slovakiaring, will return to the cockpit of the RYS Team Kiska KTM X-Bow GT4. At Zandvoort the German will team up with young Dutch driver Willem Meijer, who will make his GT4 debut on home soil.

Matt Nicoll-Jones and William Moore of Academy Motorsport are out of contention for this year’s title, but the British drivers could still finish in second place, currently trailing Demay by just one point.

Pavel Lefterov and John-Louis Jasper (RN Vision STS), currently fifth in the points, are also still in the hunt for a top three finish at the end of the season.

In Pro-Am, Las Moras Racing drivers Duncan Huisman and Luc Braams will defend a 25-point lead over Jan Kasperlik of Allied-Racing.

Huisman and Braams collected 125 points this season, with Kasperlik and Timothy Stupple scoring 100 points so far.

Kasperlik will have a new teammate at Zandvoort, with outgoing GT4 European Series champion Joerg Viebahn replacing Stupple in the No. 22 Porsche Cayman CS MR GT4.

After a double win in Slovakia last month, RN Vision STS drivers Gabriele Piana and Razvan Umbrarescu are also back in the title race with 95 points.

Joining the GT4 European Series Northern Cup teams at Zandvoort are GT4 European Series Southern Cup entrants Energy by ART (Porsche), CMR (Ginetta) and TFT Racing (Porsche), while four other cars will make their first start this season.

MOMO Megatron Team Partrax fields a Porsche Cayman CS MR GT4, with British GT Championship race winners Ebor GT Motorsport running a Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4.

Swedish teams Primus Racing (Ginetta) and Ricknaes Motorsport (Porsche) will also join the series at Zandvoort.

Track action gets underway on Friday with races at 5:50 p.m. local time on Saturday and 9:45 a.m. on Sunday.