Weekly Racing Roundup (6.26.23)

Global Racing Action

***Gary Hauser and Markus Pommer left Zandvoort as the Prototype Cup Germany points leaders but two different pairings shared the race spoils. Jan Marschalkowski and Jasper Stiksma prevailed in Race 1, which was twice red-flagged for accidents involving early leader Oscar Tunjo and then Danny Soufi. The second race went to Xavier Lloveras and Gabriela Jilkova, who led from lights to flag despite a five-second penalty for Lloveras jumping the start. Race 1 / Race 2

***It was a strong weekend for Denis Bulatov and Marcel Lenerz in ADAC GT4 Germany as the BCMC by EastSide Motorsport duo moved into the points lead with a second place and a victory at Zandvoort. After finishing second to the W&S Motorsport Porsche pairing of Jannes Fittje and David Jahn in the opener, Bulatov and Lenerz controlled the second race in their BMW M4 GT4 to edge two points above Mex Jansen and Nico Hantke in the drivers’ standings. Race 1 / Race 2

***The Italian GT Championship held its second sprint round of the year at Monza, where BMW factory drivers Bruno Spengler and Jens Klingmann won the opening race for Ceccato Racing. Spengler led the opening stint before Klingmann’s advantage was curtailed by a safety car, but the German driver pulled clear of Marco Butti to win. The BMW duo only managed third in the next race, however, which was dominated by the VSR Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 of Riccardo Cazzaniga and Artem Petrov. Race 1 / Race 2

***There were also two different winners in the Chinese GT Super Sprint Challenge round at a soggy Ningbo. Ruan Cunfan won the first race in a BMW M4 GT3 run by Team ZZRT, but was then beaten by just over a second in the other contest after a battle with Climax Racing Mercedes-AMG driver Liu Hangcheng. Race 1 / Race 2

***Romain Dumas finished second overall in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb driving the Ford Performance E-Transit SuperVan 4.2. The two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner won the Open category with his 8:47.682 ascent of the Colorado mountain course but missed out on the outright top spot to Wolf SC-TFS driver Robin Shute, who claimed his fourth victory in five years with a time of 8:40.080.

News & Notes

***Maximilian Goetz has joined Haupt Racing Team for the second round of the ADAC GT Masters season at the Norisring next weekend. The 2021 DTM and 2012 GT Masters champion will share a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with Petru Umbrarescu, who contested the season-opener alongside Arjun Maini.

***The GT4 European Series has gained a title sponsor and will be known as the GT4 European Series powered by Rafa Racing Club with immediate effect. Houston-based Rafa Racing Club, which is run by McLaren Trophy driver Rafael Martinez, is an “exclusive club” made for “high-performance auto drivers, supporters, and fans of all types.”

***GT4 Europe will register its largest entry list to date when 62 cars take part in this weekend’s round on the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa support bill. Eight guest cars from GT4 Scandinavia contribute to the packed grid.

***Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe is introducing a limited-edition Toyota GR Supra to commemorate its production of 100 GT4 cars. The Toyota GR Supra GT4 100th Edition Tribute is available in a new ‘plasma orange’ color along with new matte black alloy wheels, an optional rear spoiler and other features.

On this weekend: Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli, Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, GT4 European Series powered by Rafa Racing Club (Spa-Francorchamps)