FIA GT World Cup Entry List Released

A total of 24 cars have been entered for the second running of the FIA GT World Cup on the streets of Macau, with the provisional entry list for the Nov. 17-20 event having been released on Thursday.

ENTRY LIST: FIA GT World Cup

The field is headed by 2015 FIA GT World Cup winner Maro Engel, who will be chasing a second consecutive world cup victory in the Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Engel is joined again by teammate Renger van der Zande, who claimed second in the 2016 Nurburgring 24 Hour and Total 24 Hours of Spa for AMG, and finished fourth in last year’s world cup.

DTM driver Edoardo Mortara, one of only two drivers to ever claim back-to-back Macau GP F3 victories, and winner of the 2013 Macau GT Cup, will battle Engel for the World Cup in Audi R8 LMS.

Laurens Vanthoor will complete Audi Sport Team WRT’s lineup in the team’s second entry.

Earl Bamber, meanwhile, returns in a Manthey Racing-entered Porsche 911 GT3 R, alongside teammate Kevin Estre in a second factory Porsche.

Lamborghini is the fourth officially registered manufacturer, with a two-car team for FFF Racing Team with drivers Mirko Bortolotti and Andre Couto.

Reigning 24 Hours of Spa winners ROWE Racing has entered a BMW M6 GT3 for Nicky Catsburg, while Bentley Team Absolute will be on the grid with a Bentley Continental GT3 for Adderly Fong.

They join a number of privately entered Porsches, Audis, Ferraris, as well as a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 and BMW Z4 GT3, which will compete for class honors but will not be classified in the Manufacturer’s Cup.

Drivers will compete in two 12-lap races in qualifying and an 18-lap main race around Macau’s Guia Circuit.

“GT3 race meetings take place on the best circuits in the world, but in holding the FIA GT World Cup event at the Macau Grand Prix we have captured a unique racing heritage and one of the most exciting motorsport backdrops,”  FIA GT Commission President Christian Schacht said.

“It is an end-of-year showcase of talent and a showdown for the best manufacturers, customer teams and drivers.

“Judging by the quality and variety of entries the second running of the race will cement the world cup as a fixture on the global motorsport calendar.”