26 Cars for Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe Opener

Photo: Patrick Hecq/SRO

Twenty-six cars will contest next weekend’s Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe opener at Brands Hatch, with the entry list having been revealed on Friday.

A pair of 60-minute races on Sunday, May 5, will kick off the European arm of the SRO Motorsports Group’s new global Blancpain GT World Challenge initiative.

The American and Asian series have already had their first rounds at Circuit of The Americas and Sepang, respectively, while Blancpain GT America is back in action for Rounds 3 and 4 at VIR this weekend.

The entry list for Brands Hatch includes four-car entries from leading teams Belgian Audi Club Team WRT and AKKA ASP, as well as a trio of entries each from Orange 1 FFF Racing Team, Sainteloc Racing and Attempto Racing.

Reigning Sprint Cup champion Raffaele Marciello will drive an AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Vincent Abril, while last year’s Endurance Cup champions Maro Engel and Luca Stolz will share a Black Falcon Mercedes.

Of note, Stephane Ortelli returns to the series in a Pro-Am pairing along with Nyls Stievenart, driving a Sainteloc-entered Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo.

Seven cars will compete for Silver Cup honors, including an AKKA ASP entry for reigning champion Nico Bastian along with Thomas Neubauer.

Five cars will run in Pro-Am, while a single Ferrari 488 GT3 will run in the Am Cup.

On-track action at Brands Hatch gets underway on Saturday, May 4, with two races on the Sunday afternoon.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.