40 Cars on Endurance Cup Entry; Increased Field for Sprint

The entry lists for this year’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS championships have been announced, with 40 cars registered for Endurance Cup and an increased field of 29 entries confirmed for Sprint Cup.

A total of 25 entries will compete for overall GTWC Europe honors across both series.

The Endurance Cup grid consists of 17 Pro entries, a slight reduction on the 22 that signed up for last season, as well as 12 Silver Cup competitors and 10 in Pro-Am.

Attempto Racing has yet to declare the class in which its No. 99 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo will compete. 

Nine GT3 manufacturers are set to be represented in the 11th season of Endurance Cup, including BMW which is returning to the Pro category with a two-car entry from last year’s Indianapolis 8 Hour and Kyalami 9 Hour winner Walkenhorst Motorsport.

The German manufacturer’s last top-flight Endurance Cup program came courtesy of ROWE Racing in 2018. Boutsen Ginion is continuing with its Pro-Am program.

Mercedes-AMG is the best-represented marque in Endurance with a group of nine entries headlined by the single-car Pro efforts from AKKA-ASP and Haupt Racing Team.

Last year’s Pro category champion AF Corse returns with a single car in Pro-Am, while fellow Italian squad Iron Lynx takes the reins as Ferrari’s Pro-class representative.

A total of six Ferraris are geared up for Endurance, while Audi and Lamborghini both have seven cars listed for the five-round season which includes the Total 24 Hours of Spa.

Five of those Audi entries – two apiece from Sainteloc Racing and Team WRT, and one from Attempto – will arrive with Pro lineups.

Emil Frey Racing and FFF Racing Team are in the top class for Lamborghini, while the returning Grasser Racing Team is running in Silver Cup only with a Pro entry at Spa.

Porsche is represented by GPX Racing, Dinamic Motorsport and ADAC GT4 Germany champion Allied-Racing, which is stepping up to GT3 competition in Pro-Am.

JOTA is running the sole McLaren 720S GT3 in Pro, while CMR keeps Bentley on the GTWC Europe grid beyond the conclusion of the British company’s factory support of its GT program at the end of last year. K-PAX Racing has returned to GTWC America.

Garage 59 is the sole Aston Martin Vantage GT3 entrant and will continue to run in both Silver Cup and Pro-Am. There is no sign of former Pro Aston competitor R-Motorsport.

Increased Entry for Sprint Cup

The 29-car Sprint Cup grid is the largest since 2017 with several new teams joining the five-round championship to build on last season’s 23-car count.

In addition to its Endurance Cup effort, Garage 59 will make its return to the full GTWC Europe series with the addition of a Sprint program which brings Aston Martin back onto the short-format grid after one year out.

McLaren is also back courtesy of JOTA’s pre-announced involvement in both series, while Endurance front-runner Dinamic Motorsport has joined Sprint with a Porsche 911 GT3 R involving reigning ADAC GT Masters champion Christian Engelhart.

Barwell Motorsport, Rinaldi Racing, Allied-Racing and RAM Racing have also joined, in addition to several returning outfits including CMR, AKKA-ASP, Sainteloc Racing, Attempto Racing, AF Corse and Emil Frey Racing which has expanded to three cars.

Toksport WRT has converted one of its 2020 Silver Cup entries into a Pro runner. This looks set to compensate for the absence of Haupt Racing Team, which is focusing on Endurance only this year alongside its debut in the DTM with a pair of Mercedes-AMGs. 

Reigning Sprint Cup champion Team WRT, which won the title last year with Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts, returns with three cars including two in Pro.

The Belgian squad has yet to name its GT3 driver lineups for 2021.

Stephane Ratel, the founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group which runs GTWC Europe, said he was “pleased” by the “competitive and diverse” full-season grids.

“The Sprint Cup has attracted its biggest grid for a number of years and I am grateful to the teams, both new and old, that have shown their commitment,” he said.

“Looking at the line-ups that have already been confirmed in the Endurance Cup, the level remains extremely high and I am sure the fight for the overall win will be closer than ever.

“We have seen a shift from the Am Cup towards Pro-Am, while the creation of our new GT Sports Club program has also attracted Bronze drivers.

“Finally, it is very pleasing to see all of the seven brands competing for the global Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS title on our European entry list and I am looking forward for what promises to be a fantastic season of racing.”

ENTRY LISTS: Endurance Cup / Sprint Cup / Overall