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Fuoco to Carry Ferrari’s Driver Title Hopes at Barcelona

Pier Guidi, Rovera drafted into No. 71 Ferrari to replace drivers affected by Petit Le Mans clash…

Photo: Ferrari

Antonio Fuoco will carry Ferrari’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup drivers’ title hopes this weekend, with the Italian’s co-drivers Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon both absent from the Barcelona championship decider.

Serra and Rigon are driving for Risi Competizione at Motul Petit Le Mans, ruling them out of the GTWC Europe season finale on the same weekend.

Fuoco, Serra and Rigon sit 11 points behind Endurance Cup points leaders Jules Gounon, Raffaele Marciello and Daniel Juncadella, who share an Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

Serra and Rigon’s places in the No. 71 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 will be taken up by Alessandro Pier Guidi and Alessio Rovera.

Pier Guidi is the two-time reigning Endurance Cup drivers’ champion but did not continue into the current GTWC Europe season to concentrate on his other Ferrari factory drives and his development work on the manufacturer’s new LMH and GT3 cars.

Rovera, who won the Pro-Am class at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa with AF Corse, subbed for Serra at the most recent Endurance Cup round due to the Brazilian’s clashing Stock Car Brasil commitments.

Despite missing a race, Serra remained level on points with Rigon and Fuoco because the No. 71 Ferrari failed to score points at the 3 Hours of Hockenheim after contact with its teammate car.

Iron Lynx has also adjusted its No. 51 crew for the Endurance Cup finale, due to James Calado’s presence in the Risi Competizione crew for Petit Le Mans.

Giancarlo Fisichella, who drives for Iron Lynx in the FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Am class, will sub for Calado and team up with Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina.

The provisional 49-car entry list for the 3 Hours of Barcelona shows Iron Lynx with its usual Endurance Cup driver combinations, however the Italian team has called upon Ferrari’s available factory drivers to negotiate the Petit Le Mans clash.

Fuoco has been part of Cetilar Racing’s IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup operation this year, but the AF Corse-run team has drafted in GTWC Europe Sprint Cup Silver champion Ulysse de Pauw for Petit as the 26-year-old bids for the GTWC Europe crown.

Inception Racing McLaren driver Brendan Iribe is set to drive at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday before flying to Spain for Sunday’s GTWC Europe race.

Daniel Lloyd is a UK-based reporter for Sportscar365, covering the FIA World Endurance Championship, Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, among other series.

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