***ROWE Racing has completed its roster for the Monza Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup opener. Full-season drivers Philipp Eng, Alexander Sims and Stef Dusseldorp will be joined by Klaus Graf and BMW factory drivers Lucas Luhr and Dirk Werner on both BMW M6 GT3s. Graf and Luhr join Dusseldorp’s No. 98 entry, while Werner is the third man next to Sims and Eng on the No. 99 M6 GT3.
***Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has called upon the services of Corvette factory ace Antonio Garcia to complete its five-car entry for Monza. Garcia replaces the previously announced René Rast in the No. 28 Audi R8 LMS, which will see Will Stevens and Nico Müller share the wheel. Garcia will make two further outings for the team later in the season.
***Mike Parisy will also compete with Saintéloc Racing in the Endurance Cup. The experienced Frenchman was the last name to be added to the lineup in No. 26 Audi R8 LMS, where he’ll meet his Sprint teammate Christopher Haase and fellow countryman Grégory Guilvert.
***Former Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2 racer Marlon Stockinger completes ISR’s Pro lineup, joining Frank Stippler and Filip Salaquarda in the No. 75 Audi, while Bronze-rated Philippe Giauque is the final driver on the previously confirmed Pro-Am Cup entry of Henri Hassid and Franck Perera.
***Blancpain GT will probably enjoy even more media coverage at Monza this weekend, as BBC’s Top Gear presenter Chris Harris has been confirmed in one of the Team Parker Racing Bentleys for the season. Harris is set to compete in the Am Cup with the No. 30 Continental GT3, which he will share with Derek Pierce and Chris Cooper.
***Only two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs will take part in the Italian season opener, both in the Pro-Am Cup. While IMSA Performance’s car will feature a bright yellow Kodak Images livery, it will also mark Attempto Racing’s first competitive outing with the new 911, crewed by Nicolas Armindo, Jürgen Häring and Clement Mateu. The German squad also runs two Lamborghini Huracáns in the Endurance Cup, even three in Sprint Cup.
***As expected, AKKA ASP moved one of its Mercedes-AMG GT3 from the Pro Cup to the Pro Am Cup, with Michael Lyons, Daniele Perfetti and Laurent Cazenave set to race the No. 89 car.
***This switch sees the total number of entries in the top class drop to 25, while the overall number of entries has remained at 57. All seats in the Pro Cup are now taken, while the Konrad Motorsport entered Lamborghini Huracán (Pro-Am) is the only car left without any designated drivers. Click here to download the latest version of the Monza entry list.