– Cresswell and Hart claim twin wins, and the Silver lead, for Elite McLaren
– Beltramelli and Bottemanne ensure the Pro-Am title fight goes on
– Am honours shared as all three drivers’ titles go to the final round
– Scintillating GT World event draws 26,000 fans to Zandvoort
All three of this season’s GT4 European Series drivers’ titles will go down to the wire after an absorbing two races at Zandvoort that favoured the chasers rather than the leaders.
Elite Motorsport McLaren pair McKenzy Cresswell and Charlie Hart came into the event lying third in the Silver points, but a near-perfect weekend has elevated them to the head of the championship with just the season finale in Portimão to go.
Likewise Pro-Am’s fight continues after Viny Beltramelli and Sacha Bottemanne completed a perfect event, scoring two poles and both class wins in their Team Speedcar Audi to deny Schubert Motorsport the chance to seal the crown early.
Both races took place in front of a huge crowd of 26,000 fans as GT4 Europe played warm-up to a record 45-car GT World Challenge Sprint Cup entry. Fans were also treated to a pit lane autograph session, open paddocks and a busy Fan Zone including interactive entertainments, supercar displays, a DJ and all of the action live on the big screen.
HART AND CRESSWELL SNATCH THE MOMENTUM
Two classy performances from the #78 McLaren could not have come at a better time for Cresswell and Hart, who became the first drivers to knock SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm drivers Enrico Förderer and Cedric Fuchs off the top of the Silver points table.
Recent rounds have not gone to plan for the #111 Mercedes-AMG, but this was the toughest so far for the German aces, with Förderer and Fuchs scoring just three points across the two races, opening the door for Elite to make massive gains.
Cresswell and Hart showed they can win from a variety of scenarios, with Hart climbing the order from third on the grid in Race 1 before he and Cresswell inherited the first victory of the weekend after the sister Elite Artura was penalised for speeding in the pits. No such fortune would be needed for Race 2, with Cresswell qualifying on pole but settling into second after a close call with Paul Petit’s Audi at the start. Cresswell kept the car well in the hunt before handing to Hart, who rejoined and attacked the leading TeamFloral Ford Mustang before pulling an impressive pass for the win to ram home the pair’s title credentials and propel them into a 16-point championship lead.
TeamFloral drivers Sam Paley and impressive GT4 Europe newcomer Kiano Blum scored the best result of the season so far for a Ford Mustang with second in Race 2. However the title of kings of overtaking went to Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport’s Thomas Rackl and Gabriele Piana, who rose 15 places from their grid slot to score the Turkish team’s first GT4 Europe podium at Zandvoort in the finale.
TEAM SPEEDCAR DOUBLE KEEPS PRO-AM CHAMPAGNE ON ICE
Schubert Motorsport drivers Joakim Walde and Victor Bouveng came to Zandvoort hoping to wrap-up the Pro-Am title early, but Beltramelli and Bottemanne firmly denied them.
While Walde and Bouveng endured an off-colour weekend with a spin and a tight battle in traffic restricting them to their worst points score of the year, Beltramelli and Bottemanne proved unshakable on their way to both poles and both class wins. The results mean they have more than halved Schubert’s points advantage, now trailing by just 30pts ahead of the final two races.
Mikael and Christoffer Brunnhagen (Gazoo Racing Sweden Supra) and Daniel Blickle and Max Kronberg (W&S Motorsport Porsche) took an Am win each, but the title momentum was shifted firmly toward Blickle after the #55 Supra was disqualified from the second race for a technical infringement.
The GT4 Europe season finale will take place at Portimão in Portugal over the weekend of October 16-18.