Engel and Auer secure GTWC Sprint Cup title at Catalunya

Text: Rick Kiewiet

Images: SRO

Maro Engel and Lucas Auer have won the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup title after a decisive final race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Winward Racing Team-Mann Filter duo secured their first Sprint Cup titles by finishing fourth in the season finale, sealing both the drivers’ and teams’ championships. Victory in the 60-minute race went to Rutronik Racing’s Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller in the #96 Porsche, marking the manufacturer’s first-ever Sprint Cup win.

Race 1

The opening race at Barcelona on Saturday saw a chaotic start, with a major incident between Reece Barr in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG and Dylan Pereira in the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. The collision sent the Audi into the barriers, igniting a fire that brought out the safety car for an extended period due to heavy rain.

Once racing resumed with just ten minutes remaining, Jules Gounon and Maximilian Götz in the #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG maintained their lead to secure victory. Despite losing ground after a misjudged move earlier in the race, Engel fought back to finish third, edging ahead of their title rivals, Team WRT’s Charles Weerts and Dries Vanthoor, who finished ninth. This gave Engel and Auer a crucial 6.5-point lead heading into Sunday’s decider.

Race 2

Sunday's race saw Niederhauser start from pole and lead the field into turn 1, with Tom Gamble in the #159 Garage 59 McLaren and Mattia Drudi in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin making strong starts from the second row. Engel, starting in the #48 Mercedes-AMG, moved up two positions, taking over fourth. Meanwhile, Weerts had an impressive start from 15th to climb to ninth, but he couldn’t close the gap further.

Niederhauser and Müller executed a smooth pit stop, handing the Porsche over with a comfortable lead. Behind them, a fierce battle for the podium unfolded, with Benjamin Goethe in the #159 McLaren pushing hard against Nicolas Baert in the Aston Martin. Engel’s teammate, Auer, took over for the second stint, holding onto fourth while staying out of trouble to secure the championship. Ultimately, Müller crossed the line nine seconds clear, giving Rutronik Racing a dominant victory. Baert defended to take second, his first overall podium finish alongside Drudi, while Goethe and Garage 59 completed the top three.

By finishing fourth, Engel and Auer clinched the overall Sprint Cup titles. Their nearest rivals, Weerts and Vanthoor in the #32 BMW, finished seventh, confirming their runner-up status. This marked the first Sprint Cup championship for both Engel and Auer, as well as Mercedes-AMG’s first since 2018.

In the Gold Cup, Lorenzo Patrese and Lorenzo Ferrari delivered a flawless performance in the #88 Tresor Attempto Audi, holding off a strong challenge from the #6 Liqui-Moly Team Engstler by OneGroup Audi, which was crowned class champion. Simon Gachet’s early misfortune in the #111 CSA Racing Audi ended his chances of the title after sustaining damage on the opening lap.

The Silver Cup saw Boutsen VDS sweep the weekend as César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis took their second win in the #10 Mercedes-AMG. However, Calan Williams and Team WRT held on to the championship, securing second in class in the finale to give Williams back-to-back Sprint Cup crowns.

Rutronik Racing completed a perfect weekend with a Bronze Cup victory for Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall in the #97 Porsche, besting a determined challenge from the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini. Darren Leung and Dan Harper sealed their second consecutive Bronze Cup title in the #991 Paradine Competition BMW, following their success in last year’s British GT Championship.

While the Sprint Cup has concluded, the season is not over yet. The final titles will be decided in the Endurance Cup, with the last race of the season set to take place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia from 28–30 November.