Winward Mercedes wins 6h of Jeddah, AF Corse secures Endurance cup title

Text: Rick Kiewiet

Images: SRO

The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS season finale in Jeddah delivered quite the spectacle, with the #48 MANN-Filter Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo claiming a commanding victory and Alessandro Pier Guidi and Alessio Rovera pulling off a remarkable comeback to clinch the Endurance Cup title in dramatic fashion.

Daniel Morad, Lucas Auer, and Maro Engel took the lead during the third hour and held it firmly until the checkered flag. Starting from sixth, the #48 Mercedes-AMG gained ground with strategic pit stops and avoided the chaos triggered by incidents and penalties across the grid. Engel crossed the line 7.971 seconds ahead of the #163 Grasser Racing Lamborghini, giving the MANN-Filter squad their first Endurance Cup win since 2016.

The victory also sealed the overall Fanatec GT Europe drivers’ title for Engel and Auer, factoring in their strong Sprint Cup performances earlier in the year.

Pier Guidi's Charge Secures the Title

AF Corse’s #51 Ferrari 296 GT3 faced adversity throughout the race, including a stop-go penalty for track limits violations and a slow pit stop that dropped the car outside the top 10. However, a late Full Course Yellow (FCY) and subsequent Safety Car brought them back into contention.

Alessandro Pier Guidi delivered a breathtaking charge from sixth to third in the final stint, overtaking rivals with great precision. His efforts ensured an eight-point margin in the Endurance Cup drivers’ standings, crowning him champion for the third time and Alessio Rovera for the first. Davide Rigon, absent from the Monza round, joined his teammates in celebrating their remarkable season.

Grasser Racing and WRT Steal Show

The #163 Grasser Racing Lamborghini of Marco Mapelli, Jordan Pepper, and Franck Perera fought valiantly, finishing second and narrowly missing out on the Endurance Cup title. Meanwhile, the #32 BMW Team WRT car of Dries Vanthoor, Charles Weerts and van der Linde delivered a strong fourth-place finish, contributing to WRT’s record-breaking fifth overall teams’ championship.

Class Championships Decided

Saintéloc Racing capped off their stellar season with victories in both the Gold and Silver Cups. The #25 Audi of Jim Pla, Paul Evrard, and Gilles Magnus dominated the Gold Cup to secure their titles, while the #26 Audi triumphed in the Silver Cup.

In the Bronze Cup, Rutronik Racing’s #97 Porsche driven by Dustin Blattner, Loek Hartog, and Dennis Marschall took the race win, but the overall title was retained by Sky-Tempesta Racing’s Chris Froggatt, Jonathan Hui, and Eddie Cheever.

Significant Incidents

The race saw its fair share of disruptions, including a heavy crash in the second hour involving the #111 CSA Racing Audi and the #8 Kessel Racing Ferrari. Arthur Rougier was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation, while Nicolo Schiro escaped unharmed.

A Fitting End to the 2024 Season

Jeddah proved a worthy host for the season finale, with 11,500 fans witnessing a spectacular debut for the venue. The race capped a remarkable season highlighted by memorable events such as the centenary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

As celebrations for 2024 conclude, attention shifts to preparations for 2025, with the official Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard less than 100 days away.