• Stellar entry list confirmed for Endurance Cup finale
• All titles must be decided at high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit
• Provisional Entry List: 6 Hours of Jeddah
The sun will set on the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS campaign next weekend (28-30 November) when a 49-car field tackles a six-hour Endurance Cup race at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The waterfront venue will welcome the world's most competitive GT series for a spectacular event, culminating in the season-deciding SAL Jeddah GT Race getting underway on the evening of Saturday 30 November.
A host of teams’ and drivers’ titles must be decided, while the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club will also conclude its campaign with a pair of one-hour races. It promises to be a dazzling sign-off from an outstanding 2024 season.
PRO: Six manufacturers represented in titanic title decider
The battle for the overall Endurance Cup drivers' title could hardly be any closer, particularly between the top three crews. Comtoyou Racing leads the way with its #7 Aston Martin line-up of Thiim/Sørensen/Drudi, who will aim to add championship glory to their CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa triumph.
Alessandro Pier Guidi and Alessio Rovera (AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors) are just three points back and are once again joined in the #51 Ferrari by Vincent Abril. The Tresor Attempto Racing trio of Feller/Haase/Aka is also three points off the top thanks to a brilliantly consistent campaign aboard the #99 Audi.
With extra points on offer for the six-hour contest, there are plenty more contenders for the title. The #163 Grasser Racing Lamborghini crew of Mapelli/Pepper/Perera is 15 points off the lead after securing victory at the Nürburgring. There are also four BMW squads in contention, led by the #998 ROWE Racing entry that won the season opener at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Team WRT has two chances thanks to its #32 and #46 crews, while the sister #30 OQ by Oman Racing outfit adds a Bronze Cup line-up to the title picture following its remarkable overall triumph at Monza. Mercedes-AMG has an outside shot at retaining the crown through either Boutsen VDS or GetSpeed, while Iron Lynx can also spring a surprise with its #63 Lamborghini.
A further nine squads will look to end the year on a high in Jeddah. There are a trio of Porsche crews from Schumacher CLRT, Rutronik Racing and Pure Rxcing, while Garage 59 has a pair of McLaren entries as its #188 moves up from the Bronze Cup to join the #159 trio. Walkenhorst Motorsport (#34 Aston Martin), Proton Competition (#64 Ford) and AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors (#71 Ferrari) add even more variety to a stacked Pro field.
Finally, the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter entry will be shared by Maro Engel, Lucas Auer and Daniel Morad. Though the Endurance crown is out of reach, Engel and Auer will compete for the overall Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS drivers’ title in Jeddah. They trail Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (#32 Team WRT BMW) by seven points heading into the finale.
GOLD & SILVER: Saintéloc looking to seal Gold Cup glory, Silver Cup already settled
Saintéloc Racing will head to Jeddah with only one objective: securing the Gold Cup crown. Following wins at Circuit Paul Ricard and the Nürburgring, the #25 Audi of Magnus/Evrard/Pla needs to finish sixth or better to put the title beyond the reach of its rivals. Mercedes-AMG squads AlManar Racing by GetSpeed (Al Zubair/Baumann/Grenier) and HRT (Maini/Owega/Beretta) will aim to stop the French squad.
Four more cars will compete for Gold Cup honours at the finale. There is further Audi representation from Tresor Attempto Racing and CSA Racing, while Comtoyou Racing will field the #21 Aston Martin, and Lamborghini squad Imperiale Racing makes its first Endurance outing with the trio of Lind/Di Folco/Denes.
The Silver Cup was settled at Monza in favour of Arrow/Caresani/Sathienthirakul (#57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG). With the championship secure, they will not compete in Jeddah. The battle for runner-up spot is led by CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa winner GetSpeed (Mettler/Kell/Bartone) and fellow Mercedes-AMG squad Boutsen VDS (Panis/Gazeau/Muth).
Tresor Attempto Racing will field an additional car in the Silver Cup, with the all-Italian trio of Mazzola/Delli Guanti/Cola sharing the #33 Audi. The class also includes entries from Comtoyou Racing (#12 Aston Martin), Grasser Racing (#19 Lamborghini), Saintéloc Racing (#26 Audi), Walkenhorst Motorsport (#35 Aston Martin) and Dinamic GT (#55 Porsche).
BRONZE: Everything to play for in ultra-close title fight
The Bronze Cup is even more difficult to predict than the overall title battle. At the top of the standings, Sky Tempesta Racing is bidding to clinch a second successive Endurance Cup crown – and could once again do so without winning a race. The trio of Froggatt/Hui/Cheever is eight points clear of fellow Ferrari squad AF Corse heading into the decider.
Max Hofer and Andrey Mukovoz sit third and will be rejoined by Dylan Pereira in the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Following their historic overall win at Monza, the OQ by Oman Racing crew of Al Harthy/De Haan/Klingmann are also in the title hunt. The other contenders come from Kessel Racing (#8 Ferrari), Comtoyou Racing (#11 Aston Martin), Rutronik Racing (#97 Porsche) and Paradine Competition (#991 BMW).
There is plenty more talent beyond the title protagonists. Barwell Motorsport will field a pair of Lamborghini entries and is still in contention to seal the combined Bronze Cup crown. Lionspeed GP and Herberth Motorsport will each run a Porsche, while Walkenhorst Motorsport (#36 Aston Martin), Garage 59 (#158 McLaren) and Rinaldi Racing (#333 Ferrari) complete the final entry list of 2024.
Note: The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Overall and Bronze Cup classifications will remain provisional pending an appeal against Race 1 of the Sprint Cup meeting at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The final Sprint Cup classification also remains provisional.
TIMETABLE (Central European Time +2 hours)
THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER
Official Paid Test Session 1 – 14:15–15:45
Official Paid Test Session 2 – 17:15–18:45
Bronze Test – 20:45–21:45
FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER
Free Practice – 15:30-17:30
Pre-Qualifying – 20:15-21:15 LIVE TV
SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER
Qualifying – 11:45-12:45 LIVE TV
6 Hours of Jeddah – 17:00-23:00 LIVE TV
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ALSO RACING
• GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club (2x 60-minute races)
• Saudi Supercar Club: Lead & Follow (4x 30-minute sessions)
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HOW TO WATCH
Extensive live coverage will be available on the GT World YouTube channel. This is free to view around the globe and includes start-to-finish action from every Fanatec GT Europe race. Click here for more information.