GTWC Europe - Round 5 : Double-win in Barcelona

AF-Corse Francorchamps Motors scored a double-win in the final round of the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup held today in Barcelona. The 296 GT3s of AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors achieved their best season result in the SRO series, with Rovera-Nielsen-Shwartzman taking first place and Fuoco-Rigon-Serra second.

The race was punctuated by the entry of no less than five Safety Cars, that followed an equal number of Full-Course Yellows, the first of which wiped out the 11-second-plus advantage accumulated by the two Ferraris driven by Rovera and Serra after powering into the race lead with a brilliant start. After entering the pit lane first and second at the first driver change, the 296 GT3s driven by Shwartzman and Rigon had to contend with Mercedes numbers 777 and 88. A longer Full Course Yellow because of oil on the last part of the track just under an hour from the chequered flag re-compacted the group before the final confrontation kicked off, with 19 minutes left after a further Safety Car. Behind provisional leader Stolz, who in the meantime received a five-second penalty to add to his overall race time due to a collision in the early stages, Nielsen and Fuoco, who had taken over from their teammates, took no unnecessary risks in managing their lead over the Mercedes driver, crossing the finish line in first and second overall.

What a way to end the season!