Weekend notebook: wins and podiums in Germany and UK

At Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Jack Aitken secured fourth place in Race-2 driving the Ferrari 296 GT3. In Germany, on the Hockenheim circuit in the International GT Open, AF Corse took a win and a third-place finish in the Am class with the number 21 Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Gino Forgione and Michele Rugolo. Olimp Racing claimed the runner-up place in the same category with their Ferrari. In Race-1, the number 17 Ferrari 296 GT3, entered by Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering, finished in third place overall. Again at the German circuit, MERTEL Motorsport claimed victory in the GT Cup Europe with the number 80 Ferrari 296 Challenge, alongside other podium finishes. In the GT Cup Championship, the Ferrari 296 Challenge from SB Race Engineering secured a win in the GTO class. 

DTM. The Dutch circuit at Zandvoort hosted the third round of the DTM championship. In Race-1, contested on Saturday, the three Ferrari 296 GT3s from Emil Frey Racing finished outside the top ten, with Thierry Vermeulen unable to cross the line. Race-2 saw an improved performance from the Maranello-based manufacturer’s cars, despite the changeable weather. Rain fell until just minutes before the start, forcing drivers to begin on rain tyres before switching to slicks when the track was dry. Ferrari’s best result came courtesy of Jack Aitken in the number 14 car, who finished fourth and also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1’33”782. Home driver Thierry Vermeulen crossed the line in 13th place in the number 69 Ferrari, while Ben Green finished 17th in the number 10 entry. The next round is set for 4–6 July at the Norisring circuit. 

International GT Open. Ferrari teams also enjoyed success at the third round of the International GT Open, contested at Germany’s Hockenheimring circuit. In Race-1, the number 17 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering, driven by Tom Lebbon and Tom Emson, claimed third place overall. In Race-2, the same pairing took fourth place.

The number 21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Gino Forgione and Michele Rugolo, delivered a strong performance in the Am class, claiming third place in Race-1 and victory in Race-2. They were joined on the podium by the number 5 Ferrari of Olimp Racing, with Stanislaw Jedliński and Krystian Korzeniowski securing second place. 

In the Pro class, the number 51 AF Corse entry of Carl Bennett and Tommaso Mosca finished seventh in Race-1 and sixth in the second outing. In the Pro-Am class, the number 55 AF Corse 296 GT3 of Laurent De Meeus and Jamie Stanley improved from eighth place in Race-1 to fifth on Sunday. The number 80 Ferrari of MERTEL Motorsport, crewed by Andrea Montermini and Luca Ludwig, finished in 13th and 23rd place overall in the two races.

The International GT Open returns from 5 to 6 July with the Hungaroring leg.

GT Cup Europe. Round three of the GT Cup Europe also took place at the Hockenheim circuit, where the number 83 Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo from MERTEL Motorsport, driven by Matteo Luvisi and Davide Larini, crossed the line in second place in Race-1. In the Pro-Am class, the number 82 Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo of MERTEL Motorsport, with Mauro Trentin and Tommaso Lovati, secured third place, ahead of their teammates Fernando Navarrete and Manuel Cañizares in the number 19 car.

Race-2 saw victory for the number 80 Ferrari 296 Challenge of MERTEL Motorsport, driven by Luca Demarchi and Simone Patrinicola. The pair also topped the Silver class and set the fastest lap of the race in 1’42”436. 

The next round of the championship is scheduled for 19–20 July at Paul Ricard.

GT Cup Championship. Snetterton hosted the third round of the GT Cup Championship. The number 28 Ferrari 296 Challenge of SB Race Engineering, driven by Paul Bailey and David Brabham, finished sixth overall in Race-1 and first in the GTO class. The crew did not participate in Race-2. The next round is scheduled for 2–3 August at the Silverstone circuit.