Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe – The Final Word: Magny-Cours

Last weekend’s trip to Magny-Cours was Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS at its very best. Team WRT and Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter shared the overall wins in France, setting up a grandstand finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 11–13 October. Indeed, each of this season’s Sprint Cup titles will be settled at the Spanish venue.

But this was not just about the title battle: it was undoubtedly the most competitive event we have seen at Magny-Cours, producing more wheel-to-wheel action and overtaking than ever. There could hardly be a better advertisement for GT racing than the fight for victory that unfolded on Sunday afternoon, with Lucas Auer, Dries Vanthoor and Maximilian Götz treating spectators to an outstanding three-way contest. With the next Endurance Cup outing at Monza already on the horizon, this is the Final Word on an epic weekend at Magny-Cours.

• Team WRT took Race 1 honours after the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche was penalised for an unsafe release from its pit stop. This was the 16th time that Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts have shared victory since their partnership began in 2020 and the fourth at the wheel of a BMW M4.

• Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter redressed the balance by winning Race 2. Victory for Lucas Auer and Maro Engel reduced the difference between the leaders to just two points. At no stage this season has the gap exceeded seven points, making this one of the closest Sprint Cup title battles ever.

• While they lost the Race 1 win, Rutronik drivers Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller nevertheless secured a maiden Sprint Cup podium on Saturday. This followed a breakthrough Endurance Cup pole last time out at the Nürburgring, hinting at more to come from the German outfit.

• Boutsen VDS claimed a maiden Sprint Cup pole for Race 2. Jules Gounon set the fastest time of the weekend to secure the result, which clearly meant a great deal to the stalwart Fanatec GT Europe squad. The #9 Mercedes-AMG ultimately finished third, despite a spirited effort by Maximilian Götz to fend off the leaders. As with Rutronik, there is a sense of momentum about Boutsen VDS.

• Emil Frey Racing endured its first Sprint Cup weekend this year without a podium and effectively surrendered its title hopes. It could have been very different: Ben Green started Race 1 from pole aboard the #14 Ferrari and was in contention for a podium when Dan Harper nudged him into the gravel, while an opening lap clash ended Konsta Lappalainen’s chances in Race 2.

• The #159 Garage 59 McLaren of Benjamin Goethe and Tom Gamble maintained its record of finishing among the top 10 in every Sprint Cup race this season. The only other entries to achieve this are the #32 BMW and the #48 Mercedes-AMG, which sit first and second in the standings. The British squad qualified second for Race 2 but lost ground to a slow pit stop and ultimately finished fifth.

• Eastalent Racing made its first Sprint Cup appearance following last month’s maiden Endurance outing at the Nürburgring. The Austrian squad drafted in the vastly experienced Christopher Haase, who has now represented seven different teams in Fanatec GT Europe, alongside youngster Simon Reicher. The duo banked a pair of P10 finishes aboard the #84 Audi.

• In the Gold Cup, Tresor Attempto Racing swept the weekend with its #88 Audi. The Italian crew of Lorenzo Patrese and Lorenzo Ferrari has now won three Sprint Cup contests in a row after taking Race 2 honours at Hockenheim. They finished fourth overall in the second outing, matching their team’s best Sprint result of the year.

• CSA Racing banked a pair of runner-up finishes at Magny-Cours, making it the highest scorer among the three Gold Cup title contenders. Simon Gachet and Lucas Légeret sit third in the standings but are just four points off top ahead of the Sprint Cup finale.

• Liqui-Moly Team Engstler by OneGroup took Gold pole for both races for the second Sprint Cup weekend in succession, but could not convert this advantage into a victory. The German squad earned a class podium in the opening contest, but a first-lap collision spoiled its chances in Race 2.

• The #11 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin matched its best Gold Cup finish by coming home fourth in Race 2. James Jakes ran among the overall top 10 during the early stages before handing over to new teammate Sebastian Øgaard. This was the highlight of an otherwise difficult weekend for the Comtoyou Racing squad; indeed, the #11 was the only member of its four-car line-up to start Race 2.

• Madpanda Motorsport returned to the Silver Cup class at Magny-Cours and took an impressive win in Race 1. Ezequiel Perez Companc scored class pole and combined with 16-year-old Sprint Cup newcomer Tom Kalender to secure victory. This was the Argentine squad’s first Silver win since the 2022 finale at Valencia.

• Race 2 honours went to AF Corse with its #71 Ferrari duo of Tom Fleming and Eliseo Donno. This was the third win of the campaign for the youngsters, who retain an outside title chance heading to the finale despite missing the entire Misano meeting.

• Boutsen VDS scored a brace of runner-up finishes to extend its own Silver title chances. The #10 Mercedes-AMG of César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis was four seconds shy of the win in Race 1 and 10 seconds adrift in Race 2. Panis also posted the quickest lap in the second outing.

• Magny-Cours was a relatively low-key event for the #30 Team WRT BMW pairing of Calan Williams and Sam De Haan, though they secured a third-place finish in Race 2 and remain in a commanding position to seal the Silver Cup title. A problem during pre-event testing limited running for the #30 BMW, after which Williams and De Haan were on the back foot.

• Ivan Klymenko scored Race 2 pole in Silver, but his challenge was over after a few corners. The Saintéloc Racing driver was forced wide to avoid the clash between the #14 Ferrari and the #6 Audi, causing him to leave the track at high speed. Fortunately, the Ukrainian was able to walk away unaided.

• Barwell Motorsport triumphed in the opening Bronze Cup contest after penalties for the #991 Century Motorsport BMW and the #97 Rutronik Racing Porsche. It means that Rob Collard and Sandy Mitchell retain a realistic chance of sealing the class title. This was the British squad’s first victory in Sprint since it took Pro-Am honours at Brands Hatch in 2021.

• Rutronik Racing bounced back from the disappointment of losing Race 1 victory by triumphing in the second contest. Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall both looked confident at Magny-Cours, continuing the form that carried them to a maiden Endurance win at the Nürburgring.

• Miguel Ramos was the fastest Bronze driver for a third successive Fanatec GT Europe event, taking class pole for Race 2 aboard the #188 Garage 59 McLaren. After disappointments at Hockenheim and the Nürburgring, his speed was rewarded with a podium alongside Louis Prette. The Monegasque driver also showed well at Magny-Cours to end a frustrating run for the #188 line-up.

• The #991 Century Motorsport BMW finished Race 2 in third spot but was later penalised for causing a collision. As such, the #44 Schumacher CLRT Porsche pairing of Stéphane Denoual and Steven Palette scored a first podium of the year at their home event.

• Ben Green secured his second Sprint Cup pole of the season by leading the way in Qualifying 1. The Emil Frey Racing driver has emerged as a real star this term, earning a front row start at all four events. In Race 2, Jules Gounon gave Boutsen VDS a maiden series pole. Surprisingly, this was also the Mercedes-AMG factory driver’s first Sprint Cup pole position.

• This was without doubt the most action-packed Fanatec GT Europe meeting staged at Magny-Cours. Five of the previous six races had been won from pole, while the other was won from P2 on the grid. In 2024, however, the winners came from sixth and third, while the racing throughout the pack was closer and overtaking more frequent.

• The event drew a bumper attendance of more than 17,000 people, who were treated to beautiful weather from start to finish. The only rainfall came on Saturday evening, after track action had concluded for the day. Fanatec GT Europe was part of a packed schedule, with the FFSA French GT Championship and FFSA French Touring Car Championship also figuring prominently.

• The circuit retains its place on next year’s calendar. Fanatec GT Europe will race at Magny-Cours on 1-3 August 2025, when it will once again be joined by FFSA GT and FFSA TC among other series.

• The next stop on the 2024 schedule is Monza, which stages its familiar three-hour Endurance Cup race on 20-22 September. This is five months later than the event has traditionally run and marks the penultimate stop on the Endurance tour. The Sprint Cup finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya follows three weeks later on 11-13 October.