Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS – Porsche still out front as season builds towards grandstand finish

Porsche retains its position atop the Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Manufacturer Ranking table as the season enters its final third, with the battle for global supremacy looking increasingly likely to go to the wire.

There is little to choose between the current points leader and defending five-time champion Mercedes-AMG, while Ferrari, Audi and BMW are locked in a battle for the final step on the podium. The most recent run of races began over the weekend of 20/21 July, with Fanatec GT Europe competing at Hockenheim and Fanatec GT America heading to Virginia International Raceway.

The trip to southwest Germany marked the halfway point of both the European campaign and the Fanatec GT Manufacturer Ranking schedule. This event was staged in sweltering summer temperatures, providing an extra test for drivers, team personnel and circuit workers alike.

The same three teams occupied the overall podium in both races, the first time this has happened in the European series since the closing event of 2019. The victories were shared by Mercedes-AMG (Winward Racing) and Ferrari (Emil Frey Racing), while BMW banked a pair of P2 finishes thanks to Team WRT.

Ferrari also triumphed in the Silver Cup with AF Corse, while Audi (Tresor Attempto Racing) and Lamborghini (Liqui-Moly Team Engstler by OneGroup) picked up the Gold Cup spoils. But the biggest winner was BMW, which earned a bumper haul of 1,111 points thanks to a Silver Cup triumph for Team WRT and a Bronze Cup sweep courtesy of Century Motorsport.

Across the pond, Fanatec GT America was making its annual appearance at Virginia International Raceway. Better known as VIR, the circuit is among the most picturesque on the calendar. Against a backdrop of rolling Virginia countryside, a pair of Pro-Am squads secured their first wins of 2024. GMG Racing took the opening contest with its Porsche, while Regulator Racing triumphed for Mercedes-AMG in the second outing.

Porsche edged the weekend with a score of 477 points, while BMW was close behind on 424 after the M4 GT3 earned a pair of runner-up finishes in Pro-Am thanks to ST Racing. With the doubleheader weekend complete, Porsche held on to its slender advantage over Mercedes-AMG, while Ferrari, Audi and BMW remained just within sight of the leaders. There was no time to reflect on the situation, however, as just one week later Fanatec GT Europe was back in action at the Nürburgring.

Located in the Eifel mountains, the German venue is as famous for its vast motorsport heritage as it is infamous for unpredictable weather, which can include four seasons during a single event. Indeed, the Fanatec GT Europe round began with mist and rain on Friday and Saturday, followed by blue skies and sunshine on Sunday. This added to the excitement of the three-hour contest, which saw Lamborghini take its first Endurance Cup win since 2021 thanks to Grasser Racing.

With the Pro field featuring 20 cars the Italian brand earned a major points haul, though it was Porsche that bagged the biggest score thanks to a Bronze Cup win for Rutronik Racing, as well as Pro and Silver Cup podiums. There were further wins for Audi in the Gold Cup thanks to Saintéloc Racing, while Mercedes-AMG prevailed in the Silver Cup with Boutsen VDS.

Porsche left the Nürburgring with an extended advantage over Mercedes-AMG, but the momentum would shift once again when Fanatec GT Australia visited Queensland Raceway. Nicknamed “The Paperclip”, the 3.1km circuit hosted the fourth round of the 2024 campaign and saw Audi on top with 668 points thanks to Pro-Am wins for Team BRM and Melbourne Performance Centre.

Mercedes-AMG also took advantage with Am victories for Black Wolf Motorsport and RAM Motorsport, netting 630 points in the process. Porsche picked up a win in the Trophy class, though with two cars entered this could not prevent a major loss to Mercedes-AMG. Indeed, its lead was reduced to 395 points – next to nothing in Fanatec GT Manufacturer Ranking terms.

Two weeks later Fanatec GT America was back in action at Road America. Located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the venue is widely considered to be the finest natural terrain road course in North America. With a layout that has barely changed since the facility opened in the fifties, it is also among the most challenging.

BMW emerged as the top scorer from the weekend, led by Turner Motorsport bagging the opening Pro-Am win. ST Racing maintained its class advantage by securing runner-up spot in Race 2, which brought a ninth podium from a possible 10 for the pairing of Samantha Tan and Neil Verhagen. Porsche also scored well thanks to a brace of Pro podiums for Wright Motorsports, recovering some of its advantage in the process.

The recent flurry of races concluded with the only triple header of the season, which saw the Asian, Australian and European series in action over the weekend of 24/25 August. Always a front-runner in Fanatec GT Asia, Porsche maximised its potential when the series visited Okayama, banking almost double the points of its closest challenger.

Its score was helped by a Silver-Am sweep. Origine Motorsport duo Bob Yuan and Leo Ye Hongli wrapped up the class title with a round to spare, while Korean squad Vollgas Motorsport earned a maiden victory. Audi picked up the most wins, with Team Absolute triumphing in Pro-Am and Silver while FAW completed a sweep of the latter class. Lamborghini earned a Pro-Am triumph, while Ferrari (Garage 75) and Mercedes-AMG (Climax Racing) shared the spoils in Am.

It was an important weekend for Fanatec GT Australia, which staged the inaugural GT Festival at Phillip Island. The event offered free entry to spectators and began with a convoy of GT3 cars crossing the San Remo bridge during an 18km journey from the mainland to the track. They were led by Le Mans 24 Hours winner David Brabham, who made his Fanatec GT Australia debut at the Victoria venue.

Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari and Audi were closely matched in terms of points, the Affalterbach marque just edging the weekend thanks to RAM Motorsport’s run to victory in the second Am class contest. The Italian brand swept to a pair of overall wins thanks to Arise Racing, which triumphed with a different crew in each race. Audi picked up an Am win via Tigani Motorsport, while Porsche was a distant third after a pair of Trophy class wins for Scott Taylor Motorsport.

Finally, in France, Fanatec GT Europe staged its penultimate Sprint Cup round of the year at Magny-Cours. It proved to be a remarkably competitive meeting, with fewer than 100 points covering the top four brands. Audi emerged on top after Tresor Attempto Racing swept the Gold Cup class with its R8, while BMW (Team WRT) and Mercedes-AMG (Winward Racing) shared the Pro wins in what was without doubt the series’ most entertaining event at Magny-Cours.

Mercedes-AMG was victorious in Silver with Madpanda Motorsport, sharing the spoils with Ferrari (AF Corse). Porsche also enjoyed a profitable weekend thanks to Rutronik Racing, which split Bronze Cup honours with Lamborghini squad Barwell Motorsport.

Despite a packed summer of GT3 racing, the situation at the top of the global standings has not changed significantly. Porsche leads the way on 15,470 points, while Mercedes-AMG remains well within striking distance on 15,043. Audi Sport (12,830), Ferrari (12,798) and BMW (11,132) look to be fighting over third spot, followed by Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren and Ford.

There are now just eight race weekends remaining in 2024, with action resuming on 7/8 September when Fanatec GT America travels to Barber Motorsports Park. The following weekend will see Fanatec GT Asia competing at Shanghai International Circuit, while Fanatec GT Europe heads to historic Monza on 21/22 September. The next Australian event takes place at Sydney Motorsports Park on 19/20 October.

HOW ARE GLOBAL POINTS SCORED?
SRO Motorsports Group must account for varying degrees of manufacturer participation across each continent when calculating global Fanatec GT World Challenge points.

As such, points are awarded based on the position of each manufacturer’s leading car per category (Overall, Pro-Am, Am etc) in every race.

Points for Sprint races of up to 90 minutes are based on the standard allocation (25 – 18 – 15 – 12 – 10 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 2 – 1). This allocation doubles for races lasting between three and 12 hours and is multiplied by four after the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

The points scored per brand are then multiplied by the number of cars competing in that category. Therefore, a win in a category with five cars competing is worth less than one where 20 cars are entered.

No cars are removed from the classification – if the top six cars are from a single brand, the next brand will score points for seventh. These points are added across the categories and races to give the manufacturers’ global score.