Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe – The Final Word: 6 Hours of Jeddah

The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS season concluded on Saturday night with a breathless six-hour race at the incredible Jeddah Corniche Circuit,

This was an entirely new event for the series, but it ended in familiar fashion with a 30-minute dash to the flag. For some the outcome was on a knife-edge, with a single position the difference between winning and losing a title.

The track drew universal praise from the drivers, while the spectators in attendance displayed enormous enthusiasm for GT racing. This is the final word on the 6 Hours of Jeddah – and the 2024 Fanatec GT Europe season.

Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter produced a faultless performance to take victory in Jeddah, which secured the overall series drivers’ title for Maro Engel and Lucas Auer. They were partnered by Daniel Morad, who like Auer earned his maiden Endurance Cup win on Saturday night.

Engel, meanwhile, bagged his first Endurance Cup win since clinching victory at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2018. This was also the 10th outright victory for Mercedes-AMG, drawing the Affalterbach marque level with Audi. Only BMW, which has 12 overall Endurance Cup wins, is more successful.

AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors took home the Endurance Cup titles, though it was by no means a simple race. The #51 Ferrari required a well-timed Full-Course Yellow to leap back up the order, showing stellar speed thereafter. Afterwards, the drivers reflected that they were due some good fortune after losing victory at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

AF Corse drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi and Alessio Rovera wrote a small piece of history by becoming the first team to clinch the overall Endurance Cup title without winning a race. They finished ninth at Circuit Paul Ricard, second at Spa-Francorchamps, eighth at the Nürburgring, third at Monza and third again in Jeddah.

Grasser Racing looked to be heading towards the title for much of the race, only to miss out when the #51 Ferrari returned to the front of the pack. It was cruel luck for the crew of Mapelli/Perpper/Perera, who have been extremely fast all season.

Notably, the #51 Ferrari and the #163 Lamborghini were the only cars to complete every lap of the Endurance Cup season, covering 901 in total. The #163 Lamborghini had the best average qualifying time of 2024, ahead of the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche and the #51 Ferrari.

Saintéloc Racing produced a perfect performance in Jeddah, triumphing in both the Gold Cup and Silver Cup with its Audi entries. The former was won by the #25 of Magnus/Evrard/Pla, who earned a dominant class title in the process. They conclude the season with a record of three wins and two runner-up finishes.

In the Silver Cup, the #26 Audi led its class for the duration, benefitting from the experience of Ezequiel Perez Companc and Lucas Légeret, as well as the impressively fast Kobe Pauwels. This trio had not previously shared a car, but showed no sign of it in Jeddah.

The Silver Cup title was settled last time out at Monza in favour of Arrow/Caresani/Sathienthirakul (Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG). Perez Companc secured runner-up in both the Endurance Cup and overall Silver standings thanks to his win in Jeddah.

Rutronik Racing stormed to a second Endurance victory of the season and captured the overall Bronze Cup teams’ title. It capped a very impressive campaign for the German team, which also claimed a pair of Sprint Cup triumphs.

The Sky Tempesta Racing crew of Hui/Froggatt/Cheever achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Bronze Cup Endurance title without taking a podium. The #93 Ferrari finished sixth in Jeddah, enough to narrowly secure a second successive Endurance crown as well as the overall class titles.

Since joining the series in 2019, the Tempesta squad has won a total of 10 titles and secured an invite for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Save for a handful of instances, its line-up of Hui/Froggatt/Cheever has been unchanged.

CSA Racing driver Arthur Rougier suffered a heavy impact with the barriers during the early phase of the 6 Hours of Jeddah. After being transferred to hospital for checks, the Frenchman posted on Instagram that he had suffered “minimal fractures” and would not require surgery. He expects to be fully fit for the 2025 season.

It was announced during the Jeddah weekend that CSA Racing will switch to McLaren next term with a two-car programme, one of which will be entered in the Pro class. Rougier is a likely candidate to be part of the driving strength for the new partnership.

As well as the Fanatec GT Europe action, the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club was also on-track at Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The event featured the Saudi Supercar Club, as well as autograph sessions and pitlane walks.

The countdown is already on for the 2025 season. In less than 100 days, the paddock will reconvene at Circuit Paul Ricard for the traditional Prologue (10/11 March). One month later, the same venue will kick off the competitive action on 11–13 April. Like last weekend’s finale in Jeddah, the 2025 opener will be a six-hour race into the sunset.