WRT Duo Head Record 45-Car Magny-Cours Sprint Cup Entry

Photo: SRO/JEP

Reigning GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS champions Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts head a record 45-car Sprint Cup entry for this weekend’s Magny-Cours event.

The Sprint Cup competitors waited over two months between the Brands Hatch opener and the second round at Misano earlier this month, but just two weeks on they are now back in action in France.

WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO duo van der Linde and Weerts were unstoppable at Misano, winning both races to open a 14.5-point lead over Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo drivers Maro Engel and Lucas Auer at the head of the field.

The 45-strong entry for Magny-Cours is bolstered by the addition of a Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II tackling the Bronze Cup division with International GT Open pairing Jim Pla — who won the 2024 Endurance Cup Gold title with the squad — and Michael Blanchemain at the wheel.

However, the Razoon – more than racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo did not tackle the previous event and does not currently have any drivers listed for it for the third round either.

Other tweaks to this weekend’s entry list include Porsche factory driver Alessio Picariello partnering Dorian Boccolacci in the No. 2 Boutsen VDS machine with Morris Schuring away competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Picariello is a regular alongside that duo for the team in the Endurance Cup.

There is also a third different driver in three rounds partnering Aliaksandr Malykhin in the No. 9 Pure Rxcing Porsche, with European Le Mans Series LMP3 racer Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen stepping into the role this weekend for his GT3 debut.

Elsewhere, Jules Gounon will continue alongside Dani Juncadella in the No. 3 Verstappen Racing 2 Seas-run Mercedes-AMG as Chris Lulham is again absent after having his appendix removed.

The Gold Cup division continues to be headed by the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Tommaso Mosca and Matias Zagazeta into Magny-Cours, with an eight-point advantage over the No. 58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo of Tom Fleming and Louis Prette, who were twice class runners-up at Misano.

A WRT pairing also leads the way in the Silver ranks with the No. 30 BMW of Ignacio Montenegro and Matisse Lismont taking a second win last time out to enjoy a 15.5-point gap to second-placed Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo drivers Jamie Day and Mateo Villagomez.

The Bronze Cup season only began at Misano and it is the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG of Marvin Dienst and Rinat Salikhov that holds the early advantage.

The first of the two 60-minute races at Magny-Cours this weekend will take place in darkness on Saturday night before Sunday’s second bout is a conventional daylight contest.

Source: Sports Car 365