AKKA ASP plots 2020 assault with trio of Mercedes-AMG entries

AKKA ASP plots 2020 assault with trio of Mercedes-AMG entries

AKKA ASP has revealed its full GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS programme for 2020, which will see the leading Mercedes-AMG squad field a trio of cars that feature a number of familiar faces.  

Now entering its 10th year in the series, Jerome Policand's outfit will continue to fight for overall honours with its #88 Mercedes-AMG. The car will be driven by Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavisky in the Sprint Cup, with Brazilian ace Felipe Fraga joining at Endurance rounds. 

All three are well known to AKKA ASP. Acknowledged as one of the fastest GT drivers in the business, proven title-winner Marciello is entering his fourth year with the squad. Boguslavisky and Fraga both showed significant promise last season, winning the Silver title in the Endurance Cup with AKKA ASP, and will now step up to fight for overall honours.  

The team will also field a Pro-Am car in the Endurance championship, with established AKKA ASP man Jim Pla leading the line in the #87 Mercedes-AMG. He will be joined by long-time teammate Jean-Luc Beaubelique and the experienced Fabian Barthez, the latter returning to AKKA ASP following a season with the Tech1 Lexus squad. All three come with winning pedigree in Pro-Am and will be among the favourites for class honours this term. 

Pla will also be active in the Sprint Cup, driving the #89 Mercedes-AMG entry alongside newcomer Benjamin Hites. The Chilean racer will run the full season, forming an Endurance trio alongside Lucas Legeret and Arno Santamato. In both cases, the #89 machine will compete for Silver Cup honours. 

AKKA ASP is among the most experienced teams in GT World Challenge Europe (formerly the Blancpain GT Series) and counts a number of overall and class titles among its past achievements. The French squad will join the rest of this season's competitors at Circuit Paul Ricard for the series' official test days on 12/13 March.