THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP: BRANDS HATCH

THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP: BRANDS HATCH

The 2021 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup resumed last month at Brands Hatch (28-29 August), making its return to the popular Kent venue for a pair of 60-minute races.

After an absence of more than two years, this was always going to be a special weekend. Fans turned out in numbers and were rewarded with an action-packed event, culminating in the overall Sprint Cup titles being settled with a round to spare. Charles Weerts and Dries Vanthoor retained the drivers’ crown, while WRT captured an unrivalled eighth teams’ championship.

Nevertheless, there is plenty to be decided during the season-closing trip to Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia, with the Pro-Am and Silver Cup titles both going to the wire. Ahead of the trip to Spain on 25-26 September, these are the key stats and stories to emerge from the Brands Hatch weekend.

* * * 

Weerts and Vanthoor achieved a hat-trick of firsts at Brands Hatch: they are the first crew to seal the overall Sprint Cup crown with a round to spare; the first drivers to win this title more than once; and the first to successfully defend the overall Sprint Cup championship following their success in 2020.

 * * *

The Belgian duo looked in control from the opening Sprint Cup event of 2021. They have already achieved four wins this year, the most since fellow Team WRT Audi driver Enzo Ide in 2016, while they could still tie or break record of five. This was achieved by another WRT man, Laurens Vanthoor, in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

* * *

The battle for runner-up spot is led by Maro Engel and Luca Stolz after the #6 Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT pairing finished as runners-up in the opening Brands Hatch contest before securing race 2 victory. This was the German duo's fourth Sprint Cup triumph together: they have shared two wins at Brands (2019 and 2021) and two at Magny-Cours (2020 and 2021).

* * *

Toksport's race 2 win came at the expense of the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG, which led 39 of 40 laps before a last-minute puncture dropped it to fifth. In total, Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy have now led 65 laps this season without yet securing victory. 

* * *

The weekend started in promising fashion for AKKA ASP after the #88 crew swept qualifying. Boguslavskiy secured his first career pole, benefitting from a grid drop for Ben Barnicoat (#38 JOTA McLaren), while Marciello earned his eighth and stretched his record in the series. He is now two clear of Laurens Vanthoor, while Dries Vanthoor is the next best active driver with five.

* * *

The #88 Mercedes-AMG also lost victory in race 1 after its collision with the #38 McLaren. The JOTA-run car had been on course for a maiden series victory until late-race contact between Ollie Wilkinson and Marciello sent the British driver into the barriers. The AKKA ASP man received a post-race penalty for the incident, handing victory to Team WRT. 

* * * 

This was a heart-breaking ending for the JOTA squad, particularly after Barnicoat's stellar opening stint. The McLaren factory star was a second a lap quicker than Boguslavskiy and had built a sizeable advantage by the mid-race pit window. 

* * * 

Though there was significant disappointment for the #88 crew, AKKA ASP received some comfort in the second race as the #89 Mercedes-AMG of Jules Gounon and Petru Umbrarescu secured a maiden series podium. The 2021 campaign has been difficult for the #89 duo, though there have been signs of progress at recent events and a top-three finish was a fitting reward.

* * *

In both races, Silver Cup victory went to the same squad that won overall: the #31 Team WRT Audi triumphed in the opening contest, matching the sister #32; while the #7 Toksport WRT Mercedes-AMG earned race 2 honours after the #6 had triumphed overall.

* * * 

Frank Bird and Ryuichiro Tomita ensured that Team WRT became only the second Silver Cup squad after Emil Frey Racing to score an overall podium this season. However, the pair did not have the chance to stand on the rostrum as the result followed penalties for the #88 Mercedes-AMG and the #14 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini, both of which finished ahead on the road.

* * * 

After a difficult opening weekend, Bird and Tomita have since enjoyed an excellent season in the #31 Audi. The Anglo-Japanese pair sit an excellent sixth in the overall Sprint Cup standings ahead of the finale.

* * *

Toksport WRT bagged its first Silver Cup win of the season in race 2. The German squad has hit a rich vein of form over the second half of the campaign, including class podiums at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa and the most recent Endurance Cup round at the Nürburgring. 

* * * 

Despite a difficult weekend at Brands Hatch, Alex Fontana (#14 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini) heads to the finale with a lead of 17.5 points over the #31 Audi crew of Bird/Tomita, while Tunjo/Puhakka are a further four in arrears. Fontana will also clinch the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Silver Cup title at Valencia so long as he and Ricardo Feller share the #14 Lamborghini.

* * *

Barwell Motorsport produced a perfect weekend at Brands Hatch, establishing the Lamborghini squad as the clear favourite for the Pro-Am title. Miguel Ramos and Henrique Chaves secured a brace of pole positions and converted them into two race wins, taking maximum points from the British event.

* * * 

This was the first time since Misano in 2019 that a team has swept a weekend. On that occasion, the #444 HB Racing Ferrari took two wins from pole in the Am Cup class.

* * * 

Four squads remain in contention for the Pro-Am title ahead of the finale. Barwell leads the way on 103.5 points, followed by Garage 59 (89.5), SPS Automotive Performance (88.5) and AF Corse (83). This quartet represent four different brands: Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari.

* * * 

Though the points battle remains close, the #77 crew of Ramos/Chaves has been dominant this season. The Barwell squad has earned five wins from eight races, while Garage 59, SPS Automotive Performance and AF Corse each have one victory.

* * *

Two drivers made their Sprint Cup debuts at Brands Hatch. Kevin Tse joined RAM Racing, sharing the wheel of the #8 Mercedes-AMG with the returning Adam Christodoulou. Max Hofer had his first Sprint Cup outing with Attempto Racing, having previously driven for the Audi squad in the Endurance Cup.

* * *

The Sprint Cup will conclude next weekend with a pair of 60-minute races at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia (24-26 September). As was the case at Brands Hatch, the event will play out over two days. Free Practice, Pre-Qualifying and Qualifying will all run on Saturday, while the racing action takes place on Sunday.

* * * 

Unlike the other four Sprint Cup circuits, the Spanish venue is a new addition to the calendar. With several teams and drivers set for their first visit to the track, an extra degree of uncertainty will be added to the Silver Cup and Pro-Am title battles. 

* * *