March 4, 2025 | GT4 Winter Series
The primary goal for Elite Motorsport and overall points leader McKenzy Cresswell was increasing the championship advantage.
In the first race, the opposite occurred, as the SR Motorsport team claimed the first P1. Enrico Forderer drove a magnificent race in the Mercedes-AMG GT4, winning by just a second over McKenzy Cresswell. A 32-point deficit between the pair was now down to just 25.
The overall rostrum was rounded out by Baudouin Detout, as Racing Spirit of Leman finally claimed its first podium of the season in the Aston Martin Vantage AMR Evo.
Joachim Bolting won the PRO-AM class, as the eccentric German moved up from AM by dint of sharing with Plusline Racing Team’s Peter Terting. Michael Sander took the win in Cayman Trophy.
Race 2:
Race two was a markedly different race than the first, thanks in no small part to the heavens opening overnight above Motorland Aragon.
With a shift in conditions came a shift in the pecking order, as the SR Motorsport Mercedes looked far less compliant in the hands of Jay Mo Hartling. The opposite could be said for the W&S Motorsport Porsche Cayman of Alon Gabbay, who made short work of ascending from sixth on the grid to the race lead. Gabbay set about building a lead, driving away from all-comers including second-placed Tom Lebbon in the Elite McLaren Artura.
A late safety car was triggered to collect the AM class W&S Motorsport entry driven by Daniel Blickle. Thankfully, this did not cause an issue for Gabbay, who still secured his first win of the season. Tom Lebbon finished second ahead of Jay Mo Hartling, clawing back three points of the championship lead cushion for Elite.
SVG Motorsport’s Owen Hizzey thrived in the rain once again to take the PRO-AM win and fourth overall. He finished just ahead of Cedric Fuchs, who also used the tricky conditions to his advantage in the Cayman Trophy class.
Race 3:
In the 60-minute pitstop race, Elite Motorsport’s Cresswell and Lebbon started from pole position. Cresswell performed the opening stint, and despite an early challenge from RAFA Racing by Race Lab’s Callum Davies, he would soon drive away at the front.
Enrico Forderer, who shared the front row with Cresswell, found himself as low as sixth at the end of the first lap. With the conditions still somewhat greasy, and low ambient temperatures, the Mercedes appeared to struggle for grip early on. He would soon begin moving up the order, and handed the car over to Hartling in fourth place, behind the Race Lab McLaren of Charlie Hart, and second-placed Baudouin Detout (Racing Spirit of Leman).
The three would battle for much of the second stint. Shortly after losing two positions in the fight, Detout had a spin courtesy of what looked to be a small issue with the brakes. However, he gathered up the car and continued, finishing fourth.
Hart would settle for third after an intense sparring match with Hartling, who finished in second. At the front, Cresswell and Lebbon eventually held a 15-second lead, dominating the third race and extending Cresswell’s points advantage to 35.
Marc Elman and Owen Hizzey secured the PRO-AM victory after Joachim Bolting and Peter Terting amassed 45 seconds of track limit penalties, while Luisa Kahler claimed the Cayman Trophy win for herself and Michael Sander. Kahler fought throughout the final half of the race with fellow SR Motorsport driver Cedric Fuchs for the class win.
Barcelona: Largest entry of the season for the GT4s, as the title is decided
In the GT4 Winter Series, only SR Motorsport can dethrone Elite’s McKenzy Cresswell in the overall title fight. Forderer and Hartling will need a strong weekend, and a dip in fortunes for Cresswell and Elite, who are yet to finish off the podium this season.
Schubert Motorsport, PROsport Racing, NM Racing Team and Razoon – more than racing are among those joining the GT4 grid on 8-9 March, as over 25 cars will take the start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya!
