GTO: Series Catalunya pre-race news

The GT Open Goes To Barcelona With The Best Entry Of The Year

42 Cars Entered In The Traditional Catalan Autumn Event
Eight Different Brands (And Separate Sunday Race) For the GTS

With 42 entries, the Catalunya GT Open next week-end (31st October 1st November) will be the most exciting event of the 2009 International GT Open, as the traditional automn rendez-vous in Barcelona keeps faith to its reputation of attracting the best and most diversified entry of the year. The appealing programme also includes the last round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship (with Spanish fans able to celebrate its first champion, Andy Soucek), the final round of the Euro F.3 Open (which will decide the long duel between Celso Miguez and Bruno Mendez) and races of three mono-brand trophies (the Mini Challenge, the Copa Peugeot 207 THP and the Copa SEAT Leon).

With only one other round left after Montmelo (in the algarve, in one week's time), the Catalan races will be key in the fight at the top of the International GT Open. Current leaders, Marcel Fassler-Joel Camathias (Trottet Racing) will try to keep their Ferrari at the top of the overall standings (188 points), but can expect to be seriously challenged by the Porsche armada of Lietz-Roda (164), Gião-Couceiro (132) and Pilet-Narac (130). Meanwhile, Philipp Peter-Michal Broniszewski, on the Kessel's Racing Ferrari F430 Scuderia, will seek to reach mathematical certainty in their bid for the GTS title.

The Super GT field (19 cars) will be enriched by a number of regular participants to the Iber Gt Championship, which include the Ferraris of PCR Sport (Mayola-Carol), Motor Competicion (Villalba-Gutierrez) and Automòbil Club d'Andorra and the Drivex Porsche of Amaral-De Castro. IMSA Performance is bringing a fourth Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for Polette- Noyriel, while Monfardini-Frezza will be at the wheel of the Vittoria Ferrari and Turkey's Isaac Tutumlu joins SunRed's driver line-up.

Nevertheless, it is in the GTS category that we will see the higher number of novelties and additions, which will bring the GT3 field to 23 units and a separate GTS race on Sunday. Barcelona will mark the debut in the championship of the Phoenix Audi R8 (Deletraz-La Marca) and Sports Garage's BMW Alpina B6 (Brandea-Bleyinie and Prignaud-TBA) while additional Ferraris will be entered by G.Balthazard, M.Ricci, AS Events, Monllau, Baporo and Mtech.

Two Porsches 997 Cup are entered by Attempto, while are also back the Lamborhinis Gallardo of Ruffier Racing and will complete the 8-brand field the Ascari of Monzon- Escamez. Among regular participants, it is to be noted the new driver line-up at Villois Racing with Lucas Guerrero joining Max Wiser, and Miquel Julià making its debut on the Aston Martin alongside Andrea Wiser, and the presence of a third Kessel Ferrari for Alessio Salucci (a showman well known in Italy as joke partner of Valentino Rossi) and LMP2 driver Andrea Ceccato.

The Catalunya GT Open will enjoy increased TV coverage, as a number of Spanish and foreign TV crews will be present on the sport, coming on top of regular broadcasters: Eurosport and Motors TV at pan-European level, Canal +, Nuvolari and Sport TV, who offer live coverage in Spain, Italy and Portugal, respectively.

-credit: gto