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A total of 23 cars from six GT3 manufacturers are featured on the entry list for the seventh running of the FIA GT World Cup, traditionally held as part of the Macau Grand Prix. The event will take place from November 14-17 on the renowned Guia Circuit, with nearly 70 per cent of the grid made up by Platinum-ranked drivers.
The entry is headlined by winners of every single edition of the event held since its inaugural running in 2015, as well as a total of 10 drivers who have taken part in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, including eight from the Hypercar class.
Last year’s FIA GT World Cup winner Raffaele Marciello is set to go for his third victory in the FIA-sanctioned race on the streets of Macau. Having won twice behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG, Marciello will now pilot a BMW, having switched from one German manufacturer to another at the beginning of the year as part of BMW’s FIA WEC Hypercar class effort. Marciello is, however, no stranger to the Bavarian manufacturer’s GT3-spec machinery, dovetailing his FIA WEC programme with a campaign in the GT World Challenge Europe in an M4 GT3.
BMW’s Macau bid will be formed of four cars, with Marciello’s WEC team-mates Sheldon Van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor also involved. Completing the line-up is BMW stalwart racer Augusto Farfus, who knows the M4 GT3 better than anyone else, having been the main development driver of the car. Along with Marciello, the Brazilian is the second driver in BMW’s line-up who has tasted an FIA GT World Cup triumph, having taken a memorable victory in 2018.
Lamborghini is set to make its first appearance on the streets of Macau since 2017. The Italian supercar manufacturer is aiming high, having secured the services of the most-decorated driver to race at the Guia Circuit, Edoardo Mortara. The 37-year-old took back-to-back Formula 3 victories in 2009 and ’10, before winning the 2017 FIA GT World Cup for Mercedes-AMG.
Additionally, the Swiss also scored a hat-trick of GT Cup victories from 2011 to 2013 driving Audi cars, prior to the event earning the FIA World Cup status. His win in the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup support race in 2013 brings his total of his Macau victories to seven. Completing Lamborghini’s Macau entry will be Matteo Cairoli, returning for the second time, having raced a Porsche last year, and TCR regular turned GT3 racer Luca Engstler, who has previous circuit experience from his FIA World Touring Car Cup days.
Ferrari’s presence in Macau is set to grow from two cars to three in the manufacturer’s pursuit of its maiden FIA GT World Cup victory. Returning for the second time in a row is the Prancing Horse’s long-standing factory driver Daniel Serra. Ferrari’s ambition is demonstrated by the call-up of its two FIA WEC Hypercar class stars, this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Antonio Fuoco and FIA WEC’s youngest-ever overall race winner Yifei Ye, with the Italian making his Guia Circuit return having previously taken part in the F3 race a decade ago.
Also going after its first FIA GT World Cup triumph is Porsche with its five-car-strong effort headlined by the current FIA WEC Hypercar Drivers’ Championship leader Laurens Vanthoor, who will aim to add the second FIA GT World Cup to his trophy cabinet, having previously won with Audi. In addition to the Belgian’s vast experience, Porsche also relies on youth in the shape of freshly crowned IMSA SportsCar Championship’s GTD Pro class champion Laurin Heinrich, last year’s DTM champion Thomas Preining, as well as Alessio Picariello and 2020 Macau GT Cup winner Leo Hongli Ye.
With Marciello now a BMW man, Mercedes-AMG is banking on a quartet of drivers to take on the fight to retain the Manufacturers’ Title for the third successive edition, relying on its customer teams from Asia to run its four cars. The manufacturer’s stalwart driver Maro Engel, who won the inaugural FIA GT World Cup back in 2015, is leading the charge, with the line-up completed by three-time Bathurst 12 Hours winner and Alpine FIA WEC Hypercar driver Jules Gounon, FIA WEC Corvette regular Daniel Juncadella and Ralf Aron, who has two Guia Circuit outings to his name behind the wheel of an F3 car, with a podium finish in the 2017 edition being one of his career highlights.
Audi is targeting its first FIA GT World Cup victory since 2016, with its effort headlined by the experienced German racer Christopher Haase and his Swiss stablemate Ricardo Feller. Completing the roster are James Kuai Yu and Adderly Fong.
The FIA GT World Cup takes place from November 14-17 with two 30-minute practice sessions followed by a single qualifying session of the same duration. The racing action will be held across two heats, with a 12-lap qualifying race followed by a 16-lap title-deciding main race.
The competition, along with the Macau GP co-headlining FIA FR World Cup, will benefit from extensive live streaming via the FIA’s official YouTube channel.
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