Comtoyou Racing has achieved a memorable victory in the opening of the season of the GT World Challenge powered by AWS, held at the Paul Ricard Circuit. The team made up of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen, and Mattia Drudi managed to lead the race just minutes before the checkered flag, giving fans a thrilling finish.
Most of the six-hour race was dominated by the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter, which started from pole position and stayed at the front for most of the laps. However, a late appearance of the Safety Car bunched the cars together and complicated things for the leaders.
The road to victory was not easy for the Aston Martin. Thiim had to overcome several lapped cars while reducing a gap of more than three seconds to Lucas Auer, driver of the #48 Mercedes-AMG. With an aggressive style, the Dane quickly navigated traffic and closed in on the leader.
Thiim also had to contend with Auer’s determined defense. After an initial attempt to overtake at the end of the Mistral Straight, a small mistake by Auer in a subsequent lap allowed Thiim to pass, causing euphoria among the Comtoyou mechanics.
The triumph became even more remarkable considering that the Aston Martin had suffered a puncture at the end of the initial stint, with Sørensen entering the pits just in time. This victory is the team’s first since the 24 Hours of Spa in 2024, which also concluded in a dramatic situation.
The third place on the podium went to the #58 Garage 59 McLaren, competing in the Gold Cup category. Drivers Benjamin Goethe, Louis Prette, and Tom Fleming showed comfort competing with the best overall. The #32 Team WRT BMW, last year’s reigning champion, finished in fourth place after a spectacular comeback from tenth on the grid.
The #59 Garage 59 McLaren achieved a great recovery after an early spin, finishing in fifth place thanks to a brilliant finish that included an overtake on the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche.
In the battle for the Silver Cup, the #9 Pure Rxcing Porsche emerged victorious thanks to an overtake on the #30 Team WRT BMW. Aliaksandr Malykhin, Aleksei Nesov, and Max Hofer were the trio of drivers who took the car to victory.
In the Bronze Cup, Rutronik Racing achieved an impressive victory with their #97 Porsche, which took the lead after two hours and finished in 13th place overall. Riccardo Pera, Antares Au, and Loek Hartog signed this victory, with Hartog repeating last season’s success in Barcelona.
The race started dramatically with a collision between several vehicles that eliminated the #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche and the #555 CSA Racing McLaren. The drivers emerged unscathed, but the situation led to the appearance of the Maserati GT2 Stradale Safety Car. The race then stayed green until a late stop to remove the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Porsche.
The GT World Challenge powered by AWS will continue on May 2 and 3 with the opening of the Sprint Cup at Brands Hatch.
