Benjamin Goethe topped Pre-Qualifying at Barcelona as teams continued preparations for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title decider.
Earlier in the day, Team GetSpeed’s Jules Gounon had set the benchmark in Free Practice with a 1:40.793 lap in the No. 17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, the only driver to break the 1:41.00 barrier. ROWE Racing’s Augusto Farfus finished second, 0.265 seconds adrift, whilst championship contender Patric Niederhauser placed third in the Rutronik Porsche, just five points off the Endurance Cup lead heading into the weekend.
Goethe claims top spot
Benjamin Goethe delivered the standout performance in the GTWC Europe Pre-Qualifying in Barcelona, posting a 1:40.870 lap with his opening flyer in the Pro class Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. The time would remain unbeaten throughout the one-hour session.
The German driver finished 0.267 seconds clear of Bastian Buus, who impressed in the Bronze Cup No. 888 UNX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R to claim second overall.
Early running defines the session
All the quickest lap times came in the opening minutes of an uneventful session that ran without interruption. The early flurry of pace-setting lent the leaderboard an unconventional appearance, with five Bronze Cup entries featuring in the top ten.
Bronze Cup points leader Dennis Marschall underlined his championship credentials with third overall in the No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, narrowly edging out the second Garage 59 McLaren of leading Gold Cup runner Louis Prette in fourth.
Fabian Schiller continued GetSpeed’s strong form by placing fifth in the No. 17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo he shares with Free Practice pace-setter Jules Gounon.
Championship contenders in the mix
Tommaso Mosca’s No. 52 AF Corse Ferrari claimed sixth as the third quickest Bronze entry, just ahead of Thomas Preining’s Pure Rxcing Porsche in seventh.
Overall championship leader Maro Engel demonstrated his title credentials with eighth fastest in the Winward-run Team MANN FILTER Mercedes-AMG, whilst Marvin Dienst placed Winward’s Bronze class No. 81 Mercedes-AMG in ninth.
Eddie Cheever III rounded out the top ten in his Ziggo Sport Tempesta Ferrari, with Dinamic GT Porsche driver Mikkel Pedersen pacing the Silver class in 14th overall.
With both Free Practice and Pre-Qualifying now complete, the stage is set for Saturday’s crucial qualifying session that will determine the grid for Sunday’s championship-deciding finale.
Results: GTWC Europe Pre-Qualifying Barcelona
