Team GetSpeed’s Jules Gounon topped the timesheets in opening Free Practice ahead of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title decider at Barcelona.
Jules Gounon delivered an impressive performance in the two-hour opening GTWC Free Practice session in Barcelona, setting the fastest lap of 1:40.793 in the No. 17 Team GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The French driver improved on his earlier benchmark to claim top spot and continued the strong form shown by the GetSpeed squad, who also set the pace in Thursday’s unofficial pre-event test.
Gounon, sharing the Mercedes with Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz, was the only driver to break the 1:41.00 barrier, signalling the trio’s intentions heading into the championship finale.
Farfus leads the chase
ROWE Racing’s Augusto Farfus came closest to matching Gounon’s pace, posting a 1:41.058 in the No. 98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO to finish second overall. The Brazilian was just 0.265 seconds off the ultimate pace and edged out early pace-setter Patric Niederhauser by a mere 0.019 seconds.
Niederhauser’s third-place finish in the No. 96 Rutronik Porsche 911 GT3 R was particularly significant, as his entry arrives at Barcelona just five points behind in the Endurance Cup championship standings.
Cup Class battles heat up
In the Gold Cup category, RJN McLaren’s Alex Buncombe emerged as the class leader with a late-session improvement that lifted the No. 720S GT3 Evo to fourth overall, displacing Alessio Rovera’s No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 to fifth.
Louis Prette claimed second in Gold Cup honours, placing sixth overall in the Garage 59 McLaren, just ahead of the Pro class championship-leading Team MANN FILTER Mercedes-AMG of Matteo Cairoli in seventh.
The Bronze Cup classification saw drama and determination in equal measure. Despite causing a 15-minute red flag after crashing at the Turn 3 right-hander, Patrick Kolb maintained his position as the fastest Bronze Cup runner, finishing eighth overall in the Lionspeed GP Porsche. The team successfully recovered and repaired the car, allowing co-drivers Ricardo Feller and Gabriel Rindone to complete additional laps.
Kolb faced a late challenge from Sean Gelael, who came within 0.11 seconds in the No. 991 Paradine Competition BMW to finish second in Bronze Cup.
Rounding out the top 10 of the GTWC Free Practice session was Loris Cabirou, the quickest Silver Cup entrant in the Boutsen VDS Mercedes.
With the GTWC Championship positions hanging in the balance and competitive lap times across all categories, the stage is set for an intense battle in Barcelona’s title decider.
Results: GTWC Europe Free Practice Barcelona
