Int'l GT Challenge: Gulf 12 Hours race

SRO

Dec 10

Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Mikael Grenier took victory in the Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours with #99 GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Jules Gounon was crowned Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli drivers’ champion.

Gounon and Eng in contingency for title ahead of race

📷 © Courtesy of SRO Motorsports Group.

The last race of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli, the Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours, would be a battle between Jules Gounon (#14 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) who held a lead of eight points over Philipp Eng. Also being six points behind Eng in third place, Sheldon van der Linde and Charles Weerts were out of contention as they shared #32 Team WRT M4 GT3 with Eng.

Start of the Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours

📷 © Courtesy of SRO Motorsports Group. Start of of the 2023 Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours

Thanks to Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Mikael Grenier’s pole position, the #99 Mercedes-AMG Team Gruppe M Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 took immediately the lead of the Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours ahead of #14 Mercedes-AMG 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Jules Gounon – Maxi Götz – Fabian Schiller) also on first row and #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 (Dries Vanthoor – Valentino Rossi – Nick Yelloly).

📷 © Courtesy of SRO Motorsports Group. #32 Team WRT M4 GT3 with Philipp Eng, Sheldon van der Linde and Charles Weerts

Philipp Eng lost any chance to challenge Gounon as his #32 BMW M4 GT3 lost six laps after spending 12 minutes in the pits with an exhaust issue after 3 hours 40 minutes racing… unless Gounon would also face an issue with his #14 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo he shares with Maximilian Goetz and Fabian Schiller which never happened.

📷 © Courtesy of SRO Motorsports Group.

The Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours was animated by #14 Mercedes-AMG 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Jules Gounon – Maxi Götz – Fabian Schiller), #99 Mercedes-AMG Team Gruppe M Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Maro Engel – Luca Stolz – Mikael Grenier) and #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 (Dries Vanthoor – Valentino Rossi – Nick Yelloly).

3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the top 4

After benefitting from issues of the #14 Mercedes and #46 BMW who had been on the lead, Maro Engel took checkered flag first to win the 12th Gulf 12 Hours race with Luca Stolz and Mikael Grenier in the #99 Mercedes-AMG Team Gruppe M Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

📷 © Courtesy of SRO Motorsports Group. #99 Mercedes-AMG Team Gruppe M Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Maro Engel – Luca Stolz – Mikael Grenier)took victory in the Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours while Mercedes-AMG driver Jules Gounon was crowned the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli drivers’ champion..

The #99 Mercedes-AMG Team Gruppe M Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Mikael Grenier was controlling the race after taking the lead after coming from far as they were two laps down at the four hours mark due to a wheel issue and one more pit-stop than direct competitors.

📷 © Courtesy of SRO Motorsports Group. #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 (Dries Vanthoor – Valentino Rossi – Nick Yelloly).

Dries Vanthoor ended 12.811 seconds behind Engel giving #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 a deserved P2 together with Valentino Rossi and Nick Yelloly. The trio lost the lead after the car’s pedal box broke and Vanthoor took a five-second penalty for track limits.

📷 © Courtesy of SRO Motorsports Group. #14 Mercedes-AMG 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Jules Gounon – Maxi Götz – Fabian Schiller)

Jules Gounon ended third (one lap behind the winners) and clinched the title after leading at mid-race together with Maxi Götz and Fabian Schiller in the #14 Mercedes-AMG 2 Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3. At mid-race, they were leading the race but lost P1 due to a lengthy stop to change brakes under a Full Course Yellow.