As the world's biggest GT series, the Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS provides top-class motorsport in America, Asia, Australia and Europe.
The current worldwide championship is an inter-continental competition consisting of an American, Asian, Australian and European racing series. The results of each race count towards both the respective continental championship and the overall GT World Challenge. For Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, this championship offers the opportunity to compete with customer racing teams on the world's most iconic racetracks and to compete for numerous titles.
In 2024, Mercedes-AMG secured the title of the best manufacturer in the intercontinental GT World Challenge for the sixth consecutive time already by virtue of the convincing achievements of the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams.
Further information on the GT World Challenge on the organiser's website.
Europe
The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS comprised a calendar of ten events in 2024. Seven Customer Racing Teams entered a total of 16 Mercedes-AMG GT3s. With six championships, the season was a success for us. Lucas Auer and Maro Engel won the overall drivers' title with Winward Racing. In the Sprint Cup, the two Performance Drivers scored three victories and four further podium finishes in nine races, securing the drivers' title in this championship as well. The duo also achieved strong results in the Endurance Cup where they teamed up with Daniel Morad, including a victory at the finale in Jeddah.
The Customer Racing Team Boutsen VDS, which competed with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the first time this year, impressed straight away with top results in both championships. In the Silver Cup, the Belgian team together with César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis celebrated the overall titles in the team and driver standings. The driver pairing achieved two class victories in the Sprint Cup and also a class win in the Endurance Cup with team-mate Roee Meyuhas. Winward Racing contributed two further titles in the Endurance Cup. Daan Arrow, Colin Caresani and Tanart Sathienthirakul won the Silver Cup in two of the five races and secured the drivers' title in the classification at the penultimate round of the season in Monza. The team championship also went to Winward Racing.
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2023 - Successful title defence
Our Customer Racing Teams concluded the 2023 season with a total of six title wins. With Timur Boguslavskiy and Raffaele Marciello, the AKKODIS ASP Team came out on top in the combined classification of sprint and endurance races and, together with Jules Gounon, also secured the Endurance Cup title. The trio claimed victories in the endurance races at Le Castellet and the Nürburgring and finished in second place in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. In the Sprint Cup, Haupt Racing Team won the drivers’ and teams’ titles in the Silver Cup with Mercedes-AMG Junior Driver Jordan Love. Theeba Motorsport, meanwhile, achieved a historic milestone: in the Sprint event at Hockenheim, Reema Juffali became the first female driver to claim pole position in GT World Challenge Europe. In total, our Custome Racing Teams secured six overall wins and eight further class wins from 15 races in 2023.
2022 - Overall driver and team champions
In 2022, the Mercedes-AMG customer sports teams raced with five season entries in Sprint cup and eleven season entries in Endurance Cup. In the process, Mercedes-AMG was the only manufacturer represented in all five classes. The record after ten events in Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup is quite a decent one: four overall and ten class wins plus another 16 overall and 35 class podium results. Mercedes-AMG Team AKKODIS ASP with Jules Gounon (FRA), Daniel Juncadella (ESP) and Raffaele Marciello (SUI) secured the Endurance Cup teams’ and drivers’ titles in a thrilling season finale. That also resulted into first place in the combined teams’ standings from Sprint and Endurance Cup. Prior to the final round of the season, Raffaele had already sealed the drivers’ title in the combined championship as well. In the Pro-Am teams’ standings in Endurance Cup, SPS automotive performance managed to defend its title in a successful way.
2021 - Title chase with a strong line-up
In 2021, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport again was the manufacturer with the strongest representation in GT World Challenge Europe. Both in the Sprint Cup and the Endurance Cup, eight teams campaigned with a Mercedes-AMG GT3. Across the ten race events, the cars from Affalterbach managed to score five overall and 15 class wins. Raffaele Marciello became the most successful driver. The 27-year-old driver secured runner-up spot in the overall standings. His team AKKA APS also concluded the season in second place of the teams’ standings. Luca Stolz and Maro Engel ended up third in the drivers’ standings, having raced for Mercedes-AMG Team HRT in Endurance Cup and having contested the sprint races for Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT. Moreover, in the Pro-Am class, the SPS automotive performance team with its drivers Valentin Pierburg and Dominik Baumann secured second place overall in the drivers’ as well as the teams’ standings. In the Silver Cup, AKKA ASP Team also secured third place with Konstantin Tereschenko.
2020 - The youngest champion
In 2020, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport had the largest contingent of cars in the entire field: a total of nine teams ran the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Sprint Cup and ten teams did so in Endurance Cup. AKKA ASP Team had the year’s most successful drivers in its line-up: with eight podium results from 14 sprint and endurance races, 20-year-old Timur Boguslavskiy secured the drivers’ title, becoming the youngest title winner in history of the series in the process. Meanwhile, his teammate Raffaele Marciello ended up in third place while AKKA ASP Team secured runner-up spot in the teams’ standings. In their debut season, Madpanda Motorsport and Ezequiel Perez Companc added another pair of titles, securing the double with drivers’ and teams’ championship wins in Silver Cup. The best-placed Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Team in the Pro-Am class was SPS automotive performance, ending up third in the final category standings.
2019 - Title triple in the Silver Cup
For Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, 2019 had several race achievements and numerous title wins in store. While Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and BLACK FALCON secured runner-up spots in the drivers‘ and teams‘ standings, AKKA ASP Team sealed the teams‘ title in the European sprint classification. In Silver Cup, AKKA ASP scored big time, too: the French team won the overall, Sprint and Endurance titles in the teams’ standings and with Nico Bastian, it also had a driver who achieved this triple success in the Silver Cup drivers’ standings.
America
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS has been part of the intercontinental GT World Challenge since 2019 and is held exclusively in the United States. The season finale traditionally takes place as part of the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
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2024 season
In the seven events of the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS, our Customer Racing Teams took one overall win, five class wins and three pole positions. First place at VIRginina International Raceway went to Jeff Burton and Philip Ellis for Regulator Racing, making the PRO-AM team the only one in their category to win overall this season. The duo took two wins and four podiums in their class in the #91 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and finished the season third in the PRO-AM standings. Colin Braun and George Kurtz added another five class and two overall podiums with the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 by CrowdStrike by Riley. In the AM class, Esses Racing with Mercedes-Benz of Austin, Will Hardeman and Alan Metni finished the season in second place in the driver and team standings.
2023 - Four championships in two classes
The 2023 season kicked off on 1 April at Sonoma Raceway in California, where Sunday's race ended with a 1-2 finish for Customer Racing Teams CrowdStrike by Riley and TR3 Racing. Colin Braun and George Kurtz won a total of six of the 13 races in their class over the course of the season and crowned themselves the new Pro-Am Drivers' Champions with their success in the finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Their CrowdStrike by Riley team also won the team championship. Other titles went to RealTime Racing, led by Anthony Bartone and Andy Pilgrim, who finished the season in first place in both Am classes.
2022 – A winning trio
With a total of three overall wins, our teams CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports (Watkins Glen, race 2) and Winward Racing (Road America, races 1&2) shone in the 2022 season. The two teams added another six class wins and numerous podium results, eventually adding up to runner-up spot in the manufacturers’ standings. In the Pro teams’ classification, Winward Racing concluded the season in third place. With the overall win in the year’s finale, the 8-hour race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing delivered an impressive conclusion of the season.
2021 - Third place overall and Pro-Am runner-up honours
Four Mercedes-AMG GT3s from DXDT Racing (#4, #19 and #63) and Winward Racing (#33) competed in the seven race events. At the end of a successful season, the two customer racing teams scored one overall victory, six further podium finishes, three class victories and five more class podiums. As a result, Philip Ellis, Mikael Grenier and Russell Ward secured third place overall for Winward Racing, while DXDT finished the season in second place in the Pro-Am team standings.
2020 - A streak of podium appearances
In the 2020 motorsport season, DXDT Racing was present with its cars bearing starting numbers #4 and #63 and convinced with 14 class podium results in the Pro-Am category. In the season finale at Indianapolis, Colin Braun, Ben Keating and George Kurtz delivered the sporting highlight: at the famous oval, the trio with the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 secured the overall win. In the Pro-Am standings, DXDT Racing (teams’ championship) as well as Braun and Kurtz (drivers’ championship) ended up in second place as a result. Moreover, the Winward Racing team, competing for the first time, racked up three overall podium results with the #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
2019 - Important contribution to the intercontinental championship title
In the seven race events in 2019, DXDT Racing scored four podium results in the Pro-Am class with its pair of Mercedes-AMG GT3s (#4 and #63), making a significant contribution to the maiden title win in the intercontinental manufacturers’ standings.
Asia
The Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS made its debut in 2017 and has been part of the intercontinental GT World Challenge classification ever since. The races take place on the most famous tracks in Asia, including the Grand Prix circuits of Sepang, Shanghai and Suzuka.
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2024 SEASON
The 2024 GT World Challenge Asia calendar comprised six events in China, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. In an eventful season, our Customer Racing Teams achieved one overall and five class victories. With five pole positions, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 was the most successful car in the championship in qualifying. In the races, the teams also proved their competitive pace with five fastest laps. For Climax Racing, Zhou Bihuang and Jules Gounon were victorious in Suzuka both in the overall classification and in the Pro-Am classification. With Ralf Aaron and Wang Zhongwei, the team celebrated another victory in the class and an overall podium in Shanghai. Craft-Bamboo Racing with Maro Engel, Daniel Morad and Cao Qi and Triple Eight JMR with Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim, Mikaël Grenier and Luca Stolz contributed further podium successes. In the AM classification, Zhou Bihuang and Hu Yuqi also ended the season with a hat-trick of class wins for Climax Racing.
2023 - A new champion
The GT World Challenge Asia was the last championship to kick off the 2023 season in May, with our customer sports teams taking five wins in twelve races over six race weekends between May and September. Anthony Liu Xu secured the overall and Pro-Am titles for Team Craft-Bamboo Racing at the finale at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, ahead of his AMG brand colleague Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim of Triple Eight JMR. Together with AMG Performance Drivers Fabian Schiller and Daniel Juncadella, the champion clinched three victories at Buriram, Suzuka and Okayama, as well as two further podium finishes. Climax Racing took the GT3-Am title with drivers Bian Hao and Hu Yuqi. The duo took four class wins and six other podium finishes.
2022 - Back in Asia, back on top
The series’ comeback in 2022 after a two-year absence due to the Covid pandemic again had championship title wins in store for the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams. After an entertaining season with two race wins and numerous podium results, the Triple Eight JMR team won the title in the GT3 teams’ standings with its Mercedes-AMG GT3. Moreover, drivers Nick Foster (AUS) and Prince Jefri Ibrahim (MAS) secured the title in the GT3 Pro-Am drivers’ standings. GTO Racing Team with drivers Brian Lee (TWN) and Hideto Yasuoka (JPN) ended up in first place of the GT4 teams’ and drivers’ standings with its Mercedes-AMG GT4.
2019 - Three titles in three classes
In 2019, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport was a multiple title winner in the Asian series: Roelof Bruins (NED) not only sealed the GT3 Silver crown, but also won the overall GT3 title. Solite Indigo Racing secured runner-up spot in the teams’ standings while the iRace.win team claimed the GT4 class championship title.
Australia
In 2021, the world's largest GT series added another continental championship, the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS, expanding its global presence. The calendar includes various iconic circuits in Australia, with competitions in both Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup being held. The races are classified in the PRO-AM and AM categories.
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The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS comprised a total of seven rounds, including two endurance events. One of them was the prestigious Bathurst 12 Hour, which provided the stage for the season opener in February. During the year, seven Customer Racing Teams competed Down Under with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, and once again with success. Triple Eight Race Engineering, with Declan Fraser and Peter Hackett, took an overall victory at The Bend. Realta/Tigani Motorsport, with Paul Lucchitti and Jayden Ojeda, was also successful at Sydney Motorsport Park. In addition, there were six further podium finishes, two pole positions, seven class victories and 20 class podiums to celebrate. In the AM classification of the Sprint Cup, Tigani Motorsport took first place in the team standings ahead of GWR Australia. The drivers' championship in this class was won by Michael Sheargold and Garth Walden of Team Ram Motorsport/GWR Australia. The duo achieved a total of four AM class victories. Garth Walden also finished as the overall winner in the AM classification of the Endurance Cup.
2023 – Victories for our Customer Racing cars
Our Customer Racing Teams achieved numerous podium finishes in the GT World Challenge Australia. The biggest success came from Harrolds Volante Rosso Motorsport, who won the first of two races at Phillip Island with Australians Jayden Ojeda and Ross Poulakis. The Triple Eight Race Engineering team entered two Mercedes-AMG GT3 and finished on the rostrum seven times in 13 races. In the GT-Am class, Ram Motorsport/GWR Australia claimed one victory and four other podium finishes. Australian Mark Griffith has an unblemished record. Driving a Mercedes-AMG GT4, he won the class in all four races contested with GT3 and GT4 cars.
2022 – Runner-up in the Pro-Am classification
In the series’ second year, Triple Eight Race Engineering initially competed with its driver pairing of Shane van Gisbergen (NZL) /Prince Jefri Ibrahim (MAS) again. For the final two events of the season, Ibrahim then shared driving duties in the car with starting number 888 with Broc Feeney (AUS). After four wins and three podium results from eight races, Ibrahim ended up second in the Pro-Am standings. Racing for the Daimler Trucks Brisbane team in the 2022 season, Mark Griffith once again came out on top against the competition.
2021 – Overall GT4 victory in the inaugural season
The calendar for the inaugural season included three sprint races and one endurance race, which was held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst. The most successful of the five Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams in the series' debut season was Triple Eight Race Engineering with drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Prince Jefri Ibrahim, who finished third in the Pro-Am class with the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Griffith Corporation with driver Mark Griffith secured overall victory in the GT4 Cup with the Mercedes-AMG GT4.
Imagery Copyrights:
GT World Challenge Australia 2021 season: © GT World Challenge Australia, 2021
GT World Challenge Asia 2019 season: © GT World Challenge Asia, 2019
GT World Challenge Asia 2022 season: © GT World Challenge Asia, 2022