Time to re-start the engines! As most Europeans conclude their summer holidays, the International GT Open is heading towards its sixth round of the season, scheduled at the Hungaroring on 7-9 September. This will be the first visit of the GT Open to Budapest, the magnificent Hungarian capital along the Danube, and to the track that hosts the Hungarian F.1 Grand Prix since 1986, even before the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Going to a new great track and discovering another country won’t be the only reason for excitment: Hungaroring’s Race 2 on Sunday will mark the 100th race of the International GT Open, a moment that will be duly celebrated. Many things have happened since that 1st April 2006, when it all started in Monza, and the GT Open has become one of the most acclaimed GT series in the continent. Jesús Pareja, CEO of GT Sport, comments: “Things turned out well for the GT Open and we are grateful for the fidelity of teams, drivers, sponsors, circuits and other partners, which allow us to be where we are today. We will be happy of celebrating this first milestone, but most of all, we are looking forward, working for the future and to improve the product, in a general economic environment which isn’t easy. Stability -of rules, of calendar, of the package offered- has been the key of our success, has become the GT Open’s stamp and we will continue building on that.”
Almost to underline these words, Hungaroring’s entry list (which will be finalized and issued beginning of next week) looks excellent, with over 25 cars entered and some interesting novelties. The much-awaited race debut of Swiss Team’s new Maserati GranTurismo MC3 is now confirmed, after a long period of private tests, with Alessandro Pier Guidi and Gabriele Gardel at the wheel, while will be welcomed new entries from Schubert Motorsport with the BMW Z4 and GDL Racing with its Mercedes SLS AMG, while Kessel Racing will bring an additional car.
The championship battles remain as open as possible, as shown by the standings below. On a relevant development regarding the standings, the Appeal Court of the French Federation (FFSA) will meet on September 11, therefore after the Budapest round, to examine the two appeals filed at Paul Ricard. They concern the two race winners, Villois Racing (Malucelli- Barba) and aabar Villorba Ferrari (Montermini-López). The appeal Court will render its decision after the hearing, but not necessarily on that same day.
The Hungaroring meeting will be preceded by a private test on Thursday. As usual, the European F3 Open and the FIA Formula 2 will complete the exciting racing programme. The GT Open will enjoy the usual exhaustive TV coverage, live or slightly deferred, offered notably by Motors TV at pan-European level and key national broadcasters such as Raisportdue (Italy), Sport1+ (Germany), Teledeporte and Canal + Deportes (Spain), Sport TV (Portugal) and Orange Sport TV (Poland), to name just a few.
Source : International GT Open