The 2013 season of the International GT Open is reaching the last stop… As always, it will be the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to host the closing round, which will keep up to the tradition of a stellar entry, with 41 cars and many big names, and an exciting title fight.

With the overall and SuperGT crowns already mathematically in the hands of Italy’s stalwart GT racer and former F.1 driver Andrea Montermini, for whom this is the second GT Open title after the one won in 2008, and the SuperGT Teams’ title brilliantly won by the Dutch V8 Racing, the battle for the title label, this year, applies to the GTS category, but what a battle! At the end of one of the most-closely fought and competitive seasons, there are no less than 9 driver or pairs that can still aspire to the title and the three top contenders are tied-up with the same number of points (48)!

These three top drivers are Giorgio Pantano, Rafael Suzuki and Lorenzo Bontempelli. The first two have co-driven so far the BhaiTech McLaren MP4 12C, clinching three wins, but will race separately in the decisive round, as Suzuki and BhaiTech have parted company. The Brazilian will join the Portuguese team Novadriver and drive an Audi R8 LMS ultra together with César Campaniço, while Pantano will be associated with Portuguese star Álvaro Parente. The third co-leader, Lorenzo Bontempelli, who has taken one win, will drive as usual the Kessel Racing Ferrari F458, again partnered with Marco Frezza as in the last two rounds.

Spaniard Miguel Toril, with the Seyffarth Mercedes, is the fourth in contention (39 points), followed at 37 by the Ferraris of Pol Rosell-Roman Mavlanov (SMP Russian Bears) and of Matteo Beretta-Michael Lyons (AF Corse). The other possible title contenders are GPR Aston Martin’s Maxime Soulet (34), the other BhaiTech pair of Luiz Razia-Chris Van der Drift (33) and the Autorlando Porsche of Isaac Tutumlu-Dimitris Deverikos (30).

Still to be awarded also the GTS Teams’ title, that only BhaiTech Racing (81 points) and Kessel Racing (77) can claim.

In the SuperGT category, the Barcelona round will see a third different team mate for Andrea Montermini. After Luca Filippi and Davide Rigon, the fresh 2013 Champion will be partnered by young (19) Italian Niccolò Schirò, who took the European F.3 title in 2012 and debuted in the GT Open this season with Drivex. At the end of a very successful season, Villorba Corse has taken the excellent choice of “giving an opportunity to a young and talented driver”, as explained by Raimondo Amodio. Besides that, Kessel Racing is bringing again its Ferrari F458 GT2 for Michal Broniszewski-Philipp Peter while Drivex School will enter its two Porsches in its home event, with Matteo Cressoni-Carlos Vieira on the 2012 911 RSR and Ferrán Monje and a driver still to be confirmed in the older car.

As traditional, the Barcelona round has attracted many additional entries from all over Europe. One of the top teams in the GT élite, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, will make its debut in the GT Open and has entered one Audi R8 LMS ultra for the team’s co-owner Yves Weerts and Portuguese star Filipe Albuquerque. New additions include Balfe Motorsport from the UK, with a Ferrari F458 GT3, while from France will be present Team Sofrev ASP, with two Ferraris F458 GT3, Ruffier Racing, with two Porsches 911 R GT3, and another Porsche from Pro-GT by Alméras. From Germany, Attempto Racing will be present with two Porsches, while Austria’s Lechner Racing will be there with its Mercedes SLS AMG. Are also confirmed some cars already seen this season, as the Mercedes SLS AMG of Sports (with Miguel Barbosa and José Pedro Fontes), the two Novadriver Audis R8 and the Mosler of Rafael Unzurrunzaga. The round, as known, is also valid for the Spanish GT Championship IBER GT.

Many big names among drivers. Two former GT Open Champions are back. Álvaro Barba is not missing his home event and is back at the wheel of an Aston Martin, pairing Maxime Soulet on the GPR car, while Federico Leo partners Claudio Sdanewitsch on one of the F458 GT3 of AF Corse, who has announced Emmanuel Collard as the team-mate of Duncan Cameron at the wheel of its GT2 machine. GP2 driver and former European F.3 contender Kevin Ceccon will make his GT debut with Ombra Racing.

With such an entry, the show is guaranteed for this end-of-season event!

The meeting’s programme will be enhanced by the European F3 Open, which will also see a decisive battle for the title, the Radical European Masters and the Classic Endurance Racing series of Patrick Peter.