Barcelona forms the 10th and final round of the 2016 Blancpain GT Series, which combines five Endurance races with five Sprint meetings. After nine rounds the leaders in the drivers’ standings are separated by just five points, so predicting the outcome of the 2016 season is as good as impossible.

Thanks to their fourth place in the Endurance race at the Nürburgring, #84 AMG-Team HTP Motorsport pairing Dominik Baumann and Maxi Buhk have re-taken the lead in the overall drivers’ standings, a lead they first held during the early part of the season but lost after a stroke of bad luck at the Paul Ricard Round. Since the Austrian-German duo only just missed out on the Endurance title at the Nürburgring, they are highly motivated to claim the overall crown in Barcelona.

To do so, they will have to maintain their advantage over McLaren’s Rob Bell. The Briton is on a high travelling to the Spanish circuit after he (and team-mates Van Gisbergen and Ledogar) pocketed the Endurance title at the Nürburgring. A recent dry spell - Bell has only scored two points in the last three rounds - saw him lose what looked like a comfortable lead in the overall drivers’ standings, but with the difference between he and Baumann/Buhk limited to just five points, nothing is decided yet. In Barcelona, Bell again drives with regular Sprint Cup partner Alvaro Parente.

But there is also a proverbial third dog in the fight at Barcelona. Laurens Vanthoor totals 100 points after nine meetings, and - with 34 still up for grabs - the 2014 Blancpain GT Series champion has a chance of erasing a 29-point deficit and claiming his second overall title.

A good result would also help his Belgian Audi Club Team WRT outfit in their quest for a successful defence of their teams’ title. On the eve of the Barcelona meeting, the Belgian squad is 14 points down on HTP Motorsport. For the German team it is the best chance they have ever had of claiming a title that, up until now, has always eluded them. Just like the drivers’ championship, there is a third contender with an outside chance on the teams’ title, but Garage 59 McLaren must make up 30 points on HTP Motorsport.

While the teams’ and drivers’ title fight in the overall Pro-Am category is already decided – Michal Broniszewski and Kessel Racing took the crown – the teams’ title in the Am class is not: AF Corse and Rinaldi Racing are only separated by 10 points. The Am Cup drivers’ title will probably be decided at the moment the entry list is fully confirmed. The two drivers that still have a shot at the title – Claudio Sdanewitsch leads Stéphane Lémeret by 10 points – are again entered in the same car, effectively handing the title to the German driver.

Sprint Cup to also be decided

Barcelona is not only the final round of the overall Blancpain GT Series but also the conclusion of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup. Leading the Sprint Cup standings are Belgian Enzo Ide and German Christopher Mies. Unfortunately Mies cannot make it to Barcelona, due to other commitments. That means that the 25-year old Belgian will have to defend his lead with the help of another team-mate, but in Robin Frijns – the 2015 Blancpain GT Series champion – he gets some first-class help.

In the Sprint Cup standings Ide has a lead of 17 points over Dominik Baumann and Maxi Buhk. Their win at the Hungaroring brought the Mercedes-AMG duo right back into the title fight after some lesser performances in the middle of the season. Their team colleagues Jules Szymkowiak and Bernd Schneider have been scoring points all season, but a lack of a win means they have to close a 20-point gap on Ide.

In fourth are McLaren duo Bell and Parente. They scored a win at the Sprint round at the Nürburgring, but failed to score any points in Budapest, which means they are now trailing the standings leader by 23 points. Belgian Audi duo Vanthoor and Frédéric Vervisch still have a mathematical chance of winning the title, but with a 33-point deficit need a minor miracle to end the season on top.

In the other categories things are also still undecided. In the Pro-Am category Kessel Ferrari drivers and triple race winners Michal Broniszewski and Giacomo Piccini enjoy a 26-point advantage over French Mercedes-AMG duo Beaubelique and Moullin-Traffort, while in the Silver Cup (reserved for Silver drivers) Lamborghini pairing Luca Stolz and Michele Beretta have 24 points in hand over British Audi drivers Leonard and Meadows. The Dane Moller-Madsen will need a perfect weekend if he wants to close the 31-point gap on the Silver Cup leaders.

As you can see on the attached entry list there have been some changes in different driver line-ups since the last sprint round at the Hungaroring, but the Barcelona grid will still be 35 cars strong.

The Barcelona meeting is not only the final round of the Blancpain GT Series, but also includes races for the Blancpain GT Sports Club and several demo runs by the impressive machinery of the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club.

Drivers quotes

Maxi Buhk (#84 AMG-Team HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG): “Barcelona is where the most important decision of the season will be taken. It was frustrating to miss the Endurance title by just one point, but we should not be too disappointed: thanks to our fourth place at the ‘Ring we still have a good shot at the overall titles, both for the drivers and the team.”

Rob Bell (#58 Garage 59 McLaren): “Barcelona will be like the Nürburgring: a big fight.

But we are ready for it, we are looking forward to it even. We want this championship as well. I think the spectators in Barcelona will see some great racing with a lot of action.”

Enzo Ide (#33 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT R8): “I don’t think that the fact that I cannot drive with Christopher is a big disadvantage. Robin Frijns is a factory driver as well, and very quick too. We have done some testing together and we get along really fine. The only thing left to do is to get used to certain procedures, like the driver changes, but there is plenty of time to prepare ourselves.”

_____

Provisional Entry list

____

Provisional Timetable

Saturday October 1st

09:00 – 09:40 Free Practice 1 for Bronze & Silver Drivers

09:40 – 10:20 Free Practice 1

12:30 – 13:50 Free Practice 2

15:30 – 16:25 Qualifying

Sunday October 2nd

09:15 – 10:15 Qualifying Race

14:10 – 15:10 Main Race



Click here for the event poster

____

Information & tickets : http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/tickets

Press Images : www.blancpain-GT-series/pressmembers

Watch live : http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/live

_____

Follow us on

Twitter : www.twitter.com/BlancpainGT #blancpaingt

Facebook : Blancpain GT Series

Instagram : blancpaingtseries #blancpaingt

Blancpain GT Series APP available on the App store & Google Play

_____

Blancpain - Innovation is our Tradition

Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the watch brand bearing his name is the oldest in the world. Blancpain is currently engaged to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking and to passing on exceptional expertise from one generation to the next through constant investment in human resources, production facilities and research. This approach is its strength and the expression of our long-term vision, even though it goes against the tide of a certain tendency to seek immediate profit. From the creation of components through to watch design, Blancpain is distinguished by its ability to develop exceptional movements. Over the past ten years, the Manufacture has indeed developed no less than 35 new calibres.

Through its various models, Blancpain preserves its heritage of precision and elegance, while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit. Its range encompasses the sportive L-evolution line, the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, as well as the classic Villeret collection, the high complication from Le Brassus collection and the Women models.

---

Pirelli – Official Tyre Supplier

Pirelli is a tyre manufacturer and world leader in the automotive industry. It has an exclusive relationship with over 50 racing series worldwide, including Formula One.

Pirelli has a long and illustrious history in endurance racing, and has also claimed a huge variety of class wins in GT racing all over the world. The design of the new Pirelli GT tyres meets the needs of GT racing while maintaining the performance characteristics that endurance drivers have appreciated in the past.The slick tyres used for GT racing are branded Zero: just like the slicks that have become a central feature of Formula One. The name P Zero is used in the highest categories of motorsport such as GT racing.

----

SRO Motorsports Group - The architect of modern GT Racing

SRO Motorsports Group was founded by Stephane Ratel and has specialised in the promotion, support and organisation of many national and international motorsport series since 1995.

In 2016, SRO Motorsports Group promotes several championships and series, such as the Blancpain GT Series, including the iconic Total 24 hours of Spa, the British GT Championship, the Blancpain Sports Club with the Blancpain GT Sports Club and the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club, the Competition 102 GT4 European Series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

SRO Motorsports Group runs also the SRO Race Centre by MMC - a high-level technical centre at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the south of France - and Curbstone, that provides ultimate track driving opportunities on world renowned race circuits in Western Europe for supercar owners, as well as test driving facilities for race car drivers.

SRO has offices in London, Paris and Liège.

_____