MZR secures GT2 European title at Barcelona finale

MZR’s Reinhard Kofler and Martin Koch arrived at Barcelona with excellent chance of lifting the FANATEC GT2 European Series title, and while they didn’t have a shot at the top spot in any of the races, they did just enough to top the standings while the LP Racing Maseratis were far from their dominant form that was seen recently.
 

The rain was still a thing for the first race of the weekend, and in the wet track the Maserati MC20s weren't a dominant force as it usually is in dry conditions, with the No. 888 NM Racing Mercedes stealing the lead from the No. 87 Akkodis ASP Mercedes.
 
With the Mercedes fighting for second, the No. 89 RTR KTM had the opportunity to close down and pass the No. 87, but Leonart Marioneck had Gilles Vannelet hot in the back wing. With the No. 89 going earlier to the pits, the Mercedes were back to their particular battle, with the No. 87 making the move stick and going away with the top spot.
 
Once the pit window was done, the No. 888 was the leader with the No. 89 RTR KTM in second, but after a brief Safety Car period, the No. 67 Dinamic Maserati was emerging as a contender for the win, and it took less than a minute for Mauro Calamia to advantage over an inexperienced Andy Cantu and enjoy the lead.
 
With Cantu holding the rest of the opposition as his priority was keeping the No. 888 between the white lines, the No. 67 Dinamic Maserati had clear way to the win. In the Am Cup, the No. 2 LP Racing Maserati crossed the line as first in class, but with two penalties in their backs, the 87 Akkodis ASP Mercedes took the class win.
 
GT2 European - Barcelona Race 1 results
 

With the Race 2 being held in dry condition, the Maseratis were closer or into the top, but Andy Cantu had none of that and put the No. 888 NM Racing Mercedes in the lead while a multi-car crash happened at Turn 3, eliminating both Akkodis ASP entries due to significant damage.
 
Once the green flag went back, the No. 888 still had pace to spare over the No. 1 LP Racing Maserati, and the No. 812 MZR KTM was taking advantage of that and getting closer to the second placed car. Multiple penalties were applied near the pit window regarding procedures during the Safety Car period, which affected even the frontrunners,
 
Martin Koch saw his situation get worse as even the second place was lost to the No. 89 RTR KTM as Lenny Marioneck made no ceremony to press him from the outside and force the way past. Marioneck then made a miraculous comeback from 9 seconds behind Jörg Viebahn, having the No. 888 NM Racing Mercedes within striking distance in the final lap, only to be denied the chance to attack thanks to a sturdy defense from Viebahn. The No. 90 Razoon KTM was the best Am Cup car that remained from the early mess of the first lap and dominated the class on track, only to be disqualified later, which promoted the No. 2 LP Racing Maserati to the class win.
 
GT2 European - Barcelona Race 2 results
 
MZR’s Reinhard Kofler and Martin Koch secured the Pro-Am Cup title despite not having a shot to the win in any of the races, scoring 237 points against the 197 of LP Racing’s Leonardo Gorini and Carlo Tamburini.
 
In the Am Cup, Philippe Prette was saved by the Race 2 results, conquering the title with 209 points against 207 of Akkodis ASP’s Jean-Luc Beaubelique and Gilles Vannelet, while TFT Racing’s Alexandre Leroy was third with 198 points.
 
MZR became the fourth different GT2 champion alongside High Class Racing, PK Carsport and LP Racing, but this title was the first for the KTM X-BOW GT2, breaking a perfect streak from the Audi R8 LMS GT2.
 
PHOTOS: SRO/JEP