with Iron Cup rivals ready for epic showdown
Klaus Dieter Frers has seven point advantage over Stephen Earle in Iron Cup
18 entries to tackle famous Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Karim Ojjeh making his first start as Blancpain GT Sports Club champion
Capping off another thrilling Blancpain GT Sports Club season is the final round at Barcelona, with 18 entries from six manufacturers set to tackle the famous Spanish Grand Prix venue this weekend.
With Karim Ojjeh (#2 Boutsen Ginion BMW M6 GT3) wrapping up both the Overall and Titanium Cup titles at the Hungaroring, all eyes are on the Iron Cup battle between Klaus Dieter Frers (#3 Artega Rennsport Ferrari 488 GT3) and Stephen Earle (#111 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GT3).
It’s a role reversal from last season, as the German holds a slim seven-point advantage over his American counterpart, with the famous Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya acting as the final battleground for the long-time rivals for the second consecutive campaign.
Despite sealing the championship, Karim Ojjeh continues to search for further victories, as he looks to extend his record-breaking points tally of 136 and ensure he becomes the second Blancpain GT Sports Club driver to step on the podium at every round, with the other being Cédric Mezard in 2015.
After a strong showing in the previous two events, Mario Cordoni (#70 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3) is up to second in the championship and will look to defend that position from Coach McKansy (#17 HP Racing International Lamborghini Huracan GT3) and the returning Luigi Lucchini (#7 BMS Scuderia Italia SRL Ferrari 458 GT3), who heads to Spain with three wins in four appearances this season.
Behind them, Patrick Van Glabeke (#488 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3) is chasing his first win of 2018, after a campaign riddled with misfortune. The Belgian has Jürgen Häring (#66 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3 R) for company though, who could yet finish in the top-five overall after a stellar season.
One to watch this weekend is Angélique Detavernier (#55 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3), who has shown blistering pace in recent rounds and will certainly be after her first series podium.
Elsewhere, Claude-Yves Gosselin (#4 Lamborghini Gallardo Extenso R-EX) and Pierre Feligioni (#6 Lamborghini Gallardo Extenso R-EX) have both shown strong pace this season and will aim for more points in Spain with Boutsen Ginion.
At AF Corse, Frederic Fangio (#53 Ferrari 458 GT3) joins Angélique Detavernier, Mario Cordoni, Patrick Van Glabeke and Louis-Philippe Soenen (#50 Ferrari 488 GT3), who sits third in the Iron Cup standings ahead of Roberto Rayneri (#60 GDL Racing Mercedes SLS AMG GT3), with the latter coming to Barcelona off the back of his first points finish and class podium.
After equalling his personal best result of fifth in Budapest, Edward Lewis Brauner (#991 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3 R) will be aiming for more points as he looks to break inside the overall top-10 in the championship.
Completing the field is Dirg Parhofer (#18 CC Car Collection Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3), Dilantha Malagamuwa (#224 HB Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) and Jean-Paul Buffin (#42 3Y Technology BMW M6 GT3), who makes his first championship appearance since Barcelona 2016.
The Blancpain GT Sports Club is supporting the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup finale this weekend, alongside the FFSA French GT Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup France and Peugeot 308 Racing Cup.
