+ Battle for global supremacy reaches crucial phase following 10 events in six weeks
+ BMW still in control despite strong run of results for Porsche
+ GT4 Manufacturer Ranking winner to be decided over final stretch of 14 race weekends
BMW retains the advantage at the top of the GT4 Manufacturer Ranking as the season heads into its deciding phase, though Porsche has edged closer to the Bavarian marque thanks to a series of strong performances.
Any suggestion that international motor racing takes a break during the summer months can be firmly refuted by a glance at the global GT4 calendar. No fewer than 10 meetings were staged between 20/21 July and 24/25 August, with cars on-track in Asia, Australia, America and Europe.
The recent run was always likely to favour Porsche, which enjoys particularly strong representation in America and Australia. The Cayman lived up to its billing, though a consistent series of showings from BMW has ensured that it remains favourite to earn the inaugural GT4 Manufacturer Ranking crown.
The summer swing began at Virginia International Raceway, which welcomed both Pirelli GT4 America and GT America Powered by AWS over the weekend of 20/21 July. In the former, the Cayman swept the Silver class thanks to a double win from RS1 and added further victories in Pro-Am (ACI Motorsports) and Am (Rotek Racing). BMW kept up the pressure, aided by an Am victory for Bimmerworld, while Mercedes-AMG also took home a winners' trophy thanks to P1 Groupe.
In the single-driver GT America Powered by AWS, Porsche continued its perfect season thanks to wins for ACI Motorsports and Rotek Racing. These two squads have dominated the 2024 campaign, with Curt Swearingin demonstrating especially strong form at the wheel of his ACI-run Cayman.
Across the pond, the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club was back in action at Hockenheim. The German circuit staged the fourth round of the campaign and, in a repeat of the previous meeting at Spa-Francorchamps, BMW emerged with the biggest points haul.
The highlight came courtesy of Borusan Otomotiv, which secured a brilliant Silver class victory after charging from 19th on the grid. Porsche also scored well on home soil thanks to a Pro-Am sweep, which saw W&S Motorsport triumph with a different crew in each race. This was also a very positive weekend for Ford, which captured a pair of runner-up finishes in Silver courtesy of Academy Motorsport.
Two weeks later – and some 16,000 kilometres away – Monochrome GT4 Australia resumed its 2024 season at Queensland Raceway. The weekend consisted of two races: a one-hour sprint on Saturday, followed by a three-hour enduro that began at 07:30 on Sunday morning. Porsche emerged as the top scorer, albeit with a slim margin over BMW after what proved a highly competitive weekend.
The Cayman bagged Pro-Am honours in Sunday's contest thanks to Game Over by Keltic Racing, though BMW had the edge in terms of wins, with Randall Racing sweeping the Am class and Thunder Buddies Racing securing Saturday's Pro-Am victory. In the Silver class, McLaren triumphed on Saturday while Ford bagged a fourth win of the year after Sunday’s early start.
The Queensland event was followed by a two-week break, whetting appetites for a flurry of global GT4 action during the second half of August. Indeed, six rounds were staged across two weekends. On 17-18 August, the American contingent was back in action at one of the nation's most iconic venues: Road America. In GT America Powered by AWS, Porsche maintained its 100 percent record, with ACI Motorsports and Rotek Racing once again sharing the wins.
The same two teams were instrumental to its success in Pirelli GT4 America, with ACI claiming a Pro-Am victory and Rotek sweeping the Am class. Aston Martin also enjoyed a successful weekend, triumphing in the second Pro-Am contest courtesy of top international squad Heart of Racing. BMW continued to bank strong points, bolstered by a Silver sweep for Random Vandals.
ADAC GT4 Germany resumed over the same weekend, travelling to the Nürburgring for the fourth of six doubleheader events. The opening contest saw Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport earn a fifth win of the campaign for BMW, while Austrian squad Wimmer Werk Motorsport opened its account for 2024 by bagging Race 2 honours. In another close-fought weekend it was the Cayman that accrued the most points, though the M4 was not far behind and Mercedes-AMG also scored well on home soil.
One triple-header weekend was immediately followed by another, with Monochrome GT4 Australia, FFSA GT France and Japan Cup all on-track on 24–25 August. The latter was staging the concluding round of its 2024 season, the first as a standalone series having previously run as part of Fanatec GT Asia. BMW squad YZ Racing prevailed in the opening Silver Am contest, but the Wakayama Hojust-run Toyota won the second outing and clinched championship honours. In the Am class, Aston Martin earned a second successive weekend sweep thanks to D'Station Racing.
The fourth round of Monochrome GT4 Australia formed part of the GT Festival at Phillip Island. This series has been a happy hunting ground for BMW in 2024, a trend that continued with a Silver sweep for Central West Prestige BMW and Pro-Am honours for Thunder Buddies. Mercedes-AMG and McLaren scored well thanks to Am wins for Team Nineteen and Method Motorsport respectively, while the latter also gave Porsche a Pro-Am win. Nevertheless, this was a weekend of big gains for BMW.
The recent run of races concluded with FFSA GT France, which was at Magny-Cours as part of a packed line-up that also included Fanatec GT Europe. Porsche made gains on BMW, led by a Pro-Am win for AV Racing, though the Bavarian marque earned a healthy haul of points despite not taking a race victory. Aston Martin also enjoyed a profitable weekend thanks to Silver winner Racing Spirit of Léman, while Mercedes-AMG picked up a Pro-Am win courtesy of VICTEAM.
BMW retains a relatively comfortable position on top of the standings with 20,428 points, though Porsche is considerably closer than before on 19,107. The remaining events do not favour one brand over the other, suggesting a competitive conclusion to the campaign. Aston Martin is third in the standings with a solid advantage over Mercedes-AMG, followed by McLaren, Toyota, Audi and Ford.
There are 14 events left to run, half of which will take place during a busy September. British GT will be back in action at Donington Park on 7/8 September, while GT America Powered by AWS and Pirelli GT4 America will be at Barber Motorsports Park over the same weekend. That's followed by FFSA GT France at Dijon (14/15 September) and GT4 Europe at Monza (21/22 September) after which British GT concludes at Brands Hatch and ADAC GT4 Germany heads to the Red Bull Ring (28/29 September).
