Williams wins Gold Cup title at Zandvoort

Monday 16 October, 2023
Calan Williams has won the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup.
Calan Williams has capped off his first season in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe with the Gold Cup title after a thrilling final weekend at Circuit Zandvoort.
 
Along with teammate Niklas Krutten, the Western Australian had a fantastic weekend behind the wheel, which saw them produce stellar performances during two dramatic races. 
 
The Team WRT duo qualified in 17th and second in class for the first race before making up four places during the 32-lap affair to finish 13th overall, but still second in class.
 
A lightning-quick qualifying for race two saw them secure an outright second-row start, seven places higher than the next-best crew. An impressive run from each driver saw them finish the outing in third outright and with the Gold Cup race win.  
 
The victory saw them score enough points to pip rivals Alberto Di Folco and Aurélien Panispio to the Gold Cup title – with just three and a half points separating the two teams at the end of the season.   

Williams wasn’t the only Aussie to enjoy the weekend, with West Australian Jordan Love also experiencing success in the Silver Cup.

All weekend, Love and his Haupt Racing Team teammate Frank Bird were at the top of their game, securing pole position for the class in both qualifying sessions, and scoring two Silver Cup wins, as well as finishing sixth outright in both races.
 
Sharing the iconic circuit with the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe during the weekend was the GB3 Championship for its penultimate round of the season.
 
Two Aussies were entered in the event, with first-year rookie Costa Toparis having a challenging weekend at Zandvoort. 
 
The 16-year-old qualified 18th before race one and couldn’t quite find a way to make any real inroads up the order though, ultimately finishing in 17th before making up two places in the second to finish 15th. 
 
Unfortunately, a wet race three saw him finish 20th and last amongst finishers, with five DNFs in a race that ended under safety car conditions. 
 
One of those retirees in the final race was Championship debutant Aussie Patrick Heuzenroeder, who had led the opening lap of that race after starting from pole – but his exciting opportunity didn’t last long as soon crashed out during a safety car restart.
 
Earlier in the weekend, Heuzenroeder had picked up two finishes just outside the top 20.
 
James Wharton has completed the final round of the Italian Formula 4 Championship season with a consistent finish, locking away fourth place on the outright standings.
 
With the season finale taking place at Vallelunga Circuit, there were five Aussies contesting the round as Wharton led the way having picked up a fifth, sixth and fourth place respectively. 
 
Wharton was also one of four drivers to top the 200-point mark, finishing on 205.5 and just nine points ahead of Ferrari Driver Academy teammate, Tuukka Taponen. 
 
Fellow Aussie Gianmarco Pradel finished his consistent season with three top-25 finishes to clinch 13th place in the Drivers’ Championship, while Jack Beeton had one of his better rounds of the year with two top-15 finishes, which included a P11. 
 
Also in the mix was Griffin Peebles, who capped off his season in 33rd place in the standings and Kamal Mrad who came away with a top-25 finish in race two. 
 
In the United States, plenty of Aussies were entered in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship’s Motul Petit Le Mans, with Matt Campbell leading the way.

The 2023 Road America winner, alongside fellow drivers Felipe Nasr and Josef Newgarden, came home fourth overall and fourth in the GTP class, one spot ahead of Jenson Button and his team. 
 
Further down the road, fellow Aussie Josh Burdon and his team finished third in the LMP3 class, and 17th overall, while Queenslander Cameron Shields and his team rounded out the top five in the LMP3 class for an overall 45th-place finish. 
 
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