This weekend’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA brings CREVENTIC’s European season to a close in 2023, and with it, some of the tightest championship fights the 24H SERIES has enjoyed in many a year.

Things couldn’t be closer in the GT European Trophy standings, with series newcomer, and GT4 Teams’ standings leader, Atlas BX Motorsport level-pegging on 164 points with GTX Teams’ leader, RD Signs - Siauliai racing team.

Admittedly, the South Korean team has a slight edge over its Lithuanian title rival. Both the #403 Mercedes and the #720 Lamborghini took class wins in Monza, Estoril and in Estoril’s 6H Qualifying Race, but Atlas BX holds a countback advantage having also won in Mugello. A double podium for RD Signs in Mugello and Spa meanwhile immediately closed the Lithuanian team’s eight-point deficit to Atlas BX, which had a luckless run to 5th in Belgium. 

Just two points further back, Buggyra ZM Racing will be riding both teams’ coattails in Catalunya. The Emirati-entered, Czech squad pounced on Atlas’ misfortunes to win at Spa, and, unlike its South Korean rival, has finished every race this season on the GT4-class podium, amassing 162 points.

RD Signs’ nearest rival in the GTX Teams’ standings meanwhile – Vortex V8 – is still in striking distance. The 2021 GTX Teams’ champion started the European season perfectly with class victory in Mugello, and while Vortex finished 2nd to RD Signs (twice) in Estoril, on-track collisions at both Spa and Monza proved costly to the French team, which is now 18 points adrift.

With 60 accumulative points still to play for in Barcelona, it's not an inconceivable gap to overhaul. The returning VDS Racing Adventures for example, class winner in Spa this year with its MARC II V8, could prove a difference maker in Catalunya, and let's not forget how much trouble RD Signs quickly found itself in at last year's event.

Eight points behind the GT European Trophy winners, reigning 992 Teams’ ‘Europe’ champion Red Ant Racing will look to make it two in a row after a consistent 2023 campaign, the highlight of which was class victory at the Hankook 12H MONZA. Ironically, the temple of speed proved to be nearest title rival Willi Motorsport by Ebimotors’ worst outing of the season, beset as it was by punctures and a high-speed accident during qualifying for Fabrizio Broggi. Still, 992 class wins at Mugello and Estoril mean the #955 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup is just six points behind Red Ant Racing heading into the European season finale. 

Further back, and still in mathematical contention, both Red Camel-Jordans.nl (#909, 112 points) and HRT Performance (#930, 110 points) will prove worthy adversaries for the title contenders in Barcelona. Red Camel after all already has two runners-up spots to its name in 2023 – Mugello and Estoril – as well as a commanding win in Estoril’s 6H Qualifying Race. Similarly, while HRT Performance had weekends to forget in Monza and Estoril, the 24H SERIES staple produced a storming drive in Spa to take 992 honours and finish 5th overall.

Across in GT3, reigning GT Continents Trophy winner CP Racing currently holds an eight point lead over E2P Racing in the GT3-AM Teams’ standings, following a strong run to class victory in Monza and two fault-free runners-up spots in Estoril. Consistency could prove the key to success for the Spanish team however, which, unlike CP Racing, has finished all but one of this year’s rounds on the GT3-AM class podium. The Madrid-based outfit also secured the 991 Teams’ 'Europe' title at last year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA, so signing off the 2023 European season with its strongest race of the year will definitely be the goal at E2P Racing.

Despite a run of poor luck, series newcomer Haas RT is still on top in the overall GT3 Teams’ standings, albeit by just two points over CP Racing and only four over newly-crowned GT3-Pro/AM Teams’ champion, Scherer Sport PHX. The Antiguan team started its first European season strongly with an outright win in Mugello (at only its third attempt, by the by), but has since been tripped up by collisions in Spa and Monza, and punctures, time penalties and a wheel bearing failure in Estoril. 

Few teams will be more determined for a clean – potentially championship-winning – run in Barcelona than Haas RT. 

Finally, in TCR, Holmgaard Motorsport looks on course to take its first teams’ championship in the 24H SERIES following wins for its CUPRA Leon Competición in Spa and Monza. To do so however, the Danish team will have to take on three-time Overall TCE Teams’ champion Wolf-Power Racing, which makes its first start since finishing 2nd in-class at Spa and will be champing at the bit to seal its first series win with its Audi RS 3 LMS in Catalunya.

Teams that have completed the requisite number of races for championship eligibility are permitted to drop their lowest scoring event of the season once the chequered flag has flown in Barcelona. A regulation that could shake up the championship order substantially.

Reigning GT European Trophy winner Scherer Sport PHX for example, which missed this year’s Hankook 12H MUGELLO, is currently 8th in the overall championship standings, 28 points behind outright leaders Atlas BX Motorsport and RD Signs - Siauliai racing team. ‘Scratch’ Atlas’ lowest scoring race of the year though (currently 5th in-class Spa), and Scherer Sport PHX leapfrogs to 2nd in the overall standings, just four points behind the #403 Mercedes. Tellingly, after RD Signs scratches its lowest-scoring event of the year (currently 3rd place at Mugello), the Lithuanian team drops to 3rd in the ranking, eight points off the top spot.

Having missed round two at Spa, newly-crowned 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing makes a similar jump in the standings when ‘scratch’ results are implemented. Currently 9th in the overall ranking, 32 points off the top spot, the German team provisionally rockets up to joint 3rd in the standings, level-pegging with RD Signs and just eight points behind Atlas BX. 

Theoretically at least. Though potentially in championship contention despite missing an event (a DNF at Monza would have knocked them out of the running entirely), a poor run at Barcelona for either Scherer Sport PHX or RPM Racing makes the above entirely moot. Still, factor in ‘scratch results’ up to and including this year’s Hankook 12H ESTORIL, and, provisionally at least, just 10 points cover the top six teams in the overall standings with 11 teams still mathematically in contention.