In his home race, the 4th round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance, Michele Beretta and his teammates secured a spectacular victory. Thanks to a perfect strategy from the Haupt Racing Team and a fast, error-free performance, the win was well-deserved. This success allows Michele, Jusuf Owega, and Arjun Maini to remain in contention for the title heading into the season’s final race.
The weekend at his home track didn’t start in the best way for Michele. During qualifying, the Mercedes AMG GT3 #77 team struggled a bit, as the newly resurfaced track and redesigned curbs posed a challenge. Despite their efforts, the team could only secure the 38th position on the starting grid.
However, the team’s and drivers’ exceptional performance shone through during the race, showing determination and resilience. Michele’s crew carefully navigated the opening stages of the race, skillfully avoiding the incidents occurring in the midfield. After surviving the initial chaos, Michele and his teammates had already climbed to 23rd overall and 3rd in their Gold Cup category after just 30 minutes.
At the halfway mark, after 90 minutes, the battle for the win was between the Mercedes AMG GT3 driven by Michele Beretta and the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO of Lismont, Van Uitert, and Clark. The Haupt Racing team expertly managed the pit stop sequence alongside the drivers in a race that was frequently neutralized by Virtual Safety Car periods. Their management allowed Michele and his teammates to complete a remarkable comeback in the final hour of the race, when the #77 Mercedes overtook the Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3.
This stunning victory comes after two excellent podium finishes for Michele and his team. It precedes the final race of the season, scheduled for late November in Saudi Arabia, on the Jeddah street circuit, which also hosts the F1 Grand Prix.
“For this race, there was a regulation change that added an extra pit stop, and we read the race situation perfectly. After a qualifying session that didn’t go as expected, we managed the first phase of the race carefully, staying out of trouble. In the second half of the race, we used the best strategies, both with the numerous Safety Car periods and the Full Course Yellows, and took the lead in the final stages. The victory was well-deserved because we didn’t make a single mistake, and it comes after a period of strong performances where we didn’t quite achieve the results we were capable of.”
