With a top-class line-up of drivers, razoon – more than racing is making its debut at the Circuit Paul Ricard in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup.

This weekend (10–11 April), the Circuit Paul Ricard will host the opening round of this year’s GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup. No fewer than 59 GT3 cars have been entered for the race. The series is regarded as the ‘Formula 1 of GT racing’ due to its extremely high-calibre field of competitors. For the first time, razoon – more than racing from Eggersdorf near Graz will be competing in the Endurance Cup and will also be contesting the full season in the SRO championship for the first time this year. Last year, the team got a taste of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup for the first time with a guest appearance at Misano.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo with start number #914 will compete in the six-hour race in the Bronze Cup. Team owner Dominik Olbert, GT3 veteran Gerhard Tweraser and the highly talented young GT3 driver Benjamin Paque will be at the wheel of the Porsche at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. The 21-year-old Paque attracted attention this January when he secured pole position in the overall standings at the 24 Hours of Dubai. Prior to that, Paque had gained a wealth of experience in Porsche one-make series, where he achieved success. “It’s an honour for me to be part of the razoon – more than racing Bronze line-up, and I’m really looking forward to it! I hope we can achieve a strong result and something special,” said the speedy Belgian ahead of his debut in the series. “It’s my first race in the GT World Challenge Europe and in a GT3 Porsche. I had one test session, but only managed ten laps. I feel very comfortable in the car and it’s a great car that handles well. I’d like to thank the razoon team for the opportunity; they’ve done a fantastic job in making it possible for me to compete in the race.”

Team owner Olbert will be making his GT3 racing debut at Le Castellet, but brings a wealth of experience from GT2 and GT4 cars. During the extensive test drives at the pre-season test for the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, Olbert impressed with some strong lap times. “When we first competed in the GT4 European Series in 2019, it was a dream for us to one day compete in the GT World Challenge. The fact that we’re running the full season in both the Endurance and Sprint Cups this year is, of course, brilliant! I’m proud of the whole team and our partners for making this happen. What makes it even more special for me personally is that I’ll be driving myself this weekend. It’s a really exciting race and I think we have a really strong line-up with Benjamin Paque and Gerhard Tweraser. Having Gerhard, a fellow Styrian, on the car is obviously brilliant! We’re approaching this with respect and humility, but I’m sure it’ll be a fantastic weekend with our GT3 and GT4 teams", says proud team owner Dominik Olbert.

Gerhard Tweraser is one of Austria’s most experienced GT3 drivers and has previously competed in the ADAC GT Masters, the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and other international series. In his last outing in the 2023 SRO series in Barcelona, he celebrated a class victory. “razoon’s headquarters are near my home in Styria, and I was fascinated by how professionally the team has grown – something I’ve been closely following. I got in touch with the team last week when I heard they were competing in the GT World Challenge Europe and still had a driver’s seat available. I then drove straight to the Red Bull Ring, where the team was holding a test, and sat down with them. The decision to team up was made relatively quickly,” explains Gerhard Tweraser ahead of his first race in the razoon team’s Porsche. “I’ve already competed in the ADAC GT Masters once in a Porsche; I’m fascinated by the car and find it a real pleasure and a lot of fun to drive. “During the test at Le Castellet, I was able to adapt to the car quickly and we managed to improve further in every session. At the test, we realised that we are extremely strong over long runs, but still need some improvement in qualifying. But I’m confident that we have a good chance in the race to fight for podium places in the Bronze Cup, and that must also be our goal!”

The race at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, thrills fans every year with its unique atmosphere, as the race doesn’t finish until midnight and the drive into the southern French night provides spectacular scenes. The race starts on Saturday at 18:00 o´clock and will be broadcast on the official livestream on YouTube in German, English, French and Italian. SKY Sport F1 will also broadcast the race live on German-language pay-TV.