With a third place in the second race at the Hungaroring near Budapest, SPS automotive performance has secured the championship lead in the International GT Open. Thanks to consistent finishes in the points, Mikaeel Pitamber (RSA) and Dominik Baumann (AUT) and their #20 Mercedes-AMG GT3 are six points clear at the top of the championship standings after seven of 14 races.
A key factor in this excellent position is the consistency of the team from Obersulm in this popular and highly competitive racing series. Pitamber and Baumann are the only driver pairing in the entire field to have finished in the points in all races held so far in the 2024 season. The international driver duo achieved two podium finishes and two pole positions. In total, the number 20 Mercedes-AMG GT3 has led the field of more than 30 cars for 46 laps so far this season. The 1,426 race kilometres covered so far also represent the highest figure in the current season. Thanks to this reliability and continuity, the team is currently leading the overall standings with 60 championship points, which corresponds to an average of around 8.6 points per race.
In the second half of the season, the team and its drivers will have to successfully defend their lead in order to remain at the top of the standings after the season's final in Monza, Italy, at the end of October.
PROAM: Müller and Mettler in the top quarter of the standings
The #54 Mercedes-AMG GT3 entered by SPS automotive performance also recorded a solid first half of the season in the highly competitive PROAM classification of the International GT Open. Dexter Müller and Yannick Mettler (both SUI), who are contesting the season under the CBRX by SPS banner, are in the top quarter of the championship table with eleventh place among the more than 50 drivers who have started so far. Although the Swiss duo have not always had racing luck on their side this season, their 1,419 kilometres of racing are just as impressive as those of their team-mates. These numbers testify to the reliability of the Mercedes-AMG GT3s fielded by SPS. Just like their team-mates, Müller and Mettler have set themselves the target for the second half of the season of scoring as many championship points as possible in order to move up a few positions in the standings.
The second half of the International GT Open season starts at the Circuit Paul Ricard from 19 to 21 July. In recent years, the former Grand Prix circuit in the south of France has been a good venue for the team from Obersulm. Both in the International GT Open and in other series, SPS automotive performance has achieved several class victories and podium finishes at this track.
Mikaeel Pitamber, #20 Mercedes-AMG GT3: "The season is going very well for us. Dominik and I have come together well and are already working as a unit. We are very satisfied with two podium finishes in this strong field so far, but of course we have our sights set on even better results. Leading the standings is a great thing. But the season is still long and we have to keep our focus high in order to be among the front runners at the end."
Stephan Sohn, team principal SPS automotive performance: "We are obviously very happy about this interim result. The team and our drivers have done a great job up to this point. The result shows that you have to score points in every race and ideally not have any retirements throughout the season. If we keep up our consistency, we can finish high up in the standings."