The first round of the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS championship saw an exciting start of the season for Hong Kong’s Jonathan Hui (HKG) after an impressive show of resilience alongside his Sky Tempesta teammates Chris Froggatt (GBR) and Eddie Cheever III (ITA). Held from 5th to 7th of April 2024 at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, the team fought strongly to secure a strong P4 class finish in their first race in the brand new Sky-liveried #93 Ferrari 296 GT3.
Hui got off to a promising start on Friday morning as he managed to set the second fastest time during the Bronze rated driver test session. All three drivers continued to familiarize themselves with the new car, ending the weekend’s official practice session P6 in class. The three Qualifying sessions on Sunday confirmed the team’s front running pace, placing their Ferrari in a strong P2 out of 19 entries in the Bronze Cup for the race start.
The 3-hour endurance race started off strongly for Sky Tempesta Racing as Froggatt managed to navigate safely through the opening laps amidst a busy 55 car field. The British driver drove brilliantly, holding onto the Bronze Cup podium places before pitting for driver change during the safety car period at the 2-hour mark. As soon as Hui took over the reins of the #93 Ferrari 296 GT3, he encountered a power loss issue which was eventually resolved 9 laps later and was then able to set strong lap times, fighting back up the order from P9. Once the final hour of the race approached, Hui handed driving duties to Eddie Cheever III, who exited the pitlane in P6 thanks to a finely executed pitstop by the Sky Tempesta Racing mechanics. The Italian driver drove aggressively as he cut his way through the field eventually challenging the Aston Martin for P3 during the final laps, however with a looming 30 second penalty at the end of the race due to track limits being exceeded, all the effort appeared to be in vain. Cheever III eventually took the checkered flag in P4 in the Bronze Cup, concluding a well executed comeback drive.
While Hui and Sky Tempesta Racing missed out on a podium finish, the team leaves the Circuit Paul Ricard with 12 valuable points in the Bronze Cup. The team has shown considerable progress throughout the weekend and will look to fight for class victory as the season progresses. The team now sets their sights on securing a strong finish at their first Sprint Cup weekend at the Misano World Circuit in Italy from 17 to 19 May with Hui and Cheever III behind the wheel. All the races will be livestreamed on GT World’s official YouTube channel and their official website.