Monza, Italy: The Austrian GT3 team Eastalent Racing made history again last weekend (October 18-20) at the GT Open Monza 500. During the final weekend of the International GT Open 2024 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, a second-place finish was enough to clinch the drivers‘ championship. Audi Sport drivers Christopher Haase and Simon Reicher are the 2024 International GT Open Champions. It was a weekend filled with unrivaled excitement.

Variable conditions on Friday didn’t really slow down the team. In both free practice sessions – the first in rain and the second in dry weather – the Austrians finished in first place each time. Simon Reicher ended the first qualifying session on Saturday in sixth, while Christopher Haase put the Audi in fourth place in the second qualifying session in the afternoon. This positioned the drivers in second place overall for the three-hour endurance race, covering 500 kilometers plus one lap.

The race began on wet asphalt, followed by dry, sunny conditions. Simon Reicher, who opened the race as the starting driver, expertly guided the Audi R8 LMS evo II with the number 1 through the Prima Variante. However, in the following laps, the leading competitor pulled ahead. The reason was clear: while the team that started from second chose a conventional slick tire strategy, the eventual winner started from eighth with rain tires, taking the lead in the first lap. Despite three pit stops with four driver changes in total and a five-second handicap, the two drivers fought their way back, lap by lap, to close in on the leader. But with the championship on the line for Eastalent Racing, the engineers decided not to attack the leading car. Given their championship points, second place was enough to secure the drivers‘ title.

„How do we feel to be the 2024 GT Open Champions? We just drove in circles for three hours. It was a tough race, not easy to drive. All in all, we finished second in the race and first in the drivers‘ championship – unbelievable. We need a moment to let it sink in,“ said Simon Reicher after the race.

„I believe we saw a race today that summarized the entire season in three hours. In the end, we deservedly prevailed, and I believe that our relationship, and this fighting spirit that we demonstrate here at Eastalent Racing, ultimately made the difference,“ reported Audi Sport driver Christopher Haase.

After the team won the drivers‘ championship and the runner-up drivers’ title in 2023 and took victory at the 24 Hours of Dubai at the beginning of this year, the win in this year’s drivers‘ championship confirms that Eastalent Racing is far from sated in their hunger for success.

Champion maker and team owner Peter Reicher commented, „We did it again. There’s nothing more satisfying than earning confirmation for your hard work. Last year, we won the team championship, the 24 Hours of Dubai, and this year, the GT Open drivers‘ championship. What more can a team wish for? I need a moment to let this sink in. I’m blown away.“

Audi GT project manager Dietmar Ponticelli’s nerves were also tested after so many years in motorsports. „It may be one of the last titles that Audi wins with the help of Eastalent Racing. I hope, however, that it’s not the last. I very much hope that Peter Reicher will be back with Audi next year – maybe in a different series and just as successful as in the GT Open. As an Austrian, I’m immensely proud that an Austrian team won the drivers‘ title in GT Open. When you look closely at the GT3 sector, the GT Open is one of the most important championships that Eastalent Racing has won for us (Audi). The start of the year with the win at the 24 Hours of Dubai was already a sensational achievement, but today’s performance was incredible. At the beginning of the race, we thought that was it for the drivers‘ championship, but then the team started an incredible comeback. The script couldn’t have been written more dramatically. Although I’m not officially part of the team, Peter’s hospitality has made me feel like one. For me personally, it was nerve-wracking.“