Thomas Andersen and Simon Birch took home the victory for Razoon – more than racing in the inaugural GEDLICH Racing 6h of Barcelona.
The winners of GEDLICH’s 6h of Portimao in February faced stern competition, including the BDR by Grupo Prom Mercedes of Alfredo Hernandez, Michael Dorrbecker and Amaury Bonduel. Additionally, the GT3 class featured Thai outfit Star Performance, with driving duties performed by Milos Pavlovic, Sandro Mur, Aniwat Lommahadthai and Sanporn Jao-Javanil.
However, all eyes were placed firmly on the Milwaukee-backed Razoon Porsche 992 GT3 R, which qualified on pole.
As the race got under way, the Rossocorsa Ferrari 296 Challenge of Niccolo Schiro moved up from fifth to the lead, using the superior straight-line speed of his car to pass the GT3s and build a lead.
Meanwhile, Andersen found himself fighting with fellow GT3 class entrant Lommahadthai, as well as the CMR Lamborghini Super Trofeo of Stephane Leveret, who navigated himself into second place.
Further back, it was a difficult first hour for SR Motorsport in the GT4 class. Its #111 entry, a relatively late addition to the grid, pulled in after just two laps with engine problems.
The #11 Mercedes led the GT4 category early on with Kenneth Heyer at the wheel. The experienced German had a great fight with Daniel Drexel and Guillermo Aso, which Drexel came out on top of in the Razoon – more than racing Porsche Cayman.
The Razoon Porsche 992 GT3 R was the first frontrunning car into the pits, and Andersen handed his car over to Birch, who immediately began setting his signature searing pace.
However, the second hour did not pass by without incident. The PCR Sport Mercedes GT4 of Josep Parera approached Turn 14 slower than Birch anticipated, which resulted in Parera being hooked into a spin.
This triggered the first safety car of the race, and the #14 was given a drive-through penalty for its role in the collision.
Shortly thereafter, a second caution followed amid further issues for the #4 PCR Mercedes. Vicente Dasi returned the car to the circuit after it was recovered from the Turn 14 gravel. It was significantly wounded, missing much of the rear bodywork, including the diffuser.
Unfortunately, Dasi compounded a tough race for the team, spinning at Turn 7, and hitting the wall front-first.
The race then entered a familiar pattern during its middle phase with Birch and Andersen putting themselves into a strong position just as they had at Portimao. It was clear that the team’s net advantage was measured in laps rather than minutes by the end of the fourth hour.
The battle for second overall was considerably closer, however, as Bonduel entered the final hour just eight seconds ahead of Pavlovic. However, with less than half an hour to go, the heavens opened.
Initially, the rainfall was gradual, and teams were largely hesitant to move to wet tyres. Pavlovic was among the first to visit the pits for treaded rubber in the Lamborghini, and this looked like it may backfire in the following laps. Initially, Pavlovic was only two seconds per lap faster on the greasy track, and the lap times between the Serbian and the slick-shod Bonduel were soon even as the rain briefly subsided.
However, it quickly returned with greater intensity. Bonduel peeled in for wet tyres, and returned to the track 10s behind Pavlovic. The Belgian began closing the gap but ultimately ran out of time.
At the front, Birch was two laps clear, and eased off to greet the GT4 Razoon entry, which was en route to an even more dominant victory within its class. It was a perfect photograph for the Austrian team, as Birch took the overall win side-by-side with Denny Berndt in the GT4 winner.
Pavlovic held onto second overall by just three seconds, while the BDR crew were still happy with third position overall. The Cup 4 CMR Lamborghini of Lemeret, Rodrigue Gillion and Wilfried Cazalbon came fourth.
The MTech Competition Porsche 992 GT3 Cup of Gustav Soderberg Krogh, Thomas Karlsson and Mattias Astrand had a quiet final hour of the race, taking fifth overall and winning the Cup 2 class. The Swedish team has been having a compelling battle with GP Elite’s Peter and Koen Munnichs. However, the father-and-son duo’s Porsche had a driveshaft problem late in the race.
Rossocorsa’s Ferrari 296 Challenge finished sixth overall, despite suspension issues just after half-distance.
Razoon – more than racing’s Berndt, Drexel and Gregor Schneider performed flawlessly in the GT4 class, ultimately winning by five laps. Late in the race, second place changed hands, as the recovering #11 SR Motorsport Mercedes closed in on the #15 NM Racing entry. Aso was passed by Jay Mo Hartling with just five minutes left on the clock.
During the team’s earlier refuelling issues, Hartling was acting as a mechanic, and was one of the first team members investigating the problem under the bootlid.
With a clean sweep of overall victories at GEDLICH Racing’s inaugural six-hour races at Portimao and Barcelona, Razoon – more than racing, Birch and Andersen have once again proven themselves to be endurance specialists. For Birch, who has been taking his first steps in a GT3 car in the GEDLICH Racing paddock, the future looks particularly bright. The young Dane set the fastest-ever GT3 race lap of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during his last stint, a 1m40.695s.
GEDLICH Racing’s 6h races have been a resounding success in 2025, and will be an eagerly- anticipated part of the Winter Series tour in 2026. Barcelona and Portimao will once again play host to six-hour endurance racing from the GEDLICH organisation, next year.
