Niklas Krütten produced an impressive display in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe: together with his Australian team-mate in the BMW M4 GT3, Calan Williams, the 20-year-old from Trier celebrated winning the title in the Gold Cup, two podiums, and their best overall result of the year.
Third place in the opening race of the weekend and a class win in the final race of the season was sufficient for the former ADAC Stiftung Sport driver from Team WRT to be crowned Gold Cup champion. It also brought to an end a very successful season for Krütten. His impressive record: four wins and a further five podiums in 2023.
The team began the first race of the weekend at the 4.259-kilometre circuit on the Dutch North Sea coast from second place in their class. Krütten was first behind the wheel of the 590-hp BMW M4 GT3 under a cloudy sky and in cool temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius. The opening exchanges were eventful, but he showed nerves of steel. Having been forced into a gravel bed by another car, he battled his way back to second place in the Gold Cup from the rear of the field. After 26 minutes, Krütten came into the pits from second place to hand over to his team-mate Williams. The Australian moved into the lead during his stint and crossed the finish line as the fastest car in the Gold Cup. However, a penalty received for a safety car infringement saw the duo relegated to third place in the classification.
Following a strong qualifying performance, Williams started the final race of the season in similar weather conditions from pole position in the Gold Cup and second place overall. At the start of the race, the Australian successfully held off his rivals and was actually leading the race when the rain started to fall shortly before the pit stop. Krütten took over the car in the lead at the midway point of the race and proceeded to show good pace and impressive finesse in changing track conditions. The 20-year-old used his experience and drove cleverly to avoid making any mistakes on the wet surface. At the end of a turbulent, wet race, he took third place overall and the class win in the number 30 car. That healthy haul of points earned the team the title in the Gold Cup in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe.
Niklas Krütten: “It was a mega weekend for the team! The weather did not make it easy for us, but we finished on the podium in both races and were rewarded with the championship in the Gold Cup. This season has been an emotional rollercoaster with many challenges. At the end of the day, we have worked hard together, improved all the time and never gave up. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved. Thank you to Team WRT, Calan and Jean-Baptiste, without whom such a successful season would not have been possible."