- Bavarian manufacturer now well clear of Porsche and Toyota
- Close battle behind with multiple manufacturers vying for runner-up spot
- Global standings after 56 races
BMW remains firmly on course to defend its GT4 Manufacturer Ranking title, while the battle for second spot has intensified between Porsche and Toyota.
With 30 of 53 events complete the Bavarian brand is 405 points clear, an advantage that will be very difficult for its rivals to overcome between now and the season finale on the streets of Macau (15/16 November). Indeed, the most significant contest at this stage is over second in the standings.
Following a run of 11 consecutive race weekends, 7/8 June was the first without at least one GT4 Manufacturer Ranking series in action since mid-March. But the pause was brief: racing resumed one week later, kicking off a run of 14 successive weekends that continues through mid-September.
Japan Cup launched its 2025 season on 14/15 June, becoming the eighth and final GT4 Manufacturer Ranking series to get underway. Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia made the perfect start at Sportsland Sugo, winning both races thanks to Haridarma Manoppo and Seita Nonaka.
For 10 days at the end of June, Spa-Francorchamps was the undisputed home of global GT racing. The actionbegan with Spa Speedweek, which brought British GT and the FFSA French GT Championship to the Ardennes for their annual away days on 21/22 June.
In the three-hour British GT contest, Century Motorsport recorded a comeback win that further solidifiedBMW’s place at the top of the table. Ravi Ramyead and Charlie Robertson recovered from a pair of early drive-throughs to capture their second victory of the season, while Mercedes-AMG scored a double podium thanks to Team Parker Racing.
FFSA GT ran its usual two-race format. Aston Martin was the major beneficiary as the Mirage-run Vantage of Stanislav Safronov and Aleksandr Vaintrub took Race 1 honours and then secured a runner-up finish in Race 2. BMW also showed well, pulling further clear at the head of the standings thanks to one-off entrants Chazel and W&D.
There was much more to come at Spa-Francorchamps the following weekend. The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa staged a record-breaking 77th edition, which included the familiar sight of an enormous GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club support grid. Team Speedcar gave Audi maximum points by finishing one-two in the opening race, recording the fifth win of the year for the Ingolstadt marque. BMW then took Race 2 thanks to Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport and edged Audi as the best scorer of the weekend.
Meanwhile, the SRO GT Cup was in China for the second event of its inaugural season at Pingtan Ruyi Lake International City Circuit. Toyota Gazoo Racing China swept the weekend, maintaining the Japanese marque's strong form in Asia. Han Lichao won both races from pole on the 2.9-kilometre semi-street track, a performance that briefly brought Toyota level with Porsche in the battle for second position.
ADAC GT4 Germany was at the Norisring on 5/6 July, joining one of the biggest weekends on the German motorsport calendar at the self-styled 'Franconian Monaco'. In a repeat of the season-opening event at Oschersleben, Enrico Förderer and Jay Mo Härtling scored both race wins aboard their Mercedes-AMG. The SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm drivers are now four for four this season and have made a serious contribution to the AMG points haul.
Manoppo and Nonaka also made it four wins from four as the Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia duo maintained aperfect start to the Japan Cup campaign. They swept the second round of the season at Fuji Speedway (12/13 July), banking maximum points for the brand at the wheel of their GR Supra.
On the same weekend, BMW stretched its advantage even further when British GT resumed at a scorching Snetterton. The opening race was won by McLaren as Optimum Motorsport notched its third victory of the year courtesy of Jack Brown and Marc Warren. BMW responded in Race 2, however, as Century Motorsport took top spot.
The most recent round of global GT4 races came over the weekend of 19/20 July. Audi maintained its status as the best scoring brand in GT4 Europe thanks to a brace of wins for Team Speedcar at Misano. Robert Consaniand Benjamin Lariche have been the class of the field this year and added two more wins at the Italian circuit, helping Audi to comfortably beat BMW and Mercedes-AMG to the best score of the weekend.
Meanwhile, both Pirelli GT4 America and GT America powered by AWS were at Virginia International Raceway. The latter series was dominated by Aston Martin, with Michael Fitzpatrick taking a double win aboard his 89x Motorsports Vantage. The Pirelli GT4 America event brought solid points for a number ofbrands, though once again BMW emerged with comfortably the biggest score. Random Vandals bagged both wins with its M4, while Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Toyota and Aston Martin all performed well at the Virginia venue.
With the season now well into its second half and BMW a long way clear of the chasing pack, it appears that the German brand will successfully defend its GT4 Manufacturer Ranking crown. Runner-up spot is considerably closer, however, with Porsche (746 points), Toyota (711 points), Mercedes-AMG (695 points) and Aston Martin (630 points) all firmly in contention. McLaren (584 points), Audi (415 points) and Ford (239 points) round out the standings.
The competitive action continues to come thick and fast, with nine events scheduled for the next six weeks. Monochrome GT4 Australia is in action this weekend (26/27 July) followed by FFSA GT at Magny-Cours (2/3 August), ADAC GT4 at the Nürburgring (9/10 August) and both U.S. series at Road America (16/17 August). British GT, GT4 Europe and Japan Cup will also be on-track again before the end of August.
