Vortex SAS is a French auto racing team founded by brothers Arnaud and Olivier Gomez in 2015. After competing in silhouette race cars for a number of years, the team was created by the Gomez brothers.[1] Competing as Vortex V8, they build and run their own lightweight GT cars that compete in the 24H Series, Ultimate Cup Series and Campeonato de España de GT.
Racing history
2016
The Scirocco-shaped GC10-V8, with which Vortex SAS made their 24H Series debut in 2016.
The team made their 24H Series debut in 2016 at the season-opening Dubai 24 Hour with a GC10-V8 built by GC Automobile, qualifying on pole in the SP2 class, being the first non-GT3 car on the grid in 18th overall. The car ended the race in 2nd in class, 27th overall.[2][3]
A podium-less streak followed for the rest of the 2016 season, the team ending their season 4th in class with 69 points, 10th in the overall GT standings.[4][5]
2017
The team upgraded to a full-season entry for 2017 in both the SPX and SP2 classes. A heavily unsubscribed entry in the former resulted in a lack of competition for the team debuting their Vortex 1.0 car. The team competed in every round except the 12H Imola but struggled to score points throughout the season, only taking 2nd in class at Mugello and the Red Bull Ring in SPX and 3rd at the Italian venue in SP2, ending their season in 4th and 7th in their class standings.[1]
2018
Vortex downsized their operation to just two events in 2018, failing to finish at the 12H Navarra and managing enough laps to be classified as fifth in class at the 24 Hours of Barcelona. The team would end the season fifth, and last, in class.[6]
2019
2019 marked the return of the GC10 which took a maiden win for Vortex SAS in the season-opener at Dubai, whilst the 1.0 SPX entry retired shortly before halfway distance. The GC10 took second at the 12 Hours of Mugello in class in its final race. The 1.0 returned for the 24 Hours of Barcelona for the final round of the European segment of the season, qualifying on pole and finishing in third, one lap clear of the next car.[7]
2020
The 1.0 was entered into the 2020 Dubai 24 Hour into the renamed GTX class. The car only managed 33 laps before the race was called off due to flooding.[8][9]
2021
Vortex were one of four GTX teams to enter in the first round at Dubai, despite being 100 laps down on the class winner, they took the flag in second position. This result would be succeeded by multiple podium finishes in every subsequent race bar the 24 Hours of Barcelona. The team entered two cars, the No. 701 and No. 712, at 3 rounds throughout the season, Mugello, Paul Ricard and Barcelona.[10]
One highlight of the season was a double podium finish in class at the 12 Hours of Mugello. The No. 701 finished 15th overall and 3rd in class at the 24 Hours of Sebring, thus allowing Philippe Bonnel to secure GTX drivers' and teams' championship for Vortex V8, with 96 points despite not winning a single race. They finished in the GT Teams' standings in 4th, tied with two GT3 teams on 109 points.
2022
At the 2022 edition of the Dubai 24 Hour, mechanical troubles delayed the 701 car almost to the point of non-classification, amassing enough laps to be classified as third in GTX. Three Vortex 1.0s were present for the following championship round at Mugello, the additional No. 703 car taking third place in class whilst the main two cars faltered, still finishing however. The Vortex 1.0s were ultimately out-paced by their GTX competitors, only taking three more podium finishes at Spa-Francorchamps, Barcelona and Kuwait.[11]
2023
After the Middle East Trophy-opening round at Kuwait, the 1.0s were only challenged by Razoon – More than Racing's KTM X-BOW. The cars ran without troubles for most of the event until the No. 702 car caught fire with under four hours to go, being classified in third through its adequate race distance whilst the 701 finished second 59 laps down. At the Trophy-season-closing round at Yas Marina Circuit, the 701 finished in fourth, ending the season 2nd in the GTX standings of the Middle East Trophy, twelve points shy of Razoon – More than Racing.
Upon the season's first race in Europe at the 12 Hours of Mugello, the duo of 1.0 cars ran smoothly, taking the lead and holding it for many hours in both parts of the evenly-split race. Despite both cars having to deal with separate wheel issues, the team finished 1–2 in GTX, 24th and 25th overall respectively, marking the team's second win in the 24H Series.[12]
The #702 Vortex 1.0 on a recovery truck after crashing out at Spa-Francorchamps.
After Mugello, the second of the 1.0's crashed in wet conditions at the 12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The #701 finished on the podium at every other race in the European season, making the podium in the 24 Hours of Barcelona after troubles for other class competitors, narrowly missing out on the GTX title by 2 points after dropped scores were applied.
In the Ultimate Cup Series' GT Endurance and Touring Challenge, the pair of 1.0 cars ran with opposition from a Ferrari 488 Challenge, though it was faulted by mechanical troubles and Miguel Moiola was able to seal the 3B title despite the team missing the Estoril round of the series.
2024
Vortex SAS competed in the 2024 edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour with the Vortex 1.0 in the Invitational class, which was the team's first race in Oceania. Lionel Amrouche, Julien Boilot and Philippe Bonnel drove the car in the event.[13] The event took place on 16–18 February, after the Middle East Trophy's conclusion and before the 24H Series' European campaign starts.
Vortex's debut at Bathurst yielded a fourth-place finish in class and 23rd overall after causing a few cautions, mostly due to spins at various points on the track and a lengthy pit stop. Shipping delays prevented the team's first 2.0 chassis from making it to Europe for the opening Ultimate Cup Series and 24H Series rounds, the team resorting to a 1.0 chassis, which gave them a UGTX class win at Paul Ricard with an all-new driver line up and 2nd in the 12 Hours of Mugello in GTX.
The 2.0 model's first European Creventic race came at the 12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, in which both cars managed to finish in a 1-2 class formation, lead by the Nr. 701, ahead of their rivals in a soaked two-part event, before which the Nr. 702 took class pole in GTX.[14] The team were the only GTX competitors in the 2024 edition of the 24 Hours of Portimão. Despite a two-hour stay in the pits, the team finished the race albeit 172 laps down, winning their class.
The 701 Vortex took class victory in the 24 Hours of Barcelona, winning the GTX title with very little opposition, giving the 2.0 its first championship crown. A trying Ultimate Cup campaign gave the 2.0 second place, less than two seconds off the leader at Mugello, following an overall win at Magny-Cours by Arnaud and Olivier Gomez. The team had Sébastien Loeb signed for the GT Endurance season finale, entering 3 additional cars in the UCS1 class.
The 1.0 would make its competitive debut in the VdeV Endurance Series at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, competing in the 4-hour-long season opener with GPC Motorsport, the #20 car being driven by Iradj Alexander and Alexandre Coigny. After qualifying 20th out of 23 cars, the car would go on to finish in 21st, six laps down on the next car.[16] It would fail to finish the next three races in entered before being pulled from the final trio of events.
Despite not being built to any given class specifications, the car has found its way into many championships, either into classes that are generally open to all GT cars or Open GT-type classes, one example being 24H Series' GTX class which is open to similar cars like the Mustang-shaped MARC II V8.
The Vortex 1.0 has taken championship titles in three of the championships it has taken part in: three in the Ultimate Cup Series, two in the Spanish GT Championship in 2017 and 2021 and one in the 24H Series in 2021.
It is also notable for its unique, independently produced appearance among more popular, conventionally-bodied GT cars it competes against. It is one of the only remaining cars to be built and run in an international championship by the same team, other similar examples including the Brokernet Silver Sting,[17] and the Solution-F-made cars, the Divitec SF11 and Foenix, which all have unique body shapes respectively.[18]
The #701 Vortex 1.0 claimed its first GTX and 24H Series victory at the 2023 12 Hours of Mugello, ending an almost seven-year winless streak.[12]
The team's latest innovation was announced as the Vortex 2.0, possessing a more streamlined but similar look to its predecessor. It made its debut in the 2023 24H Series season.[20]
The 2.0 was revealed during the 2023 24 Hours of Barcelona event on 15 September, Friday. The car's improvements from its predecessor include a 120 kg kerb weight drop, PKM suspension and many changes to assist with cooling the brakes and amending many issues the 1.0 had. A full-width rear wing is another complete change, in an effort to improve downforce which is assisted by the bodywork that will help to direct air rearwards. The car is scheduled to debut at the 2023–24 Middle East Trophy-opening 12 Hours of Kuwait round on 8–9 December 2023.[21][19]
On its event debut, the 2.0 took pole position at the 12 Hours of Kuwait, averaging a time, across all three session, 1.1 seconds quicker than the next GTX car. Following multiple mechanical failures, the car finished 13th overall and third in class on debut. The 2.0 took GTX pole by nearly 7 tenths for the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi after 3 qualifying sessions ahead of its second race. The 2.0 took its first class win by half a second in the Abu Dhabi race and went on to take pole for the Dubai 24 Hour the next week.
The 2.0 claimed its first overall win at round 5 of the Ultimate Cup GT Endurance season at Magny-Cours.
^The SPX class was merged with the A6-Pro and A6-Am class from round 2 onwards due to lack of entries.
^ abVortex V8 scored 28 points in the Continents' Championship (Dubai) and 11 in the Europe championship (Mugello), however did not score a final championship as they only competed in one race in each season.
^ abVortex V8 #701 scored 47 points in the Continents' Championship (Dubai, best European race, Spa-Francorchamps, and Kuwait) and 44 in the Europe championship (Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps, Hockenheimring, Portimão and Barcelona).
^ abVortex V8 #702 scored 16 points in the Continents' Championship (best European race, Mugello) but wasn't classified and 26 in the Europe championship (Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps, and Barcelona).
^ abVortex V8 #703 scored 11 points in the Europe championship but wasn't classified as it only contested one race.
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