FFSA GT: Cindy Gudet secures double podiums in Le Castellet, grabs Vice-Champion title
Cindy Gudet closed her 2026 FFSA GT Championship campaign with a double podium at Circuit Paul Ricard, finishing second in both races to secure the vice-champion title.
Cindy Gudet and Joran Leneutre closed their 2026 FFSA GT Championship campaign with a double podium at Circuit Paul Ricard, finishing second in both races to secure the vice-champion title.
Driving the #78 Akkodis ASP Racing Toyota Supra GT4 EVO, the duo came close to another victory on Saturday as Gudet delivered a spectacular final stint and challenged for the lead until the closing corners, before returning to the podium on Sunday after another determined drive. The results wrapped up a remarkable second half of the season for Gudet and Leneutre, who transformed a challenging start to the campaign into a consistent run of front-running finishes and established themselves as regular contenders for overall honours.
The pair arrived at Le Castellet in strong form following their breakthrough overall victory at Spa-Francorchamps and a dominant win at Magny-Cours, where Gudet had also finished second in the opening race. Their season had initially been marked by missed opportunities, with accidents and technical issues at Nogaro and Dijon preventing them from converting their pace into results. However, their performances at Spa and Magny-Cours demonstrated the potential of the #78 Toyota, and they carried that momentum into the final round.
The weekend began with the Akkodis ASP Racing entry ninth in Pro-Am in the opening practice session, setting a 2:15.334 lap before improving to 2:14.631 for eighth in class in FP2. The team made another step forward in qualifying, with Leneutre taking the wheel for Q1 and posting a 2:11.578 to secure fourth overall and in Pro-Am. Gudet then took over for Q2, delivering a 2:12.357 to qualify second overall and second in class, putting the Toyota on the front row for Sunday's race.
Leneutre started Saturday's opening race from fourth overall but immediately the race was off to a chaotic launch. Three cars made contact on the main straight as they squeezed against the pit wall. The Safety Car was deployed immediately, and Leneutre emerged from the incident in third overall. Racing resumed with 48 minutes remaining, with the Frenchman sitting directly behind Drouet while also having to watch Beltramelli in his slipstream.
Leneutre settled into the leading group, recording a 2:13.8 lap as the top two attempted to pull away. He responded by keeping the gap below a second, remaining in contention while navigating traffic. The battle intensified when Beltoise moved ahead to take third, but Leneutre fought back and reclaimed the position on lap 10.
As the pit window opened, Leneutre continued to push and set his personal best lap at 2:13.492. He extended his stint before pitting from third overall on lap 13 to hand the car over to Gudet, who rejoined in the same position. With the race entering its crucial stages, the Frenchwoman immediately began attacking, passing Andre on the main straight and completing the move into Turn 1 to climb to second overall.
Gudet quickly found a strong rhythm, recording a 2:15.6 lap as she began closing on race leader Bottemanne. Despite having to navigate traffic, she steadily reduced the gap, keeping the fight for victory alive as the final minutes approached. With three minutes remaining, Gudet was still in pursuit and pushing hard, recording a lap around a second quicker than Bottemanne on lap 22.
The decisive moment came on the final lap, when Gudet launched an attack at the chicane. The two cars went side by side as she attempted to take the lead, but she could not quite complete the pass. Nevertheless, Gudet kept the pressure on to the finish, securing second place overall by just three-tenths of a second and completing an outstanding closing stint after Leneutre's strong opening run.
Gudet returned to the cockpit for Sunday's second race, the final event of the FFSA GT season, starting second overall. Her start was more difficult this time, as she was forced to use the run-off area at Turn 1 and dropped to sixth overall. She immediately began working her way back through the field, recovering to fifth overall and fourth in class by lap two.
Gudet maintained consistent 2:14s lap times while defending against Jimenez, who remained less than a second behind. The rival eventually found a way past on lap eight, but Gudet continued to fight as the pit window approached, bringing the Toyota into the pits from third overall on lap 12 to hand over to Leneutre.
Leneutre rejoined sixth, with several cars still to complete their stops, and moved into second in Pro-Am and third overall once the pit cycle had settled. He then launched his own charge, passing Ferrarin to move into second overall and clearing the leading AM car, leaving him around seven seconds behind overall leader Leo Jousset. Leneutre matched the leader's pace while maintaining his position, keeping the Toyota on course for another podium.
An incident involving Reynolds brought out a Full Course Yellow when his Toyota was left stranded on track, interrupting the closing stages. Racing resumed with four minutes remaining, and Leneutre held second place, around eight seconds behind Jousset. He brought the car home safely to secure the duo's second runner-up finish of the weekend.
The double podium completed an impressive end to the season for Gudet and Leneutre, who recovered from early misfortune to become regular podium finishers and consistent challengers for race wins. Their results at Spa-Francorchamps, Magny-Cours and Le Castellet proved decisive in securing second place in the 2026 FFSA GT Championship's standings, with Gudet adding another important result to her resumé.
