GT4 Europe: Gabriela Jilková and Cindy Gudet fight back to fourth in class in Zandvoort

The all-female Matmut Evolution team of Gabriela Jilková and Cindy Gudet collected valuable points in the Pro-Am championship battle at the GT4 European Series weekend in Zandvoort, securing fourth place in class in a competitive second race.

Photo credits: SRO / JEP

The all-female Matmut Evolution team of Gabriela Jilková and Cindy Gudet collected valuable points in the Pro-Am championship battle at the GT4 European Series weekend in Zandvoort, securing fourth place in class in a competitive second race.

After a disrupted opening race, misfortune struck when Gudet was hit by another car and forced to retire. However, the duo bounced back on Sunday with strong pace to score more championship points and another top-five class finish.

Cindy Gudet and Gabriela Jilková kicked off their second season together in the GT4 European Series with a strong showing at Circuit Paul Ricard, claiming a podium finish in the Pro-Am class for Matmut Evolution. Returning to the venue where they had earned their first class podium in 2024, the all-female crew impressed once again in mixed-weather conditions, repeating their personal best result and confirming themselves as strong Pro-Am contenders in a competitive 42-car field.

Selected through the “Volant 100% Féminin Matmut” initiative, Gudet and Jilková are a key part of the team’s commitment to gender equality in motorsport. Jilková, a GT4 veteran with experience and podiums across Europe, is now in her third year with the team, while Gudet—a hillclimb ace turned GT racer—continues her rapid development in sportscars in just her second full season.

Aiming to build on the momentum from the season opener, the team headed to Zandvoort for round two. Despite facing new challenges, they consistently showed pace strong enough for the Pro-Am top five throughout the event.

In a closely contested qualifying session on Saturday, the drivers’ main challenge was getting their tyres up to temperature while also finding clear space on track. Gabriela Jilková finished her first lap in 25th overall and improved to 20th on her second attempt, placing fifth on the grid among the Pro-Am entries despite encountering traffic throughout her session.

Cindy Gudet faced a similar challenge. After initially running 26th overall, she moved up one spot before the session was red-flagged due to the #28 AV Racing Porsche getting stuck in the gravel. Despite being denied further improvement, Gudet qualified fourth in class—a solid result for the French driver.

Photo credits: SRO / JEP

Gabriela Jilková made a good start in Race 1, climbing from 20th overall and fifth in class to 16th overall, maintaining her position in Pro-Am. Her progress was halted by a safety car and subsequent red flag after the #259 JW Raceservice Porsche and the #11 Borusan Otomotiv BMW stopped on track with heavy damage, leading to a lengthy interruption.

To ensure safety and tyre temperatures, two laps were completed behind the safety car before the race resumed with 48 minutes to go. Jilková was now just behind her class rival Safronov in the Aston Martin. Despite staying close, she was unable to overtake before the pit window opened.

Midway through the race, Jilková handed the car over to Cindy Gudet in a smooth pit stop. Gudet rejoined on a clear track, running 19th overall and still fifth in class, just behind Hart in the #812 McLaren. As Hart overtook Nilsson to move into fourth, Gudet looked poised to challenge but instead had to switch her focus to defending from Blickle in the AM-class Porsche.

This battle triggered a train of four cars within one second. With 10 minutes to go, Blickle overtook Gudet, who now had to fend off Alberto Naska in the #54 Lotus and his pursuers. In the banked Turn 3, Gudet initially defended well but lost momentum, allowing Naska and two more cars to pass.

The drama didn’t end there: with six minutes remaining, Gudet was hit by another car and spun into the gravel with suspension damage. Although she managed to free herself and return to the pits, the car was retired. Having completed over 75% of the race distance, the team was classified 38th overall and 12th in class.

Photo credits: SRO / JEP

Cindy Gudet started Race 2 from 25th overall, equating to fourth in class. The start was clean; she lost a few overall positions but maintained her class standing. On lap two, the safety car was deployed after the #17 L'Espace Bienvenue BMW went off at turn 11, rejoined the track and collided with the #31 W&S Porsche, which then spun into the #78 Elite McLaren, scattering debris over the track.

By then, Gudet had climbed back up to 24th overall. After two more laps, the race was red-flagged to maximise green-flag running time before the driver change. Following a 10-minute break and two laps behind the safety car, racing resumed with 50 minutes left.

With 22 minutes before the pit window opened, further drama unfolded: the #60 Razoon Porsche ended up in the gravel after contact with Gudet, while the #28 AV Racing Porsche retired with a puncture. The incident was deemed a racing incident, and Gudet's car continued without issue.

The full course yellow became a brief safety car, enabling the pit window to open on schedule. With retirements ahead, Gudet advanced to 22nd overall and third in class. She pitted with 32 minutes to go, handing over to Jilková.

After the pit cycle, Jilková emerged in 20th overall and fourth in class. She overtook Nicolae shortly before another full course yellow was deployed, this time for the stranded #5 Mirage Racing Aston Martin. While this didn't aid her class battle, it did allow her to climb to 18th overall.

After the restart, 16 minutes remained: running in 17th, Jilková battled with Caprese and Detry and moved ahead after nine minutes. In the final laps, she also passed Leandri and Bouveng to secure 15th overall. The team just missed the Pro-Am podium, finishing fourth after a strong recovery drive from both drivers.

Following the second round of the season, Matmut Evolution now sits sixth in the Pro-Am championship. The next race will take place from June 26–29 at Spa-Francorchamps, supporting the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa.