Tigani Motorsport will see a switch in personnel for next week’s GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS round at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, with Marcel Zalloua to replace Sergio Pires for the upcoming GT Festival The Bend.
Pires will miss the penultimate round of the 2025 season due to a knee injury, meaning Zalloua will step into the driver’s seat for the #55 Geyer Valmont Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO alongside British driver, George King.
GT Festival at The Bend will be Zalloua’s first appearance in the series since May, where he got behind the wheel of the #44 Geyer Valmont Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with Tom Randle at Sydney Motorsport Park – the pair securing a podium in the opening race of GT Festival Sydney.
King and Pires currently sit fifth on the outright Pro-Am standings after four completed rounds, with their best result being a fourth-place finish at GT Festival Phillip Island.
The switch between Zalloua and Pires is a like-for-like option for the team after the pair drove together in the Am class in the 2024 AWS season on multiple occasions – picking up multiple wins throughout the year.
Team Owner of Tigani Motorsport was pleased to have Zalloua in for the round.
“It’s a bit of a shame that Sergio hasn’t been able to overcome his injury in time for The Bend, but we’re pleased we have been able to fill his seat with a race-ready replacement in Marcel,” Tigani said.
“It’s almost a like-for-like switch for the team, with Sergio and Marcel essentially a package deal - especially since we have had a similar situation in the past where Sergio stepped in for Marcel after he was unable to get over some health issues.
“We wish Sergio all the best on his recovery, while we are excited to have Marcel back with the team and to see what he and George can do over the weekend.”
The GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS season continues next week with GT Festival at The Bend at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on September 5-7.
Purchase tickets to GT Festival at The Bend via the speedseries.com.au/tickets, while both races will be shown live and free on 7plus.