GT4 Europe: recovery drive in Monza race 2 gains Jílková and Gudet class top-5 at Monza

Gabriela Jílková and Cindy Gudet - at her return after the injury - secured a top-five ProAm finish in the GT4 European Championship at Monza, overcoming hectic races with two points scoring results that move the duo up to seventh in the class championship standings.

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

Gabriela Jílková and Cindy Gudet—making her racing return after injury—secured a top-five finish in the ProAm class of the GT4 European Championship at Monza, the fifth round of the season. The all-female Matmut Evolution crew made up several positions in the final stages, capitalizing on a chaotic second race and recovering from an earlier penalty.

Jílková and Gudet, who share the #66 Toyota Supra GT4 operated by the French team, had already earned a solid top-ten class result in Saturday’s race. The duo thus scored points in both races at the iconic Italian venue, advancing to seventh in the ProAm championship standings.

For Cindy Gudet—a multiple-time hillclimb champion who transitioned to circuit racing in 2024—this weekend marked her return to racing conditions after a severe accident at the Hockenheimring round, where she suffered a leg fracture after being collected at the hairpin. The two-month summer break allowed her to fully recover, and after a test before the Monza event, she was cleared to tackle the Temple of Speed.

Neither Jílková nor Gudet had previously raced at Monza, one of the fastest tracks in the world, renowned for its long straights and hard braking zones. After securing a podium finish at Paul Ricard and a top-five result at Misano, the duo, selected through the Le Volant 100 % Féminin program, were determined to bounce back from their challenging Hockenheim round and fight again at the front of the ProAm class.

In Friday's free practice sessions, Jílková set a 1:56.032, placing the #66 car tenth in the ProAm class during FP1. The pair found more speed in FP2, clocking a 1:55.776, which elevated them to eighth in class ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions.

Gabriela Jílková—fresh off her third podium of the season in the Indian Racing League—took charge of Q1, producing a solid run that placed the Toyota eighth in class and 31st overall. In Q2, Cindy Gudet set a consistent pace, placing eighth in class, with the #66 Toyota starting 35th overall on the grid.

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

As the first race of the weekend got underway, Gabriela Jílková started from P31 overall, navigating the opening laps cleanly while several cars ahead ran off track, prompting a safety car. Jílková maintained eighth in class.

After the restart on lap 4, Jílková began to climb through the field, gaining several overall positions to P26 while maintaining strong pace. She continued to close the gap to ProAm competitor Zulauf, staying within striking distance. However, on lap 10, a collision at Ascari between Andy Cantu’s Mercedes and Alexandre Machado’s Aston Martin brought out a Full Course Yellow, which delayed the opening of the pit window.

When the race resumed, with 30 minutes remaining, Jílková stayed out, moving up to seventh in class before pitting on lap 18 to hand the car over to Cindy Gudet.

Unfortunately, a slower pit stop cost the crew valuable time, and Gudet rejoined P10 in class and P19 overall, falling behind the #71 WimmerWerk Porsche and the Lema Racing Mercedes, dropping further to P12 in class.

A late-race incident involving Rafa Martinez, who crashed out at Turn 1 after a collision with Navarro’s Porsche, brought out another Safety Car. The neutralization allowed Gudet to gain two positions, ultimately crossing the line P10 in class as the race finished under caution.

Despite the challenges, Jílková and Gudet managed to salvage a top-ten finish in class, securing crucial points.

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

Sunday’s race took place under sunny skies, with 47 cars on the grid. Cindy Gudet lined up P32 overall and sixth in ProAm, aiming to further push forward. A cautious start saw Gudet avoid trouble in the always tricky Monza first chicane, holding sixth in class after the first lap. However, an early safety car was deployed after Bottemanne’s AV Racing Porsche crashed at the second chicane.

When racing resumed a lap later, Gudet lost a few overall spots but retained eighth in ProAm, leading a group of three Toyotas as the Supra GT4 Evo continued to struggle with BoP throughout the season.

On lap 5, Gudet advanced to seventh, defending fiercely from Holmund in the Toyota GR Sweden Supra. As Holmund attempted a move around the outside at Ascari on lap 7, the two cars made contact, sending the Swede off the track and triggering another Safety Car.

Unfortunately, Gudet received a 10-second penalty for the incident. Despite the setback, she kept her rhythm, setting some of her best laps and catching the WimmerWerk Porsche of Max Wimmer just before the pit window opened. Gudet stayed out longer, moving up the order before pitting to hand over to Jílková with 30 minutes remaining.

The #66 Toyota rejoined P11 in class after serving the penalty at the pit stop, but Jílková immediately began pushing hard, setting the car’s fastest lap at 1:56.429, improving by two tenths shortly after.

She continued to lower her lap times and quickly passed Vladykin for ninth in class. With 10 minutes to go, a spin at Ascari by the #31 W&S Motorsport Porsche and a crash by Gustavo Xavier at Parabolica brought out another safety car.

Jílková gained another position, moving up to P7, and after the final restart, with just a minute and a half to go, a major crash on the main straight caused the race to finish under caution. Jílková’s late charge however secured a fifth place finish in class after a strong recovery drive.

This marked the third top-five result for the Matmut Evolution all-female crew in the ProAm class, as Jílková and Gudet made a successful return to the ultra-competitive GT4 European Championship, fighting through the pack to score valuable championship points.

The duo now sit seventh in the class standings with one round remaining—the season finale in Jeddah, scheduled for November 29-30. Gudet however will return to racing action shortly, competing in the Ligier European Series at Mugello, Italy, in just a few days’ time.