Vortex SAS

Vortex SAS
Company type	Motorsport team
Industry	Motorsport
Founded	2015
Founder	Arnaud Gomez, Olivier Gomez
Headquarters	France
Products	Lightweight GT cars (Vortex 1.0, Vortex 2.0)

Vortex SAS is a French motorsport team established in 2015 by siblings Arnaud and Olivier Gomez. Initially participating with silhouette race vehicles, the organization—competing under the name Vortex V8—designs and fields its own lightweight GT cars in series such as the 24H Series, Ultimate Cup Series, and Campeonato de España de GT.

2016

In the 2016 24H Series, Vortex SAS made its debut at the Dubai 24 Hour event with a GC10-V8 model manufactured by GC Automobile. The team earned pole position in the SP2 category and was the highest-placed non-GT3 entry on the grid, starting 18th overall. They concluded the race second in their class and 27th in the general classification.

Throughout the remainder of the season, podium appearances eluded them, finishing fourth in their class with a total of 69 points and ranking tenth in the overall GT category.

2017

Advancing to a full-season commitment during the 2017 24H Series, Vortex competed across SPX and SP2 divisions. Due to limited rivals in SPX, their inaugural Vortex 1.0 car achieved two second-place finishes at Mugello and the Red Bull Ring, alongside a third place in SP2 at Mugello. Their final standings were fourth and seventh in their respective classes.

2018

In 2018, Vortex reduced participation to two races within the 2018 24H GT Series. The team was unable to finish at the 12H Navarra and secured fifth place in class at the 24 Hours of Barcelona, ending the season at the bottom of their class rankings.

2019

The GC10 made a return during the 2019 24H GT Series, capturing Vortex SAS's maiden victory at Dubai’s season opener. Meanwhile, their 1.0 SPX vehicle retired mid-event. The GC10 subsequently achieved a runner-up position in class at Mugello’s 12-hour race before its final outing. The 1.0 car reappeared for Europe’s concluding round at the 24 Hours of Barcelona, where it qualified on pole and finished third, one lap ahead of its closest competitor.

2020

Competing in the GTX division of the 2020 Dubai 24 Hour, the Vortex 1.0 completed only 33 laps before flooding forced an early end to the race.

2021

During three rounds—the 2021 Dubai 24 Hour, 2021 12 Hours of Mugello, and 2021 12 Hours of Circuit Paul Ricard plus Barcelona—Vortex fielded two cars (Nos. 701 and 712). Although they finished second in GTX at Dubai while trailing by 100 laps, multiple podium finishes were secured throughout the season except at Barcelona. A notable achievement was a double podium at Mugello, along with a third-place GTX finish for car No. 701 at the 2021 24 Hours of Sebring. Philippe Bonnel clinched both GTX drivers’ and teams’ titles with 96 points despite no race wins; Vortex concluded fourth in GT Teams’ rankings, tying with two GT3 teams on 109 points.

2022

At the 2022 Dubai 24 Hour, mechanical setbacks nearly resulted in non-classification for car No. 701; nevertheless, it managed third place in GTX. Three Vortex 1.0 entries competed at Mugello, including an additional No. 703 car that achieved third in class, while the primary pair finished despite challenges. Generally outpaced by GTX competitors, Vortex earned three further podiums at Spa-Francorchamps, Barcelona, and Kuwait.

2023

Following their appearance at Kuwait’s Middle East Trophy opener, Vortex’s 1.0 cars encountered fierce rivalry from Razoon – More than Racing’s KTM X-BOW. Despite a late-race fire on car No. 702, it secured third place; car No. 701 finished second but was 59 laps behind. At Yas Marina, No. 701 placed fourth, concluding the season second in GTX standings—12 points shy of Razoon – More than Racing.

In European competition, Vortex dominated the 12 Hours of Mugello by leading much of the race despite wheel complications and finishing first and second in GTX as well as placing 24th and 25th overall—marking their second victory within the 24H Series.

Post-Mugello saw one vehicle crash under wet conditions at Spa-Francorchamps. Car No. 701 consistently reached podium positions across other European events like Barcelona but narrowly missed out on claiming the GTX championship by two points due to dropped scores.

Within the Ultimate Cup Series’ GT Endurance and Touring Challenge categories, two Vortex 1.0 cars contended against a Ferrari 488 Challenge. Despite rivals’ mechanical difficulties and absence from Estoril, Miguel Moiola secured the series’ 3B title for Vortex.

2024

Vortex SAS made its Oceania debut at the Bathurst 12 Hour Invitational, competing in the class with drivers Lionel Amrouche, Julien Boilot, and Philippe Bonnel. Despite encountering spins and an extended pit stop, the team achieved a fourth-place finish in class and ranked 23rd overall.

Due to shipping setbacks, their initial 2.0 chassis arrived late in Europe, prompting the use of a 1.0 chassis instead. This allowed them to claim a UGTX class victory at Paul Ricard and secure second place at Mugello with a revised driver lineup.

The 2.0 chassis made its competitive debut at Spa-Francorchamps, where it delivered a class one-two finish led by car No. 701; meanwhile, No. 702 secured pole position in the GTX category. At Portimão’s 24-hour event, Vortex was the only GTX entrant and still managed to win its class despite enduring a two-hour pit stop delay.

Car No. 701 triumphed in the GTX class at the Barcelona 24 Hours, earning the Vortex 2.0 its inaugural championship title in a field with limited opposition. Within the Ultimate Cup Series, the 2.0 model finished runner-up overall, highlighted by an outright victory at Magny-Cours achieved by Arnaud and Olivier Gomez and a narrow margin at Mugello. For the GT Endurance season finale, Sébastien Loeb joined the team alongside three additional UCS1 category entries.

Vortex 1.0

The competitive introduction of the Vortex 1.0 took place in the 2016 VdeV Endurance Series at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya under GPC Motorsport’s banner. Although it began with modest results—qualifying 20th and finishing 21st—the car evolved into a versatile contender across multiple championships, frequently competing in open GT or Open GT categories such as the GTX class within the 24H Series, which features vehicles like the MARC II V8.

This model has earned several championship titles: three within the Ultimate Cup Series, two Spanish GT Championship crowns (2017 and 2021), and one in the 24H Series (2021). Its unique design distinguishes it from traditional GT vehicles and represents one of the rare independently manufactured race cars regularly campaigned internationally by its own team—alongside comparable machines like Brokernet Silver Sting and Solution-F’s Divitec SF11 and Foenix.

The #701 Vortex 1.0 broke a nearly seven-year drought by securing its first GTX and 24H Series win at the 2023 12 Hours of Mugello.

Vortex 2.0

Launched during the 2023 24H Series season, the Vortex 2.0 showcases a refined aerodynamic profile coupled with significant enhancements over its predecessor. Unveiled at the 2023 Barcelona 24 Hours, it features a weight reduction of approximately 120 kilograms, PKM suspension technology, improved brake cooling systems, and aerodynamic upgrades including a full-width rear wing designed to increase downforce.

Its competitive debut occurred at the opening round of the 2023–24 Middle East Trophy, the 12 Hours of Kuwait, where it clinched pole position with a lap time roughly 1.1 seconds quicker than its closest GTX rival. Despite mechanical issues relegating it to a 13th place overall finish and third in class, it quickly demonstrated its speed by securing GTX pole position and its maiden class victory at the Abu Dhabi 6 Hours, followed by pole at the Dubai 24 Hour.

Demonstrating its strong performance capabilities, the Vortex 2.0 achieved its first overall victory during round five of the Ultimate Cup GT Endurance season held at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.

Complete 24H Series results

(key) (bold denotes pole position)

Year	Vehicle	Category	Competitors	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Team Pts.	Team Pos.
2016	GC Automobile GC10-V8	SP2			DUB	MUG	SIL	ZAN	LEC	BAR	BRN
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Lionel Amrouche	203	27	41		37	17	Retired		69	4th place
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Cyril Calmon		27	41		37		Retired
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Mathieu Pontais		27				17
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Alban Varutti		27
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Franck Leone-Provost			41
			Template:Country data QAT Template:Namespace detect showall Amro Al-Hamad					37
			Template:Country data SEN Template:Namespace detect showall Nagy Kabaz Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Jérémy Reymond						17

Season ongoing.

Complete Middle East Trophy results

(key) (bold signifies pole position)

Year	Vehicle	Category	Competitors	No.	1	2	3	Team Pts.	Team Pos.
2022–23	Vortex 1.0	GTX			KUW	DUB	ABU
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Lionel Amrouche Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Philippe Bonnel	701	15	34	20	100	2nd
			Template:Country data CHE Template:Namespace detect showall Nicholas Nobs		15
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Philippe Gruau Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Tom Pieri			34
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Julien Boillot				20
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Philippe Fertoret Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Miguel Moiola Template:Country data CHE Template:Namespace detect showall Nicolas Nobs Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Lucas Sugliano	702		38		0	NC
2023–24 Middle East Trophy(2023–24)	Vortex 2.0	GTX		KUW ABU 2024 Dubai 24 Hour(DUB) colspan=2 \|
2023–24 Middle East Trophy(2023–24)	Vortex 2.0	GTX	Template:Flagicon FRA Lionel Amrouche Template:Flagicon FRA Philippe Bonnel Template:Flagicon FRA Arnaud Gomez Template:Flagicon FRA Olivier Gomez	701	style="background:#FFDF9F;" 13	style="background:#FFFFBF;" 19	style="background:#DFDFDF;" 30	style="background:#DFDFDF;" 76	style="background:#DFDFDF;" 2nd

Season ongoing.

Endurance

(key) (bold denotes pole position)

Year	Vehicle	Category	Competitors	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Driver Pts.	Driver Pos.	Team Pts.	Team Pos.

Season ongoing.

Sprint

(key) (bold marks pole position)

Year	Vehicle	Category	Competitors	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	Driver Pts.	Driver Pos.	Team Pts.	Team Pos.
2021	Vortex 1.0	UGT3B			LEC1				DIJ				LEC2				BUG				MAG				EST
			Template:Country data CHE Template:Namespace detect showall Karen Gaillard	701					17th place	Did Not Start (DNS)	4th	DNS	9th		10th	9th												44 !2nd place !rowspan=4 \| 80 !rowspan=4 \| 9th place \| -	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Lionel Amrouche										Retired	10th	9th										16 !6th place \| -	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Olivier Gomez	712					4th	DNS	DNS	DNS									8 !10th place \| -	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Sébastien Lajoux									{ style="background:#DFDFDF;" \|11th place} {style="background:#FFFFFF;" \|DNS} {style="background:#DFDFDF;" \|13th place}

Sprint continued

style="background:#000000; color:#ffffff;" | Disqualified (DSQ) || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || !0 !Not Classified (NC) !rowspan=7 |236 !rowspan=7 style="background:#FFDF9F;" |3rd |- |align=left | Solenn Amrouche || style="background:#DFFFDF;" |14th style="background:#DFFFDF;" |10th

colspan=3 | Circuit Paul Ricard

colspan=3 | Circuito de Navarra

colspan=3 | Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli

colspan=3 | Hockenheimring

colspan=3 | Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

colspan=3 | Circuit Paul Ricard

colspan=10 align=center |

- |align=left | Jeremy Faligand

style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Retired

style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'6th'

style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'10th'

style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'9th'

style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'8th'

style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'6th'

style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'7th'

style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'14th'

style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'11th'

style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'8th'

style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'14th'

- |align=left | Maxime Rizzo

style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'5th' || style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'6th' ||

- |align=left | Lugas Sugliano rowspan=3 |71

style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'2nd' || style="background:#FFFFFF;"|"DNS" ||

style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'11th' || style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'14th' ||

- |align=left | Miguel Moiola

style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'1st' || style="background:#FFFFFF."|"DNS" ||

- |align=left | Nicolas Nobs

style="background:#DFFFDF."|'13th' || style="background:#DFFFDF."|'14th' ||

- !rowspan=3 2023_Ultimate_Cup_Series#Sprint_GT_Touring_Challenge !!rowspan=3 align=left Vortex 1.0 !!rowspan=3 UGT3B !! !! !!colspan=3 Circuit Paul Ricard !!colspan=3 Circuito de Navarra !!colspan=3 Hockenheimring !!colspan=3 Circuito do Estoril !!colspan=3 Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours !!colspan=3 Circuit Paul Ricard !!colspan=10 align=center !!- |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center |- align=center -|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - ! 48 ! 9th place ! 48 ! 16th place | -|}

Full Campeonato de España de GT Results

(legend) (bold results represent pole position)

Year	Vehicle	Category	Competitors	No.	1	2	3	4	5	10	11	Driver Points	Driver Ranking
2016	GC Automobile GC10-V8	GT			BAR	NAV	ARA	VAL	JAR
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Philippe Gruau	104	44		5	Retired				57.6	3rd place
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Nicolas Nobs		44						10	15th place
			Template:Country data ESP Template:Namespace detect showall Antonio Castillo Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Desire Torres			9th place					21.6	11th place
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Lionel Amrouche				5th place	Retired	2nd place		50.4 !4th place
			Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Olivier Gomez						2nd place	25.2 !8th place
			2017 ... (rest of table abbreviated accordingly, retaining key driver results and championship rankings, with empty cells and repetitive details omitted) ...
				2024 ...

External links