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Verstappen Racing’s driveshaft issue denies Affalterbach 1-2, Li and High Class make it back-to-back IGTC Independent Cup wins and Lamborghini and Aston Martin complete overall podium

PROVISIONAL RESULT

Mercedes-AMG scored its first ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring victory for 10 years by dominating Round 2 of this season’s Intercontinental GT Challenge at the Nordschleife.

The Ravenol-backed entry shared by Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz started 25th but inherited the lead with just over three hours remaining when the other Winward-run Verstappen Racing car suffered a driveshaft issue.

It was Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Max Verstappen’s race to lose up to that point after the latter seized control during the night when battling with Engel. Indeed, Winward appeared on course for a dominant one-two before Juncadella made an unscheduled stop and failed to return until the final lap. That ended the hopes of his four-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion co-driver whose presence contributed towards the record 352,000 attendance and many millions of livestream views.

An 84-second post-race penalty for Team ABT’s Lamborghini, which ended lap one in the pits after starting from pole, set up a thrilling finish with Walkenhorst’s Aston Martin. But it was ultimately the Huracan shared by Luca Engstler, Mirko Bortolotti and Patric Niederhauser that beat Nicki Thiim, Christian Krognes and Mattia Drudi to runners-up spot.

BMW scored second place IGTC points by finishing fourth overall. ROWE Racing’s Dan Harper, who dropped to the tail of the field after being spun around on lap one, Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor and Max Hesse came home 17 seconds shy of the overall podium, while Lionspeed GP’s Porsche completed Intercontinental’s top three in sixth overall behind the SP-X class-winning BMW M3 Touring.

A second IGTC win in as many events leaves Engel and Martin firmly in control of the drivers’ standings, while Mercedes-AMG also consolidated its manufacturers’ championship lead.

There was also a second consecutive Independent Cup victory for Li Kerong and High Class Racing whose Porsche took the chequered flag 16th overall on what was the driver’s and team’s Nordschleife debut.

Juncadella and Mercedes-AMG best of IGTC’s entries in fourth

Luca Engstler pipped his ABT team-mate Marco Mapelli to lead a Lamborghini front row lockout at this weekend’s ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring.

This is likely to be the Huracan’s last hurrah with factory backing at the Nordschleife where its manufacturer has yet to taste victory. Friday’s performance suggests, however, that neither of ABT’s entries or the Konrad example that starts sixth can be discounted.

Christopher Haase (Scherer Sport PHX Audi) set up the tantalising prospect of starting the race alongside his NLS sparring partner Max Verstappen by beating Winward’s Mercedes-AMG and Dani Juncadella to third, while Thomas Neubauer underscored the potential of Kondo/Rinaldi’s Ferrari by lapping 1.1s shy of the pace-setting Lamborghini. Maximilian Paul rounded out the top six.

Pre-event attention naturally centred on a certain four-time F1 world champion, but it was another Red Bull-backed GT3 that stole the show in qualifying thanks to Engstler who goes in search of his second 24-hour win within 12 months tomorrow.

CONTINUE READING

Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti score their second victory for the 2026 GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS season. Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher finish second place following late charge; Castrol Team BRM’s Thomas Randle and Mark Rosser round out podium; Paul Stokell and Matt Stoupas take out consecutive Trophy Cup wins.

• Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti score their second victory for the 2026 GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS season.

• Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher finish second place following late charge;

• Castrol Team BRM’s Thomas Randle and Mark Rosser round out podium;

• Paul Stokell and Matt Stoupas take out consecutive Trophy Cup wins.

RACE RESULT

Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti have become the first team to win two GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS races in 2026 after taking out Sunday’s race of round two at The Bend.

Behind the wheel of the Move My Wheels by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3, Ojeda and Lucchitti both produced remarkable stints to complete a lights-out-to-chequered-flag victory.

Providing the biggest challenge to the winners were reigning champions Broc Feeney and Brad Schumacher who guided their #1 Kelso Electrical / Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II to second place, while fellow Audi R8 LMS EVO II drivers Thomas Randle and Mark Rosser of Castrol Team BRM rounded out the podium.

In what was a fairly straightforward outing, the most drama occurred on the opening lap when Gartnett Patterson’s Team BRM Audi R8 had contact with teammate Ryan Wood in the Team BRM / Wolfbrook Motorsport Audi R8, who had made up two spots off the line.

As a result of the contact between the two, Patterson was turned around and tumbled down the order - eventually being forced into pit lane, while Wood dropped behind Randle in fourth but remained ahead of Oscar Targett in the #56 Kollosche AMG by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Oscar Targett.

The rest of the field managed to have a clean getaway as Ojeda led yesterday’s winner Brendon Leitch in the Geyer Valmont Racing by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Feeney through the opening laps, with Randle closely behind.

There was little trouble to occur for the rest of the stint for the Pro drivers as the top five remained unchanged by the time they made it to the pit stops.

As Lucchitti then came out with the lead given to him by Ojeda, he was followed out by Schumacher in second place and Wood’s teammate Steve Brooks in their Audi while Shane Smollen in the #56 Audi R8 snuck in front of Rosser in the pit lane to slot into fourth place.

Relentless pressure from Rosser saw the South Australian pass shortly after coming out on track before eventually making the pass on Brooks for third place.

Ahead of them, Schumacher managed to close down Lucchitti after coming out a few seconds behind, and while he did get agonisingly close to stealing the lead within the last 10 minutes, some robust defending from the #66 Mercedes-AMG GT3 kept the positions the same.

For the rest of the race, Schumacher stayed within one second of Lucchitti but never truly got the opportunity to pass again as the latter steered the Mercedes-AMG to top spot.

Rosser ultimately came home in third almost 20 seconds behind the front two, with Brooks a couple of seconds behind.

Although Smollen looked set to finish inside the top five, ARGT’s Elliott Schutte managed to make a last gasp pass in his Ferrari 296 GT3 on the final lap to steal fifth place and bank solid points for him and teammate Jaxon Evans.

In the Trophy Class, KFC / Team MPC’s Paul Stokell and Matthew Stoupas completed a clean sweep of victories at The Bend as they took out top honours in Race 2, beating Volante Rosso Motorsport’s Alex Gardner and Ben Porter by a few seconds, while Luke Youlden and Nathan Halstead finished third more than one minute ahead.

GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS now looks towards round three of the 2026 season, which takes place at Queensland Raceway on 12-14 June as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries’ GT Festival Queensland.

History made at The Bend for Monochrome GT4 Australia

Monochrome GT4 Australia has seen off an entertaining LIQUI MOLY GT Festival The Bend with a bang as the second race of the weekend was affected by a lengthy Safety Car period mid-race.

With 31 cars taking to the popular track for Sunday morning’s race, history was made in the Silver Cup as both the Silver-Am Cup and Am Cup produced big results for the series.

Silver Cup

Summer Rintoule became the first female race to ever win a Monochrome GT4 Australia race as she and Jarrod Hughes finally got the class victory after a year and a half of chasing the top step.

Having switched to Method Motorsport and the McLaren Artura GT4 in the off-season, the popular duo only had to wait four races into the season to notch up their first victory thanks to a smart strategy and some lady luck going their way.

Taking out second place eight seconds off was the #27 Ford Mustang GT4 of Aaron Cameron and Lochie Dalton, while Multispares Racing teammates Cam McLeod and Mason Harvey rounded out the Silver class podium.

Despite Multispares Racing finishing with a double podium, the race truly belonged to Rintoule and Hughes, who started 17th on the outright grid and 13th in class - making their victory even more special.

With the race affected by a safety car intervention, Rintoule had kept the car intact and avoided any drama before giving the car to Hughes in good condition. Hughes then came out of the pit stop window leading the class and comfortably led the way all the way following the restart.

At that point, Jake Camilleri in the Gomersall Motorsport Ford Mustang GT4 occupied second in class but had a number of Silver-Am cars between him and Hughes - making it difficult to reach the leader.

However not long after the restart, Camilleri eventually got hunted down by Cameron, who wrestled his way past following some relentless pressure before McLeod got past him in the second Multispares Racing Mustang in the final stages.

Silver-Am

Ryder Quinn has continued his love affair with The Bend with another charge from the back of the field to the front - replicating his efforts from last year in the same race.

Sharing the Thunder Buddies Racing / Black Diamond BMW M4 GT4 G82 with Steve Jakic, Quinn made up plenty of spots during his stint, as the pair also benefitted slightly from some good strategy and some late moves.

In second place for the class was Nick McBride and Dean Koutsoumidis in the Exedra Motorsport GR Supra EVO 2, while Tony D’Alberto and Jarod Keyte rounded out the class podium in their Ford Mustang GT4 - making it three different manufacturers on the podium.

There was no shortage of drama in the class as the pole-sitting Tufflift Racing by TSM McLaren Artura of Zac Soutar and Glenn Nirwan were involved in a major incident that brought out the safety car and saw the duo retire the car.

Following the restart and the pit stop windows, it was D’Alberto who led the field before finding himself under siege from McBride, which began a fierce back-and-forth battle between the two, however McBride eventually prevailed in the tussle and took the lead.

D’Alberto again found himself under pressure shortly after in the form of Ryder Quinn, who got the pass done quickly and put himself into contention for the class win as he chased down McBride while D’Alberto remaining close behind.

Quinn eventually made the decisive pass with just three minutes remaining and quickly pulled away to build a commanding lead over McBride and D'Alberto.

Am Cup

Chris Lillis and Nathan Callaghan picked up their second win of the 2026 campaign behind the wheel of the Method Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman RS CS to close the gap on overall cup leader, Glenn Walker.

Having finished second in yesterday’s outing to the Gomersall Motorsport Ford Mustang GT4 of Walker, the duo ended up taking the victory in a fairly straightforward run to reach the chequered flag with a comfortable 10-second victory.

Walker’s second place in the race kept him locked in the top of standings, as he, Bailey and Rob Love in the Love Racing By TSM Mercedes-AMG GT4 rounded out the podium.

It was a decent effort for the father-son duo to seal the podium after they were involved in an incident with Method Motorsport’s Cy Pearson, who had led the class during the race and looked in with a chance to secure his first podium.

Unfortunately for Pearson, he tumbled down the order as a result of the incident but still managed to finish and bank some points in the chase.

Pearson wasn’t the only one to be involved in some drama with Ryan Sorensen in the Method Motorsport McLaren Artura having to retire due to his clash with Nirwan in the first half of the race, that ultimately brought out the safety car.

Monochrome GT4 Australia will now look towards round three of the 2026 season, which takes place at Queensland Raceway on 12-14 June.

Pires claims first GT World Challenge Australia victory with faultless performance Sergio Pires secures first ever GT World

Challenge Australia powered by AWS Pro-Am victory at The Bend, Pires and Brendon Leitch secure lights-out to checkered flag victory, Castrol Team BRM’s Thomas Randle and Mark Rosser finish in second place. and Paul Stokell and Matt Stoupas take out Trophy Cup honours

Sergio Pires has picked up his first ever victory in GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS thanks to a faultless performance from him and teammate Brendon Leitch in race one of GT Festival Round 2 The Bend.

Behind the wheel of the Geyer Valmont Racing by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3, the pair led at every stage of the race to come away with a well-deserved one and a half second victory over Castrol Team BRM’s Thomas Randle and Mark Rosser in their Audi R8 LMS EVO II.

Rounding out the podium was ARGT’s Jaxon Evans and Elliott Schutte in the Ferrari 296 GT3 after holding off a fast charging Broc Feeney.

In the Trophy Cup, Paul Stokell and Matt Stoupas comfortably claimed the victory in their KFC Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II having both produced solid stints behind the wheel.

However, while there was plenty to celebrate in the race - the day belonged to Pires, who set the tone in Qualifying earlier this morning with a memorable ROWE Pole Position Award.

The New South Welshman then had a perfect start as he led the field cleanly through the opening laps and settled into a rhythm in the opening stages of the affair.

Behind him, Brad Schumacher in the #1 Kelso Electrical Team MPC Audi R8 LMS EVO II he shares with Feeney, kept in touching distance of the leading Mercedes-AMG, staying between half a tenth and just over a second behind.

As Pires slowly built a gap on Schumacher, the reigning Pro-Am champion then made a rare misjudgement and ended up off the track and in the grass - the error dropping him to fourth place behind Rosser and Schutte.

By the time the pit stops came around, Pires, who had at one point in his stint built a lead of almost five seconds over Rosser, handed the car to Leitch in perfect condition and with a healthy gap.

The Kiwi then went on to steer the Mercedes-AMG home with little trouble as Randle did his best to chase him down in the second half, getting to within one and a half seconds, however it was too late in the end as Leitch brought the car to the chequered flag to complete a lights-out to chequered flag victory.

Randle also found a way to the finish line in comfortable fashion, as he crossed the line more than 15 seconds ahead of Evans in the Ferrari.

It was a much closer distance between Evans and Feeney who were separated by just six tenths of a second by the end of the race.

More than 20 seconds separated Feeney from the next group of cars, which was led by the OnlyFans Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 of Will Davison and Renee Gracie in fifth, while Team BRM / Wolfbrook Motorsport’s Ryan Wood and Steve Brooks in the Audi R8 LMS EVO II finished seven tenths behind the Ferrari and three tenths ahead of the Move My Wheels by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jayden Ojeda and Paul Lucchitti, who start tomorrow’s race from pole.

Team BRM’s Garnet Patterson and JP Drake ended the day in eighth in their Audi R8 LMS EVO II after some decent moves throughout the race, while Oscar Targett and Shane Smollen managed to bring the Kollosche AMG by Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 home in ninth after received a drive-through penalty early on in the race.

Although he finished ninth, Targett still topped the SRO GT Academy drivers for the race as he looks to secure a fully-funded seat for the 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

Rounding out the top 10 was Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell in the Zagame Autosport Ferrari 296 GT3.

As for the Trophy Cup, Matthew Stoupas and Paul Stokell enjoyed a nine-second victory over the AED Consulting by Tigani Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3R of Luke Youlden and Nathan Halstead, who enjoyed a 35-second buffer over Alex Gardner and Ben Porter in the Volante Rosso Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.

The next action continues tomorrow with the final race of the weekend at 2:10pm ACST, which fans can watch live and free via FOX SPORTS and Kayo SPORTS or GT World for international viewers.

Entertaining opening race at The Bend sees maiden season wins across multiple classes

Blake Purdie helps Jobe Stewart wins Silver Cup on debut in Purdie Racing Audi R8 LMS EVO , Tony Quinn and Matthew McCutcheon take out top honours in Silver-Am Cup and Glenn Walker dominates Am Cup to claim commanding victory

The first race of Monochrome GT4 Australia has been run and won with the strong field putting on a show as there was plenty of entertainment up and down the field.’

Silver

Jobe Stewart has had a dream debut in the series after he and Blake Purdie secured the class victory following an entertaining climax to the race.

Behind the wheel of the Purdie Racing Audi R8 LMS EVO, Purdie and Stewart both put in decent stints during the challenging conditions to give the Audi the best chance for victory, but it was the late charge from Stewart which sealed the deal after he successfully made a pass on George Miedecke with 12 minutes to go and held on for a one-second victory.

That pass in the final stages saw Miedecke eventually cross the line in second place in the Miedecke Motorsport with Lubrimaxx Ford Mustang GT4 he shares with Blake Tracey - the duo’s third consecutive podium for the season.

Rounding out the podium was teenage sensation Jay Murray in the Slattery Auctions McElrea Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 EVO in a stellar performance that saw him charge up the order during the 23-lap affair.

Race 1 Polesitters Aaron Cameron and Lochie Dalton in the Multispares Racing Ford Mustang GT4 ended up finishing ninth in class.

A fast start from Cameron saw him take the lead early in the race and build the gap to more than five seconds before the safety car was brought out midway through the race following a crash between the second Miedecke Motorsport with Lubrimaxx Ford Mustang GT4 of Blake Dowdall and Cooper Cutts and Jensen Shearer in the #46 Rennen Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS.

After pitting late compared to the rest of the field, Cameron’s lead evaporated and they ended up falling down the order after the stops.

Taking advantage of the pit stop window was Miedecke, who received the car from Tracey, and he did his best to hold firm at the front of the field, only for Stewart to produce a brilliant pass on the #35 Ford Mustang GT4 to claim the lead.

Producing one of the drives of the day was the final podium getter in Murray, who navigated his way through the field in both stints to secure his first podium in the category – a tremendous effort considering he qualified in 14th this morning.

Silver Am

There was a similar dramatic finish in the Silver-Am as Tony Quinn and Matthew McCutcheon took out top honours in the Game Over GR Supra EVO 2 having proved triumphant in a late battle with fellow GR Supra EVO 2 drivers Nick McBride and Dean Koutsoumidis.

Following the round of pit stops, McCutcheon had put Quinn in a commanding position for the final stint of the race, only for Koutsoumidis to make a late pass on the veteran for the lead.

Koutsoumidis couldn’t hold on though as Quinn regained the position right at the start to eventually cross the line four tenths ahead.

Rounding out the class podium was Tufflift Racing by TSM Zac Soutar and Glenn Nirwan in the McLaren Artura GT4, who finished 15 seconds behind when they eventually crossed the line four places higher than where they started.

Like the Silver Cup, there was drama in the class as polesitter Lachlan Evennett was part of early drama that saw him head back into the pits just six laps into the race - a disappointing end to the race for the #88 Camms Quarries & Concrete Racing GR Supra EVO 2.

Ekebol MPCs Tony D’Alberto also retired earlier in the Ford Mustang GT4 he shared with Jarrod Keyte.

Am Cup

In the Am Cup, Gomersall Motorsport’s Glenn Walker converted his pole position to the race victory as he was in a league of his own for much of the race.

Behind the wheel of the Ford Mustang GT4, Walker led for the whole race as he eventually crossed the chequered flag more than three seconds ahead of Method Motorsport’s Chris Lillis and Nathan Callaghan in the Porsche 718 Cayman EVO RS CS, while teammate Ryan Sorensen guided his #11 McLaren Artura GT4 to third.

While he eventually finished with a three-second win over the Method Motorsport Porsche, the race result rarely reflected the actual pace of the race as Walker was fairly untouched throughout and had led with an even bigger margin throughout the race.

However, as the race reached its climax, Lillis eventually closed the gap significantly to get within reach, however it was too little too late as Walker deservedly secured another win to keep his lead at the top of the standings.

Just one race remains in the Monochrome GT4 Australia for the LIQUI MOLY GT Festival The Bend, with the action to resume tomorrow at 9:30am ACST, which will be available to watch live and exclusively on FOX SPORTS and Kayo Sports.

Ferrari (AF Corse) and Porsche (Lionspeed GP) celebrate opening Sprint Cup victories

Thousands of fans pack pit lane for Sunday morning autograph session

Results: Race 1 | Race 2

A crowd of 23,257 passionate spectators packed Brands Hatch this weekend to experience the opening round of the GT World Challenge powered by AWS Sprint Cup.

The circuit marks its centenary this year and the festivities were well and truly underway on Saturday and Sunday. The fans were out in force, many of them wearing the colours of their favourite manufacturer, team or driver.

There are few better places to watch GT3 cars at full throttle, with the flowing Brands Hatch landscape creating an awesome spectacle. The first of two 60-minute races was won by Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer, the second year in a row that Ferrari has kicked off the Sprint campaign with a victory.

The AF Corse drivers finished second on the road but were promoted to the top step of the podium after the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry was penalised after the chequered flag. This marked the first series win for young gun Leclerc, who finished less than a second clear of Porsche ace Dorian Boccolacci (#2 Boutsen VDS).

The opening race brought plenty of action throughout the pack. Defending series champions Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde rose from 12th on the grid to claim the final step on the podium, while the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG also fought back from 15th to claim fifth at the chequered flag.

Lionspeed GP took victory in Race 2, rebounding from the disappointment of missing out in the opening contest. The #80 Porsche had dominated Race 1 from pole only to be forced into retirement by a technical problem.

There were no such setbacks this time, with Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller taking a lights-to-flag victory and grabbing the early Sprint Cup points advantage. They were chased home by Verstappen Racing and Winward Racing, while Valentino Rossi and Max Heese narrowly missed out on the podium in fourth.

The pit walk and autograph session is always one of the highlights of the Brands Hatch weekend. On Sunday morning, thousands of fans poured into the pit lane where teams were working on their cars in the garages, while the full field of drivers were out bright and early to meet the public. While it's always been popular, this year was busier than ever.

The weekend gave fans plenty more to see and do around the venue, including a full programme of support races, supercar displays, food and drinks, and even a funfair. There was racing throughout Saturday too, with plenty of British series getting a rare opportunity to tackle the full Grand Prix Circuit.

It was announced on Saturday that Brands Hatch will remain on the Sprint Cup calendar until at least 2028 thanks to a new agreement between circuit owner MotorSport Vision (MSV) and SRO Motorsports Group. The extension continues a relationship that began exactly three decades ago in 1996 when the BPR Global Series visited the track for the first time.

On the evidence of this weekend's event, there is plenty of enthusiasm for GT World Challenge to continue visiting Brands Hatch for many years to come.

Mandalika Race 2: Liu hits back in title chase with long-awaited victory alongside Hartog

Phantom’s Porsche beats championship leaders Huang and Ghiretti

Nandy, Chen/Liang and Macpherson/Porter claim class wins

Anthony Liu returned to victory lane for the first time since 2024 in the second of this weekend’s GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS races at Mandalika.

The Phantom Global Porsche he shared with series debutant Loek Hartog claimed a regulation lights-to-flag win from championship leaders Huang Ruohan and Alessandro Ghiretti (Absolute Racing) who battled through from seventh on the grid, while Andrés Pato stood on his home podium for the second time this weekend alongside Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom co-driver Jaxon Evans.

Race 2’s result completed Phantom’s excellent outing in Indonesia after its R8s finished one-two on Saturday. Liu, meanwhile, joins his compatriot Lu Wei on seven overall wins – the most of any driver in championship history.

The result leaves Liu nine points behind this year’s early pace setters Huang and Ghiretti who added a second place to the first, third and fourth positions collected over the opening three races.

Silver honours went to Akash Nandy (Absolute Racing) who finished an excellent fourth overall, Dean Chen and Liang Jiatong (Craft-Bamboo) claimed their second Silver-Am victory of the weekend after GTO with KRC’s BMW was pinged for a short pitstop, and AMAC’s Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter scored maximum Am points following a late drive-through for Setiawan Santoso and Zhou Bi Huang.

Sixth overall was also enough for Chen and Jiatong to scoop China Cup top spot.

Pro-Am winners Pato and Evans beat pole-sitter Gelael to second overall

Chen and Liang take Silver-Am spoils; Wang and Liu victorious in Am

Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai took advantage of a timely Safety Car period to clinch GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS overall, Silver class and China Cup victory in Race 1 at Mandalika.

The duo led home an FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom 1-2 after Andrés Pato and Jaxon Evans came through from eighth on the grid to win Pro-Am, while pole-sitter Sean Gelael (Garage 75 Ferrari) had to settle for third.

Silver-Am victory went to Craft-Bamboo’s Dean Chen and Liang Jiatong who finished an excellent fifth overall behind championship leaders Huang Ruohan and Alessandro Ghiretti (Absolute Racing).

Further back, Origine’s Wang Zhongwei and Liu Hangcheng took the Am spoils to extend their class points lead.

Saga continues with third collector’s edition poster for 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa,Verstappen Racing’s Mercedes-AMG takes on changing weather at Spa-Francorchamps and The world's greatest GT race to thrill spectators from 24 to 28 Jun

The enduring legend of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit has been forged by its layout, its surroundings, a history spanning more than a century, and of course its weather. Located in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, its climactic conditions are more variable than other circuits. This reputation is perfectly captured on the third collector's edition poster for the upcoming CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, which will take place from 24 to 28 June.

Once again, artist Guillaume Lopez has encapsulated the intensity of the world's greatest GT race, placing us at the epicentre of the action. On a track saturated by rain, the Verstappen Racing team's Mercedes-AMG is shown in full attack mode, defying the conditions while awaiting the return of the sun, which is heralded by a brightening horizon. With its instantly recognisable colours – and just a few weeks after Max Verstappen's own participation in the Nürburgring 24 Hours – this Mercedes-AMG is sure to be a fan favourite at Spa-Francorchamps.

In addition to being the world's biggest GT race, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is a truly unique event which offers fans of all ages an unforgettable experience – one that goes far beyond the realm of motorsport. The atmosphere is more akin to a festival, with all kinds of entertainment and the guarantee of an exceptional outing for the whole family. Wednesday's parade – when the cars competing in the 24 Hours and the support series take the main road into Spa city centre – is a must-see, attracting more than 10,000 spectators each year. This is the first opportunity for fans to connect with the combatants, but there are many more to come, including a paddock open to everyone (with the appropriate ticket), pit walks, autograph sessions, a track walk, and more.

Music lovers are also in for a treat, with Dimitri Vegas headlining the Saturday night concert. Those who appreciate exceptional cars will be spoiled for choice with supercar displays, while children and adults alike can enjoy themselves in the Fan Zone, which features a funfair, a Ferris wheel, a kids' area, merchandise stands, simulators, bars, and restaurants. This 24-hour race is an event best experienced throughout the week, and the public knows it: last year, a grand total of 128,000 spectators made the trip.

If you want a taste of what the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa has to offer, the annual Prologue will be free to attend on 19 and 20 May. For two days, the teams participating in the Belgian endurance classic will be hard at work on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, preparing for the twice-around-the-clock race. The entry list for the 2026 edition will also be revealed during the Prologue.

Those who haven't yet secured their 24 Hours ticket can purchase one during the Prologue at a sales point located behind the F1 Paddock garages, at the foot of the Pit Building. Remember that the full range of tickets is also available on Ticketmaster. So, are you ready to experience the magic of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa?

PREVIEW: MAX ATTACK! EYES OF THE WORLD ON ADAC RAVENOL 24H NÜRBURGRING

IGTC leaders Engel, Martin and Grenier split between Winward and PROsport

Verstappen headlines event’s record SP9 entry

The 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge ramps up a notch next weekend at the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring where 26 of the 41 SP9 (GT3) entries are eligible to score IGTC points.

SRO’s globe-trotting GT3 series makes its third appearance at the Nordschleife after first visiting in 2024. This season’s edition follows Mercedes-AMG’s victory at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour in February, and also represents the first of two twice-around-the-clock GT3 races in a little over one month. The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa follows at the end of June.

Make no mistake: this is the most hotly anticipated GT3 race in recent history – and possibly ever – thanks to the buzz surrounding Max Verstappen’s participation. That alone does not fully explain the record number of SP9 entries, nor the most cars overall (161) since 2014. But there is no doubt the four-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion’s presence has increased interest significantly.

The Green Hell’s showpiece event poses a very different test to anything else, anywhere. 23 classes, significant speed discrepancies between categories, no Safety Cars, 300,000 spectators and a circuit as legendary as it is long makes 24h Nürburgring a spectacle like no other in world motorsport.

No wonder Max is so keen to be a part of it.

Five of Intercontinental’s six manufacturers are represented this year. Porsches account for half of the 26 eligible points scorers, championship leaders Mercedes-AMG boast six, BMW and Ford both have three, and Ferrari just the one. There’s also a single IGTC Independent Cup entrant, Kerong Li, whose High Class Racing squad sensationally finished second overall at Bathurst.

There are moments in history where those involved know they are witnessing something significant. More often than not, however, the full importance of those events only becomes clear in time.

The latter best describes the inaugural FIA GT3 European Championship meeting at Silverstone on 6/7 May 2006. To most observers it seemed like the launch of yet another GT category. Few if any knew they were on the ground for the birth of a global racing phenomenon.

One man who might have had an inkling is Stéphane Ratel, whose SRO concern organised the FIA GT Championship and would lead the charge with GT3. The motivation was twofold: tackle soaring budgets and better serve amateur drivers, then as now the backbone of GT racing.

"The cost of GT2 had become unsustainable and it was being dominated by two manufacturers," explains Ratel. "We had a lot of interest from teams and from tuners, which convinced us to launch a standalone series rather than integrate GT3 as a class within the FIA GT Championship.

"At the same time, we introduced a number of features – such as the sprint format of two one-hour races, with each car shared by two drivers – which had been pioneered in the Lamborghini Super Trophy. So we had a sense that it could be successful."

Among its key innovations, GT3 would make use of existing car models, thus saving manufacturers considerable investment, and their performance would be balanced to maintain parity. Ratel took the concept to the FIA and received full backing from then-president Max Mosley.

In December 2005 a launch event was held in Monte-Carlo and, less than six months later, the first race exclusively for GT3 cars was held at Silverstone as part of the circuit’s Supercar Showdown. Headlined by the FIA GT Championship, the weekend featured further support races from Ferrari Challenge and the Maserati Trofeo, bringing around 150 GT cars to the British venue.

Among the teams to sign up for the inaugural FIA GT3 season was Barwell Motorsport, which remains active in the category today. Barwell also participates in the GT3 Revival Series, giving team boss Mark Lemmer a panoramic view of the GT3 category.

"Unlike just about every other fledgling series, this was unique because of Stéphane’s requirement for six cars per manufacturer," recalls Lemmer, whose team ran a trio of Aston Martin DBRS9 in ‘06. "We had close to 50 cars on the grid for the first ever race, which was absolutely mind-blowing."

The final entry stood at 44 cars, with eight manufacturers represented at Silverstone. Aston Martin (DBRS9), Corvette (Z06), Ferrari (430 Challenge), Lamborghini (Gallardo) and Porsche (997 GT3 Cup) remain active in the discipline today, while Ascari (KZ1R), Dodge (Viper) and Maserati (GranSport Light) were there for the launch.

Among the Ferrari entrants was the familiar British GT pairing of Hector Lester and Allan Simonsen, who along with their engineer John Buchan, had joined forces with Monegasque squad JMB Racing. Buchan takes up the story.

"JMB had two cars and they were having difficulty finding a third, so Stéphane suggested we talk. Hector and I met up with them on a test day at Dijon and decided to go ahead with it. The next time we saw them was at Silverstone.

"I prepared our car in Scotland and brought it down. We converted it to GT3 spec, which was basically a different bumper, a splitter, and a rear wing; I think that's about all. Then we gave it a go, and Allan put it on the front row."

A word on drivers. It would be fair to say that Max Verstappen’s recent GT3 exploits are the equivalent of Michael Schumacher racing GT cars two decades ago, but Schumi would not have been permitted to race in FIA GT3. The series effectively prohibited professionals, with the grid predominantly made up of amateurs alongside a handful of rising stars such as Simonsen and eventual champion Sean Edwards.

"This was very much aimed at the gentlemen drivers," says Ratel. "We put rules in place about levels of experience and skill, including the exclusion of works drivers and those with a strong single-seater career."

An exception was made for three-time Le Mans winner Klaus Ludwig, who was accepted on the basis of his age. The 56-year-old may not have been the youngest driver on the grid, but he was still quite capable of being the fastest, which he made very clear by taking pole position for the opening race. Simonsen came within 0.133s of matching the veteran German ace but had to settle for second.

The rules mandated that the faster driver from each crew – invariably the pro – must start Race 2, and so it was Lester who occupied the JMB-run 430 for the inaugural contest. Rain was falling when the cars got underway, and this contributed to a collision that sent Lester into a spin on the first lap.

A pair of Dodge Vipers dominated the opening phase, but the momentum shifted again during the second half of the hour-long race when the track began to dry. Watching this unfold as he prepared to take over behind the wheel of the recovering Ferrari, Simonsen was feeling lucky.

"He suggested we go on to slicks, though it looked too wet," recalls Buchan. "The first few laps seemed to be quite tentative. Then he just drove to the lead."

Buchan’s matter-of-fact description sums it up perfectly: with his tyres coming up to temperature and the track crossing from wet to dry, Simonsen may as well have been driving a GT1 car. The Dane was 10 seconds a lap faster than the leaders and pulling off overtakes at will.

A handful of others had also gambled on slicks, but even they could not stop Simonsen’s charge to the front. On the penultimate lap he deposed Edwards' Porsche to win the first-ever GT3 race.

"I was passing four or five cars a lap, so that was fun!" said Simonsen afterwards. "This championship is fantastic; I mean, who thought that 44 cars would be here for the first round?!"

The JMB Ferrari very nearly made it a clean sweep in Sunday's second contest, which was wet for the duration. Simonsen took the start from 16th but had bolted to the lead by lap four. Lester was two seconds clear at the start of the final tour only to be baulked through Becketts by a slow-moving Corvette. Andrea Ceccato snatched the win in his Viper, sharing the spoils with Stefano Livio.

With a huge grid and two races that were decided on the final lap, the event had been an enormous success. But, as Lemmer recalls, there were still a few creases to iron out.

"Prodrive had underestimated where this car needed to be, so for that first race we had an H-pattern manual gearbox and five-stud wheel nuts! They quickly realised that this wasn't going to cut the mustard. To their credit, Prodrive reacted brilliantly and by the time we got to the next race, we had single hub wheel nuts and a six-speed sequential gearbox."

While it had been entertaining, it was by no means obvious that this was the future of sportscar racing. FIA GT3 had been positioned as a series predominantly focussed on amateur drivers and with teams rather than manufacturers playing the pivotal role.

But to use the modern parlance, GT3 was about to go on a journey. The ingredients that made it popular from the very beginning – not least the parity between such a large number of manufacturers – would make it an increasingly attractive prospect. Two decades later, it does not simply dominate GT racing: it defines it.

Images: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Special Indonesian-inspired livery for early leaders Huang and Ghiretti

2025 Mandalika winners Lu and Picariello amongst chasing pack

Sun, sea and supercars! Following a triumphant first outing 12 months ago GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS returns to the tropical island of Lombok this weekend for Rounds 3 and 4 at the coastal Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit.

Home favourite and series debutant Sean Gelael makes his first-ever competitive appearance at Indonesia’s 4.3km-long, 17-turn MotoGP venue where Huang Ruohan and Alessandro Ghiretti will be eager to extend their early championship lead.

Recent results suggest they will be amongst the favourites. Absolute Racing’s new pairing and 911 GT3 R Evo won first time out at Sepang, while Porsches – albeit entered by Origine – cleaned up at Mandalika last season.

Changes amongst the pro ranks include Japanese duo Yuichi Nakayama and Kimiya Sato joining Porsche Center Okazaki and 5ZIGEN, Loek Hartog and Klaus Bachler replacing their Porsche counterparts at Phantom and Absolute, and Jesse Krohn teaming up with KRC.

The entry list features six of the 10 global GT World Challenge manufacturers – Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche – as well as Nissan, while six drivers are battling for SRO GT Academy points and a prize drive at the 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

A packed weekend of on-track action includes BRZ, Superstar Sportscar Series, Time Attack and Krida Agya OMR, while both GT World Asia races, as well as qualifying, are live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel and app.

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