Three colourful Aston Martins due for Portimaos concluding round of the GT4 European Series this weekend

Three colourful Aston Martins due for Portimaos concluding round of the GT4 European Series this weekend



Whilst the GT4 European Series also winds up its 2026 season this weekend from Portimao with still most of the class titles remaining up for grabs, there will be sadly no Aston Martin Racing powered team featuring within any of those equations this time around.

The Swiss based Racing Spirit of Leman team has (until now) been the sole Aston Martin Racing team provider into the SRO sanctioned series with a Pro-Am and Silver class entry apiece for what has become David Kullmann and Florent Grizaud and Pedro Gracia and Clement Seyler respectively.


 

Moving up to the Pro-Am class and having to find a second driver couldn’t have been easy for Grizaud after he enjoyed many years of Am class success in other series with a more stable wingman by his side. That driving partnership went their separate ways this season and to date, the #72 entry enjoyed their best result of the season so far with a P2 class finish in the second race of the series visit to Misano in July.

It appears today that this crew maybe using the Mirage Racing AMR Vantage GT4 chassis from their FFSA commitments which ended last weekend too!


 

The #74 silver class entry has shown more potential but has become prone to errors along the way that have taken the pairing out of good race running positions despite Garcia’s lack of race knowledge of the European racing arena. Scoring a class P2 in race two of the opening round of the season from Paul Ricard the pairing have then faced two rounds without scoring a point before finally adding to their tally again at Misano.

This final round of the season sadly sees both crews racing for the experience as 2027 plans remain unconfirmed by all at the moment.


 

There is, however, a third Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 powered crew to support as the Racar Motorsport team dips a toe in the series from their more familiar surroundings of the Iberian Supercars Series for drivers Mathieu Martins and Vasco Oliveira.

These two do usually race apart from each other in separate classes but for this weekend only they come togther within the Pro-Am class aboard their #28 car.


 

Track action for the series began earlier today with private testing before moving into Free Practice and into qualifying on Saturday before each one-hour race being spread across both Saturday and Sunday.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media
Thursday, October 15, 2026 | Read more...
D'Station Racing need to buck the trend of their recent results as Super GT heads for Autopolis for round 7 of 9

D'Station Racing need to buck the trend of their recent results as Super GT heads for Autopolis for round 7 of 9



Now four points behind but with the rest of the GT300 class now surging up behind them, the 2026 Super GT Series is really hotting up now for the D’Station Racing team as the Japanese top-flight GT series heads for Autopolis for its seventh round of the season.

Despite their class win at the start of the season, the #777 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered car of Tomonobu Fujii and Charlie Fagg has faced some racing challenges since then with some effective balance of performance and success penalties being applied that have since seen the crew struggle to not only compete but also to finish the races within a points scoring position within their GT300 class.



A P5 qualifying position last time out at Sugo only equated to a P21 in class finishing position for the team, making for their second non-championship points scoring round of the season with just this three-hour race from Autopolis plus a double header round from Motegi still to come as the series also makes up for his aborted destination of Malaysia earlier in the year.

The #777 crew now sit four points behind the #59 crew but with now a further six crews now placed in a position where any number of them could catch and surpass the AMR team should racing events on Sunday go against the D’Station Racing team.

 

This weekend again sees a further twenty-eight GT300 class cars being listed on top of the more powerful GT500 entries but again sees the Aston Martin saddled with the second heaviest success ballast weight penalty at 96kg together with the presumable fuel flow restrictor too.

Autopolis will be another tough race for the team.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media

 

 

 

 

Thursday, October 15, 2026 | Read more...
One last hoedown for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series this weekend from Portimao (UPDATED)

One last hoedown for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series this weekend from Portimao (UPDATED)



Whilst the overall Drivers Championship might have already been determined at their last round out at the Nurburgring back in late August, the quest for the runners up position (and more) have still yet to be decided as the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Series heads for the Autodromo Do Algarve near Portimao, Portugal this weekend for its concluding round of the season.

Much of the media attention will be upon one certain Dutch Formula One driver, there is still important work to be done by the Comtoyou Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered teams as their collective five car entry aim to finish their season upon something of a high with a few smatterings of necessary driver changes to add to the fun too.


 

Over sixty triple crewed cars again expected to be upon the grid for Saturdays final three hour round will see the #007 Comtoyou Racing Pro class entry of Nicki Thiim and Mattia Drudi doing what they will need to do to secure that overall runners up position but they will do that with fellow AMR factory driver Ross Gunn also at the helm with Marco Sorensen electing to be at the FIA World Endurance Championship event at Barcelona as being 50% of only a two driver squad in that event.

That being said, Drudi has apparently elected to do the double – racing first at Portimao before having to dash off to the Circuit de Catalunya in time for race day on Sunday within the FIA WEC where he will again form up as the final driver within his #27 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage LMGT3 entry in that series.



This crews race win last time out at the Nurburgring sadly came too late for them to take the championship battle through to this concluding round of the season.

Their sister #21 silver class entry of Sebastian Baud, Kobe Pauwels and Oliver Soderstrom remains the same this weekend, but we do expect AMR Factory driver Valentin Hasse-Clot to be confirmed within the #11 Comtoyou Racing bronze class entry with just Marcelo Tomasoni and AJ Muss being listed at present upon the provisional entry.


 

The Frenchman (who helped the Racing Spirit of Leman AMR team secure the Le Mans Cup GT3 Drivers and Team Championship just last weekend) has confirmed himself as joining the team at the event with the vacant seat within the #11 car being the only logical position for him.

That leaves the two Walkenhorst entries of Christian Krognes, Jamie Day and Henrique Chaves being aboard their #34 Pro class entry for one last time whilst young guns Mateo Villagomez, Ethan Ischer and Gaspard Simon complete the Aston Martin Racing powered roster within their #35 silver class entry.


 

Track action will begin on Thursday with private testing before going into Free Practice and Qualifying on Friday before the final race is waved off at 17.00hrs local on Saturday for an into the night conclusion.

UPDATE

Since posting this piece, the Walkenhorst Motorsport AMR team have confirmed driver changes within their green and black liveried #35 silver class entry as Mark Kastelic and Lucas Légerec replace both Ethan Ischer and Gaspard Simon alongside that of Villagomez.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

 

 

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | Read more...
An unknown entity as the FIA WEC heads to Barcelona for its improvised penultimate round to the season

An unknown entity as the FIA WEC heads to Barcelona for its improvised penultimate round to the season


 

It’s a near totally blank canvas this weekend for the FIA World Endurance Championship with the cars, drivers and teams having arrived at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain for this improvised penultimate round to their 2026 season.

Originally rescheduled to be in Qatar next weekend, this seventh and indeed final round to the season from Bahrain both had to hastily rescheduled again, thanks to the ongoing tensions within the Middle East to Barcelona and Monza respectively.


 

For the four Heart of Racing Aston Martin and Aston Martin Racing powered cars, there needed to be a quick trip over to Belgium last week in order to retrieve their cars from the airport having had them all flown back to Europe after the last round to the season at Fuji Speedway just over two weeks ago. From there, there was just enough time to give them all a quick strip down and rebuild before having to ship them out again in time for the long road haul down to Spain.

Whilst Japan did see a much deserved P2 finish in class for the #27 Heart of Racing AMR Vantage LMGT3 of Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi to bolster their championship chances going into these final two six hour races, it was an unfortunate early exit to the race for the #23 Vantage LMGT3 of Gray Newell, Eduardo Barrichello and Jonny Adam after the young American was the victim of inter-car contact along with the resulting spin out into the tyre wall from where the car would not move again.


 

For the two Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercars, this were looking good for both of them before the simple error of crossing the pit exit blend line at their last stop cost the #007 car of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble a drive through penalty from their potential podium winning position whilst the #009 car of Alex Riberas and Marco Sorensen became victim to an untimely Safety Car intervention.

Championship wise – it’s still just the #27 Vantage LMGT3 crew with any chance of hauling in the TF Sport Corvette crew over these two remaining rounds being twenty-four points behind with time now running out after their own sluggish start to the season.


 

We still believe that Drudi will be on double race duty this weekend at both Catalunya with the FIA WEC and at Portimao for the final round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, an event that Sorensen has already been withdrawn/removed from within the same car as Drudi for the benefit of his Heart of Racing team WEC entry.

Free Practice begins on Friday before progressing in class Qualifying and Hyperpole on Saturday before the race itself is waved off at noon local time on Sunday and with the series never actually having raced at the circuit before – there is no form guide to be going by either!

Photo credits – Team / Aston Martin / DPPI

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | Read more...
A quick round up of last weekends Aston Martin Racing powered action from around the world

A quick round up of last weekends Aston Martin Racing powered action from around the world



Rounding through the remaining race activity for Aston Martin Racing powered teams sees some class success within the GT4 based runners whilst others have rounded their 2026 seasons off more quietly around the world.

In no particular order, the #7 Mirage Racing AMR Vantage GT4 crew of Grant West and Alex Bachoura secured class podium success on Saturday as the American based racers secured a P2 GT4 Am class podium finish within their penultimate race of the season from the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France.


 

Still fresh to both the series and the team after the previous occupants to the car moved across the team garage to another brand of car, the pairing went onto secure a P4 finish in class at the end on Sunday – enough to hopefully entice them back next season?

That class success was mirrored by the #007 CSM Motorsport crew of Ismaeel Ellahi and Ayrton Houk as they secured a P3 silver class podium finish at the end of the final race of the GT4 America Series from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


 

With the team having just swapped over to the Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 chassis just a couple of months ago and dabbled within mainly the IMSA family of series, this result proves that they can also be competitive within the SRO sanctioned GT4 series as well. Whilst Ellahi and the team have already been confirmed within the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series next year, maybe there could be some SRO races undertaken too in 2027.

Sticking at Indianapolis, the #71 Rebel Rock Racing AMR Vantage GT3 was also in attendance at the joint GT World Challenge America and Intercontinental GT Challenge finale at the circuit.


 

With both Frank DePew and Robin Liddell again behind the wheel, they were joined by their third driver in Andrew Davis for this extended eight-hour race. Having started their 2026 season with a race win within the Michelin Pilot Challenge with their Vantage GT4 before swapping over to their new Vantage GT3 for the SRO series, this finale was something of a wind down for the team as they elected to pit with still over an hour of the race clock to go.

Back into Europe and the Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie were running their last four-hour race of the season around the infamous Nordschleife “Green Hell” circuit which saw both the Walkenhorst Motorsport and Prosport Racing teams return with their mix of Vantage GT3 cars.


 

Despite previous successes for both teams within their own Pro/Pro-Am and Am sub-classes of the SP9 overall class for GT3 based cars, this finale would have left a slight bitter taste in their mouths as neither the #35 Walkenhorst or #37 Prosport Vantage GT3 would take the chequered flag.

That leaves just the European Le Mans Series running of their final four-hour race of the season from Portimao in Portugal with the #59 Racing Spirit of Leman AMR Vantage LMGT3 of Clement Mateu, Marius Fossard and Valentin Hasse-Clot again all behind the wheel of their silver arrow for one last time.


 

Despite stepping away but then coming back to the team for this finale, Mateu did claim another P2 position on track during qualifying but that was later moved back to seventh in class after the application of an earlier penalty for the driver after Imola.

With no championship possibilities for the team and crew after something of a torrid 2026 season, the drivers delivered their best performance of the season to claim a just off the podium P4 finish at the end.


 

As with all teams, cars and drivers – we now enter into that long winter period whilst we wait for drives and packages to be confirmed where they might be.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

 

Monday, October 12, 2026 | Read more...
Little joy for the Comtoyou Racing team to round the year off within DTM and ADAC GT Masters

Little joy for the Comtoyou Racing team to round the year off within DTM and ADAC GT Masters



There was also disappointment for the Comtoyou Racing team at the weekend as they battled both the elements and a lowly performing Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 platform as they battled it out again in both the DTM and ADAC GT Masters Series from Hockenheim.

Within the headlining DTM Series, Nicki Thiim needed something nothing short of a minor miracle if he was to be in any position of lifting that coveted title despite having lead the drivers’ championship at the midway stage to the season after back-to-back race wins were met with serious Balance of performance challenges alongside that of the series own success penalties.


 

Within what was a pretty much constant soaking of the former home to the German Grand Prix, both Thiim and Nicolas Baert battled things out last time but with even Thiim qualifying no higher than P15 – things were never going to go their way.

With both hour-long races then done, their best race result was for a P14 finish for Thiim in the final race for him to eventually finish sixth overall within the Drivers Championship with Baert coming in twenty first despite having raced all sixteen races. There was, however, small consolation for the team as they secured the Pit Stop Challenge Award for their efforts again upon their #8 car of Baert.


 

It was a similar tune with their #39 ADAC GT Masters AMR Vantage GT3 entry of Jamie Day and Baudouin Detout as they eventually came home a still very credible tenth overall within the Drivers’ Championship in what was still Detouts debut GT3 powered season.


 

Contact and a puncture during race one of the weekend hampered things there and despite a BoP break and a front row start for Day ahead of the season concluding race, another P12 overall was the best result that they could muster within the changeable conditions at the circuit at the time.

Photo credits – Team / ADAC

 

 

Monday, October 12, 2026 | Read more...
Technical issues denies the Cosy Racing By ESM team their final chance at the ADAC GT4 Germany crown

Technical issues denies the Cosy Racing By ESM team their final chance at the ADAC GT4 Germany crown



Whilst the other overall series title contending Aston Martin Racing powered team finally came through at the end of the Michelin Le Mans Cup Series to win their class prize down in Portimao at the weekend, it was heartache for the German based Cosy Racing by ESM at the end of their racing campaign.

Competing at the final round of the ADAC GT4 Germany Series from Hockenheim, the #4 AMR Vantage GT4 powered car of Philipp Gogollok and Jan Philipp Springob needed to keep within very close contact of the other two title contending crews if they were to make up the short points difference to the then leaders if they were to have any chance of becoming champions at the end of this triple race finale.


 

Three races this time around thanks to the abandonment of race two of the weekend last time out at the Sachsenring meant for a hectic schedule of practice, qualifying and racing over the three-day race weekend but unfortunately for the team and crew, things all unravelled at an early stage.

Going into Qualifying for race one on Friday, the #4 was already experiencing technical issues that would eventually see Gogollok qualify their car an uncharacteristic ninth only for the technical issues to return during the race, forcing the team to retire the car after just seven laps. The two other championship contesting crews then went onto to finish that race first and fifth meaning that the championship was already beyond their capabilities.


 

Despite coming back to finish race two fifth overall, the team and drivers saved their best till last with a fine show of skill and tenacity to end their 2026 ADAC GT4 Germany Series endeavours with another overall race win to finally seal their P3 position within the Drivers’ championship table whereas the overall title was secured by just four points at the end.

Photo credits - ADAC
Monday, October 12, 2026 | Read more...
Racing Spirit of Leman claim gold at the Le Mans Cup finale from Portimao

Racing Spirit of Leman claim gold at the Le Mans Cup finale from Portimao

 


Philipp Sager and the Racing Spirit of Leman team finally landed the Michelin Le Mans Cup Series GT3 Drivers, and GT3 Teams championship wins from the Autodromo Do Algarve circuit near Portimao earlier today although that achievement was still far from simple.

Going into this final round of the ACO rules with just a slender five-point advantage of the chasing #21 Kessell Racing Ferrari, bronze driver Sager would again be leaning heavily upon his co-driver Valentin Hasse-Clot to help him get over that line first having both fallen just short of that achievement last season with their #10 Racing Spirit of Leman prepared Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3.


 

Like the previous five rounds so far the #10 car was again supported by the #11 Code Racing Developments AMR Vantage GT3 with another new driver line up for this race in American racers Antoine Comeau and Nicky Hays whilst the #91 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn AMR of Claude Bovet and Tom Canning were also there to fulfil what has been for them to be a challenging season too.

Whilst the #91 Blackthorn car would suffer from technical issues during Qualifying to start last in class for today-s final two-hour race, the #10 was given a lifeline after the pole setting #21 car was later disqualified from those results for failing the post session ride height check which resulted in both the #10 and #11 cars moving up one to start the race P2 and P3 respectively.


 

The gain for the #11 car of Comeau would however, last only as far as turn one of lap one before the #11 found a wrong way facing LMP3 car in his tracks to impact heavily with each other at the start. Despite being able to limp back to pit lane, their day was already over even before it had really begun.

With any series running LMP3 cars these days, that incident again set the tone of the race with multiple incidents stagnating the race at near regular intervals as first Full Course Yellows, local yellows and then Safety Cars were needed to “pick up the pieces’.



Despite the #21 car having now run though the GT3 class pack with their Pro driver to now lead the class and the championship at that moment in time, Sager needed to push as his points buffer to the #21 had already by surpassed on track but his eagerness to go after one such caution period earned him a ten second penalty at their scheduled stop for a FCY procedure infringement.

At the halfway mark and the final pit stop sequence of the season, the #10 car found itself down in sixth and a near lap down to the #21 car thanks to the timing of the last Safety Car intervention and their additional penalty time. It was time for Hasse-Clot to play his part within the car itself rather than just via the headset.


 

Now the roles were reversed for both the #21 and #10 cars as the #21 quickly became the hunted with their bronze now behind the wheel but with everyone else with their Pro’s aboard thanks to the penalty imposed upon the #21 for their earlier technical infringement.

Steadily but surely the #21 was passed on track for position by others as Hasse-Clot did what he could from the second half of the class as the race entered its final quarter. The Blackthorn’s season would unfortunately end with another mishap for them as Canning was seen spinning off at the fast final corner to impact rear on into the tyre wall and into immediate retirement. Was that self-inflicted or not was hard to tell, there were other cars around him at the time, but it changed nothing for them at the end of the day.


 

That left just the #10 car representing the brand with still everything to gain but also everything to lose as the Frenchman finally stopped that agonising wait to claim a P6 result in class at the final – enough for Sager to claim the GT3 Drivers Championship (VHC missed a round due to other commitments) as well as securing the GT3 Teams Championship win for those supporting the car and the two drivers.

Any congratulations to everyone involved.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

Saturday, October 10, 2026 | Read more...
A small but perfectly formed entry of just two Aston Martins within Saturdays final NLS round

A small but perfectly formed entry of just two Aston Martins within Saturdays final NLS round



A small but perfectly formed entry of just two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 powered teams completes our racing itinerary for the weekend as the German Nurburgring Langstrecken Series also complete their 2026 calendar on Saturday.

Rounding off the year with another standard four-hour affair around the infamous Green Hell circuit (weather permitting off course) will this time see just the Walkenhorst Motorsport and Prosport Racing teams enter one car apiece.


 

The #36 SP9 Pro class entry of both Christian Krognes and Matteo Villagomez will again be on hand amongst the expected one hundred and eighteen strong, multi-classed entry alongside the older 16A variant from the locally based Prosport Racing stable for their regular father and son drivers Maxime and Guido Dumarey.

Joining them for the first time this season as well as within the teams Mercedes-AMG GT4 car will be their former ADAC GT4 Germany Champion Hugo Sasse.

Photo credits – Teams / social media
Wednesday, October 07, 2026 | Read more...
Cosy Racing by ESM going for gold at ADAC GT4 Germanys final triple header round at Hockenheim

Cosy Racing by ESM going for gold at ADAC GT4 Germanys final triple header round at Hockenheim



Competing at Hockenheim this weekend alongside both the DTM and ADAC GT Masters Series will again be the ADAC GT4 Germany Series with an unusual three race format final round of the season to decide most of their available championships.

With both track damage and the impending rainstorm forcing the cancellation of race two of the weekend last time out at the Sachsenring, that missed race has been bolted onto the more usual two race format and that makes room for a three-way head-to-head battle between three crews for the overall title.

 

Within those three crews will be those within the #4 Cosy Racing by ESM Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 of Jan Philipp Springob and Philipp Gogollok who presently lie second within the Overall Drivers Championship table with just five points covering those top three teams. With up to seventy-five points on offer this weekend, it really will be the survival of the fittest to lift that crown at the end.

This weekend sees a familiar eighteen car strong entry list which will see each of the three one-hour races raced over each of the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the programme.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Wednesday, October 07, 2026 | Read more...
Comtoyou Racing round off in Germany this weekend in both DTM and ADAC GT Masters

Comtoyou Racing round off in Germany this weekend in both DTM and ADAC GT Masters



Three more German based GT3 and GT4 series will also race to a seasonal conclusion this weekend as the DTM, ADAC GT Masters and ADAC GT4 Germany Series all head to Hockenheim for their final two races of the season.

Working from top to bottom, this second year within the DTM Series has been a very frustrating one for the Comtoyou Racing team and their two Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3’s of both Nicki Thiim and Nicolas Baert.


 

Whilst Baert has again struggled for pace for much of the season with only the periodic and brief episodes of pace during qualifying at some rounds, all the headlines have been made with Thiim and his #007 car taking pole positions and double race wins to be in real contention for the championship going into these final rounds.

However, and like all within the twenty-one strong grid, that pace has been all too quick in terms of type of balance of performance in operation within the series that quickly saw Thiim (and others around him at the top of the order) somewhat ‘hobbled’ for pace as at the subsequent rounds – something that eventually saw those championship possibilities end of low scoring performances.


 

As a result of that, this weekend’s two hour long and solo driven races will be just for pride (and hopefully further preparation ahead of a 2028 assault upon the series by the Belgian based team as Thiim would need to score maximum points with all five drivers ahead of him basically failing to score. Stranger things have happened before in other series – maybe it’s just that liitle bit too far within DTM but never say never!!


 

Comtoyou Racing will also be fielding another one of their fleet of AMR Vantage GT3’s as Jamie Day and Baudouin Detout round off their debut season within the DTM supporting ADAC GT Masters Series with their #38 entry.

For Luxembourger Detout, this has also been his first full season of racing within the GT3 class having only swapped over to GT4’s just a couple of years ago so their own podium finishes along the way so far have been much deserved.


 

After the five previous rounds so far, this combo of drivers presently stands sixth within the overall drivers’ championship table as well as sixth within their own silver cup and Teams classes as well as P7 for Day within the Road to the DTM sub-class.

Although they now cannot win anything outright – two decent finishes this weekend could easily see the pairing rise up the order by the close of play on Sunday.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media
Wednesday, October 07, 2026 | Read more...
Last dance for the FFSA GT4 season this weekend from Paul Ricard

Last dance for the FFSA GT4 season this weekend from Paul Ricard



The French FFSA GT4 Series is another series that will be coming to their racing end of their 2026 season this weekend as they hold their final meeting close to the home of the SRO organisation at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France.

Sporting another healthy thirty-two GT4 car entry for these final two races of the year again sees the two American racers Grant West and Alex Bachoura return to the French based Mirage Racing team and their #7 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4.


 

After both occupants of what was earlier this season numbered as the #5 AMR of Jodie Sloss and David Levy elected to go the route of a Porsche chassis with the Mirage team from the last round at Magny-Cours back at the start of August, the team managed to secure these two European debuting drivers at that round. Unfortunately failing to finish within race one on the Saturday, the #7 crew then came through the next day to secure a very credible P7 overall finish.

With almost a three-month hiatus between rounds, this duo are again the sole Aston Martin Racing powered representatives within the series as they again compete within the Pro-Am class.


 

Track action begins on Thursday with private testing before running through Free Practice and into Qualifying by Saturday morning before the first hour long race just after lunch with race two of the season just after lunch on Sunday.

Photo credits – Team / Series / social media

 

 

Tuesday, October 06, 2026 | Read more...
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup ends in Spain with one last class podium for the Walkenhorst team

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup ends in Spain with one last class podium for the Walkenhorst team



Whilst there wasn’t any last-minute opportunity for any of the five Aston Martin Racing powered teams to secure a class championship with the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup finale at the weekend, there was still time for one last piece of silverware for their efforts.

Down at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona for the final race weekend of the Sprint Cup Series saw the usual three crews from the Comtoyou Racing team as well as the two Walkenhorst Motorsport who had all had one of those seasons where period moments of magnificence and a podium gong along the way just wasn’t enough to put them into any of the four-class championship hunts this time around.


 

Racing purely for pride and next seasons possibilities had Kobe Pauwels and Nicki Thiim togther again one last time within their #007 Pro class car along with Oliver Soderstrom and Arthur Dorison aboard their #21 silver entry as well as both Felice Jelmini and Marcelo Tomasoni in their #11 Comtoyou Racing AMR Vantage GT3 bronze cup entry. They would again be joined by the two silver class entries for both Jamie Day and Matteo Villagomez and Gaspard Simin and Maxime Robin aboard their #34 and #35 cars respectively.

Getting Saturday’s qualifying in just before the monsoon that was to follow as the forty-four cars assembled upon the grid for the first of the two final one hour sprint races but despite the track conditions, everyone enjoyed a miraculously clean opening few laps.


 

Quickly the circuit became flooded in places and that saw a number of cars take a spin or two along the way, including the #11 Aston Martin as the Safety Car was finally called out for a two-car incident at turn 11 after fifteen minutes.

Whilst the race did get back going again, a later off for the #35 Walkenhorst car just before the completion of the obligatory driver change at the halfway point – together with the intensifying rainfall saw the race red flagged for safety before getting back going again after something like a twenty-minute delay.


 

At that restart, the #007 of Thiim was the highest placed Aston Martin and he quickly made good use of the compact running order as he progressed through from P21 to P13 as another Safety Car was called to recover the stricken #35 car after all. Going back to green from that one and with little over six minutes remaining, the #007 had an (unseen) moment on track that dropped them back down to P18 overall- still making them the highest placed AMR powered crew but with the #34 crew of Day and Villagomez just missing out on another class podium in fourth.

Sunday’s much delayed race would be effected of the remainder of Saturday’s race programme being carried over until Sunday morning instead, so their grid was set by the fastest time of each nominated driver from Free Practice 2 – such was the rush to get through the actual racing rather than running qualifying sessions.


 

This time under near clear blue skies and warming sunshine, the circuit was poles apart from the day before as the remaining class championship wins still needed to be determined. Another frenetic start again saw contact into turns 1 to 2 with another Safety Car being the result before going quickly back to green.

With light already fading, Thiim was running within the top ten again overall with Villagomez again running just off the silver podium in fourth as the cars made for pit lane for their final stops of the season. Just as the pit window closed, a brief FCY was shown to allow marshals to recover a stranded car off track at Turn 13 before leaving a twenty-minute dash to the flag.


 

The race and indeed the season finally ended with the #007 finishing as the best placed Aston in P7 overall / P5 in class, but the final gong went to the #34 Walkenhorst crew of Day and Villagomez as they went one better than yesterday to finish the year in Sprint P15 overall and P3 in class.

Photo credits – Teams / Series / social media

 

Sunday, October 04, 2026 | Read more...