After Saturday’s programme was cancelled due to a red weather alert, the GT Winter Series at Circuit Ricardo Tormo was compressed into a single, intense Sunday. One qualifying session set the grids for all three races, and from there the action came thick and fast. The day built steadily towards a closely fought 50-minute Race 3, which ultimately proved the highlight of the weekend.
Pole position had initially gone to Felix Hirsinger on his GT3 debut in the #63 LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler Lamborghini Huracán GT3. However, his weekend ended moments after securing pole when the car was damaged beyond repair after being rear-ended on the way back to the pits. That left the door open for others to take control on race day.
Race 1: Ariel Levi converts pole into victory
Ariel Levi converted pole position into victory in the opening 20-minute race, taking the win in the #86 Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 after 12 controlled laps.
He crossed the line just 0.655 seconds ahead of the #64 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3 driven by Kiano Blum, while Alain Valente completed the podium in the sister #74 Mustang and also set the fastest lap of the race.
A key moment came midway through the race when Fabian Seipt’s McLaren Artura Trophy Evo stopped on track, triggering a Safety Car. That briefly erased Levi’s advantage and brought Blum back into contention. However, once racing resumed, Levi managed the restart cleanly and maintained a narrow but stable gap to the finish.
Behind the top three, Seweryn Mazur secured fourth in the #79 Sendom Racing Team Lamborghini, with Ethan Brown rounding out the top five in the #19 Engstler Lamborghini.
Among the classes, the highest-placed Cup finisher overall was Joseph Dean, who won Cup 1 in the #204 AF Corse Ferrari 296 Challenge. Cup 4 went to Alessio Ruffini in the #333 Lamborghini Super Trofeo, while Cup 2 honours were claimed by Oleksii Kikireshko in the #88 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. Cup 3, GT2 and GTX each featured a single entrant, with the #128 MS Racing McLaren Artura Trophy Evo, #15 NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT2 and the #888 Classic&Speed BMW Z4 GT3 taking their respective class wins.
Race 2: Marcus Clutton capitalises on early chaos
Race 2 brought immediate drama. Carrie Schreiner, now at the wheel of the Race 1-winning #86 Attempto Audi, braked too late into the second turn and collided with the #74 Mustang of Massimiliano Cuccarese, eliminating both cars from contention. That incident reshaped the fight at the front.
Marcus Clutton, meanwhile, kept his #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren 720S GT3 tight to the inside at Turn 2 and slipped through into the lead.
After the incident was cleared, racing resumed with just under nine minutes remaining. From there, Clutton controlled the pace under heavy pressure from Niklas Kalus in the #64 Haupt Racing Team Mustang. Moritz Wiskirchen in the #111 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG and Jay Mo Härtling in the sister #11 car also remained within striking distance as the leading quartet edged away from the rest of the field.
Despite the constant pressure, the order remained unchanged. Clutton secured victory after 11 laps, ahead of Kalus and Wiskirchen, and in doing so moved into the GT Winter Series championship lead.
Once again, the Cup 1 winner was the highest-placed non-GT3 finisher, this time Gilbert Yates in the #101 AF Corse Ferrari. Cup 4 was won by Alessio Ruffini, and Cup 2 by Igor Klaja.
Race 3: HRT Mustang prevails in tense finale
Haupt Racing Team closed out the condensed Valencia Sunday with victory in Race 3, as Niklas Kalus and Kiano Blum guided the #64 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3 to a narrow but decisive win in the 50-minute contest.
Kalus made the key move at the start, sweeping around the outside of #111 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Michael Sander to take the lead into Turn 1. Behind him, Marcus Clutton moved up the inside, demoting Sander further as the field sorted itself out through the opening lap. From that point onwards, the #64 Mustang controlled the pace at the front.
Two Safety Car repeatedly closed up the field and kept the outcome uncertain. On one of the restarts, Alain Valente in the #74 HRT Mustang attempted to gain ground, yet Clutton held position.
In the final 15 minutes, Blum came under sustained pressure from Jay Mo Härtling in the #11 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG GT3. A late Safety Car briefly eased that pressure, but it also created a final-lap sprint to the finish. Härtling attacked again, while Mateusz Lisowski in the #27 PTT Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 positioned himself to take on Härtling – and almost made the move stick when he shoved himself on the inside of the yellow and black Mercedes.
Blum, however, remained composed. He defended firmly in the closing corners and secured victory by just 0.343 seconds. The #11 Mercedes-AMG finished second, with the #27 completing the podium.
Cup 4 victory went to the #321 DC Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo of Nina Østergaard and Frederik Schandorff, finishing ninth overall. Cup 1 was won by the #101 AF Corse Ferrari 296 Challenge of Gilbert Yates and Bradley Yates, and Cup 2 by Igor Klaja and Fabian Dybionka in the #7 PTT Racing Team Porsche 992 GT3 Cup.
Penultimate round in Aragón awaits
With three races completed in a single day, Valencia tested both drivers and teams in unusual circumstances. The GT Winter Series now moves on to MotorLand Aragón on 5–8 March for the penultimate round of the season.
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