This last weekend of endurance racing produced spectacles across two completely different climates. In Australia, The Intercontinental GT Challenge kicked off with the formidable Bathurst 12 Hour, whilst storms delayed proceedings in GT Winter Series over at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Bathurst 12 Hour: Mercedes-AMG battle through the field to claim victory

The Intercontinental GT Challenge returned to the legendary mountains of Bathurst this weekend for a 12-hour spectacle that did not disappoint.

Battles raged from night to day and into the final hour, but it was the #888 Mercedes-AMG Team GMR Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Maro Engel, Maxime Martin and Mikaël Grenier climbing to the top spot on the mountain after starting near the tail end of the pack.

Several safety cars were needed as the perilous circuit claimed multiple cars, but it would be Maxime Martin and crew who proved victorious with a 1.8-second gap over Bronze class-entered Dorian Boccolacci in the High Class Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Class wins would go to the #45 RAM Motorsport Team GWR Australia Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Pro-Am and Method Motorsport in GT4 as the only entrant in the two-car class to finish.

Find the full race report along with all of GT REPORT Bathurst coverage here

GT Winter Series – Valencia: Three winners in three races

Valencia’s GT Winter Series round hung in the balance as weather warnings put a halt to any and all Saturday action, with three races and a qualifying session packed into one hectic day.

Race 1

A close finish started off the day’s packed proceedings as the #86 Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3, driven by Ariel Levi, finished just 0.655 seconds ahead of rival Kiano Blum in the #64 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3.

A safety car, triggered by a stricken McLaren, brought Levi’s lead down but a controlled restart from the Audi driver meant he was able to take the chequers with the podium being rounded out by Alain Valente in the #74 HRT Mustang.

Race 2

The second race of the day brought a chaotic start as Carrie Schreiner, now racing the winning car from race 1, missed the braking point into turn two, collecting the #74 HRT Mustang of Massimiliano Cuccarese. This allowed Marcus Clutton to take the lead in his #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren 720S GT3 and there he would stay until the chequered flag.

Race 3

After two consecutive visits to the podium, it would finally be the #64 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3’s time to take that top step of the podium after another chaotic race involving multiple safety cars.

Niklas Klaus took the lead into turn one and Kiano Blum fended off a series of attacks from Jay Mo Härtling in the #11 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG GT3 to take the win.

Read the full GT Winter Series report here

From the archive: Bas Leinders on McLaren’s breakout 2016 Bathurst win

Last week at Mount Panorama, we sat down with Bas Leinders for an exclusive interview that already feels like part of endurance racing folklore.

As McLaren returned to the grid of the Bathurst 12 Hour for the first time in six years, Leinders looked back at the marque’s defining 2016 breakthrough when the Tekno Autosports McLaren 650S GT3 beat Nissan through strategy rather than outright pace. The former McLaren GT Sporting Manager’s verdict was clear: “It wasn’t luck — it was strategy.”

From the decisive brake change call to the perfectly timed late fuel stop that secured victory by just 1.2 seconds, the story captures how that win helped cement McLaren’s modern GT3 identity.

Read the full feature here

Up next: Racing world gets ready for European season

As the racing world eases out of its winter pause, attention now turns to the next on-track action in Europe. The GT Winter Series resumes on 5-8 March at MotorLand Aragón, marking the first proper step towards the main 2026 campaign and giving teams valuable race mileage before the major championships fire up later in spring.

Before that, however, the spotlight shifts to the United States, where the Mazda MX-5 Cup opens its season on 27 February-1 March during the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, featuring a very special guest appearance from Sébastien Bourdais.

Read the full story on the champion’s Mazda debut here