A packed and wide-ranging weekend of racing delivered major storylines across multiple championships. Toyota opened its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign with a milestone win at Imola, while the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers were overshadowed by tragedy. Across the Atlantic, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship produced a breakthrough result at Long Beach, as International GT Open and Supercar Challenge added further action to a packed weekend on European soil.
FIA World Endurance Championship – 6 Hours of Imola: Toyota beats Ferrari on home soil
Toyota struck first in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, beating Ferrari on strategy at Imola to secure its 50th series win. The #8 crew of Buemi, Hirakawa and Hartley controlled the race through smart pit calls and tyre management, pulling clear as Ferrari’s challenge faded in a tightly fought Hypercar battle.
In LMGT3, late drama decided the outcome. Garage 59 looked set for a breakthrough win until an electrical issue halted the leading McLaren in the final stages, handing victory to Team WRT after a tense fight to the flag.
24h Nürburgring Qualifiers: Tragic weekend sees Scherer Sport PHX win after battling Verstappen Racing
Following a sombre Saturday at the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, where Race 1 was abandoned after a fatal accident, Sunday’s race resumed in tribute to Juha Miettinen. On track, an early duel between Max Verstappen and Christopher Haase set the tone, with the pair trading the lead in a tense opening stint around the Nordschleife.
The race ultimately turned on reliability. Verstappen Racing looked in control until a front splitter issue forced an unscheduled stop, handing the advantage to Scherer Sport PHX. From there, the #16 Audi managed the race to the finish, sealing victory and shifting focus toward the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – Grand Prix of Long Beach: Meyer Shank Racing breaks through
Meyer Shank Racing finally broke through on the streets of Long Beach, with the #93 Acura taking a controlled GTP victory after executing the right strategy and capitalising on key cautions. Once back in front after the pit cycle, the Acura managed the race to the finish despite pressure from the #31 Cadillac.
In GTD, late-race traffic and strategy shuffled the order, allowing the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus to come through for the win. What had looked like a dominant run earlier in the race slipped away, turning the closing stages into a chaotic sprint to the flag.
International GT Open – Portimão: ZRS wins on debut as Greystone takes Race 2
Race 1
ZRS Motorsport made a dream debut in the International GT Open at Portimão, with Alex Fontana and Pietro Armanni converting pole into a commanding Race 1 victory for the Porsche 911 GT3 R squad. The pair controlled proceedings after early drama and pit stop issues for rivals, while Motopark’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 and the Greystone GT McLaren 720S GT3 completed the podium after a tight late-race battle.
Race 2
Race 2 told a different story, as Zac Meakin and Dean Macdonald took a measured win for Greystone GT, emerging from the pit cycle with a decisive advantage and controlling the race to the flag. With two strong results across the weekend, the McLaren duo leaves Portugal as the first championship leaders.
24H Series – 12H Spa-Francorchamps: Optimum McLaren takes Spa win
Optimum Motorsport claimed a breakthrough overall victory in the Michelin 12H Spa-Francorchamps, converting pole into a controlled win with its McLaren 720S GT3. Salman Owega, Freddie Tomlinson and Harry George led across both parts of the race and managed changing conditions, including late rain, to secure McLaren’s first win at the event.
Behind them, Steven Palette, Simon Balcaen, Pierre Castelein and Mathieu Castelein finished second overall in the HAAS RT Audi R8 LMS GT3, taking GT3-AM honours. The Pro-Am class win went to Manuel Lauck, Robert de Haan, Constantin Dressler and Jörg Dreisow in the Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), after a late penalty for the rival Mercedes-AMG in a dramatic final hour.
In the 992 class for Porsche Carrera Cup machinery, Julian Hanses, Martin Rump, Conrad Tox Leveau and Tim Scheerbarth delivered a commanding win for Mühlner Motorsport, finishing fourth overall. Further class victories went to Philippe Bonnel, Julien Boillot and Alexandre de Bernardinis (Vortex) in GTX and Gino Rocchio and Filippo Tornaghi (Not Only Motorsport Ligier) in TCE-TCX.
Supercar Challenge – Voorjaarsrace Zandvoort: Debutant Marlon Birdsall shines in Koopman Racing BMW M6 GT3
Race 1
Marlon Birdsall took overall victory in the opening race of the Supercar Challenge weekend at Zandvoort, mastering extremely wet and slippery conditions in the Koopman Racing BMW M6 GT3. The race was defined by constant incidents and changing positions at the front, with both Birdsall and team-mate Daan Meijer spinning during the race. Despite that, Birdsall consistently recovered and managed to pull clear, securing a convincing win.
Behind him, Meijer recovered from two spins to hold off debutant Harry Barton to complete a Koopman Racing BMW M6 GT3 1-2-3, underlining the team’s dominance in the top class despite the chaotic conditions.
Race 2
The second sprint race produced a surprise overall winner, as Mitchell van Dijk took victory in the Radical SR3 for Zoet Racing. The decisive moment came when Marlon Birdsall, who had been in contention at the front, was forced to retire in the pits, handing the lead to Van Dijk after he had just passed Harry Barton.
From there, Van Dijk controlled the race and built a gap of around 12 seconds to Barton, who finished second overall in the Koopman Racing BMW M6 GT3. Gilles van Houtum in yet another Koopman Racing BMW M6 GT3 completed the overall podium, while Cor Euser briefly featured in the fight at the front with his Marcos Mantara LM600 evo before settling into fourth overall and third in the GT class.
Race 3
Marlon Birdsall returned to the top in the one-hour feature race on Sunday, completing a dominant debut weekend with a commanding overall victory. The Koopman Racing BMW M6 GT3 driver led the majority of the race, only briefly losing the lead during the pit cycle and in the opening phase when Cor Euser moved ahead before dropping back and later retiring.
A different strategy from Zoet Racing saw the Radical SR3 of Mitchell van Dijk and Alain Berg cycle into the lead after the pit stops, but Birdsall quickly reclaimed the position and began to pull clear. Teammate Daan Meijer also worked his way forward in the closing stages, overtaking the Radical to secure second place, sealing a Koopman Racing 1-2 finish, with the Radical completing the overall podium.
From the archive: Racing the Corvette C5-R
Max Verstappen’s recent GT3 outings at the Nordschleife echo a family link to GT racing’s past, with motorsport running deep through the Kumpen side of his family. Anthony Kumpen competed at the highest level of GT1, campaigning the Corvette C5-R in the FIA GT Championship during the category’s peak years.
His reflections on that era offer a rare insight into one of GT racing’s most spectacular chapters — well worth revisiting.
Up next: Red Bull Ring, Silverstone and COTA on the schedule
Another packed weekend follows with DTM and ADAC GT Masters sharing the stage at the Red Bull Ring, while British GT starts its 2026 campaign at Silverstone with the 500. Across the Atlantic, GT World Challenge America continues at Circuit of the Americas, keeping the momentum going on both sides of the ocean.
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