This weekend delivered a packed start to the European GT season, with major opening rounds in DTM, Italian GT and British GT, plus penalty drama in GT World Challenge America. From chaotic races at the Red Bull Ring and Imola to a hard-fought Silverstone 500 and a reshuffled result at COTA, there was plenty to catch up on.
Here is your Weekend Rewind.
DTM: Engel and Preining share victories in opening round at the Red Bull Ring
Race 1
DTM returned this weekend for the 2026 season opener at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, where reigning Teams’ Champions Manthey returned to the top step of the podium with Thomas Preining in the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R after a chaotic Race 1.
Race 2
Race 2 saw Maro Engel take victory in the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, after his chance to win in Race 1 slipped away.
Italian GT: VSR and BMW Italia Ceccato Racing claim opening wins of the season
Race 1
The 2026 Italian GT Championship (CIGT) Sprint season got underway with its opening double-header at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where Vincenzo Sospiri Racing claimed the first victory of the weekend. GT3 rookies Georgi Dimitrov and Simone Riccitelli delivered an impressive lights-to-flag win in Race 1.
Race 2
In Race 2, BMW Italia Ceccato Racing’s Jens Klingmann and Raffaele Marciello secured their first victory of the season in the #7 BMW M4 GT3.
British GT: Shahin and Patterson take home the RAC trophy on Silverstone 500 debut
British GT headed to Silverstone this weekend for their premier event, the Silverstone 500.
A chaotic season opener in the GT3 class as Yasser Shahin and Garnet Patterson took their Optimum Mclaren to first place, working their way through both the field and car troubles of their own as multiple cautions caused quick yet effective changes to strategy.
The GT4s would have a tense battle of their own as the Hadley Simpson and Thomas Holland, in their Innovation Racing Ginetta, battled a strong MK Racing Aston Martin team of Will Orton and Jessica Hawkins. It would be Innovation Racing taking to the top step of the podium despite late pressure from Hawkins in the final laps.
GTWC America: Hardwick and Musial Jr inherit victory after penalty drama
Over in Texas, the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) hosted Round 2 of GT World Challenge America, as the championship introduced new pit stop regulations.
Mikael Grenier took the chequered flag after a series of incidents left him with both a drive through penalty and a ten second post race penalty. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t build a sufficient gap, handing the win to Ryan Hardwick and Dave Musial Jr in the #31 Wright Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R.
From the Archive: Andreas and Ralf Schall’s unforgettable first VLN win
Following the passing of Andreas Schall, we look back at an important chapter in his racing career: the day he and his son Ralf Schall took their first VLN victory together.
In spring 1994, the father-and-son duo stunned the Nürburgring paddock by winning outright in their Mercedes-Benz 190 Evo II, in a race hit by rain, snow and an early stoppage. It became the first of many victories they would share, and a defining moment in the Schall family’s long Nordschleife story.
Up next: Race action worldwide
This upcoming weekend sees GT World Challenge Europe and Asia return to action, while IMSA heads to Laguna Seca and the European Le Mans Series travels to Circuit Paul Ricard for Round 2. Meanwhile, Donington Park hosts the opening round of GT3 Legends at the Donington Historic Festival.
Over in Latvia, the 2026 season of the Baltic Touring Car Championship (BaTCC) begins, with a handful of Porsche and Lamborghini one-make GTs as well as a Mercedes-AMG GT3 amongst the field of touring cars are expected to take the start at Riga’s Biķernieki race track.
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