British outfit GR Racing claimed their first European Le Mans Series victory since 2015, rising from 12th with the #86 Ferrari 296 LMGT3. Driven by Mike Wainwright, Lorcan Hanafin, and Mex Jansen, the latter explains to GT REPORT how the team stayed composed amid the chaos to take home the winner’s trophy.
Starting from outside the top ten, in the fourth round of the ELMS championship, didn’t come as a surprise. “On one-lap pace we lacked a bit,” but the confidence to make up for it in the race was always there, says the 20-year-old.
“We had the pace throughout the whole weekend. The car was super quick over the race runs.”
Once the Dutch driver took over the wheel from his 53-year-old British teammate Mike Wainwright, the confidence he had beforehand proved right. “At a certain point things looked good. The pace was super consistent. We were driving a bit in no man’s land, but on the other hand we could push hard and still save quite a bit of fuel. That put us on a really strong strategy.”
Being on the right strategy takes more than making the right calls from the pit wall.
“The team gave us a super good car. We changed the setup a bit yesterday, and I’m really happy we did because it made us a lot faster. We could save fuel and run longer than the rest, which meant one less pit stop at the end. If you can skip one pit stop, that saves so much time which you’d never make up on track. The team executed that perfectly.”
Still full of adrenaline, the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Silver Endurance Cup winner says with a smile: “In the end my last teammate could finish it off and bring the car home in P1. I’m happy we made it to the finish in one piece, I’m just super grateful.”
Being extra happy that they stayed alive in this race full of (virtual) safety cars, the LMGT3 race winner reflects:
“It was a super chaotic race. I remember at one point a Ferrari went off; the whole track was covered in thousands of pieces. It was a war zone. Pure chaos. I think the driving standards from some of the LMP2s were maybe a bit low. I get it; those guys also have to push, especially in the final hour of the race. You have to take risks. Unfortunately, we as GT3s suffer from that. A divebomb happens quickly, or a half‑move, which is annoying for us.”
Because of these factors, staying focused was key to pulling off this performance. “In this championship, if you just stay out of the mess a little bit, you naturally move quite far forward.”
Having won the race with the British team founded in 2011 and based in Milton Keynes, he rounds off by reflecting on the eventful race with respect for his competitors. “All I can say is: ‘guys, we’re also racing.’ I have a lot of understanding because on the sim I do the same. When you have to pass a slower class, you might quickly show less respect. But that shouldn’t be the case. I just want to keep it respectful. And remember; other people’s races matter too.”
