After winning all three races during the Estoril weekend, SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm’s Enrico Förderer and Joel Mesch arrive to Spain with a 36-point lead in the overall standings. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 drivers hold 110 points, compared to the 74 of leading PRO-AM outfit Charlie Robertson and Ravi Ramyead (L’Espace Bienvenue BMW).
Frederik Zebis sits third in the overall points standings, and this time moves up to the PRO class, as regular co-driver Tim Horrell is absent. In Horrell’s place in the W&S Motorsport Porsche Cayman GT4 RS CS is Belgian karting graduate Nicolas Guillaume.
Other young talents making their GT4 Winter Series debuts include Matyáš Faiereisl. The 19-year-old joins Šenkýř Motorsport, in a BMW M4 GT4 Evo, having previously joined the team to make successful appearances in Central European GT racing. NM Racing Team brings Spanish GT-CET champion Mario Pinazo, who graduated from karts with the Spanish squad last year.
After debuting last time out at Estoril, Tom Papenburg will be looking to turn the lessons learnt into victories for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 of CV Performance X JP Motorsport.
Charlie Robertson and Ravi Ramyead will once again receive competition from SR Motorsport’s Willi Kühne and Cedric Fuchs, both of whom are fresh off winning their respective classes at last weekend’s GEDLICH Racing 6H of Portimão. Araújo Competição’s Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo will once again be piloted by Bruno Pereira and Goncalo Araújo, adding to a lively class battle.
AM class leader Joachim Bölting (W&S Motorsport Porsche) will have competition from Manuel Bertolin (GT Corse BMW) and Alexandrs Bobrovs. The latter driver will once again hope to claim class wins in the Team VRT Mercedes, following on from his previous success at the Portimão season-opener.
In the Club class, Zome Racing once again arrives with an adjusted line-up in its pair of McLaren 570S GT4s. Breno Arruda will share with Tiago Loureiro in the #95, while the sister #96 car will be piloted by Antonio Duarte and Fernando Costa. Meanwhile, class points leaders Thilo Goos and Mattis Pluschkell once again bring their sonorous BWT Mücke Motorsport Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 to the grid.
The GT4 Winter Series forms just a part of what promises to be a fabulous weekend at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Fans will not only be treated to action from four of the Winter Series categories, but also the car culture extravaganza ROOW, bringing awesome display cars, live music and unrivalled atmosphere to the paddock.
Tickets for the event are still available, while fans around the world will once again be able to follow the action live on the Winter Series YouTube channel.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
18 cars arrived to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, after some two-car efforts were condensed to a single entry, and other teams were forced to withdraw. With eight cars in the GT3 class, the overall battle was a point of debate and intrigue going into the weekend. Strong four-car line-ups in the GT4 and Cup 2 class would add further intrigue, along with singular Cup 3 and GT2 entries from Greystone GT and SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm respectively.
Throughout Friday and Saturday, wet conditions dominated the practice and qualifying sessions. By the time qualifying rolled around, the circuit was drying, but teams still had to deploy wet tyres throughout the three sessions.
The average times across Qualifying 1, 2 and 3 determined the grid for the race, and Greystone GT’s Meakin, Kelly and Prette achieved pole position with the only average under two minutes; a 1:59.812. The combined efforts of Marcelo Ramírez and Christian Mansell secured second for the #28 Motopark Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, while Iron Lynx’s Ameerh Naran, Sergio Sette Camara and Shawn Rashid lined-up third in the similar Mercedes. Comtoyou Racing rounded out the second row of the grid with the #007 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, piloted by A.J. Muss, Baudouin Detout and Oliver Söderström.
As the six-hour race fired into life, conditions were improving around the circuit after overnight showers. Some teams felt the circuit would soon be ready for slick tyres; SR Motorsport’s GT2 and GT4 Mercedes entries both started on slicks, along with the #60 Razoon – more than racing Porsche Cayman GT4 RS CS. However, all three cars struggled in the early minutes.
Jayden Kelly held the early lead as the race went green, and immediately set about building a cushion at the front of the field. As the second lap began, Ariel Levi – making his debut in GT3 racing with Attempto Racing in the #86 Audi R8 LMS Evo II – moved up to second at the expense of Team Motopark’s Marcelo Ramírez. Levi was able to closely match the pace of Jayden Kelly, but was not able to answer the ultimate place of the Australian.
One of the closest battles in the first hour of the race came from the Cup 2 class, as the LMR Motorsport entries of Leandro Martins (#911) and Daniel Neumann (#27) disputed for the lead among the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup cars. Martins, the founder of the team, would ultimately get the better of his Brazilian counterpart. While the other drivers that started on wets struggled, Jay Mo Härtling (SR Motorsport Mercedes) was able to stay within range of his GT4 adversaries. As the track dried, the German would establish the #111 entry as the leaders in the class.
With 35 minutes of mandatory pitstop time to serve across the first five hours and 30 minutes of the race, a split of strategies was inevitable. As the first stops came in, a Safety Car created yet more of a divide among the front-runners. Greystone GT, who had just served a first – relatively short – pitstop, stayed on the lead-lap upon exit. Meanwhile others were trapped behind the Safety Car; this effectively gave the British team a free lap over the likes of Team Motopark.
The Safety Car was triggered to collect the front splitter of the #27 LMR Porsche, which had been shed on the main straight.
During the first pit cycle, a number of teams had served a longer stop to burn away some of the mandatory time, while others elected for shorter stops and a longer pause towards the end of the race. This meant that a number of the battles for much of the race were ‘invisible’; while cars were several laps apart on the timing screen, the requirement to spend 35 minutes in the pits meant they would meet late in the race.
Indeed, while there were not always battles in the overall order, there were numerous dogfights on-track. Christian Mansell (Team Motopark) spent almost twenty minutes holding off Louis Prette (Greystone GT) post-Safety Car in the second hour, before the McLaren driver moved by at turn 14.
Throughout the middle portion of the race, Razoon – more than racing’s Porsche Cayman was confined to the pitlane. As GT racing newcomer Taegen Poles was strapped into the GT4 class entry, the Cayman would not fire back into life, and instead headed for the garage. Over two hours later, the car returned to the circuit; the starter motor was found to be the cause of the problem, and was replaced. While Razoon would not complete enough laps to be a classified finisher, both Poles and Gregor Schneider were able to complete full stints with the repaired Porsche.
By the second hour of the race, the entire field was on slick tyres. However, after spits of rain early in the second half of the race, heavy rain returned to the circuit with just under 90 minutes of racing left to go. Zac Meakin took over the race-leading Greystone McLaren for the final hour, and looked to be struggling for grip and control on his early laps in the car. However, with an almost two lap buffer, the Brit had time to find his rhythm.
In second place going into the closing stages was the #108 Iron lynx Mercedes of Sergio Sette Camara. After strong stints from Ameerh Naran and Shawn Rashid, Camara drove the last two hours of the race. The Brazilian competitor set some of the fastest laps of the race before the rain fell, and adapted well to the wet conditions. Christian Mansell was running third for Team Motopark; and with significant gaps between the top three, the podium looked secure.
Less certain was the battle for fourth. In the wet conditions, Oliver Söderström (Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin) was struggling, while Ariel Levi (Attempto Audi) was gaining at a rate of three seconds per lap or more. Going onto the final lap of the race, Levi was only 3.4 seconds away from Söderström. However, Levi would fall short, losing the car while testing the limits under braking for turn 13, running wide and ultimately settling a fifth-place finish.
As the fourth place battle was decided, Zac Meakin crossed the line to win the second edition of the 6H of Portimão for Greystone GT, along with Jayden Kelly and Louis Prette. The McLaren 720S GT3 Evo completed 170 laps. The #108 Iron Lynx Mercedes finished a lap behind in second place, ahead of Team Motopark’s #28 entry of Mansell and Marcelo Ramírez.
In the Cup 2 class, it was a dominant performance from the #911 LMR Porsche pairing, Leandro Martins and Dieter Svepes. The team elected to rush through the early pitstops, serving a bulk of the mandatory pitstop time towards the end of the race; through this strategy, the car was routinely in the overall top-five, even leading overall at times. It ultimately finished seventh, and was the first non-GT3 home.
In the GT4 class, the #11 SR Motorsport Mercedes by Schnitzelalm Mercedes crew secured a comfortable win. The car, driven by Jay Mo Härtling, Kenneth Heyer, Enrico Förderer, Cedric Fuchs and David Thilenius, finished ahead of the W&S Motorsport Porsche Cayman GT4 RS CS. Daniel Nilsson, Edvin Hellsten and Max Kronberg drove the #31 in a strong showing, but could not beat the performance of the Mercedes quintet. SR Motorsport also won the GT2 class, while Greystone GT achieved an additional class win, thanks to Josh Mason, Hugo Bac and Michael O’Brien in their McLaren Artura Trophy Evo.
The second edition of the 6H of Portimão highlighted the continued growth of the event and the wider Winter Series portfolio. Despite tricky conditions and arduous moments, every car saw the chequered flag. Now, with GEDLICH Racing’s annual endurance race in the books, much of the 6H paddock continues on to Valencia, for the third rounds of the GT and GT4 Winter Series from 12=15 February.
Following a dramatic and heavily-disrupted opening weekend at Estoril, the championship standings were somewhat skewed; no driver on the 32-car grid had managed to score points in all three races. However, Van Langendonck – touted as a favourite pre-season – was the only driver to score two podiums. As such, he arrived to Portimão with a 17-point advantage over US Racing’s Oleksandr Savinkov.
For the first race of the weekend – held in wet conditions – Ethan Lennon lined up on pole for Rodin Motorsport. The South African racer was joined by teammate Van Langendonck on the first row, while US Racing’s Ary Bansal and Rodin’s Alfie Slater lined-up on row two.
As the lights went out, both Van Langendonck and Slater failed to launch their cars. And as the spray began to kick-up as the field accelerated away, Van Amersfoort’s Pedro Lima was unsighted, and collected the rear of Slater. Both drivers were okay, but the contact and resulting damage was significant, and the Safety Car was required.
Dries Van Langendonck was eventually able to get his car started, and joined the rear of the pack.
Behind the Safety Car, Ethan Lennon was the race leader, followed by Ary Bansal, Thomas Bearman and Teo Borenstein.
Once the race resumed, Bansal managed to perfectly anticipate the launch from Lennon, and drew alongside the leader as they approached the first corner. With the outside yielding superior grip in the treacherous conditions, Bansal swept into the lead, while Lennon had to defend hard through the early corners to stave off Thomas Bearman.
Bansal retained his lead through the middle portion of the race, before a second Safety Car period was triggered by the stricken Mathilda Racing car of Emmilio Del Grosso, who pulled up at turn three after contact.
The track was cleared with time to spare, which left an anticipated two additional laps of racing to the chequered flag in the 30-minute +1 lap race. However, Ary Bansal elected to perform an extremely slow run to the green flag, allowing the clock to tick down to zero, thus ensuring just one more lap of racing. The Indian racer managed to gain a critical car length over Lennon when he eventually hit the throttle, and held the lead through the final lap.
Bansal crossed the line to win his first Formula Winter Series race, while Lennon was second on the road, but would later receive a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. This promoted Oliver Bearman (Van Amersfoort Racing) to second place, and Jenzer Motorsport’s Teo Borenstein rounded out the podium.
After dropping to the back after his delayed start, Dries Van Langendonck surged back to the points positions and was ultimately classified seventh, ahead of the penalised Lennon. Mathilda Paatz won the Female Trophy class.
Race Two:
Unusually for the Formula Winter Series, there were two races on Saturday, owing to the Sunday timetable being dominated by GEDLICH Racing’s 6H of Portimão GT race. This meant a limited turnaround for the teams, but thankfully both Alfie Slater and Pedro Lima were able to take the start after their race one start-line collision.
Once again, Ethan Lennon and Dries Van Langendonck made up the front row of the grid. This time, the race sprang into life under a single-file rolling start owing to the wet conditions, and Lennon held the early lead. Further back, Oleksandr Savinkov had Rocco Coronel on his outside heading into the first turn; unfortunately, the pair touched, sending Savinkov spinning to the rear of the field.
While Lennon held the lead off the line, Van Langendonck wasted no time challenging the South African. At turn five, the McLaren junior driver got to Lennon’s inside, and secured the race lead. The Belgian set about building a cushion at the front, while Lennon fought teammate Alfie Slater for second place.
Van Langendonck would go on to build an eight-second lead for a dominant win, while Slater battled past his Rodin Motorsport teammate Lennon to secure second place. Lennon would take third, marking a 1-2-3 finish for the Kiwi-flagged team.
Mathilda Paatz and Zoe Florescu had an exciting battle further back in the field. And, while the German would win the Female Trophy class on the road, she would later received ten seconds of penalties for track limits infringements. Therefore, in her first F4 race finish, Florescu won the class.
Race Three:
The third race saw Van Langendonck start from pole position, with Oleksandr Savinkov alongside on the front row. As the race began, Savinkov made the better launch, and briefly led the field on the run to the first corner. Further back, Roman Kamyab (US Racing) failed to get his car started, but was thankfully avoided by the rest of the pack.
Savinkov’s time at the head of the order proved to be short-lived, as – in a mirror of his race two opening lap – Van Langendonck once again eased by at the turn five hairpin, settling into the race lead. However, with Tomas Rudokas (Renauer Motorsport) and Vittorio Orsini (AKM Motorsport) colliding at turn three, a Safety Car was scrambled.
Once the resumed, Van Langendonck was able to manage the launch well. Meanwhile, Oleksandr Savinkov asked too much of his Tatuus running around the sweeping corner, and ran wide at the restart. This left him vulnerable to an attack from US Racing teammate Ludovico Busso and Rodin’s Ethan Lennon, but remained in second position.
Savinkov was able to build a gap to Busso behind, however, he could not match the pace of Van Langendonck. Rodin’s Belgian racer won by 7.980 seconds over Savinkov, while Busso performed brilliantly to hold off Ethan Lennon, and claim his inaugural Formula Winter Series podium. Further back, Rocco Coronel briefly fell out of the points in a VAR car that looked tricky in the wet conditions, but would ultimately finish in ninth place. Meanwhile, Zoe Florescu won the Female Trophy once again, staving off significant pressure from Campos Racing teammate Chiara Bättig.
Courtesy of two more race victories and a recovery to a points-scoring finish in race one, Dries Van Langendonck extended his points lead. He now has 108 points, and a 42-point advantage over his closest rival. Portimão race on winner Ary Bansal moved up to second in the standings with 66 points, after US Racing teammate Oleksandr Savinkov finished 14th in race two. Savinkov now sits third in the standings, ahead of Rocco Coronel and Thomas Bearman.
The Formula Winter Series teams now cross the border into Spain, for the third round of the season at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The F4 talents will once again take on three races on the 14-15 February, at an event that is expected to welcome a significant crowd of fans.
22 – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 – 8 FEB PORTIMAO /P
12 – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
Ahead of the race weekend, a pair of entries sadly failed to materialise. Chefo Sport’s Ligier JSP4 had gearbox issues that could not be rectified in time for the event, while the Formula GT Radical SR3 had to withdraw owing to an off-track driver injury.
This left a compelling mix of drivers entered by Sünder Motorworks and SPV Racing. Sunder would enter a total of three Radical SR3 XXRs; one under its own team name, for 2025 Radical Cup Scandinavia champion Sebastian Schou and his fellow Dane Morten Strømsted. Meanwhile, live onboard camera company RaceStreaming entered two cars for its co-founders Jess Frandsen and Diego d’Ambra. The cars were run by Sünder, and d’Ambra raced alongside the Malaga-based team’s founder, Steven Berndtson. SPV Racing entered a Radical SR3 RSX for Michael Hove.
Both races in the Sports Prototype Winter Series were held on Saturday, in order to minimise costs for teams and drivers. However, by the late-morning, the weather at Portimão had become unsuitable for racing. As rain pelted the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, the decision was taken to delay both races; the first 40-minute encounter would begin at 15:25, and the second was set to start at 17:20, leaving less than an hour-and-a-half to repair and prepare between races.
The track was drying from the earlier rain showers once it was time for the first race; despite the track not being far away from ‘slick-readiness’ by the formation lap, all teams elected to run the duration of the race on wet tyres.
Sünder Motorworks’ #24 entry started the race from pole position, with Morten Strømsted at the wheel. Michael Hove (SPV Racing) launched from the outside of the front row, and briefly had a nose ahead, but Strømsted eased through to an early lead through the first corner.
Hove soon lost out to Team RaceStreaming’s Diego d’Ambra. d’Ambra would quickly drive away from Hove’s distinctive yellow machine, but didn’t have the pace to pursue Strømsted in the lead. While the top two drove away, Hove proved to be a difficult adversary from Jess Frandsen, who spent much of the first half of the race searching for a way by the RSX-spec RS3, which had the straight-line speed advantage.
Finally, as the pit window opened, Frandsen saw the inside line beckon at turn 13, and made what proved to be a definitive move.
Morten Strømsted handed the leading car over to Sebastian Schou during the mandatory pitstop window. The young Dane set about consolidating the lead built by Strømsted. And, while Steven Berndtson took over the second-placed #22 Team Racestreaming entry and briefly matched the pace of Schou, this form would prove fleeting.
By the end of the race, Schou built a lead of 27 seconds, receiving the chequered flag ahead of Berndtson, Fransden and Hove.
Race two:
The second race of the weekend saw Sebastian Schou take the start from pole position, and he quickly drove away from the field upon the start of the race. Michael Hove once again started from second place, but Steven Berndtson had already moved into second place by the first corner.
This left Hove looking through the mirrors at Jess Fransden once again, though this time the battle would not extend throughout the first half of the race. Fransden took the outside approach towards turn eight, before cutting to the inside and finding superior traction to move past Hove on the first lap.
And, while Hove looked like he had the pace to apply to pressure in return, the SPV driver soon received a drive-through penalty for exiting the pits while red lights were showing, on the sighting lap prior to the race. After serving this penalty, another was applied by race control in short order for starting the race out-of-formation. This effectively concluded the battle for third place in Fransden’s favour.
The first stint of the race saw Schou build a significant lead over Berndtson, before handing the car over to Morten Strømsted. However, on the elder driver’s out-lap, the car looked slow. Indeed, at turn 14, Strømsted pulled over, shut off the engine and reset the car. It was later revealed that he had been stuck in second gear owing to a sensor issue.
The reset worked, and not only did Strømsted retain the lead, but he would ultimately win by 46 seconds over Diego D’Ambra. It was a perfect weekend for Morten Strømsted and Sebastian Schou, who move on to Valencia as runaway points leaders.
The Sports Prototype Winter Series will race its second and final round of 2026 on Saturday 14th February, as the GEDLICH Racing Winter Series collaborates with ROOW for a weekend of motorsport, car culture, high-adrenaline action and thrilling experiences.
6 FEB – 7 FEB PORTIMAO /P
13 FEB – 14 FEB VALENCIA /E
Jöge, typically on-site at Winter Series events in his organisation and sales roles, will step behind the wheel of the Cup X class Porsche at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. These will be his first-ever GT races.
The 29-year-old began his journey towards car racing on simulators, becoming a well-regarded and fast competitor. He also competed on two wheels, in Motocross. Having driven road cars extensively on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the same venue was the natural place to pursue the goal of racing cars. He did this through the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) series, whose events are a gateway to the NLS and Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Jöge remarked that the step into the GT Winter Series is a “dream-to-reality” experience, and added: “Being part of this starting grid is completely new territory. The opportunity means a great deal to me! Without trust, support, and the right people by my side, this step wouldn’t be possible.”
The Equipe Vitesse Porsche will use the #147 starting number, which the Siegen-based competitor also carried in Motocross.
The Equipe Vitesse team is a regular presence at GEDLICH Racing events, and competes in a broad array of GT competitions. The team, founded by Andreas Herbst and run by his daughter Jil, won the 2025 Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy championship, along with GT Winter Series regular Kenneth Heyer. The team also competed in the NLS and the Nürburgring 24 Hour throughout the season, in the flagship SP9 classes for GT3-spec cars.
The GT Winter Series event at Valencia is set to feature deluxe entry far exceeding 30 cars, on a weekend featuring a huge variety of on-track and off-track action. Spanish automotive festival ROOW will take over the paddock with incredible display cars, live music and stands showcasing exciting automotive products. On-track, the GT Winter Series will be joined by the GT4 Winter Series, Formula Winter Series and the new Sports Prototype Winter Series. As always, all of the racing action will be streamed live and free on the Winter Series YouTube channel.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
The #19 entry will once again feature Tim Hütter, and the Austrian will be partnered by Singaporean driver Ethan Brown. Brown, 21, has amassed plenty of racing miles in both the GT3- and Super Trofeo-spec Lamborghinis. In 2025, he was the vice-champion in the PRO class of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia.
Meanwhile, the second Engstler Lamborghini – the #63 entry – will join the grid for the first time this season. After a race-winning cameo at Estoril in a Cup 1 Ferrari, reigning Ferrari Challenge Europe Trofeo Pirelli champion Felix Hirsiger steps into the GT3 class of the GT Winter Series.
Hirsiger will be joined by 21-year-old Finn Zulauf, the 2024 ADAC GT4 Germany and GT4 European Series PRO-AM champion. In 2025, Zulauf had his first taste of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in ADAC GT Masters, winning a race on his way to eighth in the standings.
Last year’s Valencia event was a highlight of the GT Winter Series season, and a deluxe grid is expected once again this year. The occasion will be made even more-spectacular off-track, as the ROOW automotive expo takes over the paddock. Hundreds of incredible exotic and modified cars, live music and thrilling action shows will run alongside a busy weekend of Winter Series action, and tickets are available from just €20!
For those not lucky enough to be in attendance, both days of racing action will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
The Veneto-based team will run Giorgio and Giulio Bacco in the Ferrari 296 Challenge. The brothers have previously been part of Reparto Corse’s roster in the non-competitive Passione Ferrari Club Challenge format, and will now continue the partnership into their shared racing debut.
Reparto Corse RAM’s attendance marks a second consecutive appearance for the team at the GT Winter Series Valencia event. During a thrilling 2025 season, the Vicenza squad won the Trofeo Pirelli, Coppa Shell and Coppa Team categories in Ferrari Challenge Europe. At Valencia, Reparto Corse – along with the Bacco brothers – will be looking to start 2026 off with positive results.
The Valencia round of the GT Winter Series takes place from 12-15 February, in a thrilling event also featuring the ROOW car culture festival. This spectacular automotive celebration will be a can’t miss occasion for trackside fans, and the livestream audience will be treated to two full days of racing action on the Winter Series YouTube channel.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
Carrie Schreiner is a familiar name to the GEDLICH Racing paddock, having competed in both the GT Winter Series and Formula Winter Series. After two seasons in F1 Academy (2023 and 2024), Schreiner returned to GT racing, winning two 2025 GT Winter Series races and competing in ADAC GT Masters during summer.
Schreiner now enters a new partnership with Attempto, and will race in both the 6H of Portimão and the Motorland Aragón round of the GT Winter Series. She will then compete across the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint & Endurance categories with the German team.
Ariel Levi has spent several years racing across multiple Porsche Carrera Cup categories, including the flagship Porsche Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup Germany. During the 2025 season, he finished fifth overall in both series, taking six podiums across the pair of championships. Now, he takes on a new challenge, competing in a six-hour race with the GT3-spec Audi.
Florian Scholze has been a recurring presence in Attempto Racing line-ups, dating back as far as 2010. With over two decades in motorsport, Scholze raced in the first ever GT3 season back in 2006, has driven at the N24 in a plethora of different cars, and raced extensively in Porsche Cup and GT3 competitions globally. In 2020, Scholze won the AM class of International GT Open, and has continued to be a strong and well-regarded Bronze driver.
Attempto Racing celebrated 20 years of competition in 2025, and has long been regarded as one of Audi’s leading GT3 teams. In 2023, the team won the overall teams’ title in the GTWC Sprint Cup. It is once again set to be a busy year for the Attempto squad across multiple championships, and it will make its first start of the 2026 calendar at the GEDLICH Racing 6H of Portimão.
The 6H of Portimão will take place from 5-8 February, with a highly-competitive field of leading Endurance racing teams looking to win the second edition of the event. Fans can attend the full weekend of racing for just €10. The on-track action includes the 6H of Portimão, as well as the Formula Winter Series and Sports Prototype Winter Series.
Additionally, the weekend will be broadcast live on the Winter Series YouTube channel, allowing fans around the world to see every thrilling moment.
At the traditional home of Portuguese motorsport, regular GT3 entries such as Orange Racing by JMH, SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm and Grupo Prom Racing Team would have compelling competition from Vincenzo Sospiri Racing. The team’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 would be driven by Mattia Michelotto and Ignazio Zanon, the line-up that won the 2025 Italian GT Sprint PRO-AM championship.
Another surprise on the entry list came courtesy of LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler. Alongside a Lamborghini GT3 entry for Jonas Karklys, Felix Hirsinger arrived in the paddock on Friday to join Cup 1 in a Ferrari 296 Challenge car. As the 2025 Ferrari Challenge Europe Trofeo Pirelli champion, the Swiss racer would be the benchmark for the class.
A damp but rapidly drying circuit greeted the drivers for the first race; some left the pits on slick tyres, while those on wets unanimously decided to switch ahead of the formation lap. Ignazio Zanon had claimed pole position in the VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2, and shared the front row with LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler’s Felix Hirsiger (Ferrari 296 Challenge).
By the time racing began, it was dry enough for a two-by-two rolling start, which played heavily into the hands of Felix Hirsiger. The power advantage of the Engstler Ferrari shot him into a clear lead, forcing Zanon to settle for second, ahead of Kenneth Heyer in the SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Further back, Dexter Müller (CBRX by SPS Mercedes) lost control on a slippery patch, and spun out. The rest of the field successfully avoided the Swiss, who continued from the rear of the pack. A lap later, approaching turn two, Lukas Azzato (Kessel Ferrari 296 Challenge) and Alessio Ruffini (Auto Sport Racing Lamborghini) collided. Both cars were left stranded, as the remaining drivers came under Safety Car control for the first time.
Upon the race resumption, Jonas Karklys was looking menacing from P4, at the wheel of the Engstler Lamborghini GT3. He committed to the damp inside line at the first turn, but unfortunately lost the rear end on turn-in, falling to the back of the field like Dexter Müller before him.
The return to racing action was fairly short-lived, as Igor Klaja lost control between T1 and T2, necessitating another Safety Car. Moments after the SC was deployed, Seweryn Mazur’s right-rear tyre began to escape the wheel well owing to a wheel nut failure; this stranded him at pit entry.
An extended pause to the racing finally concluded on the penultimate lap, and while Felix Hirsiger would remain unchallenged at the front, Simon Orange’s fourth position was less secure. The Orange Racing by JMH McLaren was under immense scrutiny from a recovering Jonas Karklys, and the pair were almost side-by-side as they negotiated the final corner. Unfortunately for Karklys, he pushed the limit too far on the outside, and found himself bouncing across the gravel, and down the order.
Hirsiger would claim the race victory by 3.5 seconds, with Ignazio Zanon finishing as the GT3 winner and overall runner-up in the VSR Lamborghini. Kenneth Heyer came home in third position for SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm, ahead of Simon Orange.
After Alessio Ruffini and Igor Klaja’s incidents, Petar Matic (Auto Sport Racing) and Oleksii Kikireshko (PTSportsbyUp2Race) won the Cup 4 and Cup 2 classes respectively.
Race two:
In drying conditions, VSR’s Mattia Michelotto would start the Sunday morning sprint race from pole position, and was followed into the first turn by Jay Mo Härtling. Alessio Ruffini caught a major slide under braking at T1, but was unfortunately in a collision moments later at the apex with Seweryn Mazur. Both Lamborghinis were damaged, and would ultimately withdraw from the race.
Jonas Karklys briefly moved up to third in the Engstler Lamborghini, but Orange Racing’s Marcus Clutton performed a committed overtake around the Parabolica Ayrton Senna at the end of the first lap. Moments later, Karklys looped the car exiting the first corner, hit the Armco and triggered a Safety Car. His rear suspension was damaged on-impact.
After the Safety Car, the top three broke away, but Clutton did not quite have the same level of pace as Michelotto and Härtling. The pair were closely matched through the race, and while the SR Mercedes driver was able to match Michelotto’s pace, he could not find a way past. Michelotto won the race over Härtling by just six tenths of a second.
Marcus Clutton rounded out the overall podium, ahead of Felix Hirsiger, who once again won the Cup 2 class. Auto Sport Racing’s Petar Matic won the Cup 4 class in his Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, while Oleksii Kikireshko once again secured Cup 2 honours in the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup.
Race three:
Sopping wet conditions meant that the drivers were presented with a significant challenge for race three. The final race of the weekend – the 55-minute pitstop encounter – once again saw the #66 VSR Lamborghini of Ignazio Zanon on pole position, alongside Felix Hirsiger in the #155 Engstler Ferrari. Zanon seemingly caught out Hirsiger as the race began. This not only allowed Zanon a great launch; it also allowed third-place starter Jay Mo Härtling to move up to second. Härtling looked confident in the opening corners, and promptly dispatched the VSR Lamborghini around the outside of the turn five kink.
14th place starter Tim Heinemann (PTSportsbyUp2Race Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) quickly moved through the field, and was at times the fastest car on-track in the early stages of the race. Heinemann reached fourth position within ten minutes, but was then demanded to drop back two positions for making up places off the defined racing surface.
The pit window opened with 25 minutes of racing complete. Just over halfway through the window, Alfredo Hernandez lost control of his Grupo Prom Mercedes exiting the final corner, triggering a safety car. Under safety car conditions, the pit window is paused, and the mandatory stop cannot be made. However, both Tim Heinemann’s #88 Porsche and Petar Matic’s #32 Auto Sport Racing Lamborghini visited the pits under safety car, netting 70-second penalties for not correctly serving a mandatory pitstop.
Teams that had already made their pitstops – including the VSR Lamborghini, now in the hands of Mattia Michelotto – had a distinct advantage. Meanwhile, Jay Mo Härtling, who had yet to hand the SR Motorsport Mercedes to Kenneth Heyer, would see the lead he’d built nullified and lost.
Indeed, once the green flags waved once more and the pit window restarted, it was VSR’s Michelotto who inherited a comfortable race lead. Alas, it was not to last, as Michelotto made an unforced error with just over six minutes remaining.
This handed the race lead to Oleksii Kikireshko in the Up2Race Porsche he took over from Tim Heinemann. However, since a legal pitstop had not been served, victory would therefore be handed to Kenneth Heyer and Jay Mo Härtling. This would mark a 25th overall victory for Mercedes-AMG in the GT Winter Series, an apropos achievement for SR Motorsport and long-term Mercedes driver Heyer.
Jonas Karklys took second position for LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler, while Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton rounded out the podium. Cup 4 honours fell to Alessio Ruffini and Milos Pavlovic in the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, while the Kikireshko/Heinemann combination still won the Cup 2 class despite its penalty.
Felix Hirsiger completed a sweep of Cup 1 in the Engstler Ferrari 296 Challenge car.
At the conclusion of the GT Winter Series’ Portuguese leg, SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm’s Härtling and Heyer lead the overall and GT3 points standings with a score of 92. Orange Racing by JMH’s Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton run second on 86.
The GT Winter Series will return from 12-15 February at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. In collaboration with automotive culture festival ROOW, the event is expected to be the biggest Winter Series event to-date. A week prior, many teams from the GT Winter Series will arrive to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for the second-running of GEDLICH’s 6H of Portimão, from 6-8 February.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
Following on from the season-opener at Portimão, the GT4 Winter Series grid once again showcased a remarkable bevy of talented drivers, and a mix of compelling entries spread across five classes.
The first race of the weekend on Saturday was held in damp conditions, which necessitated a single-file restart, much to the advantage of pole-sitter Enrico Förderer in the #11 SR Motorsport Mercedes. Ravi Ramyead held second early on, ahead of W&S Motorsport’s Porsche Caymans driven by Joachim Bölting and Tim Horrell.
While Förderer drove away at the front, Ramyead was under immense scrutiny in the L’Espace Bienvenue BMW. After several laps of close battling, Bölting appeared to miss his braking point at turn three, tagging the rear of Ramyead. As the BMW driver lost control, he received a secondary impact from Horrell; the resulting damage eliminated both Porsches, while Ramyead rejoined the race a lap down.
The Safety Car came out in the aftermath of the three car impact. Upon the resumption of the race, Tom Papenburg was now running second behind Förderer, in the PRO class CV Performance x JP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4. The youngster was celebrating his 15th birthday that day, and in his first ever car race, he wasn’t quite able to match the pace of the reigning ADAC GT4 Germany champion.
For the SR Motorsport team and Förderer, it was a first win of the season, and Papenburg was able to complete a Mercedes 1-2. Meanwhile, Franz Linden scored an overall podium in his Clubsport-spec Porsche Cayman, winning the Cayman Trophy class in the process.
After the Safety Car, Zome Racing’s Gonçalo Veiga put on a show in the McLaren 570S GT4. After several laps of trying, and pushing his Club class entry to the limit, Veiga finally passed Bruno Pereira (Araújo Competição Aston Martin) for fourth overall. Veiga and Pereira finished in tandem, winning the Club and PRO-AM classes respectively.
Race two:
Race two featured the same front row as the first race, albeit with Joel Mesch in the #11 SR Motorsport Mercedes) and Charlie Robertson in the L’Espace Bienvenue BMW.
Mesch held the lead early, but not without challenges emanating from Robinson on the first lap. However, it appeared the BMW M4 GT4 Evo’s balance was not in the British driver’s favour, as he spent much of the first two-thirds of the race holding off Cedric Fuchs in the #111 SR Mercedes. Fuchs eventually found a way by, after several laps of trying to pass around the outside at turns seven and eight. Fuchs claimed the PRO-AM lead with the move, and Frederik Zebis (W&S Porsche) eventually found his way past also, knocking Robertson down to P3 in PRO-AM after a slight nudge at Parabolica interior. However, Robertson would ultimately be promoted back to third overall after the stewards awarded Zebis a five-second penalty for the contact during the overtake.
At the front of the field, it was formation flying, with Mesch and Fuchs sealing an overall 1-2 as well as PRO and PRO-AM wins for SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm.
In the wet conditions, Mattis Pluschkell again performed well in the BWT Mücke Motorsport Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, finishing sixth overall and winning the Club class.
Race three:
The 60-minute pitstop race marked the first time the GT4 Winter Series runners had raced on slicks all weekend; at the front, Enrico Förderer and Ravi Ramyead led the field away, but as the fielded rounded turn one, the Safety Car had already been scrambled. Troy Sovicka’s Blue Garage Racing Lotus Emira GT4 collided with Franz Linden’s Speedworxx Porsche on the main straight, sending the Lotus into the pit wall. Linden would continue, but Sovicka’s car required recovery.
Once the race resumed, Förderer held the lead, while his SR Motorsport teammate Cedric Fuchs began a climb from fifth to second place, dispatching his PRO-AM rivals in relatively short order. Despite shedding a passenger-side window, the #111 SR Mercedes looked searingly quick on-track.
During the pit window, there was a drama for the Club class #700 Mücke Aston Martin; Mattis Pluschkell had to control-alt-delete the car on his out lap, after jumping onboard the car shared with Thilo Goos. Despite the setback, the German pair would still win the Club class once the car was back up to speed.
In the second phase of the race, it appeared that Willi Kühne was struggling in the #111 Mercedes inherited from Cedric Fuchs, as he quickly dropped the PRO-AM lead and fell through the pack. However, there were no such dramas for Förderer and Joel Mesch, who completed a weekend sweep in the #11 entry, even with an eleven-second penalty applied for a short mandatory pitstop.
Tim Horrell and Frederik Zebis took a strong second overall as well as a PRO-AM win in the #32 W&S Porsche, while Tom Papenburg finished third to conclude his first weekend in GT racing.
Following Estoril, both the overall and PRO class championships are firmly in the control of SR Motorsport’s Mesch and Förderer. In the PRO-AM standings, Charlie Robertson and Ravi Ramyead hold a six-point advantage over Fuchs and Kühne, while also sitting second in the overall classification.
As the sole AM class entrant at Estoril, Joachim Bölting moved into a comfortable class lead, while Mattis Pluschkell and Thilo Goos continue to lead the standings within the Club class for out-of-homologation GT4 cars.
Next up, the GT4 Winter Series takes on Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo from 12-15 February, at an event that will also feature a celebration of car culture in collaboration with ROOW.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
