The long winter break is over: for the GT Cup Europe it’s time to start the engines again. The most South Western track of the continent, the technical Autódromo do Algarve, nested in the beautiful hills overlooking the Atlantic, is ready to welcome next weekend the 2026 season-opener of what is already the eighth edition of the junior series by GT Sport.
Positioned one step below the International GT Open and GT3 cars, the GT Cup Open has become a perfect platform for teams and drivers either aiming at climbing through the GT pyramid or enjoying atop international scenery where professional, semi-professional and amateur racing can coexist.
This year again, the GT Cup Europe starts under the sign of quality, with the presence of great teams and drivers, while numbers are expected to raise steadily from the 19 entries of the opening round in Portugal, always a far-away destination for many contenders. Porsches and Lamborghinis will animate the initial battle, with Ferraris, McLarens and others set to join shortly. Six rounds of two races each on some of the more prestigious tracks of the continent are on schedule, with no major changes to the format.
Looking at the season about to start, Jesús Pareja, CEO of GT Sport, comments: “We are happy with how things are developing for the GT Cup Europe, despite the strong competition in the GT’s second tier and the uncertainties posed by the economic context. Our grid still sees a great presence of Porsches, which reflects the situation on the market, but we know this will be mitigated as the season progresses and the entries increase. What is very interesting to see is that the level of team is on the rise and the level of drivers even more so, as GT racing in general becomes more and more the best choice for young talents.”
A FIELD WITH BIG NAMES
This is particularly true in the top category, the Silver class, which homes the best ‘young guns’. One of the major developments during the winter is that FAEMS Team, the squad of Fabio Pampado who took the Teams’ and Drivers’ overall titles last year has joined forces with Ebimotors, the historic team of Enrico Borghi, to form FAEMS Team by Ebimotors.
It will enter two Porsches for two very fast Italian pairs: 2024 vice-champion Matteo Luvisi will race with Pietro Delli Guanti, who joins from GTWCE, while Matteo Martinelli and Giacomo Pedrini will be associated in the other car.
Hans Wijs Motorsport, the Dutch outfit that dominated the Pro-Am class last year, graduates to Silver, with GT star Paul Meijer associated this year with youn gun Jurriaan de Back.
Always at the top, ZRS Motorsport will aim at the title after coming second and third in recent years, and entrusts its ambitions to former vice-champion Ludovico Longoni and GT star Niccolò Schirò.
A very interesting new entry will be BiRace Motorsport, although it won’t be a complete novelty, as the new team stems from an upgrade of former Race Events. The Italian outfit fields two Italian drivers with experience, Lodovico Laurini and Diego Stifner.
A complete new entry will be AF Motorsport, the Portuguese team founded by André Fernandes and active on both sides of the Atlantic, and enters three cars (one with drivers still to be named). In Silver, it will be represented by promising José Barroso, who drives solo.
Another car will be fielded in the Pro-Am class, which is also rejuvenating a lot, and entrusted to Brazil’s Leonardo Reis and Felipe Massa Jr. The latter, nick-named ‘Pipo’, is the 16-year-old son of the former F.1 star, and has debuted recently in GT racing.
Hans Wijs Motorsport enters a car in each class this year, and will have a class title bidder in the pair formed by Belgium’s Lars Zaenen, a well-established presence in the series, and young Pilipino Fgani Salubre.
Spanish squad GT Corse is a new entry with ambitions, fielding the young Alejandro Barambio, a CER Endurance champion, and former GP2 star Borja García. Also in contention is the always competitive Romanian package of RO1 Racing, with Camil Perian and Florin Tincescu, while LMR Motorsport enters a pair combining its double identity, with young Portuguese Bernanrdo Pinheiro and Brazil’s Flávio Sampaio.
It’s in the Am class where we will see a battle between the Porsches and the Lambos. There will be two ‘bulls’ from Sant’Agata, both fielded by Scuderia Villorba Corse. In one of the Huracans, Michele Merendino is back together with Mark Stansfield, while Luciano Privitelio will race solo in the other car.
The Porsche opposition will be led by faithful LMR Motorsport, entering of course the reigning double class champions Leandro Martins and Dieter Svepes.
San Marino’s GDL Racing is also back, with two cars. One will be in the hands of one of its star drivers, Cássio H. de Mello, will now be associated with Giacomo Giubergia, while the other car is entrusted to two Brazilian GT drivers, Nelson Monteiro and Nelson Marcondes, eager to live their ‘European dream’.
Faithful to the series is also the other Sanmarinese team, Tsunami RT, which enters a car for a Spanish pair with fast Fernando Navarrete and young promise Fernando Pedrera.
As said, Hans Wijs Motorsport is entering a car in each class. In Am, it will be entrusted to Hans Wijs Jr and debuting Rick van Zijverden.