The 2026 GT Cup Europe was off to a very lively and entertaining start of the season at the Autódromo do Algarve, where Race 1, held in sunny and warm weather, saw an authoritative win of Pietro Delli Guanti and Matteo Luvisi, in the FAEMS Team by Ebimotors Porsche 992, after a beautiful duel throughout the entire race with the other Porsche, entered by AF Motorsport of Portugal and driven by local hero José Barros.
“It was a tough but fun race”, said Delli Guanti and Luvisi, “we did quite a good job and proved that we have good pace. I think we will have a very closely-fought season, but we should be in the fight for the title”.
Third were Jurriaan De Back and Paul Meijer (HWM) while spaniards took the laurels in the classes: Alejandro Barambio and Borja García (GT Corsa) in Pro-Am and the ‘Fernandos’, Navarrete and Pedrera (Tsunami RT) in Am.
The day had started with reigning Pro-Am champion Paul Meijer (HWM Motorsport) and this year associated with young gun Jurriaan De Back, taking the pole, his seventh consecutive in the series. His start, though, wasn’t perfect, with Delli Guanti, also in first row, Garcia, Barros and Reis forming a quintet that went into first corner abreast. The contact, though, came from behind, from Stifner. The HWM spun in the middle of the group, provoking mayhem at the back of the grid. The races of Longoni and Stansfield ended there, while Zaenen and Meijer dropped to the back.
Barros managed to take the lead from Delli Guanti, but the fight between the two went on up to lap 10, when the safety car had to intervene to rescue the LMR car of Martins, stopped on the track. That was the moment when the driver change window was about to start, and the pit stops happened under yellow. It was in the pits that the FAEMS Ebimotors Porsche made the undercut against the direct rival, with the duel for victory going on as previously, but with Luvisi ahead of Barros. Barambio was third ahead of De Back, Massa jr (penalized with 10 seconds for excessive speed under yellow), Pedrini and Laurini.
Drama struck again in lap 17, when Tincescu and Monteiro had contact, and the safety car had to come in again for two laps. That left a final two laps of racing, where Barros attempted everything to pass Luvisi but with no success. De Back charged back to third ahead of Pedrini and Barambio, first in Pro-Am.
