• Lamborghini drivers triumph after post-race penalty denies Emil Frey Racing
• Garage 59 takes Gold Cup win with Prette/Fleming in P2 overall
• Stadsbader/Lismont take maiden Silver Cup win for Team WRT
• Pauwels/Day secure Silver title with Comtoyou Racing
• Kessel on the cusp of Bronze Cup crown with victory for Blattner and Marschall
FINAL RESULT: VALENCIA RACE 1
Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler secured their second GT World Challenge powered by AWS Sprint Cup win of the season in today’s opening race at Valencia, vaulting into title contention on a dramatic day of twists and turns.
Dennis Marschall led the field from pole aboard the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari, chased by his Bronze Cup title rival Bastian Buus in #89 Lionspeed GP Porsche. But while the front row got away cleanly there was considerable drama further down the order. Among several opening-lap clashes, the most significant involved the #32 Team WRT BMW and the #59 Garage 59 McLaren, both of which were taken out of contention in separate incidents.
Following a brief safety car period the race resumed with Marschall still leading from Buus. However, with Bronze Cup cars required to meet a minimum pit stop time, this was principally a battle for class honours. Marschall had the edge, pulling more than five seconds clear by the time he made his stop and handed over to Dustin Blattner.
The fight for overall victory was developing a little way back between three Gold Cup cars: the #59 McLaren ran third, followed by the #111 CSA Racing McLaren and the #69 Ferrari. They were chased by the #63 Grasser Racing Lamborghini and the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, both of which began the weekend in contention for the overall Sprint Cup title.
With the exception of the Lamborghini, this pack all made their stops at the same time. The Emil Frey crew won the race off pit lane, with Lulham emerging ahead of Louis Prette in the #58 McLaren; when the Lamborghini stopped one lap later, it split the Garage 59 machine and Maro Engel in the #48 Mercedes-AMG. A yellow flag was shown in the middle sector throughout this phase of the race due to the #11 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin being stranded in the gravel, a fact that would become significant later.
When the Bronze cars had stopped Lulham was promoted to the overall lead of the race and took full advantage of the clean air, crossing the line more than 14 seconds clear of the pack. The second step of the podium was more hotly contested, with Pepper taking the #63 Lamborghini on to the rear of the #58 McLaren and forcing his way past Prette with just two minutes left on the clock. It was a crucial pass.
Before the chequered flag had been shown, several cars were placed under investigation for improving a sector time under the mid-race yellow flag. The #69 Ferrari was among them and subsequently received a drive-through penalty, converted to a 26-second time penalty. The same punishment was applied to a number of other cars, shuffling the order considerably.
The #58 McLaren was second overall and won the Gold Cup class, while Engel was classified third aboard the #48 Mercedes-AMG. Despite losing the win, the #69 Ferrari still took fourth overall, followed by the #30 Team WRT BMW of Gilles Stadsbader and Matisse Lismont. The Belgian duo clinched the Silver Cup class after the initial winner – the #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin – was among those to receive a penalty.
Despite losing victory, the #21 pairing of Kobe Pauwels and Jamie Day have nevertheless sealed the Silver Cup title with a race to spare. This was all but assured when the rival #10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG retired with technical problems, eliminating their last serious challenger. The final place on the Silver Cup podium went to the #992 Paradine Competition BMW.
The Bronze Cup title is not yet settled, but Kessel Racing will enter tomorrow’s finale in a strong position to clinch the crown. Blattner comfortably held on to the class lead after taking over from Marschall, finishing sixth overall after the penalties and four places clear of Bashar Mardini in the #89 Porsche. The #81 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG completed the podium.
Three class titles must be settled in tomorrow’s finale. In the overall standings, the #48 Mercedes-AMG pairing of Engel and Auer have drawn level with the #32 Team WRT duo of Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde. The leaders are 1.5 points ahead of Marvin Kirchhöfer and Benjamin Goethe (#59 Garage 59 McLaren), while Pepper and Engstler are a further two points back.
Vermeulen and Lulham hold a lead of 4.5 points in the Gold Cup, while Blattner and Marschall are 12 points ahead in the Bronze Cup. Sunday marks the final day of the 2025 Sprint Cup season and will see Qualifying run at 09:00, while the deciding race gets underway at 14:45. Both sessions will air live on the GT World YouTube channel.
