• Garage 59 duo end nine-year wait with perfect run to victory in Italy
• Lulham makes winning pass to secure Gold Cup honours for Emil Frey Racing
• Comtoyou Racing beats Boutsen VDS to make Silver Cup breakthrough
• Home win for Imperiale Racing Lamborghini with Bronze Cup triumph
FINAL RESULT: Misano Race 2
Garage 59 gave McLaren its first GT World Challenge powered by AWS win since 2016 in today’s Sprint Cup contest at Misano thanks to a faultless drive from the #59 crew of Marvin Kirchhöfer and Benjamin Goethe.
The race began with a close battle between the pole-sitting McLaren and the #46 Team WRT BMW of Raffaele Marciello and Valentino Rossi, who were in confident mood after winning Saturday’s opening race. Marciello made a slightly better start and was all over the German throughout the opening lap. Kirchhöfer responded to the pressure, trading purple sectors with Marciello and preventing a serious assault from the BMW driver.
The leaders were running nose to tail when the race was red flagged on the 15-minute mark following a dramatic accident involving the #991 Paradine Competition BMW and the #1 Grasser Racing Lamborghini. Light contact between the two sent the Lamborghini of Georgi Donczew into the barriers at high speed, the resulting impact causing the car to burst into flames.
Donczew was able to climb from the wreckage as soon as the Lamborghini came to a halt in the gravel. But while the driver had a lucky escape, the barriers were in need of significant repairs. This resulted in a lengthy stoppage, though the work ensured that the full duration could be completed once racing resumed.
When the green flag was shown the competitive order remained the same, Marciello shadowing Kirchhöfer but not getting close enough to make a move. The leaders stopped shortly after the mid-race pit window opened and Garage 59 matched Team WRT, sending Goethe back on the track just ahead of Rossi.
The #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG ran an extra lap in the hands of Maro Engel and retained third spot once the stops were complete, though Lucas Auer had to resist serious pressure from the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche of Patric Niederhauser. Keeping hold of this position would prove crucial to the Winward squad’s race.
Goethe and Rossi were evenly matched, the McLaren edging into a lead that hovered around the two-second mark. But any chance of a fight between the two ended when the #46 BMW was hit with a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, dropping the Team WRT car out of contention.
The race was not over yet, however, as Auer upped his pace in the #48 Mercedes-AMG, cutting the gap from two seconds to just a few tenths. Goethe was under immense pressure during the final five minutes but, try as he might, Auer could not get alongside his rival. Goethe crossed the line just half a second clear of the defending Sprint Cup champion to secure his maiden series victory and McLaren’s first since Garage 59 triumphed at the Nürburgring in 2016.
The Rutronik Racing Porsche finished third, followed by the #51 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari and the #32 Team WRT BMW of Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde, who retain their place at the top of the standings. The #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG completed the top six and earned its best result of 2025.
Emil Frey Racing returned to the top step of the Gold Cup podium with its #69 Ferrari. Chris Lulham took over from Thierry Vermeulen and emerged from the pits in second, then chased down class rival Paul Evrard (#25 Saintéloc Racing Audi). The British rookie made a decisive move before pulling 10 seconds clear, taking seventh overall while the Audi finished P8.
The top 10 was completed by the Silver Cup leaders. Comtoyou Racing bagged its first win of the season thanks to the #21 Aston Martin crew of Jamie Day and Kobe Pauwels. Day made the winning pass, muscling ahead of Aurélien Panis (#10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG) during the second half of the race.
Imperiale Racing also bagged its first victory of the year by triumphing in the Bronze Cup. The #85 Lamborghini of Dmitry Gvazava and Loris Spinelli beat the #112 CSA Racing McLaren, which led the opening stint but slipped behind its class rival following the pit stops.
The Misano weekend recorded an attendance of 23,854 across three days of on-track activity, which included support action from the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club, Porsche Carrera Cup France and Clio Cup Series. Despite the long delay required to repair the barriers, a large crowd of enthusiastic spectators remained to watch the conclusion of Race 2.
As well as ending McLaren’s wait for victory, the Garage 59 drivers have also fired themselves firmly into the Sprint Cup title battle. Kirchhöfer and Goethe sit third in the standings, a single point behind Weerts/Van der Linde and level with Engel/Auer. It sets up a fantastic final two events of the Sprint Cup season at Magny-Cours on 1–3 August and Valencia on 19–21 September.