• Grid remains at full strength with 40 cars confirmed across four classes
• All Sprint Cup titles must be settled in Spain
• Deciding one-hour races scheduled for 14:15 on Saturday and 14:45 on Sunday
ENTRY LIST: VALENCIA
The curtain will fall on a thrilling Sprint Cup campaign next weekend (19–21 September) when a 40-car field contests the deciding round at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia.
The 2025 season has produced an unprecedented level of competition, with seven different winners from eight races and six different manufacturers among the overall title contenders. There is just as much at stake in the Gold Cup, Silver Cup and Bronze Cup, with multiple crews in the hunt for each class crown.
The trip to Valencia will mark the penultimate GT World Challenge powered by AWS event of 2025, with the Endurance Cup finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya following on 10–12 October. Before that, all eyes will be on Valencia and the Sprint Cup showdown.
PRO: Six world-class crews chasing title glory
Six crews head into the finale with a shot at the overall Sprint Cup title. The advantage lies with Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde (#32 Team WRT BMW) who top the standings with 72 points. They scored a win at Zandvoort and have added another four podium finishes, often making progress through the field to collect strong results.
In close pursuit, Marvin Kirchhöfer and Benjamin Goethe (#59 Garage 59 McLaren) have 70.5 points on the board after victories at Misano and Magny-Cours. The only multiple race winners to date, recent form suggests that the McLaren drivers are narrow favourites for the title.
But this certainly isn’t a two-horse race. Sven Müller and Patric Niederhauser (#96 Rutronik Racing Porsche) sit third in the standings with 63.5 points, while defending champions Maro Engel and Lucas Auer (#48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG) are a further point back. In both cases, a strong Race 1 result could tip the momentum in their favour.
The other two contenders have an outside shot at snatching the title. Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler (#63 Grasser Racing Lamborghini) have been as fast as anyone this year, but inconsistency has left them 20 points adrift of the top. The same can be said for Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril (#51 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari) who will need to overcome a deficit of 27.5 points.
A further six Pro cars will compete for overall honours at Valencia. AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors is the only squad with a second entry to support its title contender, while Emil Frey Racing adds another Ferrari to the grid. Barwell Motorsport (Lamborghini), Boutsen VDS (Mercedes-AMG), CSA Racing (McLaren) and Walkenhorst Motorsport (Aston Martin) will also aim to end the Sprint Cup season on a high.
GOLD: Vermeulen/Lulham under pressure as gap closes
Ahead of the penultimate Sprint event at Magny-Cours, the Gold Cup looked the most likely class battle to be settled early; in fact, the gap at the top has never been smaller. Thierry Vermeulen and Chris Lulham (#69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari) still lead the standings with 90 points, but a difficult weekend in France saw their advantage trimmed to just 2.5 points.
Gilles Magnus and Paul Evrard (#25 Saintéloc Racing Audi) have emerged as their closest challengers, while Louis Prette (#58 Garage 59 McLaren) is also in the hunt after a stellar weekend in France. The Monegasque will again be joined by Tom Fleming, with whom he has collected two wins from the past two events.
The other contenders are Sebastian Øgaard and Leonardo Moncini (#88 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi), who have 73 points; and Jens Klingmann and Al Faisal Al Zubair (#777 AlManar Racing by WRT BMW) with 68.5 points. Both have produced strong performances this season but will require a major swing to take the title.
SILVER: Momentum with Pauwels/Day ahead of decider
Four crews have spent time at the top of the Silver Cup standings this year, though the past two events have seen Jamie Day and Kobe Pauwels (#21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin) seize the advantage. Three straight wins have given the young duo a six-point lead, though they cannot afford to ease off the throttle just yet.
Their biggest challenge comes from Aurélien Panis and Cesar Gazeau (#10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG). Runners-up in 2024, the French drivers have scored six podiums this term and will fancy their chances of taking the title. Alex Aka (#99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi) is 13.5 points off the top and will be joined by Alexey Nesov, while Ivan Klymenko and Lorens Lecertua (#26 Saintéloc Racing Audi) are a further point adrift.
Mex Jansen and Maxime Oosten (#992 Paradine Competition BMW) and Jef Machiels and Marcos Siebert (#52 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari) are also in mathematical contention. Both have been fast at times but will need a near perfect weekend at Valencia to have a shot at the title.
Four more crews are entered in the Silver Cup, with unchanged line-ups aboard the #19 Grasser Racing Lamborghini and the #97 Rutronik Racing Porsche. Matisse Lismont joins the continuing Gilles Stadsbader in the #30 Team WRT BMW, while the #11 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin is a new addition with Jess Hawkins and Rodrigo Almeida at the wheel.
BRONZE: Kessel vs Lionspeed at the top, rivals ready to pounce
The Bronze Cup lead has swapped back and forth between two crews this term. Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall (#74 Kessel Racing Ferrari) head into the finale on top, though they have been unable to shake Bashar Mardini and Bastian Buus, who trail by just 6.5 points. With two wins a piece, this is a finely poised battle.
Rinat Salikhov (#81 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG) sits third. He is 12 points off the top after winning the most recent race alongside Marvin Dienst, who continues in the car for Valencia. Dmitry Gvazava and Loris Spinelli (#85 Imperiale Racing Lamborghini) also remain in the fight after putting together a run of four straight podiums.
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Darren Leung (#991 Paradine Competition BMW) has an outside shot at retaining his class crown alongside the returning Jake Dennis, while McLaren squad CSA Racing remains mathematically eligible to take the teams’ title. A further eight crews will contest the finale, including the #1 Grasser Racing Lamborghini of Georgi Donchev and Christian Engelhart, which returns after missing Magny-Cours.
Audi squads Tresor Attempto Racing and QMMF By Saintéloc Racing will chase a first podium of the campaign, the latter with a revised line-up of Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi and Julian Hanses. There will be a second Lionspeed GP Porsche to support the title-chasing entry, while UNX Racing will also field the 911 GT3 R. Ziggo Sport Tempesta (#93 Ferrari) and Comtoyou Racing (#270 Aston Martin) complete the final Sprint Cup entry list of 2025.
TIMETABLE (CEST)
THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
Paid Test Session: 13:00–16:00
FRIDAY 19 SEPTEMBER
Free Practice: 09:40–11:20
Pre-Qualifying: 15:00–16:00
SATURDAY 20 SEPTEMBER
Qualifying 1: 09:00–09:25 LIVE TV
Race 1: 14:15–15:15 LIVE TV
SUNDAY 21 SEPTEMBER
Qualifying 2: 09:00–09:25 LIVE TV
Race 2: 14:45–15:45 LIVE TV
ALSO RACING
• GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli (2x 60-minute races)
• Porsche Carrera Cup France (2x 30-minute +1 lap races)
• Clio Cup Series (2x 25-minute +1 lap races)
FAN ACTIVATIONS
The Valencia weekend will feature a host of extra activities organised by ROOW, which aims to transform fans from passive viewers into active participants by combining speed with culture and entertainment. Their plans include drifting, track shows, an exhibition of cars and motorcycles, as well as live music from Kidd Keo. For more information, please click here.
There will be a pit walk during the lunch break on both Saturday (from 13:05) and Sunday (from 12:30), giving the public a chance to stroll down the pit lane and watch the teams at work in their garages. In the paddock, fans will have access to a wide variety of food stalls, offering everything from burgers and sandwiches to ice cream and slushies. There will be a children’s play area, merchandise shops, and even a barber!
In addition to ROOW’s activities, fans can also look forward to plenty of support race action on the circuit. The GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli stages its penultimate round of the season at Valencia, joined by top one-make championships Porsche Carrera Cup France and the Clio Cup Series.
All of this costs just 30€ for the weekend. Single-day tickets are available for 20€, while kids up to the age of 12 can attend free with a paying adult. For ticket information, please click here.
